Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Bachelor in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

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Theodicy

Description
The course addresses the philosophical question of the existence of God from a dual perspective, historical and thematic. The first part of the course is dedicated to analyzing the medieval and modern evolution of the problem, taking into account the opposition between the intellectualist and anti-intellectualist traditions. The final part of the course examines the issue from the perspective of the contemporary crisis of metaphysics, addressing its implications, not only philosophical, but also ethical and sociopolitical.
Type Subject
Optativa
Semester
First
Credits
6.00
Previous Knowledge
Objectives

The course aims to provide a panoramic view of one of the crucial problems in the Western metaphysical tradition, from its origins to the present day: to what extent, for what reasons, and in what way rational discourse is capable of affirming - or denying - the existence of a transcendent deity. The attempt to answer these questions, which runs through the entirety of our philosophical history, seems to imply a paradox in its very formulation - a paradox recalled by Pascal?s famous critique of the ?God of the philosophers?: is there not a contradiction in attempting to reach, from the immanence of reason, that which by its very definition escapes the possibilities of objectification and justification of finite rationality? In its exploration of some of the paradigm answers provided by the medieval, modern, and contemporary eras to this issue, the course will seek to clarify the various possibilities between the rational and irrational (or a-rational) dimensions of human existence. The course thus constitutes the natural complement to the metaphysical education of students, aiming to provide a thorough view of the relevance and legitimacy of the question of God in the contemporary intellectual and social landscape.

Contents

UNIT 1: Introduction: God as a Philosophical Problem
1.1 Delimitation of the problem. God of faith and God of philosophers.
1.2 The evolution of the problem throughout history: Patristics, Scholasticism, Modernity, Contemporary Age.
UNIT 2: The Question of Rational Proofs for the Existence of God
2.1 The Ontological Argument in Saint Anselm
2.2 The Ontological Argument in Modern Rationalism
2.3 The Cosmological Arguments in Saint Thomas
2.4 The Cosmological Arguments in Modern Rationalism
2.5 Modern Critique of Metaphysical Proofs: Hume and Kant
UNIT 3: A-(or Anti-)Intellectualist Affirmations of the Existence of God
3.1 Pascal and French Anti-Cartesianism
3.2 God as a Postulate in Kantian Criticism
3.3 Existentialism or the Paradoxical Affirmation of God: Kierkegaard and Chestov
3.4 The Affirmation of God from the Logic of Action: Blondel
UNIT 4: The Death of God?
4.1 The Problem of Theodicy in Modernity
4.2 The Idea of God in German Idealism
4.3 Nihilism: Nietzsche and Heidegger
4.4 Reconsideration of the Question of God in the Post-Metaphysical Era

Methodology

The methodology to be used in the in-person modality is based on the following strategies:
? Expository Method: Presentation of theoretical content through face-to-face classes and documentation on the platform.
? Text and Document Analysis: Personal reading of materials covering the main contents of the subject. Individual and/or group preparation, followed by a group discussion in class sessions.
? Oral Presentation Method: Student presentations and exposés.
? Written Presentation Method: Preparation of comments, analyses, and arguments on various texts or general topics in the form of written essays or dissertations that students will submit in writing.

Evaluation

Ordinary exam session: In order to be evaluated in the ordinary exam session, all activities subject to evaluation must be completed. The evaluable activities must be submitted by the dates indicated by the professor. If, for a justified reason, communicated to the professor, these activities could not be submitted during the set period, they may be submitted before the exam date, allowing the professor to grade them. However, in this case, the professor is not required to provide feedback on these activities to the student. Furthermore, the student has the right to take the final written exam, even if not all other evaluative activities have been submitted, but the final grade for the course will only be calculated if all activities have been submitted according to the evaluation criteria and weightings outlined in the course guide. If the student has not submitted or completed any evaluative activity, their status will be marked as "Not Presented" in the record for that session.
Extraordinary exam session: The evaluation criteria are the same as in the ordinary exam session, so all the evaluative activities outlined for the course must be submitted. Grades for completed activities (including the final written exam) will be kept until the remaining activities are completed. The same weighting criteria as in the ordinary session will apply in this session. This measure will apply only in the current academic year, so if the extraordinary session is not passed, re-registration for the course will mean repeating the entire subject.

Evaluation Criteria

Final written exam: 35%.
Written assignments: 35%.
Individual and/or group presentations: 20%.
Participation and attendance: 10%.

Basic Bibliography

ANSELMO DE CANTERBURY, Proslogion, Tecnos, Madrid, 2009.
BLONDEL, M., La acción (1893), BAC, Madrid, 1996.
BUBER, M., Eclipse de Dios, Sígueme, Salamanca, 2014.
CHESTOV, L., Atenas y Jerusalén, Hermida, Madrid, 2018.
DESCARTES, R., Meditaciones metafísicas, Austral, Madrid, 2010.
KANT, I., Fundamentación de la metafísica de las costumbres, Austral, Madrid, 2016.
KIERKEGAARD, Temor y temblor, Tecnos, Madrid, 2000.
DOSTOIEVSKI, M., Los hemanos Karamázov, Cátedra, Madrid, 2001.
HEIDEGGER, M., Caminos de bosque, Alianza, Madrid, 2010.
LEVINAS, De Dios que viene a la Idea, Caparrós, Madrid 1995.
MARION, J.L.:
- Dios sin el ser, Ellago, Madrid, 2010.
- El ídolo y la distancia, Sígueme, Salamanca, 1999.
NIETZSCHE, F.:
- Así habló Zaratustra, Alianza, Madrid, 2003.
- El anticristo, Alianza, Madrid, 1995.
PASCAL, B., Obras, Alfaguara, Madrid, 1981.
TOMÁS DE AQUINO, Suma de Teología I, BAC, Madrid, 2006.
ZUBIRI, X.: Naturaleza, historia y Dios, Alianza, Madrid, 1994

Additional Material

GARCÍA BARÓ, M.:
- Sócrates y herederos, Sígueme, Salamanca, 2005.
- Descartes y herederos, Sígueme, Salamanca, 2014.
- Kant y herederos, Sígueme, Salamanca, 2019.
GILSON, É.: El tomismo, Eunsa, Pamplona, 2002.
GOLDMANN, L., Le Dieu caché, Gallimard, París, 1976.
GRONDIN, J.: Introducción a la metafísica, Herder, Barcelona, 2006.
HEIMSOETHM H.: Los seis grandes temas de la metafísica occidental, Revista de Occidente, Madrid, 1974.
LANGLOIS, L. et al., Les philosophes et la question de Dieu, PUF, París, 2006.
LÖWITH, K., De Hegel a Nietzsche, Katz, Madrid, 2011.
MARION, J.L., Le prisme métaphysique de Descartes, PUF, París, 2004.
PANNENBERG, W.: Una historia de la filosofía desde la idea de Dios, Sígueme, Salamanca, 2016.
SÈVE, B., La question philosophique de l’existence de Dieu, PUF, París, 1994.