The philosophy of religion of David Hume (1711–1776) is a major, though often undisclosed, part of the intellectual heritage of secularist thought in English-speaking countries. His psychological theory of religious belief and his sceptical critique of the traditional arguments for the existence of God present some of the most profound and classic challenges to Christian belief. In particular his psychological account of the origin and nature of religious belief as propensity of projection of entities (e.g., God/s) has been influential in the fields of philosophy of religion. This unit explores his major work on the origin of religious belief, The Natural History of Religion, and his major criticism of the arguments for the existence of God, found in The Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. The unit will examine these, plus other lesser texts (e.g., On Miracles, On Superstition and Enthusiasm, and A Treatise of Human Nature) in order to analyse the different strands of Hume’s philosophy of religion, evaluating its coherence, presuppositions, strengths, and weaknesses.
Unit code: AP3141C
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 18.0
Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3
Unit discipline: Philosophy
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Catholic Theological College
Show when this unit is running1. | Read the selected primary texts carefully in relation to their purpose and historical context, and articulate a comprehension of them. |
2. | Critically expound Hume’s theories, terminology and arguments studied in the unit. |
3. | Situate and critically interpret the material studied in relation to the wider framework of the Christian philosophical tradition. |
4. | Evaluate Hume’s theories, terminology and arguments studied in the unit. |
Seminars
Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Variant 1 - 4500-word essay One choice from three assessment variants will be nominated at the time of scheduling by the lecturer/unit coordinator prior to the start of the unit, published in the unit outline. Students may have topical choices within a given assessment variant, but are not able to make choices outside that set of assessments. |
4500 | 100.0 |
Essay | Variant 2 - 2000-word essay |
2000 | 40.0 |
Essay | Variant 2 - 2500-word essay |
2500 | 60.0 |
Essay | Variant 3 - 2500-word essay |
2500 | 60.0 |
Written Examination | Variant 3 - 2000-word examination |
2000 | 40.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 23 Jul, 2020
Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:51 +1000