Your mock is (I think) on the first Monday back after half term (28th Feb).
It’ll include questions on
If you have any questions during revision please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you. Remember to use the wiki for guidance and Part E examples. Use your revision guides too!
This statement is essentially asking whether abortion is ever acceptable. Your job is to respond!
Suggested structure
Tip: A really good essay is nuanced. That means it recognises the strengths of both sides and attempts to find a way through. Very few people completely argue that an unborn child has no rights; however, they do recognise that perhaps the mother’s rights are more important. Have a look at this for some ideas. It was written by someone who has just finished their PhD at Cambridge University and has some strong views on abortion as a fundamentalist Christian: Abortion is Wrong
Good luck! Please leave a comment or email me if you have questions. This is due on Wednesday 16th Feb.
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.
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).
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”:
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!
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
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.
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!