Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #PORcourse
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For my upcoming philosophy of religion class #PORcourse we will look at the notion of oneness--the idea that the universe is one, that we are all interdependent. Oneness is both a feeling and a philosophical position. Maybe the best way to introduce it is with poetry... 1/
Walt Whitman's (1819 – 1892) poems are joyful pieces that express the feeling of oneness in two ways: we are part of the universe "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you", and the universe is reflected in each of us, in our own bodies. 2/
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1…
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1…
Whitman's sense of oneness makes him acutely aware of other creatures, how they might feel, such as a tree in Louisiana, "Without any companion it grew there uttering joyous leaves of dark green", or some blades of grass
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1… 3/
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1… 3/
For my philosophy of religion class today #PORcourse we will look at Daoism, particularly the disagreement between Daoists and Confucians on how to find the way (the dao).
There's an enduring tension between ritual and authenticity in ancient Chinese philosophy 1/
There's an enduring tension between ritual and authenticity in ancient Chinese philosophy 1/
In fact, that philosophical tension you can even see in contemporary stories, such as this Taiwanese drama (on Netflix), which examines whether the male protagonist should live an authentic life or live a life that's pleasing to his parents 2/
mydramalist.com/21078-the-king…
mydramalist.com/21078-the-king…
As Graham notes, Whereas European philosophers have focused on the question "Where is the truth?" the main concern with Chinese philosophers has been "Where is the way?" - the word for way, both metaphorical and literal (i.e., doctrine), is 道 (dao) 3/
amazon.com/Disputers-Tao-…
amazon.com/Disputers-Tao-…
My next class in the philosophy of religion course #PORcourse will deal with the idea of the Confucian sage, and will also look at the feminist perspective offered by Im Yunjidang, 任允摯堂, a female neo-Confucian Korean scholar, writer and philosopher (1721-1793).
Im Yunjidang was one of the few published female Confucian philosophers in Korea. Due to gender bias, her work, Yunjidang Yugo, could not be published in her lifetime. A central thesis of this work is that women can be Confucian sages. 2/
As an aside, can we have sageuk drama (historical k-drama) with Im Yunjidang as the protagonist? That would be the coolest thing ever 3/ 
This class in my #PORcourse (philosophy of religion course) will focus on the Confucian idea of ritual, and how ritual can transform us. This is the second part of a two-part class on ritual.
In western philosophy of religion, attention for ritual has been sporadic and recent 1/
In western philosophy of religion, attention for ritual has been sporadic and recent 1/
But for the Confucians, ritual is a key concept. The Classic Chinese term “li”, 禮, means ritual, but also means good manners or etiquette, and also means gift or ceremony. It has no exact translation in English. Rituals can be religious, e.g., burial rites, but not always. 2/
It is closely associated with the term “xiao” or filial piety. This is the importance of being respectful, even deferential, to your parents & other elders. Why should we be respectful to our parents? 3/
Next up in my philosophy of religion course #PORcourse is the role of ritual in Confucian philosophy. In western philosophy of religion, ritual (e.g., liturgy) is not as important as belief and has only recently been explored (e.g., Cuneo, Wolterstorff). 1/
But in classic Chinese philosophy, ritual (禮; pinyin: lǐ) is very important. Learning from authors such as Confucius (Kongzi) or Xunzi, we can get a glimpse of why ritual is important and why it matters. This has implications for ethics and for philosophy of religion. 2/
You can read a free version of the most well-known Confucian classic, the Analects (recorded sayings by Confucius) here: ctext.org/analects
If you look at this book as a newcomer to Chinese philosophy, it may strike you as difficult and inaccessible. For example, 3/
If you look at this book as a newcomer to Chinese philosophy, it may strike you as difficult and inaccessible. For example, 3/
There seems to be no better time than the present to be discussing an intriguing argument and observation in philosophy of religion #PORcourse: divine hiddenness. In a traditional sense, divine hiddenness is when God seems absent, distant, far away from us 1/
This is an ancient phenomenon. You already see observations of divine hiddenness in the psalms, such as Psalm 22 (which makes a striking contrast with Psalm 23, just on the lectionary at our church this weekend) biblegateway.com/passage/?searc… 2/
You see it in people of strong faith, such as Mother Theresa, who asks "What do I labor for? ... If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true." What are we to make of this phenomenon? 3/
cbsnews.com/news/letters-r…
cbsnews.com/news/letters-r…
My philosophy of religion course #PORcourse will focus on Alston's argument from mystical perception in Perceiving God (1991). Main claim: "a person can become justified in holding certain kinds of beliefs about God by virtue of perceiving God as being or doing so-and-so.” 1/
First, let's note the terminology is confusing and manifold. E.g., Schleiermacher: "Religion’s essence is neither thinking nor action, but intuition and feeling. It wishes to intuit the universe..."(1799). For Schleiermacher, religion = feeling of absolute dependence on God 2/
I rather like Schleiermacher, am I'm writing a book that tries to reclaim this broad, expansive conception of religion (as a bundle of feelings, experiences, etc.). But over time the concept of religious experience narrowed and became more specific, cf Otto, William James 3/
Today in my philosophy of religion course #PORcourse here on Twitter, I'm going to discuss an underappreciated argument for God, known as the argument from desire. To do this properly, you need to be in a nostalgic mood so listen to this Ghibli score 1/
What makes you happy? Like, really happy?
Would it be wealth, fame, honor, glory, health, power, or pleasure? It seems even if you have all those things, you still can't be entirely happy (insert clever subtweet of some political leaders here). 2/
Would it be wealth, fame, honor, glory, health, power, or pleasure? It seems even if you have all those things, you still can't be entirely happy (insert clever subtweet of some political leaders here). 2/
No, says Thomas Aquinas, those things ultimately don't make you happy. See the subtle, nuanced arguments in the Summa here. I'll just focus on one, wealth. Something we *think* we desire, but ultimately, wealth does not make us happy
newadvent.org/summa/2002.htm 3/
newadvent.org/summa/2002.htm 3/
Today, in my philosophy of religion course (check out #PORcourse for other installments), we will talk about Plantinga's Warranted Christian Belief (henceforth WCB). Entire book is available here.
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7e0f/9f383793f… 1/
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7e0f/9f383793f… 1/
As of 2020, the book has >1700 citations on Google Scholar. It's a super-influential book in philosophy of religion. But it's important, before we start out, to know what Plantinga is arguing for. Plantinga does *not* argue for the truth of Christian belief. 2/
Aim of the book is to counter de jure objections against Christianity.
1. De jure objection: an objection showing that the belief is incoherent, irrational etc.
2. De facto objection : an objection showing that the belief is false.
P. is only concerned with countering (1) 3/
1. De jure objection: an objection showing that the belief is incoherent, irrational etc.
2. De facto objection : an objection showing that the belief is false.
P. is only concerned with countering (1) 3/
In my next installment of my philosophy of religion course #PORcourse we will be looking at the Problem of Evil. All course materials are here:
drive.google.com/open?id=1SXGPn…
We start, fittingly, with a koala in a burning forest, slowly suffocating and burning alive. 1/
drive.google.com/open?id=1SXGPn…
We start, fittingly, with a koala in a burning forest, slowly suffocating and burning alive. 1/
When we see any sentient creature suffer, we feel we want to help them. Hence all the efforts to save Australian wildlife from the destructive wildfires. We feel compassion with those who suffer, and want to alleviate it. If we do this, why would God not do so? 2/
If we conceive of God as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent why would God allow such a thing? The problem of evil attempts to grapple with the problem of bad in a world created by an all good and powerful God. Let's look at a few traditional solutions 3/
