REL 340 Do I have a Soul?

A seminar style survey of the philosophical, theological, and scientific arguments that have been made for and against the existence of the soul. Students will be introduced to a vast, global, interreligious, and historically sweeping array of texts on the (non)existence of the soul, from thinkers such as Buddha, Plato, Augustine, Avicenna, Theresa of Avila, Descartes, Hume, Carl Jung, Thomas Nagel, Daniel Dennett, et al.

Credits

3

Offered

Fall

Outcomes

1. Students should become conversant with the wide range of philosophical, theological, and scientific arguments for and against the existence of a soul.
2. Students should understand a specifically Christian view of the soul's nature, purpose, and end, as well as how this compares to and contrasts with other religious and philosophical conceptions of the soul.
3. Students should be equipped with the requisite knowledge and understanding to continue (post-course) wrestling with and developing their own opinion on the (non)existence of the soul, as well as how that opinion might be integrated into their broader worldview and lived experience.