Works of scholars

Question 1

what did Wesphal write and what’s it about

Answer 1

the emergence of modern philosophy of religion, 1997

explains how critiques of religious belief have developed and changed over time

Question 2

what was the turning point in philosophy

Answer 2

the enlightenment

Question 3

what is the enlightenment and when&where, what did in emphasise instead of what

Answer 3

intellectual and philosophical movement
late 17th and 18th century
Europe
emphasised reason, scientific method and individualism 
over religion and tradition

Question 4

enlightenment view of God and Wetphal’s opinion on this

Answer 4

not rejecting God but critical of RCC

shift from theology to philosophy due to this

Question 5

what was it like pre-enlightenment

Answer 5

aquinas/anselm

faith and reason can work together to gain understanding of God

e.g. Aquinas’ NML, understanding through reason and moral law is revealed in the Bible

Question 6

what was it like post-enlightenment

Answer 6

westphal - gave rise to deism

deists affirm that God exists, but reject any divine revelation or religious experience or religious texts

there is no direct experience of God, can only be known through reason and logic

revelation is irrational and redundant

Question 7

what is westphal’s popcorn analogy

Answer 7

kernel of religious belief focuses on god
and it’s what matters
husk is revelation, removable and unnecessary

Question 8

political and ethical dimensions of the enlightenment - distrusting of what and why

Answer 8

distrusting of religion
religious wars between Protestants and Catholics had plagued Europe
and because of immense authority religion had over state

Question 9

political and ethical dimensions of the enlightenment - what saw separation of what

Answer 9

French Revolution 1789-99

saw separation of Church and state

Question 10

political and ethical dimensions of the enlightenment - what did deists argue

Answer 10

deists argued overcoming religion could lead to a rise of universal religion grounded in reason
would foster moral unity and tolerance

Question 11

what to Kant and Hume both believe in regards to Westphal (3)

Answer 11

both play key role in deist movement

both argue for God’s existence, can only be known through reason if he exists

both argue with different reasons that God can’t be known

Question 12

what do both kant and Hume argue god cannot

Answer 12

both argue god cannot be known a priori - without any form of sense experience

e.g,. Ontological argument doesn’t work as proof for god’s existence

Question 13

Hume’s argument against priori

Answer 13

a priori arguments cannot explain anything of the physical world or nature of reality

Question 14

Kant’s argument against OA

Answer 14

existence is not a predicate, can’t define something into existence

Question 15

Hume’s criticism in reference to design argument

Answer 15

Hume shows arguing from the appearance of design to an intelligent designer is a false inference

to know this, we would need to go back in time to observe it taking place

flaws in design point to an imperfect creator

Question 16

what does Kant’s moral argument do

Answer 16

destroys traditional arguments for God

reconstructs deist project with moral argument

Question 17

what is Kant’s moral argument (5)

Answer 17

humans have good will which leads to moral intention

morality is motives and objectives, not hedonism

to do moral good is to achieve the highest good, summum bonum - highest moral perfection

we feel duty to achieve summum bonum, so must be achievable, even of we never do or see reward

therefore, God must exist

Question 18

what is highest moral perfection for kant

Answer 18

summum bonum

Question 19

reward of summum bonum

Answer 19

only God can reward us for trying to achieve summum bonum

logical reward is afterlife

Question 20

Kant’s focus for religion in regard to his moral argument

Answer 20

religion should involve rationality, which leads to morality

universal religion could be Christianity, as Christ was an example of moral perfection (summum bonum)

Question 21

what is a weakness of Kant’s moral argument

Answer 21

doesn’t allow God to be personal

Question 22

how dies Shleiermacher disagree with Kant and deists

Answer 22

he wants to put religious experience at the centre

Question 23

who disagrees with deists

Answer 23

schleiermacher

Question 24

how would schleiermacher rearrange westphal’s popcorn analogy

Answer 24

swap the two

focus should be on religious experience, feelings and emotions instead

Question 25

why does Schleiermacher want to focus on religious experience instead of reason

Answer 25

God can’t be known through the moral argument or reason

religion is a personal and subjective practice, concerned with the inner consciousness of God

Question 26

what is belief in God for Schleiermacher

Answer 26

belief in God is having a sense encounter with the divine and a feeling that the world is God’s creation

Question 27

what are two weaknesses of Schleiermacher

Answer 27

can’t verify religious experience

excludes rationality