Religion Exam Flashcards

Question

What theory was Immanuel Kant known for?

Answer 1

Deontological Ethics

Answer 2

~Born of a poor but very religious family in a town in what was then known as east Prussia ~Never ventured more than 100km from his birthplace ~regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in Western philosophy ~Schooled in Descartes' theories of reason and logic, he was also influenced by Hume's skepticism

Answer 3

~An area of reasoning by which we come to know how the laws of nature, the laws of cause and effect, govern human nature. ~We can know only what people actually do

Answer 4

~Includes the moral dimensions that guide human behaviour | ~We come to understand what people ought to do

Answer 5

From the concepts of Theoretical Reason and Practical Reason. His concept of moral duty became the basis for his ethical theories

Answer 6

~that both reason and the sense can be sources of knowledge ~divided knowledge into two categories 1. A Priori Knowledge 2. A Posteriori Knowledge **for Kant, reason was necessary to pursue the extreme good

Answer 7

knowledge, independent of sense source is the human mind (innate), organizes and unifies a posteriori knowledge according to certain innate concepts. **built into our DNA; tells us there's something more)

Answer 8

Knowledge that comes from sense experience (empirical)

Answer 9

1. God: on our own, we cannot achieve the supreme good. The existence of God allows us to do this 2. Freedom: If we can achieve the good, then we must have the means of doing so. We must be able to fulfill our duty. 3. Immortality: the supreme good is impossible to achieve in this life, thus a life beyond (immortality) exists to allow us to attain this supreme good.

Answer 10

~unlike Aristotle, Kantian ethics is individual in nature ~Grounded in the autonomy of the individual and his/her will ~"an action is moral if and only if it is motivated by duty. It is your autonomy, your choice to act in accordance with your will"

Answer 11

1. I should act as I would want everyone else to act 2. Treat others as you would want to be treated (the golden rule), never treat others merely as a means but always with dignity

Answer 12

~Born in 1905 in Kaunas, Lithuania to Jewish parents ~served in the French army in world war two ~was captured by the Germans and spent five years as a prisoner of war ~His entire family died in the Holocaust, although his wife and daughter did manage to escape death by being hidden in a monastery in France

Answer 13

~Each person is unique and stands alone. This differs from western philosophy which seeks the collective good ~The good is interested, not in what is in common among things, but in what is absolutely unique about each person or thing

Answer 14

~refers to the uniqueness of things and persons as "traces" of God ~Only God is infinite. Everything else is only a trace of Him

Answer 15

~the face is the most naked part of the human body and as such cannot hide what is in the soul ~the face of the stranger you meet the "other" ~They cannot be reduced to becoming you ~In the look of the other we are called to respond either with "yes" or "no" ~Yes you can do this, no you should not murder, no you may not take otherness away, etc. ~you see one who is not your equal but your superior **the needs of others should outweigh your own**

Answer 16

~ the face is of one who is defenceless, uprooted ~one with no economic stability or security, one who is socially marginalized and without rights ~recognizing the other's depth of misery or humanity is what makes the command or appeal of the face ethical ~the defenceless face cannot force us to do anything---it is only an appeal ~The face can make us feel responsible **this responsibility is our vocation or calling ~God's touch will always be indirect. It will always be through the other

Answer 17

1. Experience of personal response 2. Experience of the other 3. Experience of obligation 4. Experience of Contrast

Answer 18

a. something that touches you more deeply than intellectually b. urged to act not think c. automatic claim upon you to do something **Kant's theory

Answer 19

a. the face is ethical b. starts with the human face c. it takes you hostage d. face-to-face reminds us of our responsibility for the other e. questions arise and stay with you long after the face has gone **Levinas' theory

Answer 20

a. Something inside you obliges you to obey a law, or what is the right thing to do **Kant's theory

Answer 21

a. Response to injustice and/or suffering b. Occurs when we feel outraged at something blatantly unjust or unfair c. We have a healthy built-in capacity for understanding of what ought to be **Kant's theory

Answer 22

a person who acts freely and knowingly, who chooses to do or not do something; a person who is accountable for his or her actions or omissions

Answer 23

A theoretical structure of assumptions, principles and rules that holds together the ideas comprising a broad concept. Action is the realization of the power of human freedom. When we engage the capacities of our freedom, we change the world around us. This was created to by Paul Ricoeur

Answer 24

A point of view that holds that human behaviour is a product, not of free will, but of a complex array of physical, social, cultural, psychological and historical causes.

Answer 25

the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion

Answer 26

the human capacity to choose and to act. I am free because I have possibilities and capacities to act on these possibilities

Answer 27

That which motivates me to act - values. The reason for doing something that appears at least to me, as good.

Answer 28

a form of positivism, developed by the members of the Vienna Circle, that considers that only meaningful philosophical problems are those that can be solved by logical analysis. By Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Answer 29

a reason for doing something, especially one that was hidden or not obvious

Answer 30

a philosophical viewpoint according to which everything arises from natural properties and causes and supernatural or spiritual explanation are excluded or discounted.

Answer 31

The view that my behaviour is predetermined, whether by God or other causes. By John Calvin.

Answer 32

the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power; God or nature as providing protective or spiritual care; timely preparation for future eventualities.

Answer 33

reduces everything to sensory experience - to the "hard facts" that you could see, smell, touch, measure, hear and do

Answer 34

~originated in the 1920's by Ludwig Wittgenstein and the philosophers known as logical positivists ~everything can be reduced to sensory experience. I.E. only what can be verified by the senses has meaning

Answer 35

~there is no such thing as a moral agent since no one is free to choose their actions and cannot be held accountable for them

Answer 36

~states that the material universe is made up of physical, psychological, social and environmental processes, this includes human beings ~everything including humanity, is connected by cause and effect: science reigns supreme ~Thomas Huxley says that the mind and the brain are machines ~human beings have no spirit or culture, but have evolved as a result of the natural selection process ~Therefore, our genes determine who we are and what we can be ~Freedom is a delusion ~Ted Peters maintains "Human culture is on a leash, a short leash, held by a genetic agenda."

Answer 37

~your behaviour is determined by your physical state and by the influences of others upon you ~people are influenced by their parents, culture, psychological state, experiences in your life, your history, your background, socio-economic status, race, gender, religion and education ~your actions can be explained by what you have undergone at the hands of others ~to a social determinist, the past, your past determines entirely who you are

Answer 38

(427-347 BCE) The Father of Western Philosophy ~Taught by Socrates who claimed that "the unexamined life is not worth living" ~Teacher of Aristotle - Plato influenced St. Augustine centuries later ~Plato lived in a time of social disorder and anarchy and wrote about the ideal city-state in his book The Republic where the philosopher is king since he is closest to the good ~He determined that the human capacity to reason separates us from animals ~It is through our ability to reason that we can find the good that is in everything ~He believed that good is an abstract concept (not a thing itself) ~The closest we can come to good is in contemplation (thinking or meditating) where we "bask in the good and the good enters into our knowing"

Answer 39

384-322 BCE --> student of Plato | ~influenced the Church's moral thinking, especially through Aquinas, centuries later

Answer 40

1. People seek the good in order to find happiness 2. One must act intelligently (using reason) and virtuously to find the good, rather than seeking sensual, short-term pleasures 3. Since philosophers actively search for the good, they are most likely to succeed in finding it

Answer 41

1. Thought Plato's idea of the good was too abstract; the good is not general but specific and real - Aristotle said the good is in the nature of all things, found in its purpose (teleology) 2. Since the good is to be found in God, the Creator, it is inscribed by God into all things 3. He studied the sciences and politics and believed that each thing is oriented toward the good when it naturally follows its purpose or end and reaches its potential 4. People are naturally oriented towards the good but must use their ability to reason to decide what to do in each situation in order to find happiness 5. The good and wise person avoids the extremes - aims for the middle ground

Answer 42

~Agreed with Aristotle that the good and ethical is inscribed in the nature of all created things. They both believed that reason is what finds the good. They considered God as the highest good. However, Aquinas's faith in Trinity made further steps from Aristotle's belief. He believed in blessedness, the fullness of happiness which is not to be found on earth but only in the resurrection as a pure gift from God

Answer 43

lived from 1225-1274 ~God placed in each human life, a light of understanding for the good. This is Natural Law. Therefore, God's creation is good. ~To know and use one's intellectual and sensual capacities, one must follow the natural law which is "the light of understanding placed in us by God; through it we know what we must do and what we must avoid" ~Introduced the four Cardinal Virtues: PRUDENCE, JUSTICE, FORTITUDE and TEMPERANCE ~the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. These virtues were first given to us by God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They have redefined what is the "good"

Answer 44

it is the virtue that helps our reason to discern what is best for us and to choose the best way of achieving it. It guides the other virtues

Answer 45

It is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give to God and our neighbour what is due to them

Answer 46

the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. It enables us to conquer fear, even the fear of death, and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. It enables us to conquer fear, even the fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions - even to sacrifice one's life in defence of a just cause

Answer 47

it is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures that our will stays in control over our instincts and keeps our desires in check

Answer 48

Faith is the virtue that enables us to believe in God and all that he has said and revealed to us, and all that his Church proposes for our belief, because God is truth itself

Answer 49

Hope is the virtue that enables us to desire the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our true happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit

Answer 50

Charity is the virtue that enables us to love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God

Answer 51

1509-1564 ~French Protestant reformer and theologian ~ Religious Determinism: Freedom is an illusion because actions are not free ~Predestination: denies human freedom. Calvin believed that freedom and ethics have no place in the doctrine of predestination ~Humans are born and live their lives deserving eternal damnation. Cut off from God, humans can do nothing to save themselves ~God does not want all people to be saved- he wants to reject some ~God's knowledge and will have predetermined the course of the world and its history as well as each action and deed of every individual ~Catholic Tradition disagrees with Calvin - human freedom and God's providence do not conflict. Catholic Church defends human freedom

Answer 52

1596-1650 ~I think therefore I am ~Descartes was one of the first philosophers to make a connection between human intelligence and the human brain ~he created a split between thinking and the world of matter

Answer 53

1931 - ? ~We need to be committed to an idea in order to have purpose and to fulfill one's desire. My identity lies in my commitments ~Our direction and identity in life is dependent upon our stances in life. If one says "I am Catholic" it says much about their stance on moral/ethical issues. It gives us direction and helps us create a sense of self. Furthermore, such commitments shape our ethical perspective ~My identity emerges from the direction I take in life. My moral stance and direction in life are linked; moral direction shapes identity ~the sense of direction creates our moral sense of self ~What we believe in shapes who we are or become ~When we answer a question of who, or what we are, we answer stating our relationships, commitments or stance hence our identity

Answer 54

1932-1996 ~the spiritual life is a life in which you gradually learn to listen to a voice that says, "You are the beloved." This soft, gentle voice comes from deep within us and tells us who we are. ~The spiritual life starts by claiming the voice that calls us the beloved. This voice of God communicates with us in the simplicity of our daily lives

Answer 55

1856-1939 ~He believed that human behaviour is based on repressed memories and desires - the unconscious mind ~It is a human's way of taking painful and shameful memories and taking them out of consciousness and therefore the conscious mind does not have to deal with them directly ~However, these memories do not "go away" but instead act as an indirect role in shaping your outlook on different things and the decisions you make ~When you act out of your unconsciousness, your behaviour is called "neurotic". Therefore, dreams are neurotic behaviour patterns and resurfacing memories and desires ~Morality is imposed upon us from outside forces - guilt, shame. Our actions are therefore not free which connects Freud's theory of the unconscious mind. ~Freud saw two instincts in people: Love and Death

Answer 56

~Love (Eros): the life instinct is often categorized with Eros, the sexual instinct. Freud associated the commandment "love your neighbour as yourself" with the life instinct. It is found in ways that people express their desire for live and love for others ~Death (Thanatos): Freud's beliefs of the death instinct are rooted from his experience in WW1. He witnessed, through people brutally killing and hurting others, aggressive-destructive tendencies. He also noticed that aggression exists when people deal with themselves. He maintained that self-aggression is morality. Morality is taken from your parents at an early age. This develops into the superego. It states that if you fail to follow the rules, you feel guilt and shame which are powerful enough to make you obey these precepts against your own will

Answer 57

~Character is what results from the values we make our own. When a value has woven its way into the fabric of our being, we delight in doing what pertains to that value. ~I must always do what I believe to be right and avoid what I believe to be wrong. One is bound to follow one's conscience - conscience cannot be violated. The conscience is our most secret core and sanctuary where we are alone with God ~there are three tasks of the Church in guiding moral life: 1. The Church shapes moral character 2. The Church guards and maintains moral traditions 3. The Church is a community of moral deliberation whenever and wherever moral issues emerge

Answer 58

~Came up with a Cognitive Development Stage Theory. Each stage is precipitated by a crisis in one's life. To move forward, one must resolve this crisis 1. Trust vs. Mistrust 2. Autonomy vs. Shame 3. Initiative vs. Guilt 4. Industry vs. Inferiority 5. Identity vs. Identity Confusion 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation 7. Generality vs. Stagnation 8. Integrity vs. Despair

Answer 59

``` Theory of Moral Development: ~3 distinct Levels *Pre-conventional moral thinking *Conventional Moral Thinking *Post-conventional Moral Thinking ```

Answer 60

~a human being is so like a beast, a leviathan, that is set in motion by selfish desires and appetites. Every human being is moved by these appetites to seek out the good which best serves his/her own self-interests. Each person is therefore in constant struggle with the passions of another

Answer 61

~Believe in the importance of protecting property. He talked about a state of nature. We enter into a social contract with one another, we invest powers that we ourselves had

Answer 62

~"Man is born free and he is everywhere in chains" ~Wrote the Social Contract - Discusses why if by nature, one is born free and is autonomous, why do individuals give up that freedom to join a society which ultimately limits my liberty ~Contrary to Hobbes - maintained that human beings are good in nature and inclined towards compassion for one another ~However, within society, this natural goodness degenerates into competition of wills with one's fellow man. This competition could threaten the individual's survival and freedom ~By entering into a "social contract", individuals preserve themselves and remain free by submitting to the general will of the people. Therefore, while living in a society, one's rights must be less than in a state of nature, they are still protected and individuals are still sovereign because each individual lives under the same laws and are given and denied the same freedom

Religion Exam Flashcards

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