Religion 209 - Why Believe? Investigating Faith and Doubt

What is it like to be a believer? What sort of evidence is needed for religious belief to be justified? Can doubt coexist with faith? This course investigates connections between religious belief and acts of knowing, trusting, searching, and doubting. The class examines personal testimonies along with philosophical and literary reflections on belief and doubt. Readings from Blaise Pascal, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ramanuja, the Nyaya-sutra, Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali, Thomas Aquinas, as well as contemporary philosophers of religion, sacred writings from several religious traditions, and the letters of Mother Teresa on her long “dark night.” Occasional films.