Augustine Scholars

Question 1

Rosseau

Answer 1

‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’.
In natural state, humans are generous and only act otherwise when the situation calls to. Purpose of society should be to remove barriers that result in the loss of freedom and regain our natural state of as social, just beings.

Question 2

Hobbes

Answer 2

‘The life of man, solitary, poor, brutish, and short.’
In natural state, we are not co-operative but selfish and brutish (animal like)
But different to animals as we recognise if we co-operate with eachother, life can be more tolerable. This often has to be backed with threat of force to make sure we don’t go back to our selfish ways. (eg black friday)

Question 3

Foucault

Answer 3

‘Human nature, like any other quality, is taught to us. We are socialised and edictsted to think and behave in a particular way and what is considered to be ‘human nature’ often happens to be exactly what the rulers of society want from their subjects.’

Question 4

Marx

Answer 4

‘There is no such thing as human nature. Humans have to work and create to guarantee their survival, everything else they do is just a product of their environment.’

Question 5

Pelagius

Answer 5

A Christian monk who did not believe in OS - humans have sufficient free will to overcome personal sin. Adam’s sin only harmed him and not the humanity as a whole. People born in prefall state. Humanity neither died through Adam’s sin nor rose again with Christ’s resurrection.

Question 6

Freud

Answer 6

God = psychological construction, based on an infantile need for a father figure, possibly necessary to restrain our violent tendencies in ancient societies. Creation of God is a sign of repressed sexual guilt. Sexual drive and drive to pleasure was essential quality of our nature. Disagreed that guilt and atonement was needed for these urges, he said that unfilled desires could lead to mental illness. Psychotherapy could be used to channel repressed sexual impulses.

Question 7

Niebuhr

Answer 7

Failure to understand sin leads to colossal mistakes being made by society, particularly those in power. Rationalist and omptimisic view of humanists has failed. Both religious and non are ignorant if they think power of reason and belief in moral goodness is enough to bring just societies. Humans need to understand their imperfect, flawed nature and establish a relationship with God, then we can understand our true limits.

Question 8

Irenaeus

Answer 8

Formalised the OS doctrine in the 2nd century. Adam’s sin had grave consequences on humanity.

Question 9

Dawkins

Answer 9

Acting morally, simply on promise of reward, is not true ethical conduct. we should decide to do the right thing because we believe it to be so. OS is contradictory to evolutionary biology and is absurd and dangerous idea. Christianity has an unhealthy obsession with sin, guilt, violence and repressed sexuality.

Question 10

British Humanist Association

Answer 10

It is possible to live a good life without any religious or superstitious beliefs

Question 11

Hitchens

Answer 11

Central moral lessons derived from stories like the Fall lack credibility as they are ‘too human’, conforming closely with the kind of values and rules favoured by the ancient cultures that produced the texts.

Question 12

Pinker

Answer 12

Chistianty has been responsible for much suffering, violence and debasement of humanity. We should replace the irrational superstation of OS with the humanitarian principle.