ch. 3 & 9 Philosophy of Religion + Gilson

Hindu Absolutism

the view that Ultimate Reality is the undifferentiated reality

moksha

the enlightened realization that reality is one, multiplicity is illusion, and only the undifferentiated Absolute is real

Buddhist metaphysics

there is no “thing“ which has independent existence. ex: fatherhood doesn’t exist on its own but only in relation to something else.

Buddhist docterine of interdependent arising (pratitya-sumutpada)

everything is dependent on and connected to other things. nothing in the nexus is independent; everything arises from something else.

Eastern thinks on Ultimate Reality

Ultimate Reality is the undifferentiated, impersonal Absolute and deny the existence of a substantial divine being, philosophhical reflection about the nature of a personal God.

God inperspective of Abrahamic faiths(Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

God is a personal, perfect being who created the world and who has certain devine properties, or attributes, which set God apart from all other beings.

two concerns on coherence of theism

the logical coherence of each of the divine attributes considered individually, and the logical compatibility of the divine attributes taken together.

Necessity

the property of existing necessarily.

Omnipotence

the property of being perfect in power

Omniscience

the property of being perfect in knowledge

Eternity

the property of having neither beginning nor end

Immutability

the property of being intrinsically changeless

possible worlds (in modern modal logic)

a special class of possible situations or states of affairs. ex: there is no possible world in which 5+5=12

open Theism

the view that God is omniscient but lacks knowledge of certain future events (such as future free human actions) as they do not yet exist and are not predetermined so they can’t possibly be known - even by an omniscient being.

timeless

God exists outside of time; God has neither temporal extension nor temporal location - no before, during or after.

everlasting

God has neither beginning nor end, yet God is temporally extended; God exists forever in Time.

eternal and temporal

God did exist without temporal duration, but at the creation of the universe God was drawn into temporal relations.

broad definition of religious experience

any experience of the sacred within a religious context, including religous feelings, visions, and mystical and numinous experiences. it is intensely personal

universality

religous experience is a universal phenomenon. significant proportion of the human population have had religious experiences

diversity

there is a wide diversity of religious experiences, and each experience is in some sense unique to the individual who has it.

importance

religious experience is important in unique and momentous ways, often resulting in a transformed life, new thinks, or even change of world views.

regenerative religious experience

the experiencer undergoes a life and/or Moral transformation.

charismatic experience

special abilities, gifts, or blessings are manifested.

4 characteristics of mystical experience

1. ineffability - the experience cannot be adequately described, if at all.

2. noetic quality - the experiencer believes that she has learned something important from the experience.

3. transiency - the experience is temporary and the experiencer soon returns to a “normal“ state of mind.

4. passivity - the experience occurs without conscious decisions or control and it cannot be brought to happen at will.

mysticlal experiences

identity or union with God in Western religion, or with Absolute Reality. or nature mysticism.

what is C. B. Martin’s claim in religious experience providing support for the belief in God?

He concludes that, a religious experiene cannot establish the objective reality of the perceptual obejct of the experience; all it can provide is evidence for the reality of specific psychological states.

Richard Swinburne’s principle of rationality (Principle of Credulity)

When it seems (epistemically) to someone that something is the case, then in the absence of special considerations it probably is.

Jerome (Yehuda) Gellman’s attempts to demonstrate the evidential value of religious experience:

BEE(Best Explanation of Experience), which has a corresponding STING (Strength in Number Greatness)

kack of verifiability

such religious experiences are not verifiable (they are not checkable as are other kinds of experiences)

conflicting claims within the variety of religious experience

religious experiences are widely divergent, conflicting, and even contradictory.

the circularity objection

religious experience provides justification for religious belief is that such justification is circular: it depends on assumptions which are not self-evident to everyone and yet are then utilized as controls or limitations on the experience.

Sigmund Freud’s wish fulfillment hypothesis of religious experience

religious experience are psychological projections which fulfill certain fundamental human needs and longings - nothing more.

neuroscientific understanding of religious experience

religious experience may be the result of purely neurophysiological causes and thus are ultimately delusory. the research currently being done on the human brain demonstrates that it may be possible to identify neural correlates of religious experience.

Freud’s psychological view

certain feelings for protection are satisfied through the illusion of divine Providence: a person projects the existence of God or Absolute Reality

What is Descartes’ approach to knowledge?

He uses radical doubt to establish certainty, relying on reason alone (Cogito, ergo sum).

How does Gilson critique Descartes?

Gilson argues Descartes isolates reason, unlike Aquinas, who integrates faith and reason.

What role does God play in Descartes' philosophy?

God ensures truth—if He exists, He wouldn’t deceive, so clear ideas must be true.

How do Descartes and Aquinas differ on faith and reason?

Aquinas sees them as complementary; Descartes separates them, making reason primary.

What question does Gilson raise about science and God?

Does science need God as a foundation, or can it stand without Him?