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Contents
Introduction 1. Objectives at AS level – moving beyond GCSE 2. Selecting and demonstrating knowledge 3. Sustaining a critical line of argument 4. Looking at the context 5. Handling source material Chapter 1: Influences of Ancient Greek Philosophy 1. Plato a. The Allegory of the Cave b. The Form of the Good c. The implication of these ideas for religion 2. Aristotle a. The Four Causes b. The Prime Mover c. The implication of these ideas for religion Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 2: Arguments for the Existence of God and their Critics 1. Concepts of God a. The Judaeo-Christian Idea of God i) as Creator ii) as personal and loving d. Terms used of God and belief in God i) Eternal and Everlasting ii) Key Words Describing the God of Theism c. ‘Basic beliefs’ 2. The Ontological Argument a. Anselm v Gaunilo i) Anselm’s argument ii) Gaunilo’s objection and Anselm’s answer b. Descartes v Kant i) Descartes’ version of the argument ii)Kant’s criticism (given in his Critique of Pure Reason) c. Some modern debates 3. The Cosmological Argument a. Aquinas Cosmological Arguments i) the Unmoved Mover ii) the Uncaused Cause iii) The Possible and the Necessary b. Some challenges to the Arguments i) David Hume ii) Bertrand Russell’s response to Copleston’s argument 4. 4. The Teleological Argument (from Design) a. Aquinas and Paley i) regularity and purposeurpose b. Hume, Mill and Darwinist challenges i) Hume’s objections ii) Mill’s objections iii) Darwin and The Origin of Species iv) The impact of genetics c. The Anthropic Principle d. Intelligent design and irreducible complexity e. Swinburne’s approach 5. 5. The Moral Argument a. Kant’s argument b. Other approaches c. A psychological alternative Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter Chapter 3: Revelation and Religious Experience 1. The nature of religious experience a features of religious experience b. mysticism c. near-death experiences d. Conversion e. Group experiences f. Meditation 2. Can religious experiences be deemed revelation? a. Revelation in Scriptures 3. The Argument from Religious Experience a. James and Swinburne b. Challenges from Freud and Marx c. Some conclusions Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 4: Challenges to Religious Belief 1. The problem of Evil and Suffering a. Irenaeus b. Augustine c. Some Key differences between Irenaeus and Augustine d. Other approaches to the problem 2. Issues raised by Psychology and Sociology a. Freud b. Jung c. Durkheim d. Weber e. Marx 3. Alternative philosophies a. Atheism b. Humanism c. Postmodernism 4. Religion in a multicultural environment Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 5: Religious Language 1. Some Basic Features of Language a. Cognitive and non-cognitive b. ‘Believing in’ c. ‘Experiencing as’ 2. Verification and Falsification a. Logical Positivism b. Falsification 3. Via negativa (Apophatic Way) 4. Types of Religious Language a. Analogy i. Models and Qualifiers b. Symbol c. Myth Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 6: Issues Raised by Science 1. Historical Perspectives 2. The Origin of the Universe a. Dimensions b. Big Bang theory c. Religious views i) Creatio ex nihilo ii) Deism iii) Creationism iv)Non-literal interpretations of creation d. Implications for ‘God’ i) Does Our Perception of the World Need a ‘God’? 3. Freedom and Determinism a. The ‘God’ Hypothesis? b. hard and soft determinism i) God’s Action and Prayer 4. Miracles a. Hume’s Criticisms i) Inductive arguments ii) Limitations of Hume’s criticism b. Regularity and particular events i) Timing is everything… ii) The Unlikelihood of Everything c. Interpreting miracles i) The Unfairness of miracles d. Miracles and Prayer Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 7: Body and Soul 1. Greek Concepts a. Plato b. Aristotle 2. Some modern thinkers a. Descartes i) later Dualist theories b. Ryle and language c. Richard Dawkins 3. Life beyond death a. reincarnation b. re-becoming c. immortality i) heaven and hell d. resurrection i) disembodied existence e. The Logical Options Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 8: Ethical Arguments 1. Why be moral? 2. Some Key Terms 3. Presenting an ethical argument 4. Meta-Ethics a. ethical naturalism b. ethical non-naturalism i) intuitionism c) ethical non-cognitivism 5. The Meaning of Ethical Language a. Logical Positivism i)Threat and response b. Emotivism c. Prescriptivism 6. Absolutism and Relativism a. A relativist starting point i) Multiculturalism b. Alternatives to relativism and Consequentialism c. Tolerance Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 9: Ethical Theories 1. Natural Law a. Aristotle b. The Stoics c. Aquinas d. Rules and Situations e. A key Problem f. Advantages of the Natural Law approach 2. Utilitarianism a. Origins and development b. Bentham: Act Utilitarianism c. Mill: Rule Utilitarianism i) ‘Strong’ and ‘Weak’ d. Preference utilitarianism e. Limitations of a Utilitarian Approach f. Advantages of a Utilitarian Approach g. Ethical Egoism 3. Kant’s Ethical Theory a. Duty b. The Categorical Imperative c. Kant and the Real World d. Evaluating Kant’s Theory 4. Situation Ethics 5. Virtue Ethics a. Aristotle’s view of the virtues b. Modern approaches Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 10: Religious Ethics 1. The Divine Command theory of Ethics a. The Euthyphro dilemma 2. Judaism 3. Christianity 4. Islam 5. Hinduism 6. Buddhism 7. Sikhism Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 11: Free Will and Conscience 1. Freedom will and moral responsibility a. How free? b. Compatibilism c. Freedom and God 2. Conscience a. Aquinas b. Hume c. Butler d. Freud e. Innate or Acquired? Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 12: Practical Ethics I 1 Abortion and euthanasia: the right to life a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses 2 The right to a child a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses 3 Genetic Engineering and Embryo Research a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 13: Practical Ethics II 1. Environmental Ethics a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses 2. Equality in the Modern World? a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses 3. War, Peace and Justice a. Applying ethical theories b. Religious responses Study guide and Revision checklist Chapter 14: Preparing for the Examination 1. Revising from your notes 2. Checking the specifications 3. Essay outlines: advantages and disadvantages 4. On the day… Issues of space and time Further Reading Glossary
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