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Rule utilitarianism is an improvement on act utilitarianism. Discuss (40 marks)

“Rule utilitarianism is an improvement on act utilitarianism.” Discuss (40 marks) Mill’s rule utilitarianism is an improvement on Bentham’s act utilitarianism since it is not nearly as self-centred; it takes in to account what everyone else would do. In a sense it is a more responsible ethic. After Bentham’s theory was regarded as being “a doctrine fit for pigs” Mill came up with rule utilitarianism to prove that utilitarianism is a good ethic. Bentham rightly argued that “nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure, it is for them alone to point out what we ought to do.” While Mill believed in the same ethic, he argued that not all pleasure was the same. Both theories are teleological meaning that the end justifies the means. Act utilitarianism is a relativist theory meaning that there are no fixed rules, whatever brings the largest amount of pleasure to the largest number of people is considered to be the right thing. The problem wi...
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Heaven is not a place but a state of mind. Discuss (40 marks)

"Heaven is not a place but a state of mind". Discuss (40 marks) Most Christians believe that after death the faithful and obedient will go to heaven whereas the evil and the rebellious will go to hell. The idea of heaven was guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection not only showed that heaven is real, but, it also showed that it was a physical place. This idea was further shown when the criminal crucified next to him said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus responded with, “truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”. This shows that heaven is not a state of mind but a place. It also shows that God forgives all his children meaning that in the end there will be universal salvation. The problem with the phrasing of this question is that it does not consider the fact that there is no proof of heaven, and that if it does exist no one has gone and come back, meaning that we do not know what heaven is like. Therefo...
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Augustine’s view of human nature is deeply pessimistic. Discuss. (40 marks)

“Augustine’s view of human nature is deeply pessimistic.” Discuss. (40 marks) Augustine’s view of human nature is often portrayed as being pessimistic. This is because he was extremely obsessed with the idea of “original sin” and “the fall”. He constantly emphasised that no matter what we do, there is no way we can save ourselves; we can only be saved through the grace of God. The statement that the question makes is very bold and fails to consider the solution that Augustine contributes. In this essay, I will endeavour to show that although Augustine’s view on human nature can be described as pessimistic, it is more or so just realistic.   I will use scholars such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and Reinhold Niebuhr to support and contradict the question. I will also question the extent of our free will in accordance with concupiscence and akrasia; whether he was pessimistic or whether he just had a greater expectation of humanity du...
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Situation ethics is the best approach to resolving moral problems. Discuss (40 marks)

“Situation ethics is the best approach to resolving moral problems.” Discuss (40 marks) Situation ethics is a relativist theory with one absolute law, to do the most loving thing in every situation. It is a teleological theory meaning that the end justifies the means, nothing else. It is also a situational approach meaning that there are no fixed rules, everything is dependent on the situation and the most loving thing to do. The issue the question raises is whether situation ethics is the best approach to resolving moral problems in comparison to theories such as Aquinas’ natural law and Bentham’s utilitarianism and in many ways, it is not. In situation ethics, right and wrong depend upon the situation. There are no universal moral rules or rights - each case is unique and deserves a unique solution. Situation ethics rejects 'prefabricated decisions and prescriptive rules'. It teaches that ethical decisions should follow flexible guidelines rather than absolute rules and...
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To what extent is natural law the best way to resolve moral problems. (40 marks)

To what extent is natural law the best way to resolve moral problems. (40 marks) The natural law theory is a method of moral decision making from an absolutist point of view.   It is a deontological theory meaning that it is absolute and always stays the same regardless of the situation. The problem with this is the fact that it does not take the situation in to account, we cannot deal with murder, manslaughter, genocide and self-defence in the same way. The natural law theory was developed from virtue ethics by Thomas Aquinas. It expresses that morality is innate from birth. What is ‘right and ‘wrong’, ‘good’ or ‘evil’ can be perceived almost instantly by everyone because morality is universal. This can be explained through a toddler, when treated unfairly, children drop to the floor and cry out “It’s not fair!” this shows that from a young age we have presumptions of justice. However, Aquinas does not explain why people choose to do wrong even though they know that it is w...
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Discuss critically the use of symbol as a means of expressing ideas about God. (40 marks)

Discuss critically the use of symbol as a means of expressing ideas about God. (40 marks) Symbolism can be used as a method of representing something by using a word or other kinds of illustration to stand for something else and to shed light on its meaning. Symbolism is frequently used with in religion to illustrate a message to its members. For example, in Christianity the alpha and the omega are used to represent the fact that Jesus has no end or beginning. Similarly, a non-religious symbol is the US flag which is associated with passionate feelings leading some to salute it and others to burn it. Tillich argues that there is a difference between a symbol and a sign. He argues that symbols have a deeper meaning whereas signs are arbitrary representations of something. For example, the “Stop” sign means stop. In this essay I will endeavour to show that symbol can be used as a means of expressing ideas about God. I will use scholars such as Tillich and J.H. Randall to support ...
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To what extent is the omnipotence of God logically coherent. (40 marks)

To what extent is the omnipotence of God logically coherent. (40 marks) When we assess the extent to which the omnipotence of God is logically coherent, we are trying to define omnipotence. If the word is coherent, logical and verifiable, we can use it to describe entities in our environment if and when we happen to encounter them. However, if the word Is incoherent and illogical it means that we can’t use the word to meaningfully describe things. Defining omnipotence is a difficult task seeing that it results in a paradox if we are not careful. Originally, the term omnipotence when applied to God meant that God can do literally anything. The problem with this definition is that it does not define what “anything” is. In this essay I will attempt to show that the omnipotence of God is logically coherent having first understood what we mean by “omnipotent”. I will be using scholars such as Descartes, Anselm, Augustine, Swinburne and Aquinas to show that omnipotence is a logically...
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