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Ian James Kidd

 

Philosophy of Religion

  

Email:              i.j.kidd@durham.ac.uk

Lectures:         Wednesdays @ 9am in Elvet Riverside 142

Tutorials:        ‘A’ week, Tuesday @ 9am in the Department Library

‘B’ week, Friday @ 2.15 in the Department Library

 

Module description

The philosophy of religion addresses a range of metaphysical, epistemological, and moral issues raised by religious belief and practice. These include the existence and nature of the divine, the problem of evil, petitionary prayer, miracles, and the ‘warrantability’ of religious belief. Although much of the literature is drawn from the Christian tradition, certain tutorials will also address Islamic and Buddhist philosophy (and you’re welcome to refer to other religious and philosophical traditions throughout). At the end of the module, you should have a deeper understanding of the complexities and significance of these debates to religious thought and practice.

 

The tutorials follow the lecture schedule and address topics and themes raised in the lectures. However, the issues raised and the readings chosen are intended to expand your understanding of the lecture material, so lecture attendance alone isn’t sufficient preparation!

 

Tutorial Groups

Tuesdays

Fridays

 

A - Group 3

B - Group 4

A - Group 5

B - Group 6

1.      Clay, Calley

1.      Clapp, Rowan
  1. Buckley, Hannah
  1. Brownlow, Emma

2.      Georgiadis, Rebecca

2.      Gibson, Kirsty
  1. Chan, Martin
  1. Chan, Emily

3.      Hamblin, Hannah

3.      Goldsmith, Katie
  1. Chana, Jaspal
  1. Daykin, Hannah

4.      Mcilwee, Pierre-Edouard

4.      Sharp, Angus
  1. Dougal, Katie
  1. Deadman, Charlotte

5.      Moore, Simon

5.      Walker, Elizabeth
  1. Gomes-Vieira, Michael
  1. Gibbons, Dominique

6.      Moran, Tom

 
  1. Inglis-Jones, Sebastian
  1. Heintz, Laura

7.      Richards, Samuel

 
  1. Kendrick, Zoe
  1. Holloway, Ruby

8.      Tarr, Alys

 
  1. Louch, William
  1. Howarth, Rachel

9.      Thomas, Chris

 
  1. Loveys-Jervoise, Emily
  1. Pardoe, Ella

10.  Watkinson, Simon

 
  1. Morris, Philippa
  1. Staight, Harry

 

 
  1. Waite, Jessica
  1. Walters, Josie

 

 
  1. Buckley, Hannah
  1. Zacharek, Lorna

 

            Epiphany Term Schedule

Tuesdays

Fridays

Topic

Date

Topic

Date

Heidegger

A – 24 Jan

Heidegger

A - 27 January

B – 31 Jan

B - 3 February

Divine Intervention

A – 7 Feb

Divine Intervention

A - 10 February

B – 14 Feb

B - 17 February

Evil

A – 21 Feb

Evil

A - 24 February

B – 28 Feb

B - 2 March

Evidentialism

A – 6 March

Evidentialism

A - 9 March

B – 13 March

B - 16 March

 

Recommended reading

The general spirit of these tutorials is best communicated in John Cottingham’s books Why Believe? (Continuum 2009) and The Spiritual Dimension (Cambridge 2005), so I recommend that you invest in at least one of these (they are both very readable). Many of the tutorial readings are taken from Brian Davies’ Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), so you may want to considering investing in a copy. Another excellent source is Talliaferro. The online Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy and Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy also contain very many useful articles on issues in the philosophy of religion so please do consult those too. You are of course encouraged to find readings and materials on your own and engage in original research of your own.