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Name: Mulberry Academy Shoreditch Sixth Form Summer Assignment Religious Education Transition Material for A-Level Religious Studies “One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing” Socrates (469–399 B.C.E.) It is great that you are considering doing Religious Studies at A-Level. This pack contains some activities and resources to prepare you to start an A Level in Religious Studies in September. Below is a brief outline of what we will be covering from September. Component 2: Philosophy of Religion There will be four themes within this component: arguments for the existence of God; challenges to religious belief; religious experience; religious language. This is a famous painting called The School of Athens by Raphael, depicting two of the most famous philosophers in history. On the left is Plato, walking alongside his student Aristotle. We look at their work a lot throughout the course. In particular, they present different concepts of ‘God’…… LET’S TALK ABOUT GOD – What do these qualities mean? Omniscient Omnipotent Omnibenevolent Omnitemporal RESEARCH TASK 1. Create a brief profile (date, birth, key ideas) of the following important philosophers and their views on God. DO YOU THING GOD DESIGNED THE WORLD? Thomas Aquinas Born: Died: Look up Aquinas’ Fifth way. How does he attempt to show God is the designer of the universe? William Paley Born: Died: Look up Paley’s Watchmaker analogy. How does he attempt to show God is a designer? PROBLEM - Does this mean God Designed evil if it is part of the world? How could a religious believer defend God? Reading List – Essentials Wjec/Eduqas religious studies for a level year 1 & as – philosophy of religion & religion and ethics - Richard Gray and Karl Lawson Wjec/Eduqas religious studies for a level year 1 & as – philosophy of religion revision guide - Greg Barker and Richard Gray My Revision Notes: WJEC and Eduqas A level Religious Studies Philosophy of Religion - Clare Lloyd The Thinker's Guide to God – Peter Vardy & Julie Arliss Additional Resources ‘Crashcourse https://youtu.be/1A_CAkYt3GY Philosophy’ Youtube ‘Philosophy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNUJUJtYwZTSKymLPry08cw/videos and Ethics’ Youtube Philosophy https://philosophydungeon.weebly.com/philosophy-of-religion.html Dungeon .

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Developing and Strengthening Belief in God I
DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING BELIEF IN GOD I First Cause (Cosmological) and Design (Teleological) Arguments he cornerstone of Jewish belief is that God created the universe ex nihilo with Tthe Torah as His Divine plan and that He continually guides and supervises His creation. Nevertheless, there are many people who do not share this belief, or at least question it. There is a need, therefore, to present a range of approaches to developing and strengthening belief in God. The traditional Jewish approach to belief in God is based on the Exodus from Egypt and hashgachah pratit (Divine Providence). These approaches are discussed in the Morasha classes on Passover, Torah M’Sinai, and Hashgachah Pratit. The goal of this series of classes is to present additional approaches to belief – those based on logic and science – to help strengthen one’s belief in God. Specifically, this series will present three arguments for the existence of God. The first class, after defining the aim of the series on the whole, will explore two deductive arguments for the existence of God, namely the First Cause or Cosmological Argument, and the Design or Teleological Argument. The second class in the series will explore the inductive approach, focusing on the Moral Argument. In order to help students digest the logical force of the arguments presented, the series will conclude with an exploration of the decision making process. In this first class we will explore the following questions: Where did the world come from? Does it make sense that the world always existed? What does modern science have to say about the subject? Does the design found in nature imply that there is a Divine Designer? Does the Theory of Evolution explain this phenomenon? 1 Core Beliefs DEVELOPING & STRENGTHENING BELIEF I Class Outline: Section I.
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The Clockmaker Returns
Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 Volume 20 Number 1 Article 12 2008 The Clockmaker Returns James L. Farmer Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Farmer, James L. (2008) "The Clockmaker Returns," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 20 : No. 1 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol20/iss1/12 This Science and Religion is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title The Clockmaster Returns Author(s) James L. Farmer Reference FARMS Review 20/1 (2008): 139–45. ISSN 1550-3194 (print), 2156-8049 (online) Abstract Review of The Case for Diving Design: Cells, Complexity, and Creation (2006), by Frank B. Salisbury. The Clockmaker Returns James L. Farmer Review of Frank B. Salisbury. The Case for Divine Design: Cells, Complexity, and Creation. Springville, UT: CFI, 2006. xv + 256 pp., with subject index, notes, glossary, appendixes, and bibliography. $15.99. or much of the twentieth century, few geologists believed, in spite Fof evidence to the contrary, that continents could drift. Continental drift was called “geopoetry” because there was no known mechanism to drive continents through the hard oceanic crust. Now continental drift is “geoscience” because the theory of plate tectonics explains the motion. Similarly, cosmology was once considered to be nonscience because there was no way to test hypotheses.
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Intelligent Design: Lesson Plan
Intelligent Design: Appeal to Purpose - Philosophy of Religion Series | Academy 4 Social Change Intelligent Design: Lesson Plan Topic Intelligent design, also known as the teleological argument, is an argument for the existence of God that contends that the order and patterns present in the universe are evidence for God’s existence. Possible subjects/classes Time needed ● Philosophy 30-40 minutes ● Religion Video link: https://academy4sc.org/topic/intelligent-design-appeal-to-purpose/ Objective: What will students know/be able to do at the end of class? Students will be able to... ● Articulate Paley’s watch and watchmaker argument by analogy. ● Explain how the argument from intelligent design attempts to prove God’s existence. ● Describe Wittgenstein’s objection to the argument from intelligent design. Key Concepts & Vocabulary Teleological, Omnibenevolence, Sound Argument Materials Needed Worksheet Before you watch Quick write: Have students quickly jot down some aspects of the natural world that amaze them and why. Ask them to consider whether they seem intended or purposeful. While you watch Intelligent Design: Appeal to Purpose - Philosophy of Religion Series | Academy 4 Social Change 1. What is another name for the argument by intelligent design? 2. What philosopher created the watch and watchmaker analogy? 3. What philosopher argued that the “order” of the world may not be intended? After you watch/discussion questions 1. How might this ordering of the world be uniquely purposeful? 2. How can the theory of evolution detract from or add to the argument from intelligent design? 3. Do you think that everything in nature was created with a purpose? 4.
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Natural Theology and Natural Philosophy in the Late Renaissance
Natural theology and natural philosophy in the late Renaissance Thomas Woolford Trinity College This dissertation is submitted to the University of Cambridge for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2011 Declaration This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text. This dissertation is also not substantially the same as any that I have submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at any other University. The length of this dissertation is under 80,000 words. Thomas A. Woolford November 2011 i Acknowledgements Many thanks to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for providing a studentship bursary to enable me to undertake research and to Cambridge University, Trinity College and the School of Humanities for providing an outstanding work environment. I am most grateful for the support, guidance, encouragement and friendship of my supervisor Richard Serjeantson. I’d also like to mention here friends and family who have cared for and supported me: my wonderful wife Julie, Dad, sister Kim, brother-in-law Doug, brother Sam, parents-in-law Margaret and James, friends Tim, Alex, Jon and Chrissy, and our hospitable neighbours Christine and David. To fulfil a twenty-year-old promise, this is dedicated to my cousins Alison and David, but they have to share the dedication with my late mother, Mary. SDG ii Natural theology and natural philosophy in the late Renaissance T. A. Woolford Despite some great strides in relating certain areas of Christian doctrine to the study of the natural world, the category ‘natural theology’ has often been subject to anachronism and misunderstanding.
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Neo-Darwinian Teleological Redundancy Sarah Crawford California State University, Fresno
Neo-Darwinian Teleological Redundancy Sarah Crawford California State University, Fresno The discoveries of modern science have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the world in many surprising ways. Science has increased our experience of the world. With modern technology the vast expanses of the universe as well as the smallest microcosms of space are within our range of experience. The explosion of new data produced in the last half century has tempted many to make claims about the origins of the universe and nature of God. This practice is not new, as David Hume, an 18th century philosopher generally thought to be one of the greatest thinkers of western philosophy, questioned his contemporaries who did the same. In more recent history a group of scientists and intellectuals united by an atheistic worldview have begun to utilize the discoveries of science to attempt to make claims about the existence of God and the creation of the world. These attempts are nothing more than a thinly veiled continuation of the skeptical enquiry born of enlightenment-era philosophical discourse. The self-proclaimed new breed of atheists is in fact doing nothing new at all: the scientific discoveries are new, but the framework of skepticism and reason has not changed since Hume's day. Below are a few major arguments from David Hume, Daniel Dennett, Victor Stenger, and Richard Dawkins that show how science provides us with exciting opportunities to study the world but cannot produce knowledge pertaining to the transcendent nature of the universe. David Hume is one of the most celebrated thinkers in Western history.
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THE CHALLENGE of CHANCE a Multidisciplinary Approach from Science and the Humanities the FRONTIERS COLLECTION
THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Klaas Landsman Ellen van Wolde (Eds.) THE CHALLENGE OF CHANCE A Multidisciplinary Approach from Science and the Humanities THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series editors Avshalom C. Elitzur Iyar The Israel Institute for Advanced Research, Rehovot, Israel e-mail: [email protected] Laura Mersini-Houghton Department of Physics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA e-mail: [email protected] T. Padmanabhan Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India e-mail: [email protected] Maximilian Schlosshauer Department of Physics, University of Portland, Portland, OR 97203, USA e-mail: [email protected] Mark P. Silverman Department of Physics, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA e-mail: [email protected] Jack A. Tuszynski Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada e-mail: [email protected] Rüdiger Vaas Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, University of Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany e-mail: [email protected] THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series Editors A.C. Elitzur L. Mersini-Houghton T. Padmanabhan M. Schlosshauer M.P. Silverman J.A. Tuszynski R. Vaas The books in this collection are devoted to challenging and open problems at the forefront of modern science, including related philosophical debates. In contrast to typical research monographs, however, they strive to present their topics in a manner accessible also to scientiﬁcally literate non-specialists wishing to gain insight into the deeper implications and fascinating questions involved. Taken as a whole, the series reﬂects the need for a fundamental and interdisciplinary approach to modern science. Furthermore, it is intended to encourage active scientists in all areas to ponder over important and perhaps controversial issues beyond their own speciality.
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Analogy and Pattern Recognition
Analogy and pattern recognition Vitor Manuel Dinis Pereira1 1LanCog (Language, Mind and Cognition Research Group), Philosophy Centre, University of Lisbon Lisbon, Portugal Abstract - I'll show in an initial section (1.) that the religion (1779) [7], can be formulated as the classic kind of analogy between life and information (argue for by watchmaker analogy as follows. authors such as [1], [2], [3] [4], [5], [6]) is like the 1. The clock for its complexity and the way is ordered, is design argument and that if the design argument is a machine that has to have an intelligent author and invalid, the argument to the effect that artificial mind may builder, with proportional capacities to his work - the represents an expected advance in the life evolution in human watchmaker. Universe is also unfounded and invalid. However, if we 2. The world, for its complexity and the way is ordered, are prepared to admit (though we should not do) this it is like a clock. method of reasoning as valid, I'll show in an second 3. So, the world also has to have a smart author and section (2.), that the analogy between life and information builder, with proportional capacities to his work - the seems suggest some type of reductionism of life to divine watchmaker (God). information, but biology respectively chemistry or physics Basically, this argument holds that, just as a clock are not reductionist, contrary to what seems to be before being built, we can assume the existence of an suggested by the analogy between life and information. intelligent being who built it in a certain order, also for the world, we can assume the existence of an intelligent being who built it according with a specific purpose, given the Keywords: analogy, pattern, recognition, reductionism, similarities between a watch and the world.
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Theme 1: Arguments for the Existence of God – Inductive, AS A. Inductive
Theme 1: Arguments for the existence of God – inductive, AS A. Inductive arguments – cosmological • Inductive proofs • the concept of ‘a posteriori’. • Cosmological argument: St Thomas Aquinas’ first Three Ways 1. motion or change 2. cause and effect 3. contingency and necessity • The Kalam cosmological argument with reference to William Lane Craig (rejection of actual infinities and concept of personal creator) B. Inductive arguments – teleological • St Thomas Aquinas’ Fifth Way - concept of governance • archer and arrow analogy • William Paley’s watchmaker - analogy of complex design • F. R. Tennant’s anthropic and aesthetic arguments - universe specifically designed for intelligent human life C. Challenges to inductive arguments • David Hume - empirical objections and critique of causes (cosmological) • David Hume - problems with analogies • rejection of traditional theistic claims: designer not necessarily God of classical theism; • apprentice god; • plurality of gods; • absent god (teleological). • Alternative scientific explanations including Big Bang theory and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Issues for analysis and evaluation will be drawn from any aspect of the content above, such as: ➢ Whether inductive arguments for God’s existence are persuasive. ➢ The extent to which the Kalam cosmological argument is convincing. ➢ The effectiveness of the cosmological/teleological argument for God’s existence. ➢ Whether cosmological/teleological arguments for God’s existence are persuasive in the 21st Century. ➢ The effectiveness of the challenges to the cosmological/teleological argument for God’s existence. ➢ Whether scientific explanations are more persuasive than philosophical explanations for the universe’s existence. Theme 1: Arguments for the existence of God – deductive, AS D. Deductive arguments - origins of the ontological argument • Deductive proofs; • the concept of ‘a priori’.
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{Download PDF} the Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence Of
THE BLIND WATCHMAKER: WHY THE EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION REVEALS A UNIVERSE WITHOUT DESIGN PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Richard Dawkins | 496 pages | 14 Jul 2016 | WW Norton & Co | 9780393351491 | English | New York, United States The Blind Watchmaker - Wikipedia The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design by British science writer and zoologist Richard Dawkins presents the theory of evolution while arguing for its acceptance by the general public. While a bestseller and widely praised for its persuasive writing and in-depth research, it has been critiqued for not offering explanations of human consciousness. Its themes include scientific discovery, overcoming human cognitive limitations, and the peculiar social stigma against evolution. The title is a response to an hypothesis held by Theologian William Paley that the complexity of nature suggests an intelligent creator behind it. Paley likens this creator to a watchmaker. Dawkins argues that common misperceptions of evolution lead to many social problems, including a devaluation of nature and skepticism toward the efficacy of vaccines. It thus is urgent for society to confront its skepticism of evolution and to understand the evidence thoroughly before making light of it or claiming all the research is bogus. Dawkins looks into public misconceptions of how evolution operates. He highlights that it is an intensely random process. That it gives rise to complex organisms seems counterintuitive, but it becomes more reasonable when one considers this process takes millions and millions of years. With one example, Dawkins looks into how airplanes are built. This process is known as gradualism. One can see its work in how the human eye has developed, as well as the echolocation abilities of bats.
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A Review of the Dawkin's God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning Of
News from the A Review of the Field Dawkin’s God: Genes, Memes, and continued from page 4 the Meaning of Life (by Alister McGrath; Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005, 202 pages) urged to “prohibit all forms of human cloning.” Dónal P. O’Mathúna, Ph.D., is Lecturer in Health Care Ethics at the School of Nursing, Dublin City University (Dublin, Ireland) Brain Damaged Firefighter In Reproductive BioMedicine Online, Richard Holloway declared that he felt some sympa- Makes Recovery thy for “the lumberingly awkward religious communities” because their “commanders . Ten years after a firefighter was left brain-damaged and mostly mute during have to maneuver their ancient barnacle-encrusted galleons through these modern torrents” a 1995 roof collapse, he unexpectantly of bioethical debates (2005;10(suppl):137-9). The role of religious belief in bioethics is began to speak, making requests to increasingly under attack. Leading that assault in Britain and Ireland is Richard Dawkins, see his wife. Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. The view of science that he so persuasively offers society, however, is that evolutionary biology and logical rea- Donald Herbert was fighting a house soning make religion not only unbelievable, but unethical—a parasitic “virus of the mind.” A fire December 29, 1995, when the roof review of his recent collection of essays, A Devil’s Chaplain (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003), collapsed, burying him under debris. noted that Dawkins “has swung from writing about science for a popular audience to waging After going without air for several min- an all-out attack on Christianity” (Michael Ruse, American Scientist 2003;91:554-6).
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DESIGN ARGUMENTS for the EXISTENCE of GOD Johari Dean-Lindsey ‘22
DESIGN ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD Johari Dean-Lindsey ‘22 An “argument from design” for the existence of God is an argument for the existence of God or, more generally, for an intelligent creator based on perceived evidence of deliberate design in the natural world (Teleological Argument). Design arguments are popular and multi- conceptual arguments for the existence of God which, again, rely on complex features of the world to generate an inference for the existence of God or some intelligent creator/designer. Philosopher William Paley has a famous example about a watchmaker, and Philosopher Michael Behe has one about flagellum and bacteria. However, Philip Kitcher gives us an argument against design arguments. Essentially, he has a response that opposes the argument, trying to disprove them basically. In this paper, I’m going to defend arguments from design and stand in my affirmation that Philip Kitcher is wrong in his response, because of the flaws in his perspective against design arguments, where he mistakenly only draws his reasoning from two specific examples to defame the entire concept. One of the oldest arguments from design that gained popularity is Paley’s watchmaker argument. William Paley's watchmaker analogy is basically a teleological argument, and it played a prominent role in natural theology. Basically, it was the watchmaker analogy that was used, “To support the argument for the existence of God and for the intelligent design of the universe in both Christianity and Deism” (Abersold). Paley went on to argue that the complex structures of living things and the remarkable adaptations of plants and animals required an intelligent designer.
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Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (Born March 26, 1941), Is a British Ethologist, Evolutionary Biologist and Author
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