... rapidly spreading from one place to another in a matter of centuries, despite there being a cultural and language barrier. What makes religion so incredibly effective? Why is it that the concept has existed for literally as long as humanity has existed? What is the relationship between religion and culture? Are they two distinct entities, or are they two different manifestations of the same phenomenon? In order to answer these questions, first, a mutual platform must be developed and agreed upon, which will serve as the basis for development and proposal of arguments. First and foremost, this paper is a rational inquiry about the nature of religion, and as such this paper will establish arguments and analyze religion through the lens of rationality and science. This is not a paper about causality. The arguments developed here are built on the foundations of Objectivism, scientific realism, empirical analysis and strict adherence to logic. Furthermore, religion has to be rigorously defined. Such a definition, however, is difficult to establish. Religion, as stated above, is a global phenomenon that is as old, even older still, than written history. And so establishing a general definition for a phenomenon that has such a wide range of variety is challenging. Nonetheless, henceforth, religion shall be defined as any ideology that proposes supernatural causes as...
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...Title: Stereotyping By: Sheila Cowan PHI 103: Informal Logic Instructor: Issac Brown Date: November 07, 2011 Stereotyping, prejudices and discrimination are ways in which society maintains class and status distinctions and disparate rights and resource distribution. Whether stereotypes are personal, socially based or institutionally legitimized, stereotyping uses flawed logic. It universally applies a belief, idea or an observation to a group of people with a specific trait or characteristic. This leads to invalid logic arguments, hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives that look something like this (Brown, 2001): • If a person has brown hair they are always less intelligent. When constructed as a universal or categorical imperative it looks like this (Brown, 2001): • People with brown hair are always less intelligent. Nevertheless stereotypes persist. Stereotyping and Discrimination Wherever people must compete for resources or position, stereotyping becomes a powerful tool. Governments and organizational leaders charged with the distribution of these positions and resources often use stereotyping and discrimination as a process of elimination. Therefore, negative stereotyping exists in almost every sphere of participation. It exists in schools, in financial institutions, in nearly every industrial and societal sector. Sometimes, negative stereotyping is less obvious than others are. As demonstrated...
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...Fallacy Exercises, part 3 I. Identify the fallacies committed by the following arguments, giving a brief explanation for your answer. If no fallacy is committed, write "no fallacy."[1] NOTE: If an argument is followed by “IGNORE” it is an eample that we didn’t cover and you are not responsible for it. 1. Either we require forced sterilization of Third World peoples or world population will explode and all of us will die. We certainly don't want to die, so we must require forced sterilization. False Dichotomy. These aren’t the only two possibilities. People could control the population by other means. 2. James said that he saw a picture of a beautiful girl stashed in Stephen's locker. We can only conclude that Stephen has broken the rules, because girls are not allowed in the locker room. Accident – the rule applies to real girls, not pictures of girls. 3. Why is it so difficult for you to reach a decision? Complex Question. The thing being assumed is that it is difficult for the person to reach a decision. 4. People who lack humility have no sense of beauty because everyone who has a sense of beauty also has humility. Circular argument. The conclusion says nothing different than the premise. 5. Butane is combustible. Therefore, it burns. Circular argument. “Combustible” means “burns”. 6. Honey, this postcard just arrived, and it says we have won a free airline trip. All we have to do is call the toll-free number...
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...Introduction Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship of religion and science. It is an ancient discipline, being found in the earliest known manuscripts concerning philosophy, and relates to many other branches of philosophy and general thought, including metaphysics, logic, and history. Philosophy of religion is frequently discussed outside of academia through popular books and debates, mostly regarding the existence of God and problem of evil. The philosophy of religion differs from religious philosophy in that it seeks to discuss questions regarding the nature of religion as a whole, rather than examining the problems brought forth by a particular belief system. It is designed such that it can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as believers or non-believers. Religion: A Part of Metaphysics Philosophy of religion has classically been regarded as a part of metaphysics. In Aristotle's Metaphysics, the necessarily prior cause of eternal motion was an unmoved mover, who, like the object of desire, or of thought, inspires motion without itself being moved. This, according to Aristotle, is God, the subject of study in theology. Today, however, philosophers have adopted the term philosophy of religion for the subject, and typically it is regarded...
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...message. In a letter the Kansas State Board of Education Henderson reveals his newly acclaimed thoughts about Intellectual design. Bobby Henderson can be considered a modern day prophet, promoting his newly revived religion, Pastafarianism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In 2005 Bobby Henderson wrote a letter to the Kansas State Board of Education protesting their decision to permit teaching intellectual design as an alternative to evolution in public school science classes. Henderson satires creationism by ranting in his letter about a supernatural creator who closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs that “changes results of carbon dating with his Noodly Appendage”. Henderson prophesies that intelligent design uses ambiguous references to a creator; therefore any conceivable entity could fulfill that role. After receiving no reply from the board of education he posted his letter virally gaining significant public interest. As Henderson’s letter grew in popularity, the satirical nature of his argument caught global attention and received many supporters. According to Pastafarian beliefs, pirates are the original Pastafarians, and are divine beings. The inclusion of pirates was first found in Henderson’s letter to the Education Board, where he uses this as an effort to illustrate that correlation does not imply causation. Henderson correlates global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes and all other natural disasters to the dying numbers of pirates. Instead, Pastafarians...
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...Fallacy Exercises, part 3 I. Identify the fallacies committed by the following arguments, giving a brief explanation for your answer. If no fallacy is committed, write "no fallacy." NOTE: If an argument is followed by “IGNORE” it is an eample that we didn’t cover and you are not responsible for it. 1. Either we require forced sterilization of Third World peoples or world popula¬tion will explode and all of us will die. We certainly don't want to die, so we must require forced sterilization. False Dichotomy. These aren’t the only two possibilities. People could control the population by other means. 2. James said that he saw a picture of a beautiful girl stashed in Stephen's locker. We can only conclude that Stephen has broken the rules, because girls are not allowed in the locker room. Accident – the rule applies to real girls, not pictures of girls. 3. Why is it so difficult for you to reach a decision? Complex Question. The thing being assumed is that it is difficult for the person to reach a decision. 4. People who lack humility have no sense of beauty because everyone who has a sense of beauty also has humility. Circular argument. The conclusion says nothing different than the premise. 5. Butane is combustible. Therefore, it burns. Circular argument. “Combustible” means “burns”. 6. Honey, this postcard just arrived, and it says we have won a free airline trip. All we have to do is call the toll-free number to claim it. If we call the number, we can...
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...came to be known as the Islamic sciences came to be produced, and these consisted largely of religious law, the Arabic language and forms of theology which represented differing understandings of Islam.The early conquests of the Muslims brought them into close contact with centres of civilization heavily influenced by Christianity and Judaism, and also by Greek culture. Many rulers wished to understand and use the Greek forms of knowledge, some practical and some theoretical, and a large translation project started which saw official support for the assimilation of Greek culture (see Greek philosophy: impact on Islamic philosophy). This had a powerful impact upon all areas of Islamic philosophy. Neoplatonism definitely became the prevalent school of thought (see Neoplatonism in Islamic philosophy), following closely the curriculum of Greek (Peripatetic) philosophy which was initially transmitted to the Islamic world. This stressed agreement between Plato and Aristotle on a...
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...well as three examples to support each definition. All answers must be typed – print out a final copy for teacher and self E.C. = +5pts on Quiz and notes if completed by the end of the hour today 1. |wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn | | | | |Definition |Example #1 | |Example: |Claim or argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant |Why should your views on welfare reform matter when we all know | |Ad Hominem |fact about the author of or the person presenting the claim or |that your parents make a lot of money. | | |argument | | |Tu Quoque | An attempt to discredit the opponent's position by exposing |Bill: “It is wrong to use animals as clothing. | | |his failure to act consistently in accordance with that |Ted: “But you are wearing a leather jacket.” | | |position. | ...
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...turnips for sustenance. One of the survivors was the cabin boy, 17, an orphan, who soon took sick after drinking seawater. On the 19th day at sea, utterly desperate, the captain, Thomas Dudley, suggested drawing lots to determine who would be killed so that the others might survive by eating him. One man objected, and the plan was put off. The next day, however, the captain told the others to look away, offered a prayer, and slit the cabin boy's throat. Four days later, the crew spotted a ship "as we were having our breakfast," the captain later wrote. Back in England, two of the three survivors were charged with murder. By utilitarian logic—the greatest good for the greatest number—it's hard to object to the act. Yet many in the hall do object, and Sandel, stalking the stage, scanning the room, wants to know why. When one student suggests that the act would have been justified had the boy, Richard Parker, consented, Sandel replies, in an amused tone: "What would that scenario look like? Dudley is there, penknife in hand, but instead of the prayer, or before the prayer, he says, 'Parker, would you mind?'" Students seem to think the proposed lottery would have justified the killing. Sandel probes: Can a fair process sanction something so abhorrent? And what if the loser changes his mind after the fact? What's more, doesn't the student who says "You shouldn't be eating human, anyway!" have a valid point? As many as a thousand students pack Harvard U.'s Sanders Theater for Michael...
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...fourth EDItION fourth EDItION This clear, learner-friendly text helps today’s students bridge the gap between Its comprehensiveness allows instructors to tailor the material to their individual teaching styles, resulting in an exceptionally versatile text. Highlights of the Fourth Edition: Additional readings and essays in a new Appendix as well as in Chapters 7 and 8 nearly double the number of readings available for critical analysis and classroom discussion. An online chapter, available on the instructor portion of the book’s Web site, addresses critical reading, a vital skill for success in college and beyond. Visit www.mhhe.com/bassham4e for a wealth of additional student and instructor resources. Bassham I Irwin Nardone I Wallace New and updated exercises and examples throughout the text allow students to practice and apply what they learn. MD DALIM #1062017 12/13/09 CYAN MAG YELO BLK Chapter 12 features an expanded and reorganized discussion of evaluating Internet sources. Critical Thinking thinking, using real-world examples and a proven step-by-step approach. A student ' s Introduction A student's Introduction everyday culture and critical thinking. It covers all the basics of critical Critical Thinking Ba ssha m I Irwin I Nardone I Wall ace CRITICAL THINKING A STUDENT’S INTRODUCTION FOURTH EDITION Gregory Bassham William Irwin Henry Nardone James M. Wallace King’s College TM bas07437_fm_i-xvi.indd i 11/24/09 9:53:56 AM TM Published by McGraw-Hill...
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...Long-Term Orientation Index | China | 80 | 30 | 20 | 66 | 118 | France | 68 | 86 | 71 | 43 | 39a | Source: HOFSTEDE: Cultures And Organizations - Software of the Mind Characteristics of high and low face-saving cultures: Issue | High face-saving | Low face-saving | Context | High | Low | Favoured business communication approach | Politeness strategy; indirect plan | Confrontation strategy; direct plan | View of directness | Uncivil; inconsiderate; offensive | Honest; inoffensive | View of indirectness | Civil; considerate; honest | Dishonest; offensive | Amount of verbal self-disclosure | Low | High | Vagueness | Tolerated | Untreated | Source: Adapted from Romana Paszkowska, Intercultural Communication Module. Cracow School of Business Cracow University of Economics, 2014; p.12 Other Face Concern High Low High Self Face Concern Low INDIVDUALISTIC LOW-CONTEXT CULTURE COLLECTIVISTIC HIGH-CONTEXT CULTURE Obliging Compromising Avoiding Integrating Dominating Third-party help Passive agressive Emmotional expression CHINESE FRENCH Conflict Communication Styles: Dominating: One person's position or goal above the other. Avoiding: Eluding the conflict topic, the conflict party, or the conflict situation altogether. Obliging: High concern for the other person's conflict interest above a person's own interest. Compromising:...
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...fourth EDItION Critical Thinking A student ' s Introduction Ba ssha m I I rwi n I N ardon e I Wal l ac e CRITICAL THINKING A STUDENT’S INTRODUCTION FOURTH EDITION Gregory Bassham William Irwin Henry Nardone James M. Wallace King’s College TM TM Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 0 ISBN: 978-0-07-340743-2 MHID: 0-07-340743-7 Vice President, Editorial: Michael Ryan Director, Editorial: Beth Mejia Sponsoring Editor: Mark Georgiev Marketing Manager: Pam Cooper Managing Editor: Nicole Bridge Developmental Editor: Phil Butcher Project Manager: Lindsay Burt Manuscript Editor: Maura P. Brown Design Manager: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Laurie Entringer Production Supervisor: Louis Swaim Composition: 11/12.5 Bembo by MPS Limited, A Macmillan Company Printing: 45# New Era Matte, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Cover Image: © Brand X/JupiterImages Credits: The credits section for this book begins on page C-1 and is considered...
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...in Paris and taught at universities in many cities of Europe. He wrote more than 40 books and several beautiful hymns. All of his work praises God and helped many people understand faith better. At the end of his life, Saint Thomas stopped writing and he had a vision of Heaven. Because of this experience, Thomas decided that compared to the great glory of God, his writing was 'like straw.' Three months later, on his way to see the Pope, he died. Thomas Aquinas’ Early Life and Eduacation He was born in Italy in 1225, the son of a count. When he was five years old, his parents send him to study with the Benedictines of Monte Casino. There, and later at the university of Naples, he was taught the 'liberal arts' - the Trivium; grammar, logic and rhetoric, and the Quadrium; music, mathematics, geometry and astronomy. This was a complete education in those times. His teachers were surprised by his intelligence. He especially excelled in learning as well as practicing the virtues. When he was 19 years old, and old enough to decide how to spend his life, he...
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...RECONSTRUCTING ARGUMENTS Deductive and Inductive Here we are to learn the techniques for PART I, Making a Critique- i.e., argument reconstruction, by doing the following “steps”: 1. Read the discourse; 2. Number and Bracket arguments; 3. Write an Index of Claims; and 4. Tree-Diagram the arguments. What is critiquing? Benjamin Samuel Bloom (1913 – 1999) - the creator of Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) following a framework for categorizing educational goals: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; revised in 2001 by Anderson & Ktrathwohl) with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl as A Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. This taxonomy consists of six major categories: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The categories after knowledge (containing subcategories) were presented as "skills and abilities," (manifested by a person’s intellectual abilities as well) with the understanding that knowledge was the necessary precondition for putting these skills and abilities into practice. As revised in 2001, these cognitive skills were rather treated more dynamically by using verbs and gerunds to label their categories and subcategories (rather than the nouns of the original taxonomy as knowledge objectives). These "action words" describe the cognitive processes by which thinkers encounter and work with knowledge. They are (from the lowest thinking skill): Categories &...
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...introductory explanation b. Historical development of doctrine II. Arguments for the Existence of God 3 c. Cosmological Argument d. Teleological Argument e. Anthropological III. Atheism Versus Existence of God 11 f. Evidence used to disprove God’s existence g. The believers evidence to counter IV. Conclusion 13 h. Summary of the arguments i. Applications in the church today V. Introduction The existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, monotheistic God has come up against enormous resistance from the beginning of time. Early believers such as Moses, Elijah, Paul, and Peter all had to demonstrate that their God is the one true God at times. These believers even encountered persecution and ridicule for holding on to these beliefs at times. Nevertheless the challenges to these early believers tended to be demonstrating that their God was greater than their accuser’s god or gods. At times, it was through the words of men that the God of the Bible was shown to be greater, and other times it was through the action of God in the world and the inaction of the other gods that demonstrated His power and existence This paper will explain three arguments used to demonstrate the existence of God through scientific principles. His existence will be shown using the cosmological, teleological, and anthropological arguments. In academic areas especially science, the question of...
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