PHIL 252 - The Christian Foundations of Modernity

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SP. While Enlightenment myths narrate modernity as an escape from faith, this course demonstrates that, in fact, the opposite is true: Christian questions, assumptions, and commitments propelled modern thought. The course examines the Christian intellectual foundations of modernity in key figures such as Descartes, Leibniz, Pascal, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Hegel (as well as their debates with figures like Hume and Nietzsche). Philosophical questions in modernity arose from existential struggles at the intersection of faith and reason including the haunting of doubt, the problem of evil, and the foundations for the good life. Emphasis is placed on the practice of philosophy—e.g., dialogue, charitable interpretation of texts, clear argumentation in writing—and on historically and contextually-sensitive faith-based engagement with philosophical ideas as an ongoing part of a reflective Christian life. Prerequisite: Foundations of Christianity I or appropriate transfer credit.