PHIL1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Ontological Argument, Design Week, Physicalism
Assessment Structure:
• 50% weighting on mid-term essay
• 50% weighting on exam – two exam questions
Unit Materials:
• All readings on LMS per week ☺
Unit Overview:
• Week 1: Introduction to Unit and Concept of God
• Week 2: The Argument from Design
• Week 3: The Ontological Argument
• Week 4: The Problem of Evil
• Week 5: Mind/Body Dualism
• Week 6: Special Break for the Unit
• Week 7: Physicalism
• Week 8: Personal Identity
• Week 9: Descartes and External World Skepticism
• Week 10: Study Break
• Week 11: Hume and Skepticism about Induction
• Week : Berkeleys )dealism
The Essay:
Write a 1000 word (double-spaced, +/- 100 words) essay ONE of the themes below.
Youre welcome to write this in the form of a dialogue if you wish. In writing the
essay, you MUST address the details of the particular question at hand (e.g. talk
specifically about the human eye or bushfires) and not write merely on the
general topic (e.g. just the design argument or the problem of evil). Failure to
address the specific question will automatically result in a failed essay grade. It is
best to avoid covering too much material within a topic – good work in philosophy
usually involves covering less in greater depth. You dont get marks for making a
superficial shopping list of points, as that is not doing philosophy! The marker has the
discretion to ignore words that exceed the required 1000 (+ or – 100) word-length – so
please stick to it. The readings to draw upon are listed under the relevant topics above,
although you dont necessarily have to read everything on the list. )ts generally better to
read fewer things and understand them well than to read too much and not understand.
Topic 1: choose from a or b
a Look at the human eye. )t cannot have come about by accident. So God must exist.
The universe is like a machine. It cannot have come about by accident. So God must
exist.
Carefully expand ONE of these statements into a teleological argument for the existence
of God. Make sure you identify it as the correct version as (ume or Paleys. Then
critically assess the argument.
(b) Outline a variant of the New Design Argument. Does it succeed?
Topic 2: God is the greatest conceivable being. Greatness includes existence. Therefore
God exists. Expand this into an ontological argument for the existence of God. Then
critically assess the argument.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Assessment structure: 50% weighting on mid-term essay, 50% weighting on exam two exam questions. Unit materials: all readings on lms per week . Write a 1000 word (double-spaced, +/- 100 words) essay one of the themes below. please stick to it. Failure to address the specific question will automatically result in a failed essay grade. It is: week (cid:883)(cid:884): berkeley(cid:495)s )dealism (cid:523)you(cid:495)re welcome to write this in the form of a dialogue if you wish(cid:524). In writing the best to avoid covering too much material within a topic good work in philosophy usually involves covering less in greater depth. You don(cid:495)t get marks for making a superficial (cid:494)shopping list(cid:495) of points, as that is not doing philosophy! The marker has the discretion to ignore words that exceed the required 1000 (+ or 100) word-length so although you don(cid:495)t necessarily have to read everything on the list. )t(cid:495)s generally better to (cid:523)a(cid:524) (cid:498)look at the human eye.
