World Views Exam Flashcards
Definition of a worldview
What I believe about REALITY and how that causes me to LIVE
Things that influence your worldview (5)
Culture/environment your born into
Circumstances
Habits
Knowledge
Authority
Examples of atheist worldviews
Postmodernism
Naturalism
Nihilism
Agnostic
examples of polytheist worldviews
Buddhism
New Age
Hinduism
Greek and Roman Pantheon
Examples of monotheistic worldviews
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
JW
Mormons
Philosophy of Socrates
Raised questions about the Greek pantheon of gods (didn’t personally believe in them)
Used dialogue and question to find truth (Socratic method)
Convicted for corrupting Athenian youth; died by drinking hemlock
Philosophy of Plato
○ Believed the sole is imprisoned in the body, attempting to break free into the ideal form.
○ He distrusted the senses as a good way to perceived knowledge; trust logic and reason more
○ Believed all physical things are imperfect manifestations of the really real
Teacher of Aristotle
Philosophy of Augustine
○ Major Christian philosopher and theologian
○ Linked the Platonic ideal to the God of the Bible
○ Immaterial = good. Material = not really good
○ Emphasized the rational and logical, deemphasized the senses
Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas
○ Proof of the infinite starts with the finite things
○ Emphasized looking at the “physical” along with the Scriptures since God is reason and the universe He created is reason - he can be known thorough reason and creation.
Philosophy of Immanuel Kant
○ One of the most influential modern philosophers
○ “Kant’s Wall”
§ The ideals, faith, and subjective exist but is unknowable, the real, reason, and objective is all we can know
○ We can only have knowledge of things we can experience.
Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard
○ Existentialism: individuals are free and responsible to create meaning and purpose in our lives.
○ Faith and reason are mutually exclusive
○ Lea of Faith: decisive commitment with passion but subjective
Philosophy of Charles Darwin
○ Natural selection: guarantees a progressive improvement in species
○ Gave a scientific bases for materialism.
○ Gave a scientific basis for optimism
Philosophy of C.S. Lewis
○ Christian apologist
○ Joy (or our deepest longings) are signposts directing us to God
○ Moral Law exists and all humans have an intuitive knowledge of it
○ Evil is not original
○ Jesus is God
Improper Views of God
○ God is a tyrant judge
○ God’s love overlooks sin
○ God doesn’t care
Three parenting methods that mirror an improper view of God (and what the mean)
- Authoritarian - focus on absolute obedience
- Permissive - Don’t enforce rules, kids will be kinds
- uninvolved - provides little attention or engagement
Parenting style that coincides will an accurate picture of God
Authoritative - creates a relationship while enforcing rules.
Proof of God’s existence as seen through General Revelation (Science) (7)
- 2nd law of thermodynamics: The amount of usable energy in a closed system will decrease over time, therefore the world must have a beginning because it has a finite amount of energy
- Spontaneous Generation: there is no evidence that living matter can ever come form nonliving matter through natural processes
- Genetic information theory: the intricacy of DNA indicates not just information, but design.
- Anthropic principle: The incredible harmony of everything points directly at an intelligence vastly beyond any human thinking
- The general fine tuning of the universe creates an overwhelming impression of design
- The randomly generate the 23 Psalm would take way longer than the universe is old
- God is the best explantion of the origin of the universe.
Proof of God’s existence through special revelation
- He is the best explanation for the existence of objective moral values and duties
- He is the best explanation of the historical facts concerning the life, death, and resurrection Jesus of Nazareth (empty tomb, numerous sightings by many people, the disciples change in belief about Jesus’ resurrection (they go from scared and running to fearless and public in their faith)
- He can be personally known
God is ______________, _____________________, and ________________
Perfectly good
personally loving
infinitely unchanging
Worldview analogies (3)
lens
carpenters level
map
What are the two elements of truth
- Truth is a Person (“I am the way, the truth, and the life”)
- truth is an accurate description of the way things really are. Truth aligns with reality
What does logic help us do?
make accurate descriptions which are consistent with the thing itself
two types of worldviews
philosophical WV and functional WV
means “it does not follow” An illogical statement that draws o conclusion not supported by the premises. e. people believe in God because they aren’t’ educated
Non - sequitur
Evades the question by appealing to the feelings of the audience Ex. I don’t believe in God because the Christians I know are unkind, arrogant people
Ad hominem
using a famous name or credential to validate a position rather than a serious argument. Ex. Global warning doesn’t exist- my pastor said so
Appeal to Authority
an argument that appeals to the beliefs or prejudices of the crowd to validate a position. Ex. Most of the world now realizes there isn’t a God- you must be stuck in the 60s.
Bandwagon argument
evades a real conclusion by restating eh problem in new words or by using the problem as the solution to itself. Ex. God exists because the Bible says He does, and God orchestrated the writing of the Bible so it can be trusted.
Circular Reasoning
presents only two possibilities as the only possibilities when more then two possibilities exist. Ex. Either God doesn’t exist or he is a mean-spirited monster.
Either-or fallacy (false dichotomy)
cherry-picking data or relying on very limited data or evidence to draw sweeping conclusions. Ex. Atheist scientists create nuclear bombs and weapons which kill; Christin scientist build hospitals which save lives.
Hasty genralization
a statement introducing an unrelated point instead of addressing the question under debate. Ex. Some say that objective moral values can only exist if God exists, but Christians are really not more moral then non-Christians
Red Herring
assumes that since something has not been proven false, it is therefore true OR because something has not been proven true, it is therefore false. ex. There is no way of scientifically proving the existence of God, therefore he does not exist.
Argument from Ignorance
What do Naturalists believe is real
Matter; the physical is the only reality
What do Postmodernists believe is real
Language construct - words being used to create your reality
what do Easter Spirituality/New Age people believe is real
Spiritual oneness of all things - no distinction between God and man and matter
What do Naturalists believe humans are
evolved animal
humans are complex machines
matter is the only substance
there is nothing above man
What do Postmodernists believe about what humans are?
There is no essential you - you are what you make yourself be.
What do Eastern Spirituality/New Age people believe about what humans are?
Man is God
What do Naturalists believe is good?
human survival is primary
values are determined by humans - driven by needs/interest
What do Postmodernists believe is good?
Tolerance/inclusiveness
happiness through nonjudgmental communal experiences
What do Eastern Spirituality/New Age people believe is good?
Cessation of desire
nothingness
union with all
What do Naturalist believe about what is wrong and what the solution is?
Problem: Ignorance
Solution: Education
What do Postmodernists believe about what is wrong and what the solution is?
Problem: power
Solution: deconstruction - ask questions in such a way that at the end there is no answer
What do Eastern Spirituality/New Age people believe about what is wrong and what the solution is?
Problem: ignorance of the god that you are
Solution: meditation to unlock the truth within
What do Naturalists believe about how to know what is true
Science (scientific method)
What do Postmodernists believe about how to know what is true
I can only determine what is true for me (aka relativism)