Philosophy of Religion: Nature and Contemplation

Throughout the history of Western thinking, nature has been approached as a reality pregnant with meaning beyond its mere surface appearance. A variety of metaphors has been used to convey this: Nature as book, as hieroglyph, as Isis the veiled goddess, as theatre of divine glory, as work of art, to name but a few. This course is devoted to exploring such more contemplative approaches to nature in relation to their historical, scientific, and theological contexts, and with a view to how they may perhaps still be relevant and even urgently needed. With an emphasis on key readings from the history of philosophy and theology, as well as select secondary literature, the course offers both theoretical development and practice in the activity of philosophizing.