Thought and Belief Quiz 5 Flashcards
Know the Evidential Problem of Evil. What are Rowe’s reasons for thinking that premise (1) of the Evidential Problem is true? What about premise (2)? (POE)
Evil makes God’s existence improbable. Evil acts as evidence to why a omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God is unlikely. For example, probably, there exists pointless evils. If God exists, then there would be no pointless evils. Therefore, God probably doesn’t exist
What are the three responses a theist can make against premise (1)? Which one does Rowe think is the best? (POE)
(a) show that we have no good reason for accepting
(b)pose a direct attack––theodicy;
(c) indirect attack––G.E. Moore shift.
Rowe thinks that best response is the G.E. Moore Shift:
Even then, why does Rowe ultimately believe that atheism is more rationally justifiable over theism? (POE)
The existence of gratuitous or unnecessary evil and suffering in the world is logically incompatible with the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and wholly benevolent God. He merely believes it is more logical from his philosophical viewpoint.
How is it possible for someone to be rationally justified in believing a claim that is false? (POE)
(a)show that we have no good reason for accepting a claim
(b)pose a direct attack and try to prove it incorrect
(c) indirect attack like the G.E. Moore shift
Be familiar with the two models of creation that Hick discusses (Augustinian vs. Irenaean). (POE)
Augustinian is man was created perfectly but fell away from perfect. Irenaean is man was created and is still in the process of creation towards perfection.
Why, according to Hick, is God not able to create creatures “ready-made” in the likeness of Himself? (POE)
Because the purpose of life is the process of soul making, he believes that soul making to the perfection of being Christ like continues into the afterlife. So God cannot create humans to be ready-made as he creates them, they need to be soul made throughout life and afterlife.
Hick notes that the Irenaean model brings along with it a certain value-judgment. What is that judgment? (POE)
One who has attained goodness by meeting and eventually mastering temptations, and by rightly
making responsible choices in situations, is good in a richer and more valuable sense.
Given his analysis, what is the ultimate point of human life, for Hick? What do the “antitheistic” writers think it is? (POE)
To complete the process of soul making even into the afterlife. To get through life and into the perfect afterlife.
Why does Hick believe that dysteleological suffering must exist? (POE)
Because the world is a place where we are meant to be in the process of soul making and becoming perfect, to do that we must go through trials such as suffering.
Feuerbach suggests that religious people confuse consciousness of object with consciousness of self. What does he mean? (MO)
That people confuse the desires of themselves as the desire of a deity like God. like how a person desires love and compassion and strives to extend it, then they attach that to a deity as the embodiment of love and compassion when it is actually their own desire or consciousness of self.
What does Feuerbach mean when he says that “religion is man’s earliest and…indirect form of self-knowledge”? (148) (MO)
That early humans needed to come up with something like a deity to explain their own desires and consciousness when eventually they will outgrow this need and realize that this form of self knowledge is merely their own.
What in general does Feuerbach think about the traditional “properties” of God? (MO)
he viewed them as projections of human ideals, desires, and aspirations onto a hypothetical divine figure
According to Freud, what is the basic explanation for our belief in the existence of God and religion? (MO)
As a child or even an adult we crave a paternal or father figure that answer life’s questions and show us what to do. People then came up with the concept of God to fill this void and answer questions like the origin of the universe.
Explain the difference between an illusion and a delusion. Given this distinction, what are “religious doctrines” for Freud? (MO)
Illusions are false realities we make for ourselves to satisfy our desires. Delusions are more complicated than illusions: it is essential to any delusion that it is in contradiction with reality, or involves extreme perceptual distortions about reality. He says they are illusions because proof is incompatible with the science we have today.
What would Freud say against the person who claims that religious doctrines are in fact rational to believe, since they cannot be verified or refuted by science? (MO)
Freud simply dismisses this kind of thinking, and says that it is a lame excuse: Ignorance is ignorance
