̨Íåswag

Religion has played a highly important part in the lives of human beings.

The principal claim of the great monotheistic religions of the world is the following: God exists.

This course considers this claim.

It considers to begin with some of the traditional arguments for this claim: Anselm’s an ontological argument in chapter two of his Proslogion; some cosmological arguments including a cosmological argument of Aquinas and the cosmological of Leibniz and Clarke; the design argument of Paley and some modern forms of the design argument; an argument from the religious experience of God.

It then considers (briefly) the principal argument against this claim: the problem of evil. (It considers a version of this problem, the logical problem of evil.)

It proceeds rationally and rigorously.

No prior specialist knowledge is required to attend this course.

Sessions consist of clearly structured talks and an encouragement to ask questions and to make comments.

Participants are assisted in their understanding of the subject and in their critical engagement with it.

There is in each session an opportunity to engage with other participants.