Ethics & Evolution<\/span> \u2013 PHIL 480
Philosophy & Cosmology \u2013 PHIL 501<\/span>
Phil Forum Colloquium<\/span> \u2013 PHIL 510
(sitting in on) Comparative Religious Ethics<\/span> \u2013 RELG 380<\/p>\n
For Sartre <\/span>I hope to work with his \u201contology of freedom\u201d \u2013 his own argument that no matter what our physical make-up and environment, we are always \u201ccondemned to freedom\u201d. There is always some<\/span> wiggle-room for our consciousness to choose, this way or that. I have (and have mentioned<\/a>) a book comparing Sartre and Buddhism (primarily Japanese Zen I think).<\/p>\n The central question raised by Dr. Borgmann in Philosophy & Cosmology<\/span> is whether philosophy can reconstruct a \u2018moral cosmology\u2019 today, or if such a project is doomed by the overwhelming power of materialism. I take his view to be that a \u2018moral cosmology\u2019 would accept and yet go beyond contemporary science-driven materialism (which is an a<\/span>moral worldview within<\/span> which we currently try to construct morality). In past times the universe was intrinsically moral, right through to three hundred years ago in the West. But now that is no longer taken as a given; today\u2019s universe is (if you accept modern science) cold and indifferent. Are we forced to accept and meek out our existence in such a universe, or can we accept and compellingly go beyond<\/span> such an understanding?<\/p>\n For Ethics and Evolution<\/span> I\u2019m not sure where I\u2019ll focus just yet. Any suggestions? I guess the central question will be how we can understand ethics in light of Darwinianism (a la Dennett\u2019s book, \u201cDarwin\u2019s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life<\/a>\u201c) . I\u2019m thinking I may want to explore Kantian rejoinders \u2013 noting that physical structures go so far to explaining the world, but such things as consciousness and morality cannot properly (completely) be brought under the wing of evolution\u2026<\/p>\n The central question raised by Dr. Borgmann in Philosophy & Cosmology<\/span> is whether philosophy can reconstruct a \u2018moral cosmology\u2019 today, or if such a project is doomed by the overwhelming power of materialism. I take his view to be that a \u2018moral cosmology\u2019 would accept and yet go beyond contemporary science-driven materialism (which is an a<\/span>moral worldview within<\/span> which we currently try to construct morality). In past times the universe was intrinsically moral, right through to three hundred years ago in the West. But now that is no longer taken as a given; today\u2019s universe is (if you accept modern science) cold and indifferent. Are we forced to accept and meek out our existence in such a universe, or can we accept and compellingly go beyond<\/span> such an understanding?<\/p>\n The Colloquium just provides discussion on current issues in the professional field of philosophy \u2013 sometimes this is stimulating<\/a>, sometimes not<\/a>. The Comparative Religious Ethics <\/span>course is perhaps the most interesting on a personal level because it challenges the way I have in the past viewed religion and ethics (i.e. rationally, as bodies of arguments connected with experience) with a view of story<\/span> or narrative as at least the most powerful element of religion and ethics, if not the true heart of each.<\/p>\n My current classes: Sartre \u2013 PHIL 467Ethics & Evolution \u2013 PHIL 480Philosophy & Cosmology \u2013 PHIL 501Phil Forum Colloquium \u2013 PHIL 510(sitting in on) Comparative Religious Ethics \u2013 RELG 380 For Sartre I hope to work with his \u201contology of freedom\u201d \u2013 his own argument that no matter what our physical make-up and environment, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-113895038520935933?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")