The religion of Christianity promoted enlightened people to question the ideology of their God and lean more towards a scientific method in order to look at the world around them. The church used superstition, threats of eternal damnation, and promises of heaven, to control masses of ignorant people in Europe, since the time of the crusades. It represented a wealthy capitalist organization, like a huge cooperation, exploiting the spiritual needs common to many humans especially at that time period. A great example of how Christianity stifled social change is the idea that the earth was the center of the solar system. Astronomers such as Galileo knew that the sun was the center rather than the earth, but the church suppressed new ideas and new information from reaching the people.
PART A: Explain Mill’s challenge to the teleological argument. (25marks) The teleological argument claims that God designed the world with a purpose. God is often described to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent. Mill criticises the idea of the teleological argument, he doesn’t believe that the world is designed by a God because within nature there are cruelty and crimes that are unpunished. Mill argues that if God designed the universe he wouldn’t have created something containing any evil at all it wouldn’t fit in with his description.
Discuss the historical and contemporary influence that journalists writing about science have had on public perception and understanding of the subject. Why do you think science reporting is often sensationalized? Why is it important for science reporting to be accessible? How has fear or lack of understanding influenced public policy relating to science? 4.
Newton also changed the way we, even today, look at physics. Because of Newton, we learned that the reason that the planets all stay in perfect rotation with one another and not just going around everywhere is because of gravity pulling on them (Kagan, Ozment, and Turner 272-351). What did both the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution have in common? They both went against the church. The Roman Catholic Church didn’t want people to use science to explain things in the universe because it went against what they believe God did.
Ibbetson makes a blatant appeal to authority by saying that lack of god in the debate over stem cell research will lead to “…an ending point worse than past atrocities.” Not only does Ibbetson contradict himself by having earlier criticized Bush for basing his stance on stem cell research on his religious beliefs, he also manages to somehow tie Hitler back into the debate, although far more subtly this time around through the use of the phrase “past atrocities.” When taking an outward perspective at the argument Ibbetson makes one can realize how ridiculous it truly is. Aside from actually providing any legitimate solutions, Ibbetson essentially states that Stem cell research is a godless and vile science and in Obama’s support of it he will only succeed in reenacting actions brought forth by Hitler. Based merely on the first amendment alone Ibbetson’s final statement clearly has no place in the real life debate on stem cell research, however aside from that its only purpose is the same as any of his other arguments, to demonize those that actually support stem cells by essentially stating they are going against
The “Green movement” at the time was a rebellion against any scientific advancement which would have endangered the future of the environment or destroy it further than it had already been. The didactic style of blade runner explores this fear further; this is seen through the use of artificial eyes. This suggests the false wisdom of humanity. Whilst Shelly’s novel indicates a fear of the future, it still consisted of nature. However, Blade runner has very limited amounts of nature and shows a industrialized and scientifically advanced society thus the distinctive differences between Frankenstein and blade runner reveal more about the connections between them.
It suggests that an ambitious person will surrender moral integrity in order to achieve power and success. This is portrayed through Tyrell, the Creator of the Replicants and possibly the mastermind behind the world’s rapid propulsion into a world of science. Bladerunner is a dystopic science fiction that holds similarities to Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). Both these texts have influenced the themes present in the film regarding contemporary society’s failings and the speculation on the potential consequences of continued scientific pursuit. This pursuit of knowledge and progress is not unlike that of the Nazi regime.
If scientific advancement is left uninhibited, it is likely to lead to the destruction of current human values to the point where science is both treated as a god and a demon. “Fordship, our Ford and A.F.”, through the use of parody of terms such as “Our Lord” and “Lordship”, Huxley highlights a religious view towards that of Henry Ford, elevating him to the position of God. This shows that through relentless following of scientific advancement, humans have come to treat science as a God, it becoming their ruler. However, it is also shown that science is also treated as a demon by some, “Science is dangerous; We have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled”, through the use of irony, of how although throughout the book humanity’s beliefs revolved around science, it is also shown that science is fake and manipulated. Huxley demonstrates that by leaving progress unchecked, it will eventually be manipulated by the government, to suit their needs.
The counter argument to this though, is that animals do not fall under his jurisdiction and so the brutality that is nature is out of his control. God can only then make humans all good; which is apparent to be untrue (war, rape, murder.) In effect, Gould has showed that there could very validly be no active god. Whichever way a person’s belief systems lean, this paper by Stephen Jay Gould is a very insightful read into one way of thinking. Whether that means it solely educates those who firmly believe in god that there are other views, or it converts a person to non religious views, it is a worthwhile read.
This opposed the assumption that humans were superior to animals in every way. Sigmund Freud's development of his 3 part human mind crushed the assumptions of the philosophes that logic and reason make the greatest man. He showed the id, the section of pleasure and desire, played a major and balanced role as the other two parts, the ego and superego. These two scientists introduced two revolutionary concepts to the scientific community in Europe, evolution and psychology. These challenged previously accepted assumptions about human behavior and