...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...a) Explain how a follower of Natural Law theory might approach the issue surrounding abortion. The Natural Law Theory has developed over time since the era of the ancient Greeks, and it is not necessarily based on one single theory. Natural law is the belief that God has created the universe to work in certain ways. The structure of Natural Law is not accidental; it is deliberate and has important implications to the human race (this can also be used to argue the existence of God in the teleological argument). Humans have a duty to conform to Natural Law. If they do not conform it is morally bad. St Thomas Aquinas linked his idea of Natural Law with Aristotle’s view that people have a specific nature, purpose and function. Aristotle said that not only does everything have a purpose, but also it achieves supreme good when it fulfill its purpose. Aristotle stated that the supreme good for humans is to achieve happiness, which can be related to mill’s utilitarianism where our aim is to gain happiness by avoiding pain and gaining pleasure, but Aristotle did not follow the consequentialist nature of utilitarianism. Aristotle said we were to achieve the final goal by living a life of reason based on what we experience, and this follows the deontological nature of Kantian ethics. Aquinas said that humans beings have an essential rational nature given by God in order for us to live and flourish, even without God reason can discover laws that lead to human flourishing, this is...
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...Explain the strengths and weaknesses of Natural Law Theory (25 marks) As an absolutist theory, Natural Law is universalisable and proposes objective moral standards. These standards, as they are achieved through reason, are not limited to faith and are not bound by God. This means that the theory is accessible to the non-believer as well. This makes it a more versatile and accessible ethical system. This is a strength as many of the ethical systems including will only work if used by all people and for different reasons theories such as Kant aren’t as versatile meaning this is a more realistic ethical theory for people to use. Once the Primary Precepts of Preserve Life; Live in Society; Educate the Young; Continue through Reproduction; and Worship God are understood, the theory is very easy to apply and follow. It is easy to reach conclusions and the theory is quite clear cut in what it believes. However, the theory may come unstuck when one begins picking apart and re-understanding what the precepts mean. This clear cut approach is a strength as the principles are easy to understand and typically would not need to be disputed. One of the flaws of Natural Law theory is the question; do any of the precepts take priority over the others? Does educate the young mean invest in schools? Or encourage independent study? Does preservation of life include abortion and euthanasia? This poses a flaw due to the fact that people will not be sure in terms in conflicts of interested...
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...1) Explain Natural Law Theory. Natural Law refers to the laws of nature; it is also the basis of all science, observing what happened in nature, it is also a law that stretches across all cultures and ways of life. It is based on the religious idea of a God who creates everything with a purpose and end in the mind. Natural Law ethics is part of natural theology that tells us how God wants us to live here and now. To live according to natural law is to live by Gods intentions ethical direction can be found in what is common to all humans. If we follow these common dispositions then we act as God intended= we act in a good way. If we investigate carefully and reason correctly our search will lead to God. This is the basic of natural Theology. Natural law becomes more specific when we move towards secondary principles such as the 10 commandments (secondary law). They are always valid but we should not act upon them. Natural law is split up into 4 channels which are: Eternal Law- Is the mind of God which humans cannot know. Contained within it are the laws which govern the creation of the universe and cannot control the life cycle of everything in existence. Although humans cannot fully know the Eternal law, they can occasionally glimpse reflection of it, for example, through scientific knowledge of aspects of natural law. This shows that God is the starting point, his idea, his rules. He reveals himself threw divine law. God is also thinking about creating a world. We will...
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...| Question 16 Discuss the natural justice process in sport tribunals. Should athletes at either domestic or professional level be able to have legal representation? Natural justice process in sport tribunals In sport tribunals as in courts the laws of natural justice are applied to ensure that an accused person is given the right to a fair trial. Healy (2009, 114) confirms this and outlines the laws of natural justice in relation to sport tribunals as “giving the accused person protection by asserting that: * The person accused of misconduct should know the nature of the accusation made; * The person should be given the opportunity to state his or her case; and * The tribunal should act in good faith.” To further examine the natural justice process I will go into further detail of each of the above factors in relation to sporting tribunals. Notification of Accusation Once an organisation or association feels that there has been a breach of the rule or by-laws in which an individual is involved they must notify the accused in the correct manner to ensure procedure is adhered to with respect to natural justice. The Australian sports commission website (aussport.gov.au) gives an outline on the correct procedure for notifying the accused as follows: * “The person accused should receive written notice clearly outlining the allegation/s in sufficient detail so as to allow the person to properly prepare and respond. The notification should outline the...
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...evidence for its proof. • Inductive argument. • Arguments for design go back at least as far as the Greek philosopher Plato [428-347 B.C.] • Some distinguish between ‘qua regularity’ and ‘qua purpose’, meaning that some DA’s argue on the basis of there being regularity in the Universe whilst others claim there is evidence of the Universe being designed for a purpose. • Three main types of argument are: From order [regularity] From beauty Anthropic [purpose] William Paley [1743-1805] in Natural Theology: Evidences of The Existence and Attributes of the Deity [1805] • Makes use of analogy and likens the complexity of a watch to the complexity of the Universe. Since a watch is clearly designed, so is the Universe [qua regularity]. Also, the human eye is too complex to have arisen by chance so must be designed for some purpose [qua purpose] • Hume [1711-1776] in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding put forward a number of criticisms of the DA before Paley published his work: • Design and order could be the result of chance [the Epicurean hypothesis] • Hume believed the analogy on which the DA is based is unsound. If you compare the Universe with a watch which we know to be designed it is not surprising you come to the conclusion that the Universe is designed. If you compare the Universe with a carrot then you may not come to the same conclusion. Carrots may...
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...Natural Law Theory & Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, & Recent Theories of Rights: Rawls & Nozick. Natural Law Theory: Natural Law theory in ethics is not to be confused with the laws of nature as put forward by physicists or other natural scientists, but they are related and do overlap. In moral domains, we are not concerned to give a mathematical, experimentally based theory of ethics or justice, but we are concerned with the general order of nature and how human life is nestled in and depends on that order. For example, life (& its preservation) depends on observing the necessities and limitations of nature, how we are dependent on food, shelter, parents and a community and the satisfying of other natural needs for life to exist, continue and prosper. The most prominent philosophers & political thinkers in this line of thought include the following: ancient - Plato, Aristotle, & later Cicero & other Roman statesmen; medieval - St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas & other thinkers in the Judeo-Christian tradition; modern - John Locke, & of course Thomas Jefferson & the “founding fathers” of the American republic. According to almost all of these authors, the natural order ultimately depends upon a first ordering principle that established the relation between man and nature. That first principle is commonly referred to as God or Creator, as indicated, for example, in the opening of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. One line of reasoning introduced by Plato is based...
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...Natural Law Theory & Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, & Recent Theories of Rights: Rawls & Nozick. Natural Law Theory: Natural Law theory in ethics is not to be confused with the laws of nature as put forward by physicists or other natural scientists, but they are related and do overlap. In moral domains, we are not concerned to give a mathematical, experimentally based theory of ethics or justice, but we are concerned with the general order of nature and how human life is nestled in and depends on that order. For example, life (& its preservation) depends on observing the necessities and limitations of nature, how we are dependent on food, shelter, parents and a community and the satisfying of other natural needs for life to exist, continue and prosper. The most prominent philosophers & political thinkers in this line of thought include the following: ancient - Plato, Aristotle, & later Cicero & other Roman statesmen; medieval - St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas & other thinkers in the Judeo-Christian tradition; modern - John Locke, & of course Thomas Jefferson & the “founding fathers” of the American republic. According to almost all of these authors, the natural order ultimately depends upon a first ordering principle that established the relation between man and nature. That first principle is commonly referred to as God or Creator, as indicated, for example, in the opening of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. One line of reasoning introduced by Plato is based...
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...Natural Law Theory & Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, & Recent Theories of Rights: Rawls & Nozick. Natural Law Theory: Natural Law theory in ethics is not to be confused with the laws of nature as put forward by physicists or other natural scientists, but they are related and do overlap. In moral domains, we are not concerned to give a mathematical, experimentally based theory of ethics or justice, but we are concerned with the general order of nature and how human life is nestled in and depends on that order. For example, life (& its preservation) depends on observing the necessities and limitations of nature, how we are dependent on food, shelter, parents and a community and the satisfying of other natural needs for life to exist, continue and prosper. The most prominent philosophers & political thinkers in this line of thought include the following: ancient - Plato, Aristotle, & later Cicero & other Roman statesmen; medieval - St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas & other thinkers in the Judeo-Christian tradition; modern - John Locke, & of course Thomas Jefferson & the “founding fathers” of the American republic. According to almost all of these authors, the natural order ultimately depends upon a first ordering principle that established the relation between man and nature. That first principle is commonly referred to as God or Creator, as indicated, for example, in the opening of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. One line of reasoning introduced by Plato is based...
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...192 1.871 94.409 3.275 % 0.97 81.39 3.19 1.80 83.50 3.34 Sample Name Batch_01_Crystals Components Glucose Xylose Arabinose RT 11.067 12.129 14.059 11.05 12.114 14.059 Area 3034 275827 9379 8235 415303 14410 % Area 1.032 93.875 3.192 1.871 94.409 3.275 % 0.97 81.39 3.19 1.80 83.50 3.34 Batch_02_Crystals Glucose Xylose Arabinose I. Executive Summary A high-level summary of the marketing plan II. The Challenge Brief description of product to be marketed and associated goals, such as sales figures and strategic goals 1|Page III. Situation Analysis a. Company Analysis Goals Focus Culture Strengths Weaknesses Market share b. Customer Analysis Number Type Value drivers Decision process Concentration of customer base for particular products c. Competitor Analysis Market position 2|Page Strengths Weaknesses Market shares d. Collaborators Subsidiaries/joint ventures and distributors etc. e. Climate MICRO ENVIRONMENT Elements close to a company that impact the company's ability to serve its customers. There are six components of the microenvironment: the company's internal environment, composed of the management personnel and including the finance, purchasing, manufacturing, research and development, and marketing departments; the company's suppliers, who provide the goods and services necessary for the production of the company's products; the marketing intermediaries, composed of all the individuals or companies who...
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...Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the design argument for the existence of God. The design argument, also referred to as the Teleological Argument, stemmed from the Greek work ‘telos’ meaning ‘end’ or ‘purpose’. It is an a posteriori argument (from experience) based on our empirical senses and it is synthetic meaning that it is from observation. The argument is also inductive meaning there a number of possible conclusions. The main origin of the Teleological argument is based on a designer commonly known as ‘the classical God of theism’ (hereafter referred to as God). The argument from design find its origins in Thomas Aquinas’ ‘Summa Theleologica’ and is the fifth of his five ways of proving the existence of God. His argument includes the beneficial order in the universe which he observes i.e. there are things in the universe that work towards an end or purpose. He argues that the world is like an arrow shot from an archer’s bow - it has direction and purpose. God is the archer and the world is the arrow. God is controlling the world and as he is the reason behind why it is been created. Aquinas then goes on to say the world works because the designer is God, and so things in nature are ordered for their apparent purpose e.g. trees give us oxygen. However, this is a weak argument because Aquinas is not comparing two similar ideas. William Paley also argues for the design argument. His argument includes several ideas, one of which uses an analogy of a watch and...
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...divisions are complicated in theory. According to Zeno, the goal of life is to “live in agreement with nature, which is to live according to virtue.” This essential injunction to live at one with nature, the ‘harmonious logos' according to Zeno, still persists today. When lives in harmony with nature, they gain peace of mind and the reward of virtue. Zeno believed that humans gravitate toward virtue in pursuit of self-preservation. Physics, or Nature in Stoic Philosophy, is the ordering principle of the universe constructed by Divine Reason, or God. The idea of the universe working according to a preordained cyclic pattern was endorsed by Zeno. In order to “grasp” the natural laws or God’s design of morality in their entirety you have to use the path of knowledge. Knowledge is therefore associated to the strength of defense an argument...
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...Business Forecasting for Coastal Regions: Post-Tsunami April 9, 2011 Table of Contents I. Introduction a. A hypothetical business description. b. Introduction to the actual paper and the issues to be covered. II. Background c. Geographical location, including talking about recent events that have occurred and have affected the Japanese market. d. The current situation in Japan, after the natural disasters and how it has affected the business world. III. Japan v United States – Cultural Differences e. Comparative study of the Japanese culture vs the U.S. culture, and its impact on the business world. f. Importance of individuals to understand the cultures, customs and traditions of the region in order to function properly. IV. Strengths and Weaknesses g. Strengths of having a business in this region. h. Possible threats in this region i. Cyber-terror threats and the advancement in technology’s affect on security. V. Reducing the risk j. Ways to reduce the regional risk. k. Possibility of unionization, and labor protection VI. Conclusion VII. Bibliography Business Forecasting for Coastal Regions: Post-Tsunami I. Introduction In early March of 2011, thousands of individuals were killed by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in many coastal regions, but mainly Japan. Coastal regions are unique when it comes to business in the fact that not only do they...
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...Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose not to use experiments when conducting research. 20 Scientists set out to discover scientific laws of cause and effect. The method favoured by natural scientists for discovering these laws is the laboratory experiments take place in labs are considered more artificial. In this essay I will conclude the reasons why experiments are not used to evaluate research. In addition the field and the comparative method will also be outlined as wells as their strengths and limitations which is used by sociologists in their research. Field experiments takes place in real social world. positivist sociologists use laboratory experiments as they favour a more scientific method. Positivist sociologists however also acknowledge the short comings of laboratory experiments, such as, it is often impossible or unethical to control the variables. Also their small scale means that results may not be representative or generalisable to the wider population. On the other hand interpretivists reject the laboratory experiments because it fails to achieve their main goal of validity. It is an artificial environment producing unnatural behaviour. There are various practical problems with laboratory experiments. Society is VERYhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png complex and in practice it would be impossible to control variables that may influence a situation. Therefore although the ability to control variables in laboratory conditions...
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...scriptures, prophets and tradition. Nietzsche challenges the authority of religion through his claim that ‘God is dead’. A claim which yields his entire argument against religious authority, arguments which I will examine further in this essay. This question of the ‘genealogy’ of nihilism leads Nietzsche to adopt an essentially psychological approach to truth claims. However its important to note that psychology for Nietzsche, should not be understood in merely mental terms. Rather, our psychological drives are not essentially separate from the world we inhabit, but continuous with it. Nietzsche crucially distinguishes between two types of psychology, the psychology of the strong ones, i.e., what he calls masters or noble men, who represent strength and power and challenge and victory. And then a slave type psychology, ones who cannot look reality in the face without turning away or needing a ‘comforting figure’. Nitezsche offers two pictures of Jesus whom he viewed as an ‘Ubermensch’ (Superman like). One from the outside - a polemical attempt at reconstructing history, and one from the inside, and equally polemical attempt at what Nietzsche provocatively called‘ the psychology of the Redeemer’, which was essentially an attack on the authority of Jesus Christ. Nietzsche’s depiction of Jesus is intended to suggest indirectly our inability to find the real Jesus underneath all the interpretations of his...
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