AP/RLST 4178 6.00

Death of God: Atheism in the West

Nietzsche’s famous, prophetic claim that “God is dead” is often taken as describing the declining significance of God within modernity. Adopting neither a pro- nor anti- theistic stance, this course critically examines the relationship between atheism and modernity in Western thought and culture by drawing upon religious, philosophical, scientific, literary, historical, sociological, artistic, and cinematic sources. The course shall take both a historical and a theoretical approach in its investigation. We will aim to understand when, how and why atheism emerges and develops in the way that it does, and the influence it has across culture, while also undertaking to grasp theoretically what it is, as well as the presuppositions and implications of its position. To achieve these aims, we will investigate the ideas of God and faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Greek and Roman philosophy; the relationship of science and religion in the West; the meanings of secularism, secularization, and secularity; philosophical and theological arguments for and against faith in God; the relationships between theism, atheism, nihilism, and meaning; representations of faith and its loss in literature, art, and film; and the possibilities of thought and practice offered by so-called “post-religious,” “post-secular,” and “post-atheistic” orientations.

RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Christianity

Course Category: Self, Society and Other