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1. I asked you to read Chapter 9 of
Reason and Religious Belief as background to our study of The Problem of Evil
against God's Existence. We went into
detail on many of the ideas in this chapter.
However, on page 187 there is reference made to the good parent analogy
that Rowe uses to argue against God's existence. Using our book, explain the good parent analogy
and how Rowe uses this to object to God's existence. Last, after explaining Rowe's position, state
whether you think that his argument is a good one. Be sure to make your reasons for agreeing or
disagreeing with him clear.
2. Start off by defining
materialism. One argument for
materialism we discussed in class is the argument from Artificial
Intelligence. State this argument we covered
in class. After stating this argument,
state whether you think it is a strong argument for materialism. Be sure to make your reasons for agreeing or
disagreeing with it clear.
3. One further argument for materialism
that we covered in class was called The Brain Chemistry Argument. State this argument we covered in class. Moreover, as background for the topic of Life
after Death, I asked you to read Chapter 11 of Reason and Religious
Belief. Pages 240-241 elaborate on the Brain
Chemistry Argument further by talking about lots of examples of the tight
connection between thinking, feeling, and desiring and what happens in the
brain. Using pages 240-241 of our text, discuss
three specific examples, which we didn't discuss in class, of the tight
connection between thinking, feeling, and desiring and what happens in the
brain. Last, offer up your assessment on
the Brain Chemistry Argument for Materialism.
Do you think it is a good argument?
Why or why not? Be sure to make
your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it clear.
4. Start off by defining dualism. Also, define the Identity of
Indiscernibles. One argument we studied
for dualism involves the Identity of Indiscernibles. Explain this argument. Last, do you think it is a good
argument? Why or why not? Be sure to make your reasons for agreeing or
disagreeing with it clear.
5. As background for the topic of Life after
Death, I asked you to read Chapter 11 of Reason and Religious Belief. Pages 252-253 of this chapter talk about how
some use near-death experiences to provide evidence for the possibility of life
after death. This is not a topic we will
discuss much in class, but lots of people raise it in the context of life after
death. As such, it's good to think about
at this point. Using our book, explain
how some use near-death experiences to argue for life after death. Be sure to explain at least one of the
"amazingly accurate" things people that have undergone near death
experiences have discovered. Last, offer
your thoughts on whether near-experiences provide evidence of life after death.
