7/28/2019 Synthesis Reflection

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SYNTHESIS REFLECTION:

LIST OF SYNTHESIS QUESTIONS

1. After our class activities and discussions, you will have reflected on yourdifferent philosophies of knowledge in the five (5) different areas. What have

you decided should be your philosophy of knowledge per area? Why does

it make sense for you to hold each of these philosophy of knowledge in

every area? Cite reasons and examples to support your claims.

2. How do the philosophies of knowledge differ in their stance towardsauthority, opinion, and evidence/argument in the five (5) areas of the

Physical Sciences, Human/Social Sciences, Art, Morality, and Religion? Thatis, how do they use and/or rely on the different bases for justifying or

evaluating claims in the different disciplines? Now that you have reflected

on all this matter and have grown hopefully wiser, how would you use

authority, opinion, and evidence/argument in the different areas?

3. How would you differentiate religious and moral reasoning from the use ofreason as a way of knowing in the three other areas? What can religious

and moral reasoning do and not do, compared to reasoning in the other

realms? Which form of reasoning is most superior/powerful? Why? Citereasons and examples to support your claims.

4. Examine the text of Pascals Memorial, and use it to discuss religiouslanguage as a way of knowing in the area of Religion? How does religious

language serve as a way of knowing in this area? How is it different from

scientific language in the physical sciences and human sciences, as well as

from aesthetic language? Which form of language is a superior way of

knowing? Why? Cite reasons and examples to support your claims.

5. Choose one (1) way of knowing in Religion, and discuss how this operates.Compare how it works in the other four areas of knowledge. Cite an

example and illustrate how this selected way of knowing actually leads to

knowing in Religion.

6. How would you use Pascals Wager to convince a self-confessed atheist toreconsider his non-belief in God? What would be the limitations of such a

strategy? What can you do to make up for this lack? Be as concrete and

specific as possible.