A-level Philosophy and Ethics

"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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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 ...

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...

Discuss critically the view that Christians should seek to convert people who belong to other faith communities. (40) The question that the statement presents is the extent to which Christians should keep their faith personal and private or the extent to which they should try to convert people of other religions into Christianity. Modern Britain is filled with people of different backgrounds and religions, this has led people to become more tolerant of each other. With this tolerance comes an unofficial social law that people do not try to force their religion or point of view onto others. By trying to convert people, Christianity is going against this unspoken contract which helps to maintain social cohesion and peace. This leads to an issue of whether Christians have a duty to their faith or to each other in a multifaith society like the UK. The Bible and the preaching’s of Jesus emphasise on the idea that Christians must preach the word of God and try to convert as many peopl...

Assess the extent to which society would be a better place without Christianity. Discuss (40 marks). The statement that the question presents is a secular statement. Secularism is the concept that religion should not be involved in government and in public life. Regarding the question, society would not become a better place without Christianity, in fact, the opposite is more likely to occur. Claiming that society would be better without Christianity is just as arrogant as claiming that society would be better if everyone converted to Christianity. To suggest that 2.2 billion people are wrong for believing in Christianity is bold. When parents choose to send their children to a faith school or choose to baptise, them, it is because they want to do what is best for them not so that they could indoctrinate or abuse them. The idea that Christianity is detrimental to society is rather ironic. This is because Christianity is at the basis of modern and western morality. It is deeply i...

“Assess the significance of love in situation ethics.” (40marks ) Situation ethics was developed by Joseph Fletcher (an American professor) as a Christian theory of moral guidance. It was based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. It was established in a post war era in which society was acting against suppressive rules and beginning to develop an antinomian society. A good example of this would be the Hippie movement in the early 1960’s. It is a teleological theory meaning that the end result is used to determine whether the act was moral or not. Situation ethics is also a situationist and a relativist approach meaning that there are no specific acts that are considered morally right or wrong but instead looks at every situation independently with the purpose and intention of the act based on agape love as the core of morality. The issue the question raises is the importance of love in situation ethics. An absolutist would agree with the questions view because the whole of si...

Secularisation is the best thing that could ever happened to society. (40 marks) Secularisation is a theory developed in the 1950s and 60s developed from enlightenment thinking that religious belief would progressively decline as democracy and technology advanced. Many atheists would argue secularisation is the best thing that can ever happened to society this is because a society which is not dictated by religious beliefs and religious practice, where religion is a private matter rather than public and is separated far from government and state would be a great Society based on the principles of rationality rather than Blind Faith and superstition. However, religion is a major part of our society and without it we would lack the diversity that enriches our culture. Religions such as Christianity have contributed to the development of our society in areas such as government, medicine and law. Therefore, it would be wrong to assume that their influence is useless.   In this ess...