A few news stories to ponder over

Please comment if you have any views on any of the articles.

'A third of britons would sleep with a stranger for £1 million'
Ends to a means or abusing your body for money?

'New codes allow pharmacists to refuse to dispence based on religious beliefs'

What are peoples views on these? Get commenting!

New video from 06clared - Euthyphro

Do morals come from God?

A Level Philosophy And Ethics OCR

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

A Level Philosophy And Ethics OCR

View more presentations from Rachel Haig-Williams.

GCSE Philosophy And Ethics OCR

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

GCSE Philosophy And Ethics OCR

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Author Terry Pratchett welcomes assited suicide guidelines

Author Sir Terry Pratchett welcomed today's guidance on assisted suicide as "the best we can get without a change in the law".
The 61-year-old, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, believes people should have the right to choose when they die.

Read the full article by following the link below:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/terry-pratchett-welcomes-assisted-suicide-guidelines-1910907.html

What changes have actually been made? Follow the changes and subsequent discusions in the next set of links:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-call-for-debate-on-new-assisted-suicide-guidelines-1910696.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/assisted-suicide-policy-focused-on-suspect-motivation-1910294.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/assisted-suicide-rules-fail-to-settle-debate-1911312.html

And finally read philosopher Julian Baggini's comments:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/julian-baggini-suicide-can-be-a-rational-choice-1912358.html

Do we need to say our prayers?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8434059.stm

Year 10 were asked in their recent mock exam if there was any point to prayer. They were very divided - perhaps it made you feel better, perhaps God did answer prayer but maybe not in the way we would hope or perhaps praying is a pointless activity as God either doesn't care, can't answer everyones prayers as they conflict or he simply doesn't exist.

At A level we will consider prayer as a religious experience and in the sections on miracles. Read the above article on damaging climate change in Kenya and consider whether you think prayer will help in any way.

Sir Elton John's perspective on Jesus as a great man...

Ok, so I can't see any Christians agreeing with Elton's views that Jesus was in fact gay, but does he make a good point for harmony and cohesion even when people are different? If Jesus told us to love everybody then why is religion inherently discriminatory, can theists not forgive? What's your point of view on cohesion in religion?

Check out the article at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8523538.stm

Psychological and Sociological Challenges to Religion

I thought that this would be the area that most people were unsure about, so I thought I'd take some things off of websites whilst trying to skip the more unusual parts of Freud's work.


Key Facts About These Challenges

• These challenges are a posteriori arguments seeking to challenge religious belief.
• Argues from psychology (relating to human psyche) and sociology (relating to society).
• Critics of these challenges include most religious people.
• Advocates include Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Jean Charcot.

Freud's Findings

• Religion is an aid to overcome inner psychological conflict.
• Religion helps us to overcome the conflict between our desires and society.
• Religion is an illusion to overcome our fear of nature.

Religion helps us to overcome the conflict between what we want and what society says we're allowed to do - Religion gives us a reason to submit to society; it gives us the promise of a better life after as a reward for our good behaviour in this society. We find a father figure in religion and God, someone that rewards and punishes us like a child.

Religion is an illusion to help us accept that aspects of nature cannot be controlled - We are helpless to nature. Religion personifies God by making him the force that controls nature. By praying to God, we are aiming to gain some control over the elements. Again, religion and God become like a father figure by providing us protection from nature in the same way a father protects his child.

Challenges to Freud's beliefs

• Darwin put forward the theory of evolution, stating that we evolved from animals, but there is no evidence in nature of a father figure.
• Freud only tested his beliefs on a small amount of people.

In the news late last year was a court battle between two parents, who's son was seriously ill - the mother was arguing for life support to be turned off, the father was insisting that his son had a good enough life to live. (more information below) In the end, the father withdrew his legal plea, and the child was allowed to die.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/02/parents-court-clash-over-child

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/10/baby-rb-father-withdraws-legal-plea

This could be useful when considering ethics, such as Aquinas' natural moral law, and kants categorical imperative. Which course of action would they consider the 'right' one?

This could also be a useful example to use - at what point does suffering outweigh the importance of human life?

Should there be more religion on television?

Should there be more religion on television?
The Church of England's general synod has voted to back a motion expressing "deep concern" at what it believes is a cut in religious TV programming. Are enough religious programmes broadcast?But the synod drew back from singling out the BBC, instead backing a motion aimed at all mainstream broadcasters, and called for more programming that "imaginatively marks major festivals". The BBC said it had increased its coverage in recent years, while Channel 4 said religious programmes were "at the heart of its schedule".Should broadcasters televise more religious programmes? Should religion have a larger platform in the media? Do you watch religious programmes? What form should religious broadcasts take?

Have your say by following the link below or commenting here.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=7492&edition=1&ttl=20100210201554

Assisted suicide - the debate continues

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8490062.stm

Sir Terry Pratchett joins the debate on euthanasia and set out his ideas in the Dimbleby Lecture entitled "God's waiting room". To find out more or watch the Panorama programme, follow the link above to the BBC papges.

The Taliban

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1549285.stm

Use the above link to find out more about the Taliban and their religious and political goals. Useful background information for units on War and conflict at A level and a fundamentalist Islamic group for GCSE.

Morally right or totally misguided?

Should the American Baptists have tried to take the Haitian children out of the country? Use different ethical theories to test the validity of their case.

What does Natural moral say?
Can Kantian ethics be applied?
And what about Virtue ethics?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-baptists-knew-taking-children-out-of-haiti-was-wrong-1886357.html

A Mercy Killing?

Cooment on the not guilty decision given to Kate Gildedale by Sarah Wootton

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/sarah-wootton-only-clearer-laws-can-bring-compassion-to-the-euthanasia-debate-1879738.html

Symphony of Science

Love Dawkin's voice on this!

Average intelligence predicts athiesm rates.

"Average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 nations". Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2008.03.004."using data from a U.S. study of 6,825 adolescents, the authors found that atheists scored 6 g-IQ points higher than those adhering to a religion.""Among the sample of 137 countries, only 23 (17%) had more than 20% of atheists, which constituted “virtually all the higher IQ countries.”"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2111174/Intelligent-people-less-likely-to-believe-in-God.html

Why does God allow natural disasters?

At the heart of Haiti's humanitarian crisis is an age old question for many religious people - how can God allow such terrible things to happen? Philosopher David Bain examines the arguments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8467755.stm

Join the debate - Should we be free to criticise serving soldiers?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8457885.stm

An act of love or an act of murder?

"I asked myself what Tom would want. He wouldn't have wanted to live like this."
Frances Inglis

Words from a mother who injected her brain damaged son with heroin. What are the ethics of this case? How would an absolutist view it? What about a relativist? How do you view it?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8459388.stm