philosophy all- except religious lang

explain plato’s context

• rationalist and a priori - important to rely on reason rather than experience

• taught be socrates

• wanted society to be run by philosophers rather than politicians

what did plato think the best part of humanity was?

our ability to reason
if we reason properly we will always know how to live our lives right

→ people do bad things when they don’t reason properly and allow emotions to get in the way
→ link quickly to kant and duty and aquinas and apparent goods

what does plato think of the world of the forms?

• by seeing the ideal version, we can see what’s wrong with reality
  → ideal version is called the form

• forms are the template and blueprint
  → shown by permanence of idea in your brain

• we experience poor replicas of the forms
  → forms aren’t physical, they’re spiritual

• forms are: perfect, unchanging and eternal

what does plato think about human souls?

• our souls belong to the WOF and are trapped in bodies in the WOA

• WOF is superior

• we can recognise forms because our soul remembers knowledge from before we were trapped in our bodies → anamenesis

• we are born with innate idea and knowledge from the WOF
  → learning draws out this knowledge

• thinking is a non physical act so we must be from the WOF since that is spiritual

explain the world of appearances

• all things change, decay and eventually die

• there is an illusion of being real but really it’s just a poor imitation of reality

• therefore, we can’t rely on a posteriori knowledge at all since it’s an illusion

• if something is true in the WOA, it’s even more true in WOF

• we long for the permanence of the forms

explain the WOF hierarchy

form of the good

higher forms (beauty, justice, truth, etc)

lower forms (numbers, shapes, etc)

temporary particulars (chairs, pens, shoes, etc)

images of things

explain temporary particulars

• partake in the forms but reality distorts the forms

• to have knowledge of reality must be a priori because forms being distorted ruins our ability to be a posteriori

explain the simile of the divided line

• separates WOA and WOF at temporary particulars

• temporary particulars and below are part of the WOA

• the sun is a source for WOA of perception in this world and is perceived by opinion

• above this line is WOF with good as a source of perception and perceived by knowledge

explain the form of the good

• immutable (unchanging), perfect, spiritual and eternal

• all other forms rely on the form of the good
  → particular star relies ppts in form of the star, form of the star ppts in form of the good

• form of the good is the cause for everything in the world’s existence as it provides growth
  → we need it to understand anything as it illuminates our soul
  → we see things through sunlight, but the fotg helps us see it with our minds

• sun is equivalent to the form of the good

• justice is a good thing so partakes in fotg but isn’t goodness itself

what quote does plato say about fotg?

“gives knowing to the knower”

name 5 strengths of plato and WOF

1. everything in woa is changing
   everything eventually dies or decays. nothing is permanent or perfect. it makes sense there would be a world where things are immutable, perfect and eternal
   

2. a priori knowledge
   we can be deceived by our senses, so a priori knowledge is helpful to understand how things truly are
   → however, it can’t be verified or falsified since it is reason
   

3. wof contains higher forms
   beauty, justice, love contained
   these concepts don’t change.
   we recognise beauty as different things such as a puppy, sunsets, people, etc because they ppt in the form of beauty
   may differ on what is beautiful due to experienced based opinions
   we have innate knowledge from wof
   

4. knowledge can be innate
   some people have hyperlexia, child geniuses, etc. shown in plato’s slave boy example
   → a slave boy who can do geometry without any prior knowledge
   

5. explains why we believe in god
   our souls want to go back to this perfect world where everything stays the same and is eternal
   comes out as belief in heaven
   

6. explains why we recognise goodness
   we see goodness in lots of different things
   → e.g. a good knife could be if it cut well, a good human would be if it helps others
   → both are good but in different ways but we recognise as they ppt in fotg

name 4 limitations of plato and WOF

1. change is important
   change is a vital part of the world and is better than immutability
   without change we can’t grow, mature or develop
   

2. a posteriori knowledge
   material world is all we have evidence of and who is to say what is right or wrong. reason can only take us so far but we need to be able to verify or falsify.
   practical knowledge like medicine comes through observation
   

3. where do the forms end?
   do we have the form of a cat, or a tabby cat and a black cat? do we have the form of a bus ticket? every possible bus ticket? where do they stop?
   forms stop being universal at this point and degenerate
   

4. too subjective
   perfection is too subjective. a perfect person might look different to someone else’s and then from the form of the good? are they individual to everyone or universal?
   

explain the allegory of the cave (from the republic)

• 3 prisoners have been chained up in a cave since birth, facing the wall and unable to look behind them

• fire is in front of them and creates shadows on the walls of people who are walking past and creates illusions

• one prisoner is freed and the sunlight hurts his eyes

• when he is told the shadows aren’t real he can’t fathom it

• shadows appear clearer than anything else, but eventually he is able to look at objects directly and then at the sun

• he returns to the cave to tell the prisoners and free them

• they reject him and think freedom made him stupid and crazy and refuse to follow

name 6 pieces of imagery in allegory of the cave

1. prisoners

2. shadows

3. freed philosopher

4. sun

5. return of prisoner

6. difficulty seeing

how are the prisoners a metaphor

• prisoners = people

• think shadows are reality when they aren’t

• do not see the world clearly and are in ignorance
  

• minds are in a state of eikasia (lowest level of understanding based on guessing and opinions)

• prisoners don’t question greater truth

how are shadows a metaphor?

• shadows = world

• we see world of appearnces in a pale reflection of the true reality

• robin waterfield: prisoners being attracted to shadows reflects the way culture, upbringing and tradition make us close minded

explain how the freed prisoner is a metaphor

• freed prisoner = philosopher

• freedom is forced on him

• he believes people need to be taught to see the world clearly but this can be distressing as it forces people to change their views

• difficult ascent of prisoner shows its not an easy journey to have beliefs threatened

• we are used to the unexamined life and are comfortable in our ignorance
  → “unexamined life is not worth living” - socrates

how is the return of the prisoner a metaphor

• return = duty to educate

• plato believed philosophers should lead, not politicans

• philosophers have a duty to educate the ignorant

• escaped prisoner takes time to teach people despite wanting to contemplate new world

name 3 strengths of the allegory of the cave

1. senses can trap us
   we can be close minded and not want to consider other views
   it is important that we use reason and are open to new ideas
   this is useful in today’s society as we need to be open and thinking in an age of fake news
   

2. promotes truth and distance from ignorance
   not a controversial thought
   we should always be trying to know the truth about the world rather than blindly accepting facts
   

3. senses can deceive us
   when a straight pencil is put in water it looks bent even though it isn’t
   like the prisoners in the cave, we only experience a partial aspect of reality. shadows are inferior → woa is inferior
   

name 4 weaknesses of allegory of the cave

1. prisoners relying on senses is seen as negative
   it isn’t bad to rely on our senses and can be important
   → if we see our finger is bleeding and feel the pain, we know we’ve cut it and need to stop it being infected. we can’t do this through reason
   

2. not everyone can be philosophers
   allegory has an elitist view because he wants philosophers to rule. we also need people with practical problem solving skills and observations to make advances, not just philosophy.
   → seems to look down on people who don’t philosophise however lots of those can be like doctors
   

3. too abstract
   modern people don’t want to think about another world and place more important than we experience now
   → christianity and heaven. most christians spend their life striving for the afterlife
   

4. wrong assumption of knowledge
   suggests when people have gained knowledge, they can’t return to ignorance. however, many people do learn what is right and still choose to do what is wrong or are tempted by apparent good
   → e.g. having an affair

explain aristotle context

• empiricist/a posteriori- knowledge is based on sense experiences

• noticed everything in the world was changing - used the word motus to describe it

• everything in the world moves from potentiality to actuality which is caused by external forces

explain the 4 causes in reference to a chair

1. material cause
   what is it made of
   → wood
   

2. efficient cause
   how does it exist? who made it? how did it get there?
   → workers, factories, carpenter
   this explains change from potentiality to actuality
   

3. formal cause
   shape- what does it look like?
   you recognise it
   formal cause is the soul of an object
   → it looks like a chair
   

4. final cause
   what is its for? purpose/goal/telos
   → sitting on

name 4 strengths of the 4 causes

1. simple theory- ockham’s razor
   simple belief which doesn’t seem unrealistic to modern day people. we ca see that all things have this
   → ockham’s razor: theory which is simple is more likely to be true
   

2. explains telos
   final cause explains why we have a telos
   most important cause because it answers questions about the world and objects and why they are the way they are
   → sartre and existetnialism
   

3. applicable to life/science
   it is done through sense experience so we can falsify and verify this
   biology and psychology use empirical knowledge since it is hard to argue against what we have proof of
   → aristotle known as the first scientist
   

4. efficient cause
   helps us understand the process of shifting from potentiality to actuality. metal has potentiality to be a piece of jewellery but needs a silversmith to make it into a ring/necklace
   → led to theories like aquinas’ 5 ways

name 3 limitations of aristotle

1. disagreements about the formal cause
   how do we know what characteristics are essential?
   → e.g. is the formal cause of a car the petrol, wheels, mirrors or a combination
   people might disagree with aristotle’s view of the soul and think physical processes make you ‘you’
   

2. plato
   senses can be deceiving. world is a poor imitation of WOF
   reason should be used to know what is real
   → if a pencil is in water it looks bent even when it isn’t
   

3. darwin
   evolution shows things don’t have a purpose and humans project purpose onto the world
   → e.g. an apple might just existence and the fact that it is edible and healthy is just a coincidence
   → sartre: nothing has an innate purpose. existence precedes essenece

explain the prime mover

• disinterested in this reality: does not lsiten or think of us
  → completely incapable of change otherwise it wouldn’t be the prime mover. if it did think about us, it would change
  → instead thinks about itself and how great it is

• transcendent, immutable, in different, immaterial and indivisible (can only be one)

• not a creator, only causes movement

• eternal (as greeks thought universe was)

• final cause: ultimate explanation of everything

• we are all attracted to the PM without it attracting us

name 3 strengths of the pm

1. natural things seem to have telos
   acorn is drawn to purpose of becoming a tree or squirrel food
   pm explains why change and motus occurs in the world without us doing anything (like seasons). it draws and attracts everything
   

2. needs a ground of being
   without a ground of being that is pure actuality, how can anything else exist? necessary being rather than contingent
   → link to aquinas and 5 ways
   

3. explains motivation for universe
   pm is final cause and gives everything a purpose. we are all moving towards pm without realising
   

4. gives clear explanation of his interactions
   explains why he can’t interact with us as he is pure actuality and just draws things to itself

name 4 limitations of the prime mover

1. darwin
   evolution shows things don’t have a purpose and humans project purpose onto the world
   → e.g. an apple might just existence and the fact that it is edible and healthy is just a coincidence
   → sartre: nothing has an innate purpose. existence precedes essenece
   no external purpose = no need for PM
   

2. newton
   an object in space can move forever unless it is met and stopped by something else. this means there is no need for a pm and the world changes itself, not anything else
   

3. religious people
   think pm is inferior to a tradtional god who is personal, loving and immanent. therefore not worthy of worship
   

4. a priori knowledge
   pm can’t be observed so he’s using a priori knowledge
   makes aristotle open to same criticisms of plato regarding reason. how do we know what is right or wrong if we can’t verify or falsify
   → only evidence for pm is motus

name 6 things the pm and fotg have in common

1. transcendent

2. a priori

3. perfect

4. unchanging

5. eternal

6. pm is telos of everything, fotg is the aim of everything

name 3 differences of pm and fotg

1. plato: in realm of the forms
   aristotle: in material world
   

2. plato: fotg participates in all forms and in the world. we see it in things like good people, chairs, dogs, etc
   aristotle: no involvement at all in the world
   

3. plato: unchanging and part of wof. change only happens in imperfect woa.
   aristotle: attracts change and motus to itself as its the final cause

name 3 strengths of relying on rationalism/a priori (plato

1. we have innate senses
   we have innate sense of things like beauty and justice. we know when something is unfair before we learn it. knowledge is gained from reason
   

2. knowledge comes from wof
   we remember the form of heat and that is why we know a lamp is hot. reason helps us make sense of reality
   

3. senses deceive us
   we all have different opinions about what is good. this is because we aren’t using our reason properly
   if we can escape our senses, like the prisoner, we can understand reality properly
   

name 3 strengths of relying on empiricism

1. use reason after
   we can use reason only after we have experienced and observed things in life
   → e.g. if you touch a hot pan and get burned, you can use that reason to touch a hot lamp or anything else that is hot
   

2. why do we disagree?
   if there is only fotg, why do we disagree about right and wrong?
   better to rely on observations to decide if something is good based on fulfilling final cause
   → allows us to verify and falsify

define particulars/phenomenas?

changing things in the woa

define immutable

unchanging

define anamnesis

soul remembering forms

describe motus

constant change in the world

describe transcendent

outside space and time

name 2 dualists

1. plato

2. descartes

what does plato believe about the soul?

• soul is tripartite: contains reason, appetite and emotion
  → it works best when reason is in control

• soul judges logically because the sense deceive

• soul is more important than the body

• soul is trapped in the WOA and we go back to WOF after death

name 4 ways plato describes the soul

• indivisible

• eternal

• spiritual

• contains knowledge from WOF

what does plato compare mind, body and soul to?

like a charioteer in charge of 2 horses pulling 2 different ways

→ soul wants to develop understanding
→ body wants physical pleasures

name 5 strengths of plato’s view of the soul

1. there is tension between what our bodies want and what is good for us
   → e.g. eating lots of bad food feels good but eating lots of good food can be annoying
   

2. self control is evidence of an immortal soul that can reason well
   → give examples
   → shows there’s a separate part to override body’s demands
   

3. language suggests a soul separate to the body
   ‘my foot hurts’ vs ‘im tired’
   

4. near death experiences
   → pam reynolds or eben alexander
   

5. we make better decisions when reason is in control

   → e.g. better when we aren’t angry

name 4 limitations of plato

1. no explanation of how physical part interacts with the spiritual part?
   → descartes
   

2. no way to prove any of this. unfalsifiable and unverifiable because it is a priori
   → verification principle religious language
   

3. why is the soul taken from the WOF? no explanation for this which seems like an extremely important thing to explain
   

4. emotion, reason and appetite may reflect each other
   → e.g. hangry
   may not be seperate things

explain descartes view of the soul

• substance dualism

• mind and body are made up of 2 different substances

• mind/soul= immaterial and indivisble

• body= material and divisible

• the only certain thing is that we can think, so we exist
  → anything else could be something like a demon deceiving us
  → “i think, therefore i am”

• mind is the essence of yourself since it’s where thinking takes place

• the mind lives on after death

• thinking is transcendent (outside space and time)

how does descartes think the mind and soul interact

• mind and body link at the pineal gland

• the mind is the consciousness

• mind interacts with the body like a cartesian theatre
  → mind is the audience member watching everything but not being able to control it

what term does descartes use for soul?

mind (but soul can work but mind is better)

name 5 strengths of descartes

1. used dissections to explain how mind and body interact- through the pineal gland
   → counterpoint: medical research suggests pineal gland is there to help hormones like melatonin to regulate sleep
   

2. we wouldn’t recognise someone 30 years later because of their mind
   you recognise their physical features like eyes, body, voice, etc
   our essence can’t just be from the mind
   

3. ryle: “ghost in a machine”
   how can a spiritual thing move a physical thing?
   more detail later
   

4. dennett
   

5. when the brain is damaged, it can affected our thinking, so it isn’t separate from the body.
   → Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: chronic alcohol use can lead people into having severe memory and learning problems, confusion, impaired attemtion and executive function deficists (planning, decision making and emotional control)
   → phineas gage

explain phineas gage

• railroad construction accident ended up with rod going through his head and damaging the frontal lobe

• his behaviour changed significantly

• he used to be hardworking and respectful and well liked

• he then became impulsive, irritable and unreliable
  → shows essence isn’t in mind

name 3 monists

aristotle

ryle

dawkins

what does aristotle think of the soul? (contrast to plato)

• when your body dies, your soul dies too, no survival after death

• soul is immaterial and can’t be separated from the body

• unchanging but not eternal

• all living things have a soul or they wouldn’t be living

• soul is the efficent cause as it is what makes us human and animates us

• it is also the final cause as it gives humans the ability to live well and fulfil telos
  → human life is just matter and needs the soul to animate matter

what 3 types of souls does aristotle suggest

1. vegetive
   plants, animals, humans
   need for food, water and air
   

2. appetitive
   animals and humans
   desires for friendship, love, sex
   

3. intellectual
   humans
   ability to reason and have knowledge

name 3 strengths of aristotle

1. unlike plato, body is regarded as important. this makes more sense to people and shows importance of life and science
   → modern people are more able to understand this in a secular world
   

2. distinguishes between living things and what makes them different with different types of souls
   

3. uncontroversial a lot of philosophers agree that thinking is spiritual rather than physical- secular
   

explain ryle’s view of the soul (in contrast to descartes)

• believes descartes is looking at it wrong

• he sees that view of the mind as a “ghost in a machine”
  →how can a non-physical thing move a physical thing?

• thinks descartes made a category error

  → he assumed that things can only be mental or physical when things can be both

• thinks descartes has addeed something extra that isn’t necessary (immaterial substance that controls everything)

• he is an analytical philosopher:

  • uses language

  • we don’t say ‘my hand is turning the kettle on’

  • he thinks descartes misused language

what 2 examples does ryle give for a category eror?

1. team spirit isn’t a physical thing that adds to the cricket game. it is part of the game
   the same way the mind isn’t something that adds to the body, it’s just another aspect
   

2. like going around oxford’s buildings: library accomodation, lecture halls, etc and then asking ‘where’s the university’
   
   all of those are things that are already there, not an additional thing

name 3 strengths of ryle

• it would be like saying you have ‘one left glove and one right glove’ rather than saying you have a pair of gloves. both things are tied together
  

• personhood also involves a physical side- shown by prisons shaving peoples heads. anger can cause physical responses in people so clearly these emotions and mind are linked to the body
  

• dawkins

name 3 limitations of ryle

1. completely different substances as division of the body doesn’t affect motives, wills or thoughts of a person
   both have very different processes
   → different things
   → we have different processes in the body, that doesn’t make the body divided.
   for example, digestion is a chemical breakdown of food (slow, chemical and continious)
   whereas reflexes are fast automatic responses (instant, electrical and only for a moment)
   

2. we all experience our mind and can tell the difference between our mind and body
   → ‘my foot hurts’ v.s. ‘i’m tired’
   → mental health is treated differently to physical health
   → mental health issues can be related to biological issues: e.g. schizophrenia can be caused by dopamine levels and depression is impacted by seretonin
   

3. generally agreed by philosophers that thinking is immaterial and spiritual rather than bodily processes
   → development in neuroscience might explain why/how we think

what does dawkins think of the soul?

• humanist

• “god of the gaps” when we don’t have an explanation, we say the explanation is god

• soul 1 and soul 2

• doesn’t believe in the soul but uses these terms to distingush between them both

explain dawkins and soul 1

• used by pre-scientific people because they wanted to explain things

• believe in mysterious life form - '“mystic jelly”

• no explanation but used for gaps in knowledge
  → e.g. how world was made before understanding of big bang
  
  rejects this!!!

explain dawkins and soul 2

• highest parts of being human
  → creativity, inspiration, etc

• intellectual and mental abilities
  → agues they will all be explained by science when we develop to this level

• physical existence is all there is. no immaterial or spiritual substance that survives after death
  
  accepts this!!!

name 2 strengths of dawkins

1. blackmore
   soul is a metaphor to describe consciousness and personhood
   we are looking for something extra that doesn’t literally exist
   

2. denett
   neuroscientists think there will be answers to explain thinking in the future
   drugs alter personality so thinking can be explained through the brain
   → however, it might not be able to be explained despite all the developments in science because it is inexplainable because it’s so different to us
   

3. ryle

name 1 limitation of dawkins

no explanation of NDEs like Pam Reynolds or Eben Alexander

explain pam reynolds

• had an anerurysm and needed surgery to drain blood from head
  → made her die during that time

• out of body experience: saw her body being operated on and heard conversations of the surgeons

• she saw light in the distance and was pulled into it

• heard her grandma calling her, then was separated again

• she went back to her body and was brought back to life (painful going back into it)

• no brain wave activity so it wouldn’t even be possible for her to remember it
  
  → could’ve happened when her body was warming up

what are james’ 3 characteristics of a religious experience

word: PINT

Passive- feels as though they weren’t in control and another force was acting upon them

Ineffable- inexplainable

Noetic- provided knowledge/insight they couldn’t have had otherwise

Transient- lasted a short amount of time but had life changing effects

what are the 3 categories of visions?

1. corporeal
   figure is externally present. reveal themselves through physically being there, a bright light with a voice or an apparition of the dead
   → e.g. davey falcus

2. imaginative
   image is seen with mind’s eye and instructs person on how to act/what to do. often happens in sleep and becomes an intellectual vision
   → e.g. joseph being told by an angel to marry mary

3. intellectual
   purely spiritual awareness/understanding without an image and knowing things like god’s will/the truth immediately
   → e.g. peter recognising jesus as the messiah through divine illumination 

name 4 strengths of james’ characteristics of a mystical experience

1. although there are psychological elements to religious experiences (which james understands), similarities in them all could point to a common source (the divine). they are reliable because they have similar features. across religions
   

2. passive- since they aren’t desired, it shows external factors working on them
   

3. transiency- shows importance the experience has and how it has observable effects on the person
   

4. noetic- no other explanation to how they gained this insight or knowledge
   

5. numinous

name 2 mystics

1. hildegard of bingen

2. teresa of avila

name 5 limitations of james’ characteristics of a mystical experience

1. neurology can explain in the future. the fact they all have common features could be because they all originate in the human mind which reacts to chemicals in brain in the same way (most of the time).
   

2. passive- can be explained by science. persinger’s god helmet shows that religious experiences can be created as a result of electromagnetic fields in the helmet and so other things in the world. link to physiology 
   

3. passive- freud and wishful fulfilment 
   

4. transient- life changing effects can occur from all sorts of things. a book, film, life events can all impact people and change them forever
   

5. noetic- often can’t confirm knowledge. for example, hildegard of bingen said she had a special insight into the bible which is famously subjective.

6. ineffibility- it’s difficult to give value to something that can’t be explained or expressed. likely to be misinterpreted

what did james understand about religious experiences validity?

• just because there are commonalities between them doesn’t make them all real or divine

• however, it suggests they are genuine in the sense of them making an honest claim

• claims should be tested and not just accepted!!!

what does james say about why religious experiences usually fit the person’s belief?

• they take place in conceptual frameworks that already exists

• it seems to be aimed at their own beliefs, known as ‘over-beliefs’

• e.g. catholic is unlikely to see ganesh and hindu is unlikely to see mary

• we interpret our experiences that fit our own understand and mental frame work
  → link to psychological concept of schemas

explain numinous

refers to god as the wholly other

a sense of awe and wonder → when a person experiences God’s presence in a certain place (like church)

describes the feeling that god is different from us

otto- argues that REs have this as a common factor

a whole range of feelings like fear as well as amazement→ feels threatening and scary yet also attractive

refers to god as ‘fascinating’ in the sense of we are drawn in and compelled by attraction to someone

the wholly other is unlike anything in our everyday lives

issue: you can get that from other things, e.g. being in a haunted house and doesn’t mean it’s real

explain hildegard of bingen’s religious experience

most mystical experiences seem out of body but hers didn’t affect her senses

she saw with her “inner eye” and felt like her visions overpowered her senses

she described the visions as “like a sparkling flame” (simile- ineffable)

she struggled a lot to describe it (ineffable)

she tried to translate it into paintings but struggled (ineffable)

claimed it gave her a special insight into the meaning of the bible (noetic)

name 3 evaluations of hildegard of bingen

1. james’ evaluation

2. dreams can be ineffable

3. insight into meaning of the bible is too subjective

explain teresa of avila’s religious experience

nun but became very ill and left the covenant

she wasn’t very devout as a nun since her parents forced her there

she began praying about her illness which left her unable to function for years

she had an RE where she described it as "all of fire”

described the angel thrusting a gold spear into her and has several descriptions of sexual mystical experiences

(ineffable- may be a metaphor for god’s love)

she began to follow christianity more closely after this (transient)

name 1 strength of teresa of avila’s religious experience linked to hildegards

(also use james’ evaluation)

1. use of common theme of fire that hildegard also uses- james would argue this common experience points to a divine source

name 3 limitations of teresa of avila’s religious experience

(also use james’ evaluation)

1. freud- the church caused so much guilt in people that they repressed. this would come out as repetitive rituals like prayers. believes her brain was just releasing repressed sexual emotions

2. starbuck- (for conversions but applicable here) when people are feeling depressed they might find comfort in concept of divine and psychological need for it may cause religious experience
   → link to freud’s view of wishful fulfilment

3. physiological factors- drugs, alcohol or vitamin defiences can have mind-altering effects. teresa of avila would have had a poor died and she was very sick at the time, causing hallucinations.

name 3 religious conversion experiences

1. davey falcus

2. c.s. lewis

3. dr eben alexander

what 2 conversion types does james describe? where did he get this from?

starbuck

1. volitional- gradual and slow change (e.g. c.s. lewis)

2. self surrdener- sudden change and no struggle against it (e.g. davey falcus and dr eben alexander)

what did james observe about conversions (not including fruits)

people feel divided and unhappy beforehand

they become happy and unified afterwards

religion becomes central to their existence

life changing and based on pragmatism 

what is pragmatism?

effects on individual used to emphasise the effects of the experience

→ pragmatism shows value it holds

name the fruits of conversion

word: POLE

Peace and freedom comes over them

Other world beyond material

Loving and friendly power met them

Emphasis of life changed

what 3 changes does james suggest conversions can have on people?

1. intellectual
   change in thinking

2. moral
   change in behaviour

3. social
   change in way of life

name 4 strengths of james’ conversions

1. provides insight into experiences. pragmatism means consequences it has impacts future lifestyles. while psychological factors could be involved, that doesn’t explain the huge change people experience
   

2. observable factors are designed as fruits. change in their emphasis of life like becoming more charitable or patient → makes verifiable
   

3. common aspects point to divine
   

4. davey falcus, eben alexander and c.s. lewis 

name 2 strengths of james and conversions

1. starbuck- normal for adolescents to experience conversions, mainly between age 15 and 24. this is due to a sense of being lost, depressed and divided. this helps them to feel better and minimise these poor symptoms
   

2. lasting impacts are not unique to religious experiences → other influences like novels, film, significant person, etc can be what causes pragmatismex

explain davey falcus’s religious experience

• born into a difficult background of gangs, drugs, poverty and violence

• he knew deep down he wasn’t happy

• he was a criminal, he was addicted to drugs → especially cocaine
  

• he decided to pray and read the bible one day after leaving liverpool to start over

• the room got brighter and brighter until jesus appeared in his room and said he forgave his sins → loving and friendly figure met 

• davey felt intense joy and peace → peace comes over them

• dedicated the rest of his life to preaching about jesus and completely stopped doing drugs - pragmatism/emphasis of life changed

name 2 strengths of davey falcus

(also use evaluation of james)

1. emphasis of life changed
   he stopped doing drugs and instantly felt himself freed from addiction and became very religious. huge effect needed to change his life so severely and that is unlikely yo come from anything else. most people have to go to rehab and struggle for years
   issue: placebo
   

2. light
   mentioned light again like most religious experiences do

name 3 limitations of davey falcus

1. other factors
   stopping doing drugs could have been from the fact he had a daughter and feeling guilty when seeing his grandma at her christening 

2. starbuck
   he was feeling lost and wanted to reinvent himself- although he wasn’t an adolescent 
   

3. drug withdrawals 
   drug withdrawals can cause psychological delusions with a placebo that cured his addiction

explain dr eben alexander’s religious experience

• neurosurgeon who had bacterial meningitis which took away most brain function

• he appeared in a world which he described as ‘hyper realistic’ and bright where he heard a ‘spinning melody of light’

• he was guided by a blonde woman who communicated to him through thoughts

• there was no scientific explanation for how this happened when he woke uo

• he found out the blonde woman who guided him was his sister who had died before he ever had chance to meet/see her

• became religious after this

name 2 strengths of eben alexander

1. fits fruits of conversions and mystical experiences

2. no explanation for this since his brain wasn’t functioning

name 3 limitations of eben alexander

1. just because he truly believes it happened doesn’t mean it actually did. his life might has changed as a result but that doesn’t make it real
   

2. just because there is no explanation now doesn’t been there never will be
   

3. it could’ve happened as he came back into consciousness rather than while he was out

explain c.s. lewis’ conversion experience

• volitional

• he didn’t believe in god and took a long time thinking, researching and discussing religion

• his friends helped him see over time that jesus is the son of god

• he reached arguments for and against jesus being the son of god

• on the way to the zoo, he accepted jesus as god → no flashing lights or huge inexplainable experience

what is a corporate religious experience?

when many people have a religious experience at the same time

name 2 examples of corporate religious experiences

1. toronto blessing

2. miracle of the sun

explain the toronto blessing

started in toronto airport church

it was suggested the holy spirit was present as people:

• spoke in tongues (unlearned languages)

• made animal noises

• laughed uncontrollably

• acted drunk
  ALL LAST 3 BEHAVIOURS ARE KNOWN AS “HOLY LAUGHTER”

some say it changed their life and strengthened marriages

name an issue with the toronto blessing

some christians relate it to demonic activity

why would god reveal himself in such a way and not reveal anything else about religion?

why would he do this and not help people starving

explain the miracle of the sun

• mary appeared to 3 young children- saw bright flashes and then a lady in white clothes with radiating light

• she told them to continue to go there every month and she’d perform a miracle

• not many people believed them but they kept the same story
  
  

• on the day mary said she’d perform a miracle, 100,000s people showed up

• mary spoke to the children and miracle began

• rain stopped and sun appeared brightly and sped towards the earth

• the previously wet clothes and ground went dry

name 3 strengths of corporate religious experiences

1. more witnesses make it more believable 
   

2. empircal and observable effects to these corporate experiences 
   → e.g. toronto blessing: many people spoke languages which they couldn’t have done otherwise
   

3. swinburne- principle of credulity can help reliability. we should believe things if there is no overwhelming evidence against it

name a limitation of corporate religious experiences

1. conformity 
   could be due to social conformity where people don’t want to be seen as not wanted by god so they act as though they experienced it 
   could be mass hysteria (getting caught up in emotion of the moment)
   in the same way, laughter can become infectious
   

2. toronto blessing- demonic behaviour
   could be demons working on humans to make fun of believers
   why would god make people behave so stupidly?
   why would he do this and not help people suffering in the world
   also, does god give us free will just to take it away whenever he wants to make a fool of people

what does swinburne say about individual religious experiences

religious experiences should be treated as we would any other individual experience

we are more likely to believe things happened than that they didn’t

principle of testimony

principle of credulity

what is swinburne’s principle of testimony

we normally believe what people tell us unless we have overwhelming evidence otherwise

→ e.g. if you normally believe what someone tells you (like going to the beach) you should be inclined to believe them if they have an experience of god

if they are reliable, you should believe them

what is swinburne’s principle of credulity?

unless we have overwhelming evidence otherwise, we should believe that things are as they seem to be

some experiences are false but that doesn’t mean they all are
→ e.g. if someone says they see a helicopter fly past their window, there is a good chance they did unless there is a very good reason to not believe

what is an issue with swinburne’s principles?

religious experience is so unlike an ordinary experience and cannot be compared

very rare and unusual

nobody knows exactly what god is and errors are easy to make

we can define a helicopter but not god

numinious info