...Stacy Mottola PHIL 201-D05 25NOV2013 Essay 1 Many question whether or not what we are seeing and are experiencing is real or just part of our imagination. This question is one that has been proposed for hundreds of years by philosophers like Descartes and Plato. How is it possible that a Greek philosopher, a philosopher from the seventeenth century and the movie The Matrix can be so similar? It is the intent of this paper to compare and contrast these questions in relation to the movie The Matrix. The main thing that stands out for each one of these is the question of the reality of the world in which we live. Our sense of being is called into question in each of these examples. Are our senses correct or are we simply living in a dream world that is made up? The Matrix is a computer system that has taken control of peoples everyday lives. Each individual is hooked up to this computer that generates a dream world where everyone believes that they are actually living a realistic life. In the Matrix Morpheus a leader of a group of people who have rebelled against this system come to the knowledge that they are not living real lives. In his recruitment Morpheus meets with Neo and attempts to show him the truth. Learning this Neo sees that what you can see, touch and feel are not exactly real, their senses have betrayed them. In the excerpt from Descartes he makes several statements which also question the reality in which our perceptions believe we are actually...
Words: 755 - Pages: 4
...COURSE SCHEDULE PHIL 201 Textbooks: Dew & Foreman, How Do You Know? A Short Introduction to the Issues of Knowledge (unpubl.) Evans, Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith (2009). Foreman, Prelude to Philosophy: Critically Thinking about Foundational Beliefs Hasker, Metaphysics: Constructing a World View (1983). Holmes, Ethics: Approaching Moral Decisions (2008). Wood, Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous (1998). WEEK/ MODULE READING & STUDY ASSIGNMENTS POINTS DUE DATE 1 3/17-3/24 Foreman: chs. 1-3 3 presentations 3 study guides Course Requirements Checklist Class Introductions Quiz 1 0 0 60 Wed,3/19 Mon,3/24 Mon, 3/24 2 3/25-3/31 Foreman: chs. 5-7 2 presentations 3 study guides Quiz 2 60 Mon, 3/31 3 4/1-4/7 Hasker: chs. 1-3 1 Word document 4 presentations 3 study guides Group DB Forum 1 Quiz 3 100 60 IP Fri, 4/4 R Mon, 4/7 Mon 4/7 4 4/8-4/14 Dew & Foreman: ch. 3 Wood: chs. 1-2 3 presentations 3 study guides Quiz 4 60 Mon, 4/14 5 4/15-4/21 Dew & Foreman: chs. 7, 10 Wood: ch. 4 1 Word document 2 excerpts 3 presentations 3 study guides Essay Quiz 5 120 60 Mon, 4/21 Mon, 4/21 6 4/22-4/28 Evans: chs. 1-3 1 book excerpt 2 presentations 3 study guides Quiz 6 60 Mon, 4/28 7 4/29-5/5 Evans: ch. 7 Holmes: chs. 1-3 1 article 2 presentations 3 study guides Response Paper Quiz 7 200 60 Mon, 5/5 Mon, 5/5 8 5/6-5/12 Holmes: chs. 4-7, 14 1 presentation 3 study guides Group DB Forum 2 Quiz 8 100 ...
Words: 349 - Pages: 2
...PHIL 201Response Paper Response to “On Being An Atheist” by H.J. McCloskey H.J. McCloskey attempted to contradict the arguments proving Gods existence used by theists in the article “On Being an Atheist”. Although there is no sufficient proof in the cosmological argument of their being a perfect creator, it does however provide evidence of a singular being. The evidence of an almighty creator is provided by the simple element of complex design. However, though this almighty creator allows the existence of evil in the world, He was not the one to create it, and, as such, has a purpose behind its existence. The existence of God can be logically concluded, contrary to McCloskey’s beliefs, using the philosophical inquiry. McCloskey refers to the cosmological, teleological, and design arguments throughout his article, and discuss how theists use them to prove the existence of God. McCloskey may, perhaps, believe that these arguments are unsuccessful because his different beliefs allow his approach to be different. Contrary to proof, these aspects of cosmological, teleological, and design are more accurately represented when used as evidence or as simply arguments. Dr. Mark Foreman describes proof, in his presentation of “Approaching the Questions of God’s Existence”, as something that involves a characteristic of complete certainty. As McCloskey refers to the many arguments as “proof” he implies that the arguments are thought to be facts of absolute truth. If this were true...
Words: 1717 - Pages: 7
...Reflection Paper 2 [Introduction: Prayer and Hope in the modern world.] Christians strive and struggle to remain strong in their faith while navigating today’s secular world. Faced with a constant bombardment of negative messages, portrayals, and media by popular culture Christians have to deal with outside influences as well as their own personal struggles. Prayer and Hope are two of the most powerful tools God has given Christians to renew their faith and receive Gods blessings. Prayer is the very act of a Christian reaching out to God for wisdom, help, renewal, forgiveness, and blessings. God requires prayer (1 Timothy 2:8 ESV), God rewards prayer (Luke 11:9 ESV), and God guides us in prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 ESV). The hope God provides is in the reward of everlasting life in heaven. (Core Christianity by Elmer Towns) God wants Christians to be hopeful and at peace with the future. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV) Prayer and Hope can change the very way a Christian presents themselves in public and allow themselves the ability to stand firm in their faith knowing Gods promise. [Part One: Prayer] a. Theological Definition As stated in the introduction Prayer is the very act of a Christian reaching out to God for wisdom, help, renewal, forgiveness, and blessings. It is through prayer that Christians build their relationship with God to seek His presence and guidance in their lives. Prayer is considered to be the intimate relationship between God and the individual. Beyond just...
Words: 1139 - Pages: 5
...Phil 201 6/14/15 Comparisons of The Allegory, Descartes and The Matrix While in the reality of his world, the main character of The Matrix, Neo finds himself doubting what really is and really isn’t. The writers of The Matrix did an excellent job of drawing similarities to that of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Descartes’s Philosophical ideas. There are many similarities between the Allegory as well as to the Philosophical differences to The Matrix. The first major similarity that I noticed between the Allegory and The Matrix is the fact that both Neo and the character in Plato’s work had a feeling that something was not right. The both seemed to want to gain a deeper knowledge of the world around them and believed the world was not all it seemed but that it was more than what it seemed. They believed there was a deeper meaning to what was around them. They both accepted this and began the search for deeper meaning. This allowed both Neo and the slave to understand that they are not really in control of their world. At any moment something could change. In Neo’s case the computer programmer could change a code and have a building fall on him or possibly make someone disappear from his life. In the slaves case his life, since he was born, was ran by the farmers that he worked for within the cave. Their lives are very similar. Neo, even though he did not realize it was in the same position as the slave. He was a slave himself. The differences between The Allegory and...
Words: 643 - Pages: 3
...While the question, “to torture or not to torture?” is a valid question; I feel that it is important for man to understand why he is torturing the other. What justifies physically or mentally abusing someone to get information? At what point do we decide for another man that he is or is not worthy of this abuse? Each viewpoint would suggest its own justification for the prisoner. Kant said you should never treat people merely as instruments; never just as means to your own goals. Humans, he says, are autonomous beings with their own goals. (Perry) Utilitarianism would allow the torture if it meant better for society as a whole and was to their benefit. Kantian duty-based ethics would, “just be following orders” and not stop to think about the impact they are making on the prisoner or even for queen and country” or to “protect my children”. Virtue ethics would find themselves asking if it was morally appropriate to cause the prisoner to suffer and what the justification would be in said situation. Christian-principle based ethics would choose to follow the Bible and God’s call to love and show forgiveness to those who have wronged us as to whether the prisoner should be tortured or not. From a Christian-principle based ethic standpoint, it would be very situational as to whether they were to torture the prisoner. While the stereotypical Liberty students view would be to base my decision upon my Christian beliefs, I actually would decide upon a mix of these views. Hopefully, I...
Words: 405 - Pages: 2
...A Response to the Article: "On Being An Atheist" by H. J. McCloskey Joshua Cottrell PHIL 201-D32 Professor Pensgard August 12, 2013 The belief in a Creator and a literal God has been a subject of many arguments down through the centuries. Despite a written record and a large contingency of believers, there has arose a strong group of people who believe there is no God and that man just happens to exist and that there is nothing beyond this life. In 1968 H.J. McCloskey published an article entitled "On Being an Atheist". He argued that theories such as the Cosmological or Teleological arguments did nothing to prove in his mind the presence of God. He strongly believed that evil further cemented the idea that a righteous God did not exist. With his writing he attempted to empower the atheist and once and for all prove that God did not exist. I. "Proofs" McCloskey indentified theistic arguments for God as "proofs", and in so doing opened himself up to much scrutiny. He quotes a colleague as saying "...most theists do not come to believe in God by reflecting on the proofs, but to come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors." I do not believe that his colleague was referring necessarily to Cosmological or Teleological arguments as "proofs", as McCloskey ends of doing. I believe his associate was merely stating that most people do not come to religion because they see the sky and think there must be a Creator. There are a number of factor...
Words: 2242 - Pages: 9
...Study Guide: Lesson 18 Arguments for the Existence of God Lesson Overview: In this lesson, we arrive at 1 of the most important questions of the course for Christians: Do we have good reasons to believe that God exists? Today, many are claiming that there is no evidence for God’s existence and those who believe in God are just deluding themselves. However, this lesson will show that some very interesting arguments have been developed throughout the history of philosophy that demonstrate that the theist is within his epistemic rights in believing in God. While the case is not 100% certain (few things are in philosophy), it is certainly reasonable in the absence of any contrary evidence to hold that God exists as the best explanation for certain effects we observe in creation. Tasks: View and take notes of the presentation: “Arguments for God’s Existence.” Read “The Absurdity of Life without God” by William Lane Craig. This reading by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig is titled the “The Absurdity of Life without God.” In this powerful argument, Craig seriously considers the ramifications for us if in fact there really is no God. I assign it to my students on campus and they always tell me it is their favorite reading of the semester. I think you will really enjoy it. It is not a difficult reading and is very powerful on a personal level. While it does not prove God's existence, it does add positive epistemic evidence for the cumulative case for God as...
Words: 704 - Pages: 3
...Study Guide: Lesson 4 A Little Logic Lesson Overview Logic is the primary tool or methodology in studying philosophy. Philosophy is about analyzing and constructing arguments and a good understanding of the basics of logical reasoning is essential in performing that task. The next 3 lessons will focus on logic and analyzing arguments. In this lesson, you will first be introduced to the laws of logic. These are the first principles for all reasoning. We will then discuss the specialized terminology we use in logic. Finally, we will examine 2 major kinds of logical reasoning: deductive and inductive. We will consider different forms of arguments under each and discuss how to evaluate these arguments. Take note that a large part of this lesson is about learning the terminology for logic. Tasks Read and take notes from chapter 5 of Philosophy: Critically Thinking about Foundational Beliefs, “A Little Logic.” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: * Why are the laws of logic foundational? * The Law of Logic makes discourse possible. If they are not recognized as true, than nothing we claim makes any sense. Therefore, it is important to have a firm grasp of these laws. * List and explain the 3 laws of logic. 1. Noncontradiction – “Something cannot both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect. Expressed symbolically: ~ (P•~P).² It reads, “It is not the case that there can be both P and non-P”. 2....
Words: 1412 - Pages: 6
...Study Guide: Lesson 1 What is Philosophy? Lesson Overview Welcome to this introductory course in philosophy. For our first lesson, we are going to examine the question: What is philosophy? There are 4 ways you can get to know what a discipline is: define it, describe it, contrast and compare it with other disciplines, and finally experience it. In this first lesson, we will aim to accomplish the first 3 of these activities. The rest of the course will be an exercise in experiencing philosophy. Tasks View and take notes of the presentation, “Misconceptions about Philosophy”. Read and take notes from chapter 1 of Prelude to Philosophy: An Introduction for Christians, “What is Philosophy?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: • List 4 reasons students often presuppose a low view of philosophy. o They think you have to be super intelligent to do philosophy o Most students study it late in their academic development o Most people do not think philosophy is practical o They do not know what it is or how it can benefit them • Know Socrates’ quote: What is the unexamined life? What did he mean when he said it wasn’t worth living? o Socrates was saying that the unexamined life is when people go through the motions of life without making the effort to reflect and think about what life is about. When Socrates says the unexamined life is not worth living, he is saying that we are...
Words: 944 - Pages: 4
...Response Paper Mccloskey Article Clark Hernanser PHIL 201 February 24, 2013 Ramon Graces Response Paper Mccloskey Article In his article, On Being an Atheist, H.J. McCloskey tried to show that atheism is a more reasonable and comfortable belief than that of Christianity. McCloskey argued against the three theistic proofs, which are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the argument from design. He pointed out the existence of evil in the world that God made. He also pointed out that it is irrational to live by faith. According to McCloskey, proofs do not necessarily play a vital role in the belief of God. Page 62 of the article states that "most theists do not come to believe in God as a basis for religious belief, but come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors." However, he feels that as far as proofs serve theists, the three most commonly accepted are the cosmological, the teleological, and the argument from design. It is important to note that he considers these arguments as reasons to "move ordinary theists to their theism." (McCloskey 1968) This is not necessary the case and contradicts the former statement that most theists do not hold to these proofs. As such, the attempt to dispute these arguments as a reason not to believe in God is almost not worth attempting. If theists do not generally hold to these proofs as reasons for faith, then why bother trying to dispute...
Words: 2073 - Pages: 9
...Study Guide: Lesson 16 Philosophy of Religion: Introduction Read chapter. 1 of Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith, “What is Philosophy of Religion?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: Explain the distinctions between philosophy of religion and sociology, history, theology, and religious philosophy. philosophy of religion focus on the truth and reasonableness of religious beliefs. While the historian or sociologist may study religious beliefs, but his focus is not specifically on the truth or reasonableness of such belief theologian looks at religous beliefs from within, as an adherent or representative of a religous tradition. philosophy of religon may be engaged in by thinkers who are not religous at all, as well as by committed religous thinkers philosophy of religion not so much religious thinking as it is thinking about religion. Religious Philosophy is Religious thinking Explain the arguments for and problems with fideism. Fideism: human beings are never religously neutral; they are always either in faithful service to or in rebellion against God. Claims that faith is the precondition for any correct thinking about religion Problem: fideist cannot attempt to win over his critics by rational argument as the presupposition of such dialouge means the possibility of common ground (fideists deny common ground) eliminates the possibility of showing the nonbeliever the superiority of a religous worldview where should...
Words: 3902 - Pages: 16
...In recent years, the University of Oregon Athletic Department has experienced significant changes. It has undergone 5 different athletic directors over a span of 7 years suggesting possible administrative personnel complications within the department. However, with prominent coaching/administration staffs, state-of-the-art facilities, and media ascendency, the UOAD established a prestigious national brand and is now one of the premier programs in intercollegiate athletics. The UO Athletic department’s budget rapidly grew and doubled in a short time frame of only 6 years. More importantly, it contains only 4 primary sources of annual income including football, gifts & contributions, PAC 12 & NCAA, and broadcast, sponsorships, and royalties. Football is the only UO varsity sport that generates profits, averaging $1.6M annually from 2008-2012. It also produces a steady revenue stream of $3.2M per home game. Contrarily, as the football program continues to excel each year, there is limited growth due to having a $93M budget with an undersized 55K seat football stadium. In addition, increasing revenues for football are equally matched by expenses (6.9 million revenue compared to 7.1 million expenses). This is largely due to the fact that every time the UOAD receives revenue it somehow creates a new expense. Yet, Oregon is finding other ways to generate revenue through MKA events or even parking, but they aren’t substantial to the underlying problems facing Oregon. Through...
Words: 1791 - Pages: 8
...The Characteristics of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Felicia Clark Com/170 December 17, 2012 Shannon DeBord The Characteristics of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant MICHAEL JORDAN VERSUS KOBE BRYANT I am from Greenville Mississippi, we do not have a professional basketball team, so the Memphis Grizzlies are most of my families choice since they are close to us. I usually don’t route for the Grizzlies but I love going to the games to see other teams and players. I have seen several star players play the Grizzlies when I went to see them. The most prolific players were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. They both had a totally different upbringing, however they were the same player during their career. I first saw Michael Jordan in December 2000 when he played with the Washington Wizards versus the Memphis Grizzlies. He was a shell of himself but still managed to outscore everyone on the floor. I believe he had 30 points, six rebounds and four assists. This was an outstanding score by a player in his upper 30s. Michael Jordan by far is the most amazing individual to ever play the game of basketball. His amazing career scoring average is 29.2 with his decline and second retirement in 1998. I first saw Kobe Bryant in 2005 when he played the Memphis Grizzlies. He played much better than Jordan even though he was still 10 years his junior when I saw him. He had 52 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. His outstanding play led all scorers that night and he...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...Variables coding and Questions coding list for SPSS Serial | Questions | | Options coding | Demographics | 1 | Gender | | [ 1 ] Male | [ 2 ] Female | 2 | Age | | [ 1 ] 20-30 | [ 2 ] 31-40 | [ 3 ] 41-50 | [ 4 ] 50 and above | 3 | Qualification | | [ 1 ] PhD | [ 2 ] MS/ MPhil | 4 | Tenure | | [ 1 ] Less than 1 year | [ 2 ] 1 – 2 years | [ 3 ] 2 – 5 years | [ 4 ] 5 – 10Years | [ 5 ] 10 years & above | 5 | Sector | | [ 1 ] Public | [ 2 ] Private | [ 3 ] Semi Government | 6 | Employment Status | | [ 1 ] Permanent | [ 2 ] Contractual | Branding Questions | Variable coding | Statements | | Word-of-mouth | | WM 1 | I often tell others about the Brand X | | WM2 | I recommend Brand X to others | | WM3 | I will leave positive comments about Brand X on community sites | | Brand Personality | | Sincerity | | BPSI 1 | BP1 | Brand X is honest | | BPSI 2 | BP2 | Brand X is sincere | | BPSI 3 | BP3 | Brand X is real | | Brand Personality | | Excitement | | BPEX 1 | BP4 | Brand X is exciting | | BPEX 2 | BP5 | Brand X is young | | BPEX 3 | BP6 | Brand X is up-to-date | | Brand Personality | | | Sophistication | | | BPSO 1 | BP7 | Brand X is upper-class | | BPSO 2 | BP8 | Brand X is good looking | | BPSO 3 | BP9 | Brand X is charming | | Brand Personality | | Ruggedness | | BPRD1 | BP10 | Brand X is masculine | | BPRD2 | BP11 | Brand X is rugged | ...
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
