PHL 110 Lecture Notes - Daniel Dennett, Theism
26 Jul 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The dominant/traditional conception of the nature of religious faith. Traditionally, the first concern of philosophy of religion has been with the truth of religious doctrines. This question, while of the greatest importance, may profitably be preceded by another: what makes a doctrine, dogma, or article of faith religious? . Or, we can ask of a particular religious utterance, for example the sentences, and on the seventh day god finished his work which he had done , what kind of claim is that? . The contemporary american philosopher daniel dennett defines religions as social systems whose participants avow belief in a supernatural agent or agents whose approval is to be sought. Dennett is willing to accept the consequence that, e. g. , many forms of buddhism are not religions because they lack such avowed belief . So, for dennett, theism is the heart of all religion.
