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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
what is predestination?
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- the total irrelevance of our actions as God has already decided whether we are saved or not
- key philosophers: Augustine of Hippo and John Calvin - man only has a very limited understanding of God's purposes |
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what are the strengths and weaknesses of predestination?
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S- backs up the traditional idea that God is omnipotent
S- explains why we are unable to fully understand God W- If God has decided already who will be saved or not, what is the point of worship, praying or even following a religion? W- portrays God to be biased- why does he chose only some certain people to be saved? |
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what is hard determinism?
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- they are called 'hard' determinists because they take a very strict approach
- all our actions had prior causes - incompatible with free will |
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what is behaviourism?
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a modern form of hard determinism
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who discussed behaviourism?
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-John B. Watson
- behaviour can be predicted and controlled - this is because we live in a determined universe - behaviour is influenced by heredity and environment- nature and nurture - by manipulating the environment a person's behaviour can be altered |
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who was Watson influenced by?
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Ivan Pavlov who conditioned dogs to salivate when they heard the sound of a bell
this is also known as 'operant conditioning' |
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al theories of determinism are influenced by who?
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Isaac Newton's physics, according yo which the universe is governed by immutable laws of nature such as motivation and gravitation
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what did John Locke say about determinism?
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-freedom is an illusion
- This is illustrated by his story of a sleeping man in a locked room; on awakening he decides to stay where he is, not realising that the door to the room is locked. The man thinks he has made a free decision, but in reality he has no choice |
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what were Honderich's views?
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there is no room for moral blame and no point in punishment for the sake of punishment
Each action has an effect and there is no room for free will |
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what are the strengths and weaknesses of hard determinism?
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W- we cannot blame or praise people for their actions
S- it is true that how we are socialised and the environment that we live in effects our lives and HD highlights this W- no one is morally responsible even for the most cold-blooded crimes W- if determinism is true then all the horrible things that happen in the world had to happen- this is a veru pessimistic view of the world |