[Buddha-l] Philosophy of Religion

[Bob Zeuschner]

As a philosopher who teaches a course in Philosophy of Religion, let me 
take a hesitant stab at this question.

David Webster wrote:
> Do scholars of Buddhism feel excluded from ‘The Philosophy of Religion’? 
> Or that it does not apply itself to the work they do?
> 
> Just wondered…
> 

I teach the course as the application of critical thinking skills (what 
do you mean? how do you know? does your conclusion follow from the 
evidence? is your argument sound? is the argument cogent? unsound? weak?)

In a western university, the only religion that the students know 
anything about is Christianity and maybe some Judaism (and they don't 
know much about either).
The entire field of Philosophy of Religion grew up around critical 
thinking about Christianity.

Indeed, one can apply all those tools to Buddhism.

The problem is that the professor would have to spend half the semester 
teaching the students what the Buddha (Nagarjuna; Dharmakirti, etc.) 
said, what evidence they offered to support conclusions, etc.

The majority of my students would drop the class, because they want to 
know if the God of Christianity exists.


> I have been wondering if ‘philosophy of religion’ exists at all – or if 
> what passes for it is better titled ‘philosophy of theism’?
> 

The philosophy of religion as taught in the universities that I am 
familiar with challenges the claims of theism, but they also focus on 
theism. The text books I am familiar with do focus on monotheism and 
related problems like arguments for existence of a supreme being, and 
theodicy.


It could be otherwise.
Bob
Dept. of Philosophy