Arguing for and Against God's Existence

Course Objective 

• The student has: 
  Insight in classic and contemporary arguments for and against God's 
  existence 
• The ability to cogently reflect on the epistemic credence of these 
  arguments 
• Insight in well-known objections against each of the discussed 
  arguments 

Course Content 

Ever since Plato, philosophers have developed arguments for and against the existence of God. Well-known examples include Aristotle’s argument for the existence of an unmoved mover, Anselm’s argument for the 
existence of a being than which none greater can be imagined, Leibniz’s argument for the existence of a necessary being that is the cause of all contingents, and the argument against God’s existence from evil. With 
the rise of positivism in the second part of the nineteenth century and the decline of metaphysics that went with it, the interest in arguments for and against God’s existence faded away. However, the last decennia of the twentieth century witnessed a resurgence of metaphysics. This resulted in a revival of interest in these arguments. In this course, we study both traditional and contemporary arguments for and against God’s 
existence. Arguments for God's existence that are discussed include cosmological, teleological, ontological, moral, aesthetic, and modal-epistemic arguments. Arguments against God’s existence to be discussed include the argument from evil, the argument from God’s hiddenness, and the argument from allegedly incompatible divine attributes. We will also investigate the meaning and function of arguments for God’s existence. Are these arguments to be considered as proofs? Are they necessary for rational belief in God? How do they fit into a theistic worldview?  

Additional Information Teaching Methods 

There will be a lecture and one workshop per week.