Broughton-Belief as a hypothesis-read description if you can.-

None of us know a great deal about this, so this is as far as i know it. please let me now if i have anything wrong. 

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What is "seeing as" in relation to belief?
Seeing as-Everyone has their own interpretation, nobody see's belief in quite the same way.
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What is belief as a hypothesis?
Belief is a provable hypothesis. We see things as they are
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What was Wisdom's view?
The debate arises because of the pre-conceived views which they bring to the object being observed so that they see that object as something.
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What was his garden analogy?
two explorers walk through a jungle and find a flower bed. one thinks there is a gardener, one says there is not. and so they set traps. no gardener appears but the believer continues to believe, giving it predicates that make it undetectable.
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How does wisdom say that one point can trump another?
People can alter other's perceptions, so that a new interpretation is revealed. we connect with a new perception or disconnect with another, but we still always "see as"
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What is the verification principle?
We can only know something is true, if it is a tautology or has empirical evidence.
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What were A.J Ayer (who believed in the verification principle)'s types of verification?
strong verification-all cats are mean based on encountering all the cats in the world and noting their mean natures. Weak verification- all cats are mean based on meeting ten mean cats.
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What was Hick's theory?
Eschatological Verification: We will only find out the truth about God when we die
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What was early Wittgenstein's theory?
Belief works like a picture to depict reality as it is-beliefs like God are like portraits of God.< verification principle.
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What is Flew's critique of Wisdom's analogical garden?
the death of a thousand qualifications- Belief only has meaning if it can be falsified. The more predicates the theist gives the belief, the less believable it becomes, and it "dies the death of a thousand qualifications"
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How does this bugger the theist?
They either have to accept a fault in their belief or qualify it to the point where it dies the death.
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How does Hare argue that Flew is being a ****?
Just because a belief is constantly qualified does not mean it has no meaning. the paranoid student believes that all dons are after him and this affects his entire life and behaviour even though he has constantly qualified it.
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what does Wittgenstein change his mind to and from?
from Pictorial theory of meaning- verification principle to language games- seeing as.
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What are his language games?
in separate contexts we use language differently, like the lamb of God means separate things in a church and a curry house. When in these contexts (games) we use our language in specific ways to convey meaning (rules).
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how does this affect belief?
Beliefs gain validity by fitting in with the rules of their language game, even if they do not carry over to others- lamb of God would not necessarily work in a scientific game. when swapping contexts you swap games.
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Explain a criticism that focuses around the separation of the games.
. Some things cross over two games, like "god made the world" is relevant in both science and religious contexts. whose rules apply?
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Give a defence against this critique.
games change size with how many people join in, and others shrink. One group may be marginalised because they’re sticking to their own rules. Religious beliefs, due to a lack of empirical evidence looses players.
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A problem with that defence?
What is the most popular is not always right-Jim Jones-had a cult who decided to move to a camp, mass suicide. That was in-keeping with the rules of their game. People can say anything and have it be validated by this game.
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Another critique
language becomes less about things that are true and more about whether it conveys some form of meaning. The truth behind language should be a major part of its meaning.
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another.
It becomes difficult to assess whether language is accurately used about God.
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What is pascal's wager?
If you don't believe in God and he exists-eternal damnation/If you do and he does-eternal bliss/If you don't and he doesn't-gained some sunday's/if you do and he doesn't wasted Sundays
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the logic?
God is your best bet.
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Give a critique regarding the judgement of the soul
How you come to faith is a shallow, life-insurance type of thing- God would see that your faith was based on selfishness.
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What did Karl Rahner theorise about that could also present an issue?
anonymous Christians-people who live morally well but do not chose a faith.
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Another problem?
He does not look at the deep personal relationships with God- theists do not want to encourage others to gamble but to see God.
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What did William James believe?
there are points in life where we must make a decision, and some occasions where one must do so without sufficient evidence. however, its only rational to do this if there is equal/ambiguous evidence for either side and it is a genuine option.
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what are living and dead options?
iving- I would take either option- both are within my nature to take. Dead- I wouldn't ideally take either option.
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What are forced and available options?
forced- I must make this decision here and now/available- there is no choice strictly necessary, or there is a way around it.
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What are trivial and momentous options?
Trivial-I will make this choice more than once/it can be undone/Momentous- once in a lifetime or no turning back.
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What is a genuine option?
living, forced, momentous.
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Why is pascal's wager not a genuine option?
It is not forced for one who doesn't believe in hell nor is it living for someone of another faith.
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What do genuine options have to do with faith?
When we face a genuine option (such as whether or not to believe in God) we must take a leap of faith and make the choice, due to the epistemic distance(the idea that experience only takes us so close leaving a gap between us and God)
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What happens after we make the leap?
the evidence we needed is cleared up and the gap is filled. much like joining a new language game, we learn what only joining the game can teach us.
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What is a critique of this to do with choosing a faith?
Choosing whether or not to believe in God may not be momentous- people can change religions or become Christian at any time.
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What is a problem regarding the leap of faith?
It is implied that by doing the leap of faith you bring the evidence into existence-Faith and belief do not make god exist-he does or he does not, faith only reveals the truth.
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what problem to both Pascal and Williams make?
James and Pascal ignore/don’t notice what believers mean by faith. They see it as God acting on them. A believer is not meant to encourage people to take a gamble, but make them see God
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What is F.R Tennant's belief?
Belief is an act of the will.
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What does he compare it to?
scientific exploration; both begin with a hypothesis and an act of will that carries it out and enables the new theory to be developed.
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What are the similarities between religious faith and scientific analogy?
Construction of hypothesis-science-how things work, religion goes into meaning and purpose/both require an act of will, which is an act of faith to drive the theory/verifiable- science proves observation, religion changes beliefs and behaviour.
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a critique regarding the verification part?
Scientific proof is public and objective;anyone can confirm the results. Religious verification is private and subjective, it can't be checked and requires that the theist changed only because of faith.
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How will it also anger the theist?
Theists don't see faith as a less successful form of science. the theory doesn't seem to understand that.
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What did Hick say in regards to this?
for a believer, faith is more like a religious experience, a direct awareness of God.
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What did Wittgenstein say?
- to compare religion to science is a blunder of enormous magnitude, and philosophers who do so reveal that they don’t understand what the living faith of believers really is.
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The following are bits on plantinga- I wasn't here for that so let me know if I have something wrong.
Cake is delicious.
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John Calvin's criteria for a basic belief? (plantinga sites these)
A-self evident B-Incorrigible C-certain to the senses.
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What are Plantinga's four conditions for belief to be valid? (I found this bit on the back of a handout. not sure of its relevance)
It’s the product of a healthy mind (no problems)/The mind wasn't deceived by anything like drugs or mirror tricks/It was part of a mental process aimed at producing true beliefs/It has lead to further true beliefs (apparently God meets these criteria
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Critiques?
God does not meet Calvin's criteria- not self evident, certain to the senses, incorrigible.
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Card 2

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What is belief as a hypothesis?

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Belief is a provable hypothesis. We see things as they are

Card 3

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What was Wisdom's view?

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Card 4

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What was his garden analogy?

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Card 5

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How does wisdom say that one point can trump another?

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