Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Section 14 Group 3 Summary 10/2

Our topic of discussion was Hume and his Design Argument. He was basically saying that even though many things look like they've been designed, that doesn't mean that the designer/architect behind the design was God or that God exists. The argument that things are so complex that someone/something must be behind it doesn't provide enough evidence to conclude that an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good being must exist. The eye, for example, is imperfect. Why, then, would an all-knowing, all-good God not make a perfect eye?

He also discussed how we can't rely on personal accounts of miracles. Perspective changes with each case or each description of the same miracle. He also claimed that many ordinary things are often claimed to be miracles.

3 comments:

  1. Kendall Martin 149:15 PM CDT

    Hume believed that we live in a world of effects and are unable to figure out the exact causes. It could be God or it could be multiple gods or it could be something else entirely, no one really knows because there is no way to prove any theory to be correct. As for miracles, everybody has seen something in their life that for the first moment they can't explain and looks to be impossible. However, after further examination, you generally figure out that there is a simple explanation for what you saw or you were mistaken. The term "miracle" is often overused to describe ordinary things that to a particular person may seem miraculous. Going by this, can we even really define what a "miracle" is? Everybody is likely to have a somewhat different definition. So what might be considered a miracle to me, may not be a miracle for you.

    Questions for Bentham:

    What was the name of Bentham's theory about how we should live?

    "Imagine a virtual reality machine that gives you the illusion of living your life, but removes all risk of pain and suffering." Do you think that a life in a virtual reality machine with absolutely no pain or suffering would be worth living?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cody Peach 14-38:53 AM CDT

    QUESTIONS AND HELPFUL SAYINGS

    Hume:
    What analogy is used to describe the Design Argument?
    A: The watch and the Devine Watchmaker

    Bentham: "Wether it be Mozart or country ham, happiness is equal according to Bentham."
    What form of living was derived from Bentham's idea of "utility"?
    A: Utilitarianism

    Mill: "If you believe in free will, then you may agree with John Mill."
    What does Mill compare human beings to when he says we should give everyone "space to grow"?
    A: A tree

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kendall Martin 145:52 PM CDT

    Mill Questions:
    What is forcing someone to do something for their own good called?
    A: paternalism

    Do you agree with Mill's way of thinking?

    ReplyDelete

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