Metaphysics

March 18 – April 8

Focusing on the existence of God and the mind-body problem
Author
Affiliation

Christopher L. Holland

Saint Louis University

Begins

March 18, 2025

Updated

April 10, 2025

1 Readings and Video

Reading and Video Schedule
Due Readings and Videos
Tu, Mar 18 Required: Two readings from De Cruz, Philosophy Illustrated:
Scott M. Williams, “The Flying Man by Ibn Sīnā,” pp. 139–142;
Martina Fürst, “Mary in the Black-and-White Room, by Frank Jackson,” pp. 87–90. Optional: Thomas Nagel, “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?,” pp. 35–50.
Th, Mar 20 Required: David Chalmers, The Conscious Mind, §§1–2, pp. 93–111. Optional: David Chalmers, “Zombies on the Web”
Tu, Mar 25 Before Class: Alfred Mele, “Premium, Mid-Grade and Regular Free Will Fuel Accountability” In Class: Alfred Mele, A Dialogue on Free Will and Science, pp. 10–18
Th, Mar 27 Required: Almeida, “Perfect Being Theology”;
Anselm, Proslogion §§2–3 (pp. 87–88);
Gaunilo, Pro Insipiente §1 (p. 105) and §6 (p. 109);
Anselm, Reply to Gaunilo §3 (p. 114–115)
Aquinas, Summa theologiæ I, question 2, article 3;
William Lane Craig, “The Kalam Argument”, pp. 7–19; Optional: Aquinas, Summa theologiæ I, question 2, articles 1–2;
Wes Morriston, “Doubts About the Kalam Argument” pp. 20–32
Tu, Apr 1   Required: William Rowe, “The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism,” pp. 335-341;
De Cruz, Philosophy Illustrated, pp. 179–182 Optional: Eleonore Stump, “The Problem of Evil,” pp. 392–423
Th, Apr 3 Argument Evaluation Prep: C. S. Lewis, excerpts from Mere Christianity and “Weight of Glory”
Tu, Apr 8 Review/Skim: William Rowe, “The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism,” pp. 335-341; De Cruz, Philosophy Illustrated, pp. 179–182

2 Notes and Presentation

3 Assignments

Assignment Schedule
Available Due Assignment
In-class Th, Apr 3 Argument Evaluation 3
Tu, Apr 1 Sat, Apr 5 Wed, Apr 9 Self-Assessment Quiz 5

References

Almeida, Michael J. 2021. “Perfect Being Theology.” In The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion. John Wiley and Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119009924.eopr0295.
Anselm. 1998. Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works. Edited by Brian Davies and G. R. Evans. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Aquinas. (1920) 2017. The Summa Theologiæ of St. Thomas Aquinas. Edited by Kevin Knight. Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. 2nd ed. New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/summa/.
Chalmers, David J. 1996. The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory. Kindle. Philosophy of Mind Series. New York: Oxford University Press.
Closer To Truth. n.d. “Philosophy of Free Will - Alfred Mele.” Closer To Truth. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://closertotruth.com/video/melal-013/.
Craig, William Lane. 2013. “The Kalam Argument.” In Debating Christian Theism, edited by James Porter Moreland, Chad Meister, and Khaldoun A. Sweis, 7–19. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fürst, Martina. 2022. “Mary in the Black-and-White Room, by Frank Jackson.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 87–90. New York: Oxford University Press.
Lewis, C. S. (1949) 2009. The Weight of Glory: And Other Address. Kindle. New York: HarperCollins.
Mele, Alfred R. 2012. “Premium, Mid-Grade and Regular: Free Will Fuel Accountability.” Phi Kappa Phi Forum 92 (1): 10.
———. 2014. A Dialogue on Free Will and Science. New York: Oxford University Press.
Morriston, Wes. 2013. “Doubts About the Kalam Argument.” In Debating Christian Theism, edited by James Porter Moreland, Chad Meister, and Khaldoun A. Sweis, 20–32. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nagel, Thomas. 1974. “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” The Philosophical Review 83 (4): 435–50. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2183914.
———. 2013. “Panpsychism.” In Mortal Questions, 181–95. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reasonable Faith. 2013. “The Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part 1: Scientific.” September 1, 2013. https://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0.
———. 2016a. “The Fine-Tuning of the Universe.” June 8, 2016. https://youtu.be/EE76nwimuT0.
———. 2016b. “The Ontological Argument.” August 16, 2016. https://youtu.be/xBmAKCvWl74.
———. 2021. “The Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part 2: Philosophical.” February 4, 2021. https://youtu.be/vybNvc6mxMo.
Rowe, William. 2017. “An Analysis of the Ontological Argument.” In Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, edited by Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn, 10th ed., 105–16. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rowe, William L. 1979. “The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism.” American Philosophical Quarterly 16 (4): 335–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20009775.
Seacord, Beth. 2022. “The Fawn in the Forest, by William Rowe.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 179–82. New York: Oxford University Press.
Stump, Eleonore. 1985. “The Problem of Evil.” Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers 2 (4): 392–423. https://doi.org/10.5840/faithphil19852443.
Williams, Scott M. 2022. “The Flying Man by Ibn Sīnā.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 139–42. New York: Oxford University Press.