...Freedom is an essential part of the good life. One cannot be living a good life if he/she is not free to do what he/she wants. However, with freedom comes the moral understanding of what can and cannot be done by the individual. If one is supposed to be living without boundaries then having the boundaries of morality stop unjust acts, this brings to itself what can and cannot be done by the individual. Thus, this brings an overall contradiction to the word freedom. Rousseau wrote, “Man is born free, and yet everywhere he is in chains”. We can distinguish between two types of freedom: 1. Intrinsic freedom, or our natural free will with which we are born. 2. Extrinsic freedom, that freedom for which we must fight for. Freedom is difficult to define due to the negative concept of being a reaction against something. This is known as negative freedom, a reaction against or as freedom from some undesirable position, power or rule. There is also what is known as positive freedom, which is the freedom to do or have. Behind all of our superficial aspects there is some pure inner self that, acting out of it, constitutes the true nature of freedom. Sartre says that pure freedom is consciousness itself. A freedom that is free from determination by all other influences and which allows one to act in a number of different ways. This freedom, as described by Sartre is challenged by the Principle of Universal Causality. This principle states that every event has its explanatory...
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...Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views By James K. Beilby and Paul R. Eddy Eds. Student Name: Kevin M. Polito Student Number: 1516105 Essential Christian Doctrine 1 Spring 2013 – Lewis Word Count: 3,054 Introduction: A necessary and timely book “Throughout the history of the church, Christians have discussed the nature and content of God’s divine foreknowledge” So, rather innocuously, begins the introduction to the text under review. Recently, these “discussions” have become more frequent and heated due, in part, to a robust Calvinist resurgence seen throughout Christendom, especially within the United States. The places and individuals who are engaged in such debates are as varied as the ivory tower and the theologians who inhabit them all the way to the local, faithful Sunday school teacher presenting material to her students who attend her small, rural church. The debate is robust within evangelicalism because of the implications that one’s adopted view has on important questions such as: 1. The Nature of and mode of God’s foreknowledge 2. The Nature of Divine Sovereignty 3. The Nature of Human Freedom Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views is a necessary and timely book. Although, church history bears witness to a diversity of opinions regarding the nature and content of God’s divine foreknowledge, the need for careful and scholarly examination remains as relevant and important as any point in church history. An encroaching, imperious secularism...
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...Critically assess the claim that free will and determinism are compatible (35marks) Free will is when you make an independent choice or voluntary decision, put in philosophical terms it is the art for a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives. Free will is also known as libertarianism or non-compatibilism, this theory also states that you are responsible for your actions, as does soft determinism. Hard determinism and predestination state that you are not responsible for your actions because your life is predetermined and out of your control. This essay will explore the ways in which freewill and determinism work together and the ways in which they oppose one another, including the views of philosophers. According to Baruch Spinoza; “In the mind there is no absolute or free will; but the mind is determined to wish this or that by a cause, which has also been determined by another cause and this last by another cause, and so on to infinity”. This tells us why Spinoza and other hard determinists are called ‘hard’; their position is very strict. Hard determinists believe that all of our actions have prior causes and we are therefore neither free nor responsible, making hard determinism incompatible with free will and moral responsibility. John Locke provides an example which perfectly demonstrates how free will is simply an illusion. He states; ‘say a man wakes up in a room that, unknown to him, is locked from...
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...GCE Religious Studies Advanced GCE Unit G582: Religious Ethics Mark Scheme for January 2011 Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) is a leading UK awarding body, providing a wide range of qualifications to meet the needs of pupils of all ages and abilities. OCR qualifications include AS/A Levels, Diplomas, GCSEs, OCR Nationals, Functional Skills, Key Skills, Entry Level qualifications, NVQs and vocational qualifications in areas such as IT, business, languages, teaching/training, administration and secretarial skills. It is also responsible for developing new specifications to meet national requirements and the needs of students and teachers. OCR is a not-for-profit organisation; any surplus made is invested back into the establishment to help towards the development of qualifications and support which keep pace with the changing needs of today’s society. This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and students, to indicate the requirements of the examination. It shows the basis on which marks were awarded by Examiners. It does not indicate the details of the discussions which took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking commenced. All Examiners are instructed that alternative correct answers and unexpected approaches in candidates’ scripts must be given marks that fairly reflect the relevant knowledge and skills demonstrated. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the published question papers and the Report on...
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...mTELECOURSE STUDY GUIDE FOR The Examined Life FOURTH EDITION author J. P. White Chair, Department of Philosophy Santa Barbara City College contributing author Manuel Velasquez Professor of Philosophy Santa Clara University This Telecourse Study Guide for The Examined Life is part of a collegelevel introduction to philosophy telecourse developed in conjunction with the video series The Examined Life, and the text Philosophy: A Text with Readings, tenth edition, by Manuel Velasquez, The Charles Dirksen Professor, Santa Clara University. The television series The Examined Life was designed and produced by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, Netherlands Educational Broadcasting Corporation (TELEAC/NOT), and Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) Copyright © 2007, 2005, 2002, 1999 by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, 150 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 300, Pasadena, California 91105-1937. ISBN: 0-495-10302-0 Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Lesson One — What is Philosophy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
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