Religious language: cognitive or non-cognitive language, the challenges of the verification and falsification principles to the meaningfulness of
religious language. Responses to these challenges: eschatological verification with reference to Hick, language as an expression of a Blik with reference to R.M.Hare, religious language as a language game with reference to Wittgenstein. Other views of the nature of religious language: religious language as symbolic with reference to Tillich, religious language as analogical with reference to Aquinas, the Via Negativa. The strengths and weaknesses of the differing understandings of religious language.
Miracles: Differing understandings of ‘miracle’, realist and anti-realist views, violation of natural law or natural event, comparison of the key ideas of David Hume and Maurice Wiles on miracles, the significance of these views for religion.
Self, death and the afterlife: The nature and existence of the soul including Descartes.
Students will be assessed through AO1 essays (10 marks) and AO2 essays (15 marks) - completed at home and in timed conditions.
The meaning of a statement is its verification.
A sentence is factually significant only if there is some form of evidence that could falsify it.
A term used for a fixed and unalterable view of the world that is not an assertion but is non-cognitive and non-falsifiable.
The approach to religious language that describes God in terms of what he is not.
The nagative language used by the Via Negativa approach.
The stance that miracles are seen as realevents brought about by God.
The Greek word for soul or spirit.
The qualities of subjective experience.
Introduction to meta ethics, including: Divine Command Theory, Naturalism - Utilitarianism, Non-naturalism - Intuitionism. The strengths and weaknesses of these ideas. Free will and moral responsibility, including: free will; understanding the difference between right and wrong, libertarianism, hard determinism, compatibilism, and the relevance of moral responsibility to reward and punishment.
Conscience: Differing ideas, religious and non-religious, about the nature of conscience.The role of conscience in making moral decisions with reference to: telling lies and breaking promises, and adultery. The value of conscience as a moral guide.
Comparison of the key ideas of Bentham and Kant about moral decision making and how far these two ethical theories are consistent with religious moral decision making.
Students will be assessed through AO1 essays (10 marks) and AO2 essays (15 marks) - completed at home and in timed conditions. They will also take a formal Mock exam.
Rightness or wrongnessnof an act is judged by its conformity to duties, rules and obligation.
An abjective relating to theories claiming that what is right in one situation/culture/era is right in all.
Theories concerned with the purpose of actions and therefore with consequences.
The seventeenth-century writers of manual for training Catholic clergy.
Changeless.
Happiness, complete well-being.
Refers to the first name of Aquinas, so a Thomist, postions in onethat would have been held by Aquinas.
Topics include: Christianity, gender and sexuality; Christianity and science; Christianity and the challenge of secularisation; Christianity, migration and religious pluralism.
Students will be assessed through AO1 essays (10 marks) and AO2 essays (15 marks) - completed at home and in timed conditions.
Equality between man and women extends to their roles.
Combines males with female characteristics.
A casterated male.
An evidence and observation based approach.
An approach that uses reasoned thought.
The view that humans define their own meaning in life.
Intended to correct genetically modifying the sex cells.
Students will study:
The dialogue between Christianity and philosophy
The dialogue between Christianity and ethics
Revision on past topics
Students will be assessed through AO1 essays (10 marks) and AO2 essays (15 marks) - completed at home and in timed conditions.
Dialogues (25 marks)
Topics include: Revision and Misconceptions
Past papers.
Assessment.