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AS OCR Philosophy of Religion 13th January

It's in a couple of days...

Any guesses as to what the questions might be? My money's on the Teleological argument for the existence of God...

Any others?

Good luck, all!

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Reply 1

eoghan123

olliecapehorn

It's in a couple of days...

Any guesses as to what the questions might be? My money's on the Teleological argument for the existence of God...

Any others?

Good luck, all!

I think it could come up as well!
Maybe ontological, Augustine could come up as well!

Reply 2

Simplyobsessed

This will be my third time sitting this exam, I've got a C in it twice before :frown:

Last January I answered a question on Aristotle's final cause, and I remember Irenaeus being on there too.
In June I answered a question on Plato's cave analogy and Kant's moral argument.

I can't remember anything else that was on the papers thought...

I think probably two of the cosmological argument, ontological and teleological arguments will come up... but i'm just speculating :tongue:

I hope religion and science isn't on it, I'm not revising it because of the amount of exams i've got on the 13th and 14th.. And if they don't put the problem of evil on it that would be a help too :tongue:

Reply 3

Simplyobsessed

Questions from last January

1 a) Explain what Artistotle meant by final cause.
b) To what extent does the concept of a final cause teach us anything about the real world.

2a) Explain the Judeo-Christian concept of God as a lawgiver and judge.
b) "God has no right to judge human being" Discuss.

3 a) Explain the theodicy of Irenaeus
b) "The theodicy of Ireaeus cannot justify the existence of Evil" Discuss

4 a) Explain how religious believers respond to challenged posed to them by scientists.
b) "Religous believers understand the world better than scientisist" Discuss

Ethics:
1 a) Explain how belief in the sanctity of life may influence ethical approaches to abortion.
b) "A foetus is not a person" Discuss

2a) Explain how Bentham's version of Utilitarianism can be used to decide of the right course of action.
b) "Utilitarianism is the best approach to Euthenasia" Discuss

3a) Explain the ethical teachings of the religion you have studied.
b) "Some religious ethics are too rigid for moral decision making" Discuss

4a) Explain, with examples, Kant's theory of the Catergorical Imperative.
b) "Kant's ethical theory has no serious weaknesses" Discuss

25 marks for part a) 10 marks for part b)

Reply 4

katiehook91

hi =)
On the june exam I did the cosmological argument so I'm pretty sure that won't be on it, and I think the other one was god the creator, but am not 100% sure. I just remember I had to do plato and cosmological because I didn't know the other two!

I'm really hoping ontological and problem of evil come up because I know them so well.

Reply 5

aROOba

I think ontological and teleological are the most likely, it could realistically be anything though. They're the only two what haven't come up in either January or June.

Reply 6

lil_kittie

If the Ontological and Telos dont come up, we're all screwed!!!

I want augustine, realllly badly!!!!

xoxooxoxo

Reply 7

Simplyobsessed

lil_kittie

If the Ontological and Telos dont come up, we're all screwed!!!

I want augustine, realllly badly!!!!

xoxooxoxo

Augustine would be the worst thing to come up!!

I'm hoping for two of the Ontological argument, Paley's teleological, Plato or Aristotle's four causes and prime mover.

Reply 8

Simplyobsessed

Augustine would be the worst thing to come up!!

Actually, having revised it again just now I hope it pops up :tongue:

Reply 9

lil_kittie

Lol. I haven't revised aristotle :s-smilie:

Reply 10

eoghan123

could someone summarise Hume's criticisms of the cosmological argument?

Reply 11

olliecapehorn

eoghan123

could someone summarise Hume's criticisms of the cosmological argument?

It won't come up

Reply 12

eoghan123

olliecapehorn

It won't come up

I know it probably won't but you never know!

What d you think will come up?

I'd say ontological, teleological, god as creator and Augustine!
if they don't i am seriously screwed!

Reply 13

Disconfigured

I'm praying Kant will come up again - I've looked at all past papers and Kant comes up every time - hoping that won't change, and Ontological. I haven't revised Cosmo or Teleo :frown:

Reply 14

Disconfigured

eoghan123

I know it probably won't but you never know!

What d you think will come up?

I'd say ontological, teleological, god as creator and Augustine!
if they don't i am seriously screwed!

Augustine & Plato never used to come up on past papers - Augustine did in Jan, Plato did in June.. I'm hoping Plato does again - apparently that question was answered very well according to the report on it.

Reply 15

eoghan123

Disconfigured

Yeah i did that question last June :rolleyes:

! don't think i was one of the good answers
if something comes up on plato i'd say it'll be explain his concept of forms or something like that

Reply 16

hannahlouise01

I am sooooo stuck on all the arguments, :s-smilie:

dont know where to start!!!
:frown:

Reply 17

triplefiver

Gimme some specific arguments and i'll explain them briefly to me - good revision for me and you :smile:

Reply 18

eoghan123

triplefiver

Gimme some specific arguments and i'll explain them briefly to me - good revision for me and you :smile:

teleological...

Reply 19

triplefiver

Ok I'll make it brief points:
Teleological - Two People Argued this:
Thomas Aquinas
William Paley

Thomas Aquinas used the following Analogy:
- An arrow hits a target. (An Effect) It has a goal and an aim, but it can not think by itself. How did it hit the target?
- An archer shot the arrow (The Cause) - he gave an object which could not think by itself, an aim/goal/purpose.

Now, compare this with the universe:
- The universe has a set of natural laws. For example, when you drop a rock it will fall to the floor because its obeying gravity (An Effect).
- A Rock cannot think for itself - what gave it it's aim/purpose? The answer - God (The Cause).

So summary:
Arrow hits target (effect). What gave it its purpose? Archer.
Archer causes arrow to hit the target (cause).

Universe has a purpose - follows the Natural Law.
God gives it purpose/Natural Law (Cause).

So thats Aquinas. Now William Paley

He uses the simpler "Watch Analogy".
Basically,
- Imagine your walking down the beach, and you find a watch with clogs/springs (you've never seen one before though). You could demonstrate it has a purpose (to tell the time), an order/arranged (all the pieces fit together - if they were arranged differently it wouldn't work!). You wouldn't assume that it just made randomly by nature would you?
- Now imagine this watch had an imaginary function of making other watches - you would be amazed by its designer and know he is intelligent.

So William Paley says the same about the universe - you can see it has order/design everywhere. For example, a human eye is 100x more complex than a watch! Why would you say that the complex eye is made by nature, but the simple watch couldn't be made by nature?
- Therefore the world has a designer (because everything - not just the eye! - has a design/purpose/order)

I could post what the arguments are against it but I was meant to be keep it brief! :s-smilie: