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Archive for January, 2011

A new world order?

30 Jan

Is our system of captalist, free-market economics fundamentally corrupt? Increasing numbers of people think so.

If you have a spare 2.5 hours I recommend watching Moving Forward from the Zeitgeist Movement. It’s a fascinating analysis of our economic system and its effects on human flourishing. Lots of interesting things to say about equality. Of course, its important that you watch these things critically – you don’t have to agree with everything you watch! WARNING: There is a little bit of bad language dotted around and some distressing images at times. This is not a light-hearted rom-com; it is a film designed to encourage you to rethink the structure of society as we know it! You have been warned! (Please feel free to discuss anything you don’t understand with me)

They refer to The Equality Trust in the film. Have a look – there are some interesting statistics about the relationship between inequality in society and social ills such as obesity, mental health issues, drug abuse etc.

 
2 Comments

Posted in Further Reading, GCSE

 

Year 11: Wiki additions homework

25 Jan

Your homework this week is to add some information to the GCSE Wiki (general username and password are available on the Learning Platform if you’ve forgotten them).

Once you log in to the Wiki itself using your personal username and password (email me if you’ve forgotten) you can click on your user page to find your homework (leftmost link of the set at the top right, will be the same as your username).

 
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Posted in GCSE, Homework

 

A-Level: Criticisms of the Teleological Argument

23 Jan

Why do some people think the teleological argument is a poor one? Check out the resources below…

Resources:
Teleological Criticisms Notes
My review of Climbing Mount Improbable

Dawkins’ documentary: The Blind Watchmaker

Search for “The Blind Watchmaker” on the unofficial Dawkins YouTube channel for the rest.

Dawkins on “Climbing Mount Improbable”:

 
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Posted in A-Level, Further Reading

 

A-Level: The Teleological Argument

16 Jan

Here are some notes on The Teleological Argument.

For some advanced reading try some from Swinburne (quite complex).

If you find any good links to add then please leave a comment!

 
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Posted in A-Level, Further Reading

 

Year 10 Essay: There is no such thing as a miracle

13 Jan

Your task is to consider whether miracles actually happen.

First thing to do is explain what a miracle is… What do different people consider a miracle to be?

Why might some people agree that miracles do exist? What evidence is there that miracles do happen? You might refer to the miracles of Jesus, or perhaps you could look at Lourdes and the miracles that have happened there. Remember analysis! Are these miracles convincing? Why? Don’t just say, “There’s no proof.” Think about the evidence. Is the evidence convincing? Does the evidence in the gospels provide compelling evidence of miracles? Some people consider the miracles of Jesus to be more metaphorical than literal. If you really want to push yourself try reading a bit of The Meaning in the Miracles by Jeffrey John. There is an interesting chapter on the healing of a paralysed man.

Why might some people disagree that miracles happen? What evidence is there that miracles don’t happen? Why might some people put miracles down to luck or co-incidence?

Due Monday 31st Jan.

Resources: Lourdes PowerPoint

 
9 Comments

Posted in GCSE, Homework

 

A-Level essay: The Cosmological Argument

10 Jan

As usual this is a two-part question:

(i) Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of God.
(ii) Comment on the view that the cosmological argument is convincing.

Firstly, remember that the notes are here.

The first part of the question is asking you to explain the cosmological argument in its various forms. Remember that the argument is NOT just singular. It is several arguments, all on the theme of “cause and effect”, that all form part of the wider argument. You need to bring out the differences in these arguments and explain how they relate to the idea of cause and effect.

The second part of the question is basically asking: “Is the cosmological argument any good?” This is where the criticisms of the argument come in.

  • Why might some think the cosmological arguments are good? Why?
  • Why might some disagree? Why?
  • Are the criticisms convincing? Why?
  • You get the idea…
 
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Posted in A-Level, Homework

 

AS Philosophy & Ethics: The Moral Argument

10 Jan

Below are the handouts on the Moral Argument:

  1. Moral Arguments
  2. Criticisms of the Moral Argument
 
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Posted in A-Level

 

Year 7 Assessment: Does God Exist?

05 Jan

Your task is to answer the question “Does God Exist”. To do it look at the Does God Exist handout.

There are a couple of websites to look at here:

Please produce this on paper (either typed or written). NOT in your books.

If you find any good links to useful information please leave a comment so I can make the link available to everyone!

Due dates:
7C – 27th Jan
7E – 27th Jan
7M – 27th Jan
7N – 1st Feb

Good luck! Leave a comment or email me if you have any questions!

 
11 Comments

Posted in Homework, RPE

 

Year 10 Homework: Explain the reasons a Christian might give in support of their belief in God

05 Jan

Your task is the Part D (6 mark) question: “Explain the reasons a Christian might give in support of their belief in God”.

Your job is to explain briefly the reasons people might give for belief in God. The six to talk about are given by the acronym EMU COT:

  • Experience
  • Morality
  • Upbringing
  • Cosmological
  • Ontological
  • Teleological

You should have something about all of these in your notes. 6 marks, 6 points. Make sure you explain what each one means briefly though, eg. “Some Christians might believe in God because of the cosmological argument, which means that they look at cause and effect in the universe and argue that God must be the first cause to start everything off”.

Due Monday 10th please!

As ever, leave a comment if you have any questions.

For the benefit of anyone who missed it I’ve added the Ontological Argument PowerPoint

 
5 Comments

Posted in GCSE, Homework