Society and Atheism Syllabus

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Moments in Atheism
Big Problems Curriculum, University of Chicago - pancake.uchicago.edu/~carroll/moments04/

Atheism is as old as religion. As religion and its place in society have evolved throughout history, so have the standing and philosophical justification for non-belief.

This course will examine the intellectual and cultural history of atheism in Western thought from antiquity to the present. We will be concerned with the evolution of arguments for a non-religious worldview, as well as the attitude of society toward atheism and atheists.

Outline (tentative)
Ancient Philosophies (Sophists, Plato, Epicureans, Stoics) [SB]
Faith and Reason in the Middle Ages (Aquinas, Ockham) [SC]
The Clockwork Universe (Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Descartes) [SC]
The Enlightenment (Hume, Kant, Voltaire) [SB]
Evolution and the Argument from Design (Darwin, Huxley) [SC]
Politics and Sociology (Marx, Engels) [SB]
Psychology and Philosophy (Nietzsche, Freud) [SB]
20th Century Explorations: from Existentialism to Cosmology [SC]
Ethics without God; Free-for-all and Review

Readings:
Plato, Phaedo, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics, 1995).
Also online at the Internet Classics Archive.
David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (Penguin Classics, 1990).
Also online at Project Gutenberg.
Thomas H. Huxley, Agnosticism and Christianity and Other Essays (Prometheus Books, 1992).
James Thrower, Western Atheism: A Short History (Prometheus Books, 2000).
S.T. Joshi, ed., Atheism: A Reader (Prometheus Books, 2000).

PAR 343: Atheism and Unbelief 
Course Overview: -- people.uncw.edu/bergh/par343
In this course we examine the beliefs, assumptions, arguments, and explanations of atheists. We begin by exploring an atheist's responses to the most common arguments put forth by theists in support of their belief in God/a god/gods. We then survey the history of atheism and unbelief in its various forms from philosophers from Epicurus and Ayer. Then we will examine the major philosophical arguments of atheists. We conclude by examining how some atheists explain all those things that theists need gods for. In particular, we will examine the theories of Freud, Durkheim, Marx, Skinner, and Persinger.
Schedule, Topics, and Readings 
Introduction to Atheism 
Introduction to the course Krueger 9-15; Martin 3-4 
What is atheism? Krueger 15-24; Baggini 1-11 
Beneficial/Pragmatic Arguments Martin 229-248; Baggini 34-35 
Can atheists have morals? Theism and morality Krueger 25-51; Baggini 37-43 
Can atheists have morals? Atheism and morality Krueger 51-64; Baggini 43-56 
Can atheists have purpose and meaning? Krueger 67-90; Baggini 57-72 
Discussion: What can be proven? Presentation 1 
Discussion: What can be disproven? Presentation 2 
Negative and Positive Atheism Martin 24-26, 29-39; Baggini 12-34, 91-94 

The Case for God(s) / Goddess(es): Negative Atheism 
What about the Bible? Krueger 92-123; Martin 217 
Miracles Martin 188-209; Krueger 125-133 
Ontological Arguments Martin 85-95; Baggini 97-98 
Cosmological Arguments Martin 101-124; Baggini 94-95 
Teleological Arguments Martin 125-153; Baggini 96-97 
Experiential Arguments Martin 166-187 
Arguments from Faith Martin 249-278; Baggini 98-101 

The History of Unbeliefs 
Classical Materialism & Classical Skepticism Gaskin 1-35; Baggini 73-78 
Hobbes, Collins, Gibbon Gaskin 36-57 
Voltaire, Paine, Palmer Gaskin 58-66, 95-110 
Hume Gaskin 67-86 
D'Holbach Gaskin 87-95; Baggini 78-81 
Midterm Test Study Guide 
Shelley Gaskin 111-134 
Shopenhauer Gaskin 135-146 
Feuerbach Gaskin 147-152 
Nietzsche Gaskin 168-188 
Russell Gaskin 194-204 
Ayer Gaskin 205-211 

The Case Against God(s) / Goddess(es): Positive Atheism 
Incoherence of Omniscience Martin 287-302 
Incoherence of Omnipotence Martin 302-316 
Atheistic Teleological Argument Martin 317-333 
Argument from Evil Martin 334-361 
Freewill Defense Martin 362-391 
Soul Making Defense Martin 413-435 
Finite God & Original Sin Martin 436-443 
Ultimate Harmony & Reincarnation Martin 443-452 

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