Special lectures: „Introduction to European philosophy of religion: the phenomenological approach“

Abstract:

On the one hand, the project trained students at the College of Religious Studies of Mahidol University in Bangkok. Two groups received a compact introduction to the most important aspects of European philosophy of religion. The course centered on the examination of arguments for the existence of God and a critical analysis of these arguments. The proofs put forth by Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz were presented in lectures, analyzed in text seminars, and debated. These proofs were then confronted with the criticisms of Immanuel Kant, Sigmund Freud, and Hans Jonas. For students of both groups there was also a special course on the contemporary „New Atheism“ (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris) on the last day.

The project also served to initiate further collaborations.

Implementation Period:

08/2024

Project:

Project Objectives and Impact

In the course of the concrete preparations for the teaching stay at the College of Religious Studies at Mahidol University, it became clear in numerous online conferences with Dean Phibul Choompolpaisal and the supervising professor responsible for me, Milos Hubina, that the proposed topic would be too specialized and demanding for the students in Bangkok. An introduction to European philosophy of religion should not, as originally planned, focus on the methodological approach of phenomenology, but on the classics, as these would be new to the students.

Therefore, it was agreed to focus on the so-called proofs of the existence of God and their criticism, as well as to offer an in-depth day on the current „New Atheism“. After this change of topic was announced to and approved by the ASEA-UNINET coordinator in Graz, Prof. Christoph Hauzenberger, the courses, reading seminars and discussion events were planned in detail. In order to ensure an intensive discussion of the topic and to reach a larger number of students, it was decided to teach two groups of about ten students each on two days. For the fifth day, it was considered desirable to deepen the material in the context of the current debates on the „New Atheism“.

The goal of these courses was for students to be able to understand and independently reproduce European-style religious philosophical foundations. In addition, they should have acquired the competence to relate and compare such concepts of Western philosophy with approaches of Theravada Buddhism.

In both groups, the students showed I high level of interest and willingness to engage with ways of thinking that were often foreign and unfamiliar to them. They wanted to engage with philosophers whose names they had often never had heard before. They were particularly challenged by the idea of a personal God and the linear understanding of history, both of which they had not considered in detail. In addition, the issue of theodicy was particularly provocative, as these problems relate to central points of Buddhism and its attempts to overcome suffering. Since most of the students belonged to Buddhism, these issues sometimes led to heated discussions, including among the students themselves, because not only were fundamental problems of their religion being addressed, but also because they very often disagreed among themselves about how their own religion should be interpreted. The fact that Buddhist monks participated in the courses also gave the discussions a special character.

In the preliminary meeting on Friday (August 2) before the start of lectures on the following Monday (August 5), my supervisor introduced me to his colleagues, familiarized me with the location and gave me important information. This was not only an important help for the start of the lectures, but also made it easier for me to get in touch with my colleagues. During lunch breaks and later in the afternoon, I always found opportunities to talk to the professors, to find out more about their research projects and to share my own plans. There were also concrete ideas for further exchanges. Two colleagues in particular expressed great interest in coming to Graz to introduce and present their research, especially on Buddhism, to our faculty.

Results and Contributions

As a result of the exchange with the College of Religious Studies at Mahidol University, it can be said that the teaching of European religious-philosophical thought to the students in Bangkok was successful. Not only the complexity of the subject matter, but also the short time of only one week meant that it could only be a beginning and that more could not be expected. Nevertheless, initial connections were made in a narrowly defined area of philosophical thought and differences between the religions were highlighted.

What I found to be a learning process, not only for the students but also for myself, was above all the realization that many religiously influenced preconceptions have remained fundamental in secular thinking and continue to shape it: For example, ideas about linear or circular progressions of time determine in different ways not only the philosophy of history but even scientific thinking; the fundamental acceptance of the seemingly unchangeable or, conversely, the view that negative things must be turned into positive things as far as possible lead to different approaches to shaping the world and the self; or different theories of suffering and pain lead to different strategies for coping with suffering and processing negative experiences. In the discussions it became clear that what was previously taken for granted suddenly had to be questioned and reconsidered as a result of cultural differences and their comparison.

The students at the College of Religious Studies are obviously not very familiar with the close reading of classical primary texts. I had prepared a reader with English translations which we interpreted together in the reading seminars. This meant that it was sometimes not easy for them to summarize more complex passages in their own words. I learned that this method of studying and interpreting classics is not common there. Instead, the content is presented to the students in a summarized form by the lecturers, without them having to work through the texts themselves. This approach therefore initially caused some surprise. Gradually, however, the students began to enjoy working through the texts themselves and then discussing them not only with me but also with each other. I hope to have shown them that not only religious but also philosophical texts require careful reading and interpretation, and that it can be interesting to approach philosophical texts step by step.

Discussions with the teaching staff at the international college were very promising. There are professors not only from Thailand, but also from Japan, Russia, Slovakia and Bangladesh. Most of them are specialists in Buddhist studies, but there are also religious scholars who not only study the various relationships between religion and Thai society, but also the conditions of religion in digital worlds or technical contexts. There are therefore many possible points of contact between the Faculty of Theology in Graz and the College, also in cooperation with the Institute of Religious Studies in Graz. I was able to hold substantive talks with two colleagues who are very interested in coming to Graz and discussing further cooperation and future exchanges.

In my view, both sides have become very aware of the undeniable cultural divide in the humanities, but also of the need to find strategies to overcome it. Bridges had to be built again and again between the different worldviews. When such bridges were in place, however, the exchange on religious-philosophical topics worked well. The very friendly farewells of the lecturers and students showed me that the visit had been a success. The stay was definitely very enriching for me.