There have been many discussions on how the world has been created and whether there is a true designer of the universe or rather it happened through a big bang. H.J. McCloskey “on being an Atheist” argues throughout his article that theism is not a belief that is rational, but a is something that should not exist, just as God he believes does not. Throughout this paper will be the discussion of the Cosmological, teleological, design arguments, and how he refutes these arguments to invalidate the existence of God and theism. McCloskey throughout his article refers to cosmological, teleological, and design arguments as proofs. Stated from Merriam-Webster a proof is, “Something which shows that something else is true or correct”. This goes to show that McCloskey is arguing the existence of God and is giving these three arguments the basis that they are correct. Although as stated in “Approaching the Question of God’s Existence” presentation? States, “I do not think that is what these arguments do, I do not think they give 100% proof of God’s existence And if that is what you’re thinking about the arguments, then that may be why you don’t think the arguments work”. This goes to show that McCloskey is basing almost everything on these arguments and is not looking at all the resources at a whole. As foremen also explains to use for these arguments is the “Best explanation approach” (Foreman). Through this it is able to use these arguments to best explain the reasons as to why
In the argument with McCloskey about using “proofs” to establish a case for Gods existence I would first agree with McCloskey that we should not use “proofs” for Gods existence since “proofs” cannot be a 100% proof of Gods existence. But there are two arguments that can help explain the existence of God. The first is the best explanation approach which is the best explanation for the things we witness. Another classical argument is cumulative case approach, in this approach we use more than one argument to make a case for Gods existence. Both of these approaches to the existence of God is easier to understand than just the “proof” argument. We must also understand the defeaters of the arguments and also that the God of the Bible is
Scandinavian Paganism, more commonly known as Norse Mythology, was a popular polytheistic religion during the Anglo-Saxon time period. It is believed to have been derived from the culture of Germanic Paganism. According to Norse Mythology, at the center of the universe lies the greatest ash tree, known as Yggdrasil, whose roots and branches spread across the universe connecting each of the nine realms of Aesir, giants, and Niflheim. The world was believed to have been created by the body of Ymir, a giant that was killed and dismembered by the first gods. His flesh created the earth, his bones formed the mountains, and his blood filled the seas.
In the article “ On Being an Atheist,” H.J. McCloskey attempts to inform his readers that the belief in atheism is a “much more comfortable belief” by effectively using a disdainful rhetoric towards theists and their faith. McCloskey delves into both the Cosmological and Teleological arguments, which within he criticizes the arguments and to further his argument against theism, he also presents the Problem of Evil and why evil cannot possibly exist with a perfect God being the creator of universe. What will be displayed in this essay are the counter-arguments to McCloskey’s criticisms and the attempt to discredit his claims that regard the “comfortable” position that lies within atheism and its arguments.
Slavery made a huge impact on America’s history. It has been exactly 150 years since Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery. Before that, life for any slave, man or woman, was extremely rough. They tried their best to make life easy for themselves. Some became fed up with their treatment so they overtly and covertly rebelled. Overt being the open and more dangerous of the two. Covert rebellions were more of snide comments towards their master. The life and rebellions of slaves were extremely difficult, but they made do with what they had.
Over the centuries, there have been many attempts by religious philosophers to prove the existence of God. Though the history of the philosophy of religion has been dominated by attempts to prove the existence of God, there also exists a number of arguments that seek to disprove theism. In philosophy, it is important to be clear about the meanings of the terms that are central to the argument. Theism is the belief that there is a deity that is distinct from and transcends the world, which it creates and intervenes in. Atheism is the opposite of Theism which is the belief that there is no such thing as a deity. The arguments for the existence of God sets out to explain each of the common philosophical arguments for theism, and so to explore
In the past hundred years, a great debate has shaken the foundation religious and scientific beliefs of society. Philosophers have been arguing about such a debate for hundreds of years, but there does not seem to be any consensus on whether on the existence of god and the universe. The ancient world never battled over such questions, rather they had accepted the fact that the natural world was created by some being. However, as society made major advancements, the question about god 's existence and his creation arose causing many debates and arguments to come about. The design arguments are a popular example of such debates, which is very prevalent amongst philosophers and society at large. “Simply put, the design argument, or the argument from design, states that the order and purpose manifest in the works of nature indicate that they were designed by an intelligent being” (Velasquez 251). The greatest proponent of the design argument was philosopher William Paley, who formulated the argument. As a student of philosophy and avid proponent of god 's existence, I support the design argument and philosopher William Paley. I would like to argue against the beliefs of atheism and agnosticism while supporting the design argument as a means of god 's existence. I believe that god is the creator of that which surrounds us and science and nature is a means to prove the existence of god, not rebuttal it. Also I will support the design argument with the
The term theism, obtained from the Greek theos, or "god", typically refers to belief in God, the notion that all finite things are dependent on one supreme, self-existent reality who is spoken of as having personal essence or identity. God is widely regarded to have attributes that human beings are also capable of emulating. In classical theism, God is described as having attributes such as goodness, love, grace, compassion, and other personal attributes that are common to human beings as well. Attributes which can be enhanced through our determination and responsibility (Mackie, 1983).
The worldview I chose was Christianity. I started out answering yes to the first few questions saying that I believe that there are truths out there that remain true despite of what others think, that it’s possible to know what is true, and that there are things that are objectively good and bad. The next question asked me if there was more than one valid religion and I answered no because I believe that there is only one way to heaven. These questions lead me the important question of “is there a God?” Answering yes to this question categorized me as a Theist worldview which means that I believe that there is a God. The next few questions asked about the character of God. I answered the questions saying that I believe that God has emotions
Arguments against God and His existence have been a constant occurrence throughout history. From the beginning of time there have always been people that rebel against God and argue against the fiber of his existence. There are many naturalists who argue against God and whether or not he exists or is present in the world. These ideas and arguments are based on the reality of evil and clearly deviate from God’s word of scripture. There are theists who have opposing arguments against these naturalists. These theists believe in the existence of God and believe that he is present in the world and in the lives of people. The naturalist argument against God and the arguments of theist have always been constantly debated with and against
Throughout the course of this essay we shall examine two of the major philosophical arguments for the existence of God. The arguments that we are going to focus on shall be the Design argument and the Ontological argument. We shall compare, evaluate and discuss both the Design (or teleological) argument for the existence of God and the Ontological Argument for the existence of God, as well as highlighting philosophical criticisms of both theories too. By doing so, we shall attempt to draw a satisfactory conclusion and aim gain a greater understanding of the respective theories and their criticisms of each theory.
Men always wonder about their own existence. They ask questions that hinted an existence of a God. Like the common questions that was probably asked by all men; who created me? , what am I? , who am I? These questions lead to the topics on how Plato and Aristotle came up with their different theories that supports the idea of the existence of a God. The problem here is that we cannot know the existence of a God if there really is a God by just thinking by ourselves because we may have the mind to think but we may also not have the capacity to think like Plato and Aristotle from which they are the main philosophers that the Medieval philosophers like Saint Bonaventure based their work not just by simply agreeing on the works of Aristotle or Plato but by commenting on their works and continuing or extending what their works are. The theory of forms by Plato indicates that there is a Primary Being that can be perceive through the use of the mind wherein reason is the main instrument being used in order to see what you cannot perceive using your external senses. The external sense cognition by Aristotle from which uses the five senses of a human person which are the sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. The world that we perceive by the use of our external senses make us believe that there is a God that created all that we see, smell, touch, hear, and taste. I propose to assimilate Saint Bonaventura in my paper because of my elaboration about
Despite having extremely conservative foreign direct investment guidelines, the government of China has been successful in attracting foreign investment. Proper implementations of Human Resource policies for international strategic alliances have always remained as a real challenge in the country. In order to adjust in the Chinese market, international banks have customized their policies and lending criteria and the government has also restructured their banking policies and information technology services. Before setting up an international business, various factors should be considered like finding the perfect strategic fit which should also be in line with the Chinese culture and value culture.
The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The “God” question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us, and ultimately, if he even exists at all. Mankind cannot
Throughout the history of mankind, humans have believed in a variety of supernatural deities; some have believed in deities on a personal level while others view them as all-powerful protectors. Currently, a large percentage of the United States citizens believe in the God of Christianity, Yahweh. Christianity has had pagan influences, which means that Christianity religion has existed for twenty centuries; paganism predates Christianity, and this gives both paganism and Christianity an extensive lifetime. Christianity has garnered more notoriety and has become quite prominent in modern times. However, regardless of the lengthy history Christianity has had, is belief in its God justifiable? Can the existence of the Christian God be proven by empirical standards or is faith alone a reasonable and logical way of proving its existence? The arguments produced by theists are not exempt from critique, though the arguments produced by atheists are not exempt either. Both sides in this persistent topic deserve an in-depth analysis. The existence of Yahweh (or any particular deity) requires one to look at each side and the information presented. Neutrality must be taken into consideration, but it is important to develop one’s own perspective, especially when it pertains to something as controversial and long-debated as this topic. Regardless of this, through discussion and analysis of various points provided by theists and atheists, it is
When asked to choose a term or concept and establish what it means, the vast vocabulary humanity has established hindered Jennifer from making her choice. Jennifer understood the word had to be defined beyond its denotative meaning. While critically thinking and searching for the particular word, she thought about faith. According to dictionaries, the word faith has two distinct definitions. First, it is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as being confident or having an unquestioning belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing (American Heritage Dictionary). Likewise, faith is defined in the Oxford Dictionaries as a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof (Oxford Dictionaries). Faith is either trusting and having confidence in a person or thing, or having a strong religious spirit while accepting the existence of God as real. Usually, faith is parallel to god and religion, but faith can be found in values, in society, in the community, in organizations, in the universe, and most importantly, in individuals themselves.