Your goal in the presentation is to research your topic, tell us something important about it that we didn't read in our assigned texts, and lead a brief discussion. Prior to your reporting date, post a brief summary (just a sentence or two), indicate your research sources, and pose a couple of questions for discussion. You can create a powerpoint if you wish, or show a brief video clip, or read from notes or a prepared script, or just talk to us if you're comfortable extemporizing. Prepare to speak for ten minutes, then lead class discussion. If you have a topic preference, indicate that in a comment below. We'll identify or assign topics FEB 8, then begin presentations FEB 15.
Volunteer to go first?
FEB 15 -
FEB 17 - Samer, Contemporary ethical hedonism
FEB 22 - Gary, "My Two Weeks With the Atheists of Prague"
FEB 24 - Javan, Pragmatism as humanism
MAR 1 - Conor, James and Jung on religion
MAR 3 - Trevor, secularism; John, militant atheism
Spring Break
I would like to present on Feb. 22nd. My topic: "My Two Weeks With the Atheists of Prague"
ReplyDeleteIf possible, I'd like to present on the 17th and I will focus my discussion on Hedonism, and more specifically on contemporary/ethical Hedonism.
ReplyDeleteFebruary 24th if possible. I'd like to make my topic "Pragmatism is a Humanism".
ReplyDeleteThis is Javan
DeleteCould I do my presentation on the similarities between James and Jung’s perception of religion on the 1st?
ReplyDeleteI would like to do my presentation on secularism, it's merits, and it's current state. Preferably on March 1st.
ReplyDeleteI would like to present on militant atheism on March 3rd.
ReplyDeletePresentation Feb. 22, 2022:
ReplyDelete“My Two Weeks with the Atheists of Prague” by Gary Wedgewood
Atheism and Philosophy, PHIL 3310, Spring 2022
We attended several worship services at the enclave of the United Methodist Church during our two weeks in Prague. In conversations with church members & ministers we heard about experiences under communist rule when the church services would have visitors who were spying for the government & recording names of those attending the services. Their purpose was intimidation and suppression. Their reports resulted in young people of the church being prevented from pursuing higher education. The implication was that the only official and acceptable “religious” view under communist rule was Atheism.
Discussion Questions:
1. What percentage of Americans do you think would claim to be Atheists? If that number is growing, why do you think that is happening?
2. Would you read passages of Nietzsche to someone on a first date?
3. What feelings are evoked in you after seeing the images of the Terezin prison camp? Can you imagine how you would react if you found yourself in such a place?
4. Based on the history of the Czech Republic, do you think Atheism there is a rejection of belief in God, a rejection of the Church and it’s claims to power based on supernatural beliefs, or both?
William James, with obvious approval, quotes James Henry Leuba as saying, “God is not known, he is not understood, he is used—sometimes as meat-purveyor, sometimes as moral support, sometimes as friend, sometime as an object of love. If he proves himself useful, the religious consciousness can ask no more than that. Does God really exist? How does he exist? What is he? are so many irrelevant questions. Not God, but life, more life, a larger, richer, more satisfying life, is, in the last analysis, the end of religion.” Richard Rorty in “Pragmatism as Anti-Authoritarianism”