Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 1
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'There is no knowledge so certain that no one can doubt it' To what extent do you believe that this view is correct?
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To what extent is a priori knowlegde more reliable and useful than knowledge gained through the senses?
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'We can never know what the world is really like'. Discuss
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'In philosophy, questions matter more than answers'. Discuss
Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 2- Plato
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'the simile of the Cave tells us nothing about reality' Discuss
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To what extent can it be argues that education is about remembering, not learning?
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How convincing is Plato's idea of the Form of the Good?
Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 3- Aristotle
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'Aristotle's theory of the four causes explains nothing' Discuss
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To what extent has modern cosmology made Aristotle's views on the universe redundant?
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'Aristotle's Prime Mover is an unconvincing construction to fill a hole in his theory.
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'Aristotle's understanding of the world is more convincing than that of Plato's Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 4- Sould, mind and body
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Assess whether substance dualism is a convincing approach to questions of body and soul.
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To what extent is Plato's belief in a separate body and soul convincing?
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'It makes more sense to say 'I am a body' than to say 'I have a body'. Discuss
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'Religious faith demands belief in a separate body' Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 5- The existence of God: arguments based on observation
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'There is no design in the universe' Discuss
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To what extent is Aquinas' first cause argument successful in proving that God exists?
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How true is it to say that only the existence of Godwould provide a sufficient explaination for the existence of the universe?
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'The universe is just there; it neither has nor needs an explaination' Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 6- The existence of God: arguments based on reason
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'To what extent does St.Anslem's ontological arugmenet prove the necessary existence of God?
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'We cannot derive the existence of God from his definition' discuss
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'As existence is never a defining predicate, it cannot be a defining predicate of the concept of God. Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 6- The existence of God: arguments based on reason
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'To what extent does St.Anslem's ontological arugmenet prove the necessary existence of God?
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'We cannot derive the existence of God from his definition' discuss
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'As existence is never a defining predicate, it cannot be a defining predicate of the concept of God. Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 7- Religious Experience
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'To what extent are the ideas of William James helpful in understanding religious experience?
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'Conversion experiences are the most convicing form of religious experience' discuss.
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'...Religious experience has its own kind of logic' (Ninian Smart). discuss.
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How satisfactory are religious experiences as proog of the existence of God?
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Philosophy - Year 1- Chapter 8- Problem of Evil
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'There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil' Discuss
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'The free will defence resolves some but not all of the problems created by the evil in the world'. Discus.
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To what extent is St.Augustine more successful than Irenaean theodicy in explaining evi in the world?
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Duiscuss the strengths and weaknesses of John Hick's theodicy.
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Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 1- The nature or attributes of God
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Assess the belief that God is omnipotent.
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'An omnipotent God cannot escpae resonosibility for the evils ofthe world.' Discuss
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To what extent is it true to say God knows everything?
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'A just God cannot be a merviful one'. Discuss
Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 2- God, eternity and free will
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Assess the belief that because God knows everything, we cannot have free will.
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'Boethius gives a fully satisfactory account of God's timelessness and free will' Discuss
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To what extent is it true to say that God is outside time?
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'Richard SWinburne's account of God and time is unconvincing' Discuss
Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 3- Religious Language: apophatic and cataphatic use
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Assess the belief that we can say nothing positive about God.
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'We can never being to describe God.' Discuss
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to what extent is it true to say that the use of via negativa makes God too remote from his creation?
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'All religoius language is non-cognitive' Discuss.
Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 4 Religious Language: analogy and symbol
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Assess the claim that Aquinas' doctrine of anaolgy enables us to speak significantly about God.
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'Paul Tillich's symblic theory of religoius langauge tells us nothing useful about God. Discuss
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To what extent is it true agrgue that we are too remote from God to say anything about him?
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'Tillich's claim that religious language is ymbolic is more satisfactory than via negativa' Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 5 Religoius Language: 20th cent. Verification and meaning
Assess the belief that talk about God is meaningless.
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'The verification principle is too flawed to be useful.' Discuss
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To what extent is it true to say that the existence of God is a scientific question?
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'Atheism is meaningless'. Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 6 Religious Langauge: 20th cent perspectives
'Wittgenstein's theory of lanagueg games is very helpful to any study of sacred texts' Discuss
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'Wittgenstein's theory of language games is too unclear for it to be useful.' Discuss
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To what extent is Wittgenstein's tehory of langauge games helpful in clarifying Aquinas' idea of analogy?
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'Language game theories lead us to fideism, not to faith.' Discuss
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Philosophy - Year 2- Chpater 7 Religious Language: Flasification principle
'Assess the claim that religious belif is unfalsifiable.
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'Falsification presents a weaker challenge to faith than that offered by the verfication principle'. Discuss
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To what extent is it true to say that the claim God loves us is unfalsifiable?
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'R.M. Hare's theory of bliks provides the best response to Flew's challenge'. Discuss
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