PHIL20740 Conflicting Truths, a History

Academic Year 2023/2024

Recently, the problem of trust in an authority become relevant for a certain number of reasons. During the Covid-19 period, we acknowledged the importance of the following questions: Who do we trust? Scientists, decision-making actors, media, and influential personalities from various traditions and backgrounds? Each expressed their truth, often contradicting each other.
Trust was (and still is) a matter of choosing one of the versions presented by an authority, according to a variety of factors. But why do we choose to believe one truth and not another? What is belief? And what kind of knowledge do we acquire from authority or from reasoning? How do we solve contradictory statements about truth? Does the cultural background have any impact on our understanding of trust and authority? Ultimately, do we all have the same definition of rationality, truth, and trust?

Conceived as a broad historical introduction to the problem of trust and conflicting truths, the module aims to provide an encompassing view of the most relevant authors that addressed these topics in Europe, the Near East, and Northern Africa between the 1st century CE to the rise of modern science. We will discuss texts produced in lands of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

UNDERSTAND contemporary problems within a broader historical context

ASSIMILATE concepts from various cultures and traditions

CRITICALLY ENGAGE with themes that have shaped seminal philosophical and theological views

READ fundamental, yet unduly ignored texts

WRITE well-structured essays

Indicative Module Content:

Major authors and themes will be studied. Among the questions explicitly addressed, one can find:
- what is rationality?
- can we trust discourses that challenge rationality?
- what is the relationship between philosophy and theology?
- do reason and revelation necessarily present contrasting truths?
- what are the limits and benefits of the encounter between divergent philosophical and theological traditions? (Muslims vs Pagan philosophers, Christians vs Muslim and Pagan philosophers etc.)

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Autonomous Student Learning

93
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Reading. An essential component of this module is *reading* and interpreting philosophical texts. Explaining and understanding seminal works is a necessary step to assimilate concepts and stimulate solid and creative, personal thinking. Students will have to read between 2 to 5 pages every week.

Writing. Expressing written arguments remains the most relevant way to structure personal thoughts and also how to engage with primary and secondary bibliographies.

Group projects. Students learn when discussing and even contradicting one another. Collaborative work is also an effective way to negotiate or accommodate different opinions. Small groups will be encouraged to discuss in class various problems on the themes analyzed.


 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: A short commentary (up to 1,5000 words) on a short text discussed in class. The text is given at the end of the class in week 6; students they have 72 hours to submit their commentary. Week 12 n/a Graded Yes

50
Assignment: A short commentary (up to 1,5000 words) on a short text discussed in class. The text is given at the end of the class in week 12; students they have 72 hours to submit their commentary. Week 6 n/a Graded Yes

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

One-on-one meetings with registered students in weeks 3, 5 and 8 in order to identify problems of comprehension and enhance written / oral skills for the group project. Individual feedback in tutorials related to the group project in advance of the discussion / essay. Individual or group feedback on essay within two two weeks of assignment.

PHIL20740 - Conflicting Truths

Part 1. Truth before revelation(s) [mostly on Early Christian and Muslim authors]

Compulsory

Clement of Alexandria, Stromata I.22 (in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. II, transl. A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, 1867-1873), p. 382 and Stromata VI, 7-8 (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. II, transl. A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, 1867-1873), p. 577-582.
Al-Kindi, On First Philosophy, I (in P. Adamson, P.E. Pormann, The Philosophical Works of Al-Kindi, OUP, 2015), p. 10-14.

Further readings
G. Karamanolis, The Philosophy of Early Christianity, Routledge, 20212, p. 27-54 (but the generous introduction is very useful as well)
P. Adamson, Al-Kindi, OUP, 2007, p. 21-45.


Part 2. Truth and curiosity [mostly on Jewish and Muslim authors]

Compulsory
Philo of Alexandria, On Mating (in The Works of Philo. Complete and Unabridged, transl. C.D. Yonge, Hendrickson, 1993), § III-V and XIV (c. 4 pages)
Averroes, The Decisive Treatise (in J. McGinnis, D.C. Reisman, Classical Arabic Philosophy, Hackett, 2007), [at least] § 18-30 (p. 313-317).

Further readings
R.C. Taylor, '"Truth Does Not Contradict Truth". Averroes and the Unity of Truth', in Topoi 19(2000), p. 3-16.

Part 3. Double truth [mainly Jewish and Christian authors]

Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, I.71 (transl. S. Pines, Introd. Leo Strauss, The University of Chicago Press, 1974) [at least] p. 179-184.
Galileo Galilei, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (in The Essential Galileo, transl. and ed. M.A. Finocchiaro, Hackett, 2008), [at least] p. 113-120.

Further readings
L. Bianchi, "From Pope Urban VIII to Bishop Etienne Tempier: the Strange History of the Doctrine of Double Truth", in Freiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie, 64.1(2017), p. 9-36.
A. Speer, "The Double Truth Question and the Epistemological Status of Theology in Late 13th Century Debates at Paris", in The Modern Schoolman, 89.3-4(2012), p. 189-207.
T.M. Rudavsky, Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages. Science, Rationalism, and Religion, OUP, 2018, p. 56-77.

Part 4. Undecided truths [the insoluble problem of the origin of the world and time]

Compulsory
Thomas Aquinas, On the Eternity of the World (transl. P.M. Byrne, Marquette University Press, 1984), p. 19-25.

Further readings
J.F. Wippel, "Did Thomas Aquinas Defend the Possibility of an Eternally Created World? (The De aeternitate mundi Revisited)", in Journal of the History of Philosophy 19.1(1981), p. 21-37.


All these texts are on Brightspace.

***

General introductions:
John Marenbon, Medieval Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2016.
Peter Adamson, Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2015.
Name Role
Mr Keith Feenan Tutor
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 15:00 - 16:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Autumn