Asses the view that secularization is a feature of the contemporary UK Wilson(1996) defines secularization as the process whereby religious thinking,practice and their institutions lose their social significance. The different aspects of religious belief,practice and institutions will be taken into account when assessing whether secularization is a feature of the contemporary UK. Sociologist Bruce (2002) argues that the main reason for the growth of secularization in the UK is the growth of scientific explanations of the world and the way in which technology has been applied to society it has undermined many Religious beliefs which has led to an overall decline in belief. For example Darwins theory of evolution which challenged the creation story and the advances of in medical science mean that there is a reduced amount of people turning to religion for answers. Sociologist Weber supported this view stating that the growing disenchantment of the world will create a “desacralization of the world”.
Although they have unlike methods, both Hedges and Dawkins aim to scoff at advocates of religion by focusing on what their beliefs entail and then attempt to discredit them with their own beliefs. American Fascists and The God Delusion both discredit religion and believers but in their own ways. American Fascist primarily focuses on the modern movement used by Christians known as pseudoscience. Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but lacks supporting evidence and does not stand by a legitimate scientific method. “The movement’s leaders dress up this ideology as scientific to discredit real science.”(Hedges 5) Hedges argument against pseudoscience is that it was only created to reassure believers that evolution is not only a myth but also there is a one-hundred percent probability that it never happened backed by what they consider scientific fact.
Explain how Scott presents a bleak vision of a bleak world. Blade Runner (Director’s Cut) directed by Ridley Scott, 1992, is a science fiction film presenting the consequences of allowing the creation of artificial life-forms with characteristics of a human being. With the world in an unnatural disturbance, the film displays a bleak vision of a bleak world showing the dark consequences of man’s hubris on scientific development. The absence of sunlight and religion are conveyed to show the output of a bleak world that consequently forms after messing with the natural order and religious values of man’s immoral conduct of playing ‘God’. In a long shot, Tyrell's corporate pyramid is shown with an orange gradient, cloudy sky behind it.
Containment has failed.” This shows that the World Health Organization (WHO) knows that the biochemist, Dr Bertrand Zobrist, leader of the Transhumanist movement and ancient art enthusiast obsessed with Dante, had released some kind of virus to infect humanity. Dr Zobrist and his movement had realised that because of modern medicine, the world couldn’t control the worlds population with disease and famine anymore, which resulted in overpopulation. His plan was to release a virus which would counteract modern medicine. Robert also finds out that his best friend in the novel, Felicity Sienna Brooks, was actually working for Dr Zobrist. “Brüder shook his head.
‘Piggy was dead and the conch smashed to powder’ enforces that Piggy represented the need for science and intellectual endeavour in society so the break of both of these symbols at the same time shows a sudden corruption of civilisation. Loss of hope: The rules that hold together a civilised society can easily break down due lack of hope. Golding’s novel of lord of the Flies explores the complexity of hope in keeping citizens committed to the chosen path. When hope is lost, savagery ensues. Golding portrays this through symbolism.
Shelley’s use of Galvanism and Genesis, with the support of biblical allusion to criticise humanity’s disregard for nature during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century is used to exemplify the detrimental consequences of science on individuals. The struggles face by the Creature in an attempt to live peacefully, supported by the Creature stating: ‘You gave me life…but left me to die’, emphasises on Victor’s lack of responsibility for his own actions, the repetition of first person narration ‘I’ and ‘me’ and the use of oxymoron capture the responders’ sympathy and leads to the conclusion that the Creature is possibly more human than Victor. The Creature also struggles to gain companionship from his creator and other individuals due to his grotesque physical appearance: ‘When I became fully convinced that I am the monster that I am’, this is supported by his statement: ‘My heart yearns to be known…’, the use of personification emphasise on the Creature’s desire to be ‘loved’ by
The intelligent design supporters shown include Richard Weikart, who claims that Darwinism influenced the Nazis. The film also associates Hitler's ambitions of a master race and the holocaust to Darwinian ideas of survival of the fittest through stock footage film clips of filmed images of Nazi concentration camp laboratories as well as statements of the director of the Hadamar Memorial, where 15,000 people with disabilities were killed during WWII. The film argues that the conventional science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting Darwinian evolution and the modern evolutionary synthesis as a mainstream conspiracy to keep God out of science laboratories and classrooms. The film portrays intelligent design as motivated by science, rather than religion, Expelled examines it as a political issue. Religulous is a 2008 American comic documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher.
He then used electricity to give life to his creature. By making the monster, he was taking the place of God, or according to the myth, the god Prometheus, and became the creator instead of just the created. “Prometheus knows the good consequences that his acts and his pride will have to mankind, but Frankenstein acts without stopping to think what could happen after” (Pastelero). Although Frankenstein does become a creator by creating the monster, he does not care for his creation in the way Prometheus cared for his humans he created. Frankenstein was not a good creator, he was actually trying desperately to kill his monster he made.
The Puritan Zeal and Spiritualized Maternalism in “The Birthmark” On the surface it seems that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” is only cautionary story about the abuse of science. A story about a mad scientist facing the fatal consequences of his overreaching ambition, and his wife dies after taking part in an experiment where the intention is to remove her birthmark and thus make her perfect. From this point of view the moral of the story seems simple and straightforward. But it is a mistake to read the story as only concerning science and scientists. Hawthorne is actually commenting on the American psyche as a whole, indeed the Western psyche in the larger context.
Aylmer is blinded by ambition and is determined to remove the birthmark from his wife’s cheek. Aylmer submerges himself into science trying to find a way to correct what he says is a visible mark of earthly imperfection. Aylmer’s love for science rivals his love for Georgiana which causes him to be blinded. While talking with Georgiana about the birthmark he says “No dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection (Hawthorne 314).” By doing so he tries to play the role of god and take into his own hands something he says is imperfect and make it perfect with science these kinds of things shouldn’t be controlled my mere humans. In doing so Aylmer matches his scientific abilities against nature itself and in the end nature won taking away from the earth the closest thing to perfection Georgiana.