...uments Arguments from religious experience are never convincing. Discuss Throughout the years, many people claim to have religious experiences, as seen in the research of the Alister Hardy research centre or the work of David Hay. When people say that they have experienced God or the divine in some way; they are not saying that it ‘seemed like’ God but was something else. The issue for many philosophers is: are religious experiences veridical? By this is meant can we actually demonstrate that the religious experiences of people are what they seem to be, i.e. experiences of God, rather than delusions, products of the mind or of some other source such as LSD? Can a person saying they have had a religious experience really be convincing. To know whether religious arguments are convincing or not, Richard Swinburne has suggested two principles that may be used to assess claims about religious experiences. First, he suggested what he calls that ‘principle of credulity’. Swinburne argued that, other things being equal, we have good reason to believe what a person tells us is correct. In general, if a person tells us that they can see a cat crossing the road, we believe them, even if we have not seen the event. Even if only one person sees the event, they still count. Swinburne says “the principle of credulity states that we ought to belie that things are as seen to be… unless and until we have evidence that they are mistaken” by the evidence that they are mistake, Swinburne means...
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...the design argument for the existence of God? (10 marks) (b) Identify the strengths of this argument. To what extent are these strengths more convincing than its weaknesses? (10 marks) 2. (a) Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. (14 marks) (b) To what extent do the weaknesses of this argument limit its effectiveness? (6 marks) 3. (a) Examine the characteristics of BOTH a religious and a scientific interpretation of the origins of the universe. (14 marks) (b) Comment on the view that the differences between these interpretations rule out any major disagreement between them. (6 marks) 4. (a) What do religious believers mean by the ‘problem of suffering’? (5 marks) (b) Select any TWO theodicies and consider how far they offer solutions to this problem. (15 marks) 5. (a) Examine TWO philosophical reasons for belief in miracles. (6 marks) (b) Outline at least TWO problems with belief in miracles. (8 marks) (c) Consider the claim that there are no acceptable solutions to these problems. (6 marks) 2002 1. (a) Outline the design argument for the existence of God. (7 marks) (b) ‘The design argument fails because of its weaknesses.’ Examine and comment on this claim. (13 marks) 2. (a) What are the key ideas of the cosmological argument for the existence...
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...“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” -Abraham Lincoln. In Benjamin Banneker’s critical letter to Thomas Jefferson, Banneker supports his point by contradicting Jefferson's beliefs regarding slavery. Banneker uses two main rhetorical strategies to support his claim. The first strategy focuses on an appeal to patriotism while the second focuses on an appeal to religion. Banneker focuses on using religious ideals that reflect many people's ideas, values, and morals. He persuades Jefferson further by referencing direct quotes from some of our nation's most important founding documents. By combining these ideas and contradicting Jefferson, Banneker creates a powerful and convincing argument. As exemplified in the first half of his essay, Banneker uses strong political arguments and primary sources to support his main idea. He challenges Jefferson's own beliefs when he states, “You cannot but acknowledge that the present freedom and tranquility which you enjoy you have mercifully received and that is the peculiar blessing of heaven” (Banneker 11). Banneker uses founding ideals of the United States to...
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...Abelard’s Analysis of Sin In Abrahamic context, sin was considered as the act of violating the will of God. In this case, sin refers to anything that violates and strains ideal relationship between any individual and God. Some actions have been considered as sins and some sins are considered more serious than others. Sin is then rated in the spectrum ranging from deadly actions to minor errors in people’s lives. Peter Abelard a renowned philosopher and all time theologian analyses sin in his own distinct form and develop what could be a controversial conclusion on sin. He uses an appealing persuasion that is to some extent convincing; yet deep evaluations present a set of flaws in his reasoning that call for doubting and even disagreement. In the Christian world, the notion of living a good life is embodied in two elements: doing the right thing basing on the societies moral standards and avoiding sin according to biblical teachings and standards. Christians have conceived the essence of sin as a transgression against God and his desires or principles (Marenbon 302). Yet this notion of sin remains alienated from the human concrete lives for it to be of any use to moral direction. The issues of the right thing to do, wrong thing to do and sin have been at the center of human questioning, which has driven the human race to perpetually seek for less abstract concept of sin. This concept, which has hitherto not been reached, should present the specificity required to understand...
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...The bulk of the film seems to be from the perspective of a modern day Jewish man telling the story of an impromptu trial of God conducted by a group of Jewish captives at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland to a young woman, after picking up where a tour guide left off. The men involved in the trial include: Mordechai (who is appointed as inquisitor of the court and is the son of Khun), Khun (father of Mordekai and devout Jew who seems the most bothered by the blasphemy of the trial), Baumgarten (a professor of criminal law in Berlin, he is appointed as Head of Court), Schmidt (a Rabbi who is appointed Father of the Court), Moche (a younger polish man who seems to deal with his insecurity by insisting he is special and will not die),...
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... a. Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject? b. From what point of view is the work written? c. Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action? d. What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field, if necessary.) Knowledge of the genre means understanding the art form. and how it functions. e. Who is the intended audience? f. What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? Evaluate the quality of the writing style by using some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality, forcefulness, correct use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, fluidity. Does it suit the intended audience? g. Scan the Table of Contents, it can help understand how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc. g. How did the book affect you? Were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book? How is the book related to your own course or personal agenda? What personal experiences you've had...
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...ACCEPT OR REJECT THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS AS PROVIDING RATIONALLY CONVINCING ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. PHIL 3431: Introduction to Philosophy of Religion November 20th, 2012 The Cosmological Argument The cosmological argument is considered to be the relationship between the existence of the world or universe and the existence of a being that created this world or universe and maintains its existence. According to many studies, the cosmological argument comes in two forms: the modal cosmological arguments and the temporal kalam cosmological arguments. The modal cosmological argument The modal cosmological argument, also known as the argument from contingency, suggest that the universe existence requires an explanation. In other words, there must be a cause that can explain why the universe exists now. The modal cosmological argument places the universe as a contingent being. A contingent being is something that requires a cause of existence. On the contrary, the cosmological argument explains a second type of being: a necessary being. A necessary being is something that does not require an explanation or cause of its existence, a being that could not have failed to exist. In conclusion, the ultimate cause of everything that exist must then be a necessary being. The modal cosmological argument places this necessary being in God’s existence. The modal cosmological argument bases on the following premises: 1. If something exists, what it takes for that...
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...philosophers do not agree among themselves on either the range of proper philosophical questions or the proper methods of answering them, they do agree that merely expressing one’s personal opinions on controversial topics like these is not doing philosophy. Rather, philosophers insist on the method of first attaining clarity about the exact question being asked, and then providing answers supported by clear, logically structured arguments. An ideal philosophical argument should lead the reader in undeniable logical steps from obviously true premises to an unobvious conclusion. A negative argument is an objection that tries to show that a claim, theory, or argument is mistaken; if it does so successfully, we say that it refutes it. A positive argument tries to support a claim or theory, for example, the view that there is genuine free will, or the view that we should never eat animals. Positive philosophical arguments about the Big Questions that are ideal are extremely hard to construct, and philosophers interested in formulating or criticizing such arguments usually end up discussing other questions that may at first seem pedantic or contrived. These questions motivate philosophers because they seem, after investigation, to be logically related to the Big Questions and to shed Harvard College Writing Program Faculty of Arts and Sciences Harvard University light on...
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...sometimes, the government of a nation passes civil laws that are considerably “unjust”. While facing injustice on the own hands of its government, it is not difficult for somebody to speak out against it. Henry David Thoreau and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. both did that, both of them are brave enough to follow their hearts and conscience to fight the unjust system that their government implements; and because of this both men face the consequences of jail time for disobeying certain civil laws. Thoreau in his piece “Civil Disobedience” he discusses the notion that a society must overcome the strong “hold of government to realize their own principles and morals, and not follow the conscience of government. King on the other hand wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which criticizes the injustice brought to black community in a period of racial segregation and unfair treatments of blacks throughout the nation. Although both men wrote essays in which they denounce certain aspects of social injustice, Thoreau’s style focus on individualism, as he protest alone against slavery and injustice during Mexican war; King meanwhile, encouraged its community to unify against racial segregation in order to break the bonds of racial discrimination. Although Thoreau lived more than 100 years before the time of King, Thoreau’s thinking remained influential and inspirational for King. King’s letter corresponds with Thoreau’s feelings against the American government in that both men disagree...
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...Megan Morrone Sigmund Freud and William James on Religion Intro to Philosophy Final May 3, 2013 The Will to Believe, an essay by William James, is a defense of religious faith in the absence of convincing logical facts or scientific evidence. James focuses on reasoning and choice in reference to the basis of belief. To James, when reasoning it is a necessity to recognize other considerations apart from those in which the evidence points to. If truth is the primary focus of our beliefs, sometimes it may necessary to take the risk of believing without solid evidence. Moreover, he clarifies that, although we sometimes have a choice in what we believe, there are many beliefs that we cannot will. James views faith in God as falling short of knowledge because we, as humans do not naturally experience the supernatural. However, he also explains that, such faith is sensibly meaningful to many people, and it is reasonable to wonder how, and to what extent it can be justified. James believes that both logic and science have limits beyond which we can legitimately seek rationality. James discusses genuine choice and stresses the three criteria for genuine choice; the choice must be live, forced, and momentous. In other words, personally meaningful, mutually exclusive and presented with an option and/or answer, and must involve potentially important consequences. James defines religion broadly, as having simply two elements, the first being that the best things are eternal, and second...
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...Comment on the view that arguments against miracles are stronger than those arguments in support of them David Hume proposed his definition of a miracle but in spite of this Hume had criticisms claiming that it was not reasonable to believe in miracles as the evidence was totally unreliable. He stated two weaknesses to the belief in miracles: 1) Based on our large experience of natural laws, it makes more sense to say that there is some other explanation for example that we cannot know every natural law. For example, had Jesus been crucified in our time and come back to life after three days. Overall this could be regarded as a miracle today but it might not be considered as a miracle in the future 2) The evidence of miracles often comes from the testimony of others. We should not rely on such second-hand accounts, because accounts of others cannot be trusted. For example in Fatima thousands of witnesses claimed to have seen the sun spin and fall out of the sky however the witnesses may have been deceived because of their excitement. Firstly, Hume challenged the testimonies of miraculous occurrences on the ground that there were not enough reliable witnesses. There have never been enough a miracle which has been witnessed by a sufficiently large number reliable, objective witnesses. For example there will never be a large enough amounts of educated, reasonable, trustworthy and respected men for us to believe their testimony the resurrection of Jesus was seen by...
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...1) ‘The teachings of Rubenstein on post-Holocaust theology are more convincing than of Fackenheim.’ The Holocaust can be considered the greatest tragedy of human history, it included the cold blooded extermination of 6million Jews, and millions of others who were disabled, homosexuals or whom didn’t agree with the Nazi regime. The Nazi’s came to power because they were depressed from the German defeat in WW1 and humiliated with the reparation payments. Consequently, the National Socialist Party, (Nazi’s) rose to power in the weak environment using propaganda to blame the Jews for the war. The Nazi’s never started anti-Semitism, they just bought a political dimension to anti-Semitism- there was still the suspicion that Jews were blood libels. The Nazi’s rose to power from 1933-1945 and within that time, millions of people were humiliated, beaten, starved, gassed to death, cremated and burnt in mass graves. Over 6million Jews were killed during the Holocaust in evil ways, and those that survived were left with the mental scars and images of what they lived through miraculously. The cruelty that they witnessed, along with the personal and communal sufferings that they endured left the Jews that were able to survive with a shaken faith and the ability to question G-d’s existence. Four theologians; Eliezer Berkowitz, Emile Fackenheim, Ignaz Maybaum and Richard Rubenstein provide the main sources and viewpoints that Jews after the Holocaust base their beliefs on. Eliezer Berkowitz...
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...and each side provides a convincing case. Historians who view the movement as radical praise the colonists’ effort to send the British crown’s rule and effective implementation of a democratic government to the extent the world had never seen before. On the other hand, historians who view the American Revolution as a conservative movement note that Americans inherited the freest democratic society in the world, and see the movement as an inevitable breakaway from the British crown. Due to the subtlety of change within the government structure as a result of the preexisting democratic framework and the small percentage of the population that actually gained utility from these efforts, the American Revolution can be viewed as less of a radical revolution and more of a conservative movement by white male colonists to continue to exercise a form of democratic government they had had before King George started further implementing oppressive British policies. Louis Hartz highlights characteristics that not only make the American Revolution unique from other revolutions around the world, but also more conservative in comparison. Hartz claims that America was a unique case because the Revolutionary effort was not an “effort to build a new society on the ruins of an old society,”1 as all other revolutions of the time were, but rather an effort to preserve most of what they had inherited and rid themselves of Britain’s tyrannical policies that kept America from being autonomous. Hartz...
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...without constant interference from others. He states that technology along with the idea of fame has made people feel that their self worth is determined by how often they have communication with others. People want to be visible, want their ideas and views approved, want their pictures liked and commented on. The idea of peace and quit, solitude is inexistent to our students. He argues his point by using history such as mentioning god, Montaigne, Hamlet, and Don Quixote. 2. Describe how he argues his case and whether he does so convincingly? Deresiewicz's argument certainly has merit, because our world is over run with different ways to communicate with our friends and loved ones. Everything from posting pictures on Instagram, to written posts on twitter or a combination Facebook. Every email has a chat, theirs Skype for video chatting, and in all of that we never have time for ourselves. The only actual time we get to ourselves is when we go to sleep. Deresiewicz's uses fine points such as referencing how often a teenager texts, to religion, to how isolation is our greatest fear. If I believed fully in his viewpoint, I would argue he's convincing, but because I like many people feel isolation, I don't agree....
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...appraised. By doing this, it will be possible to read this paper and obtain a general feel for all the articles the have been provided. WHAT DO WE EXPERIENCE IF WE HAVE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE? By Peter Antes. This article looks at why people who have religious experiences never “...saw a person who was totally unknown in the respective religious context where the apparition took place.” (Antes 3). Why don’t people ever see the God(s) from other religions, why do some people “...see Kali or Durga, while in Christian contexts, if the vision is that of a woman, St. Mary is seen instead.” (Antes 3). This thesis is rather profound in the fact that almost every religion claims to have religious experiences and divine visions, but never of the God(s) from other religions. An interesting contrast shown in the body of the article is between Madeleine Le Bouc, and Ramakrishna. The former, was said to be quite mad by Doctor Pierre Janet while the ladder was considered a saint. Antes points out that “...they had similar types of experience which, according to their surrounding milieus, found very different explanations: a medical one in terms of mental illness in the secular context of France, and a religious one in the Indian context of Hindu spirituality.” (Antes 2). By using this approach, the findings will be more valid as this argument explores “...the field of Psychology of Religion.” (Antes 3). There is an example that uses Paul’s conversion to Christ as a kind of example that is...
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