Philosophy of Religion

Introduction This paper is a critical analysis of the philosophy of religion. Philosophy of religion addresses the existence of God and seeks to find out what God is like. The most important aspect of philosophy of religion is if God exists and what God means to us (Collins 43). Each one of us ponders these questions in life, and the philosophy of religion has tried providing answers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The classic arguments of the philosophy of religion have been refined while some have been abandoned. Some other new arguments on the same topic have cropped up, but the controversial debate is still on. Philosophy of religion should be viewed from the perspective of its mother discipline; philosophy (Collins 43). For instance, we define philosophy as the analysis of ultimate concepts. Likewise we should think of philosophy of religion as being t he analysis of concepts encountered in religion. Metaphysical aspects are the central focus of traditional philosophers of religion. This is correct although some critics oppose this idea because concepts like God are crucial to metaphysics. After all, if this debate of God exists, then he must be someone or something pretty according to the attributions given to Him (Collins 46). If this God of debate does not exist, then God is not very important and this debate needs to be shunned. Analytical versus continental Analytical and Continental Philosophy are the two classifications of philosophy of religion. Analytical philosophy occupies the departments of theology while continental philosophies occupy the departments of philosophy (Pomerleau 558). Analytical philosophers decided to approach philosophy of religion with clarity, precision, logic and careful argumentation tools. On the other side, the continental religion philosophers have approached the subject with literal and informa l tools like love (Pomerleau 558). Both groups are correct in their approaches because they have different experiences, and they work in different areas of the philosophy discipline. The prove that God exists Philosophers of religion, who came first, have used both inductive and deductive methods to address the existence of God (Collins 56). For instance, the ontological argument says that God is a logical being and further explains that God actually exists. This argument is still debated up to date because of the confusion it raises. Various critics have come forward to give their views on the ontological argument.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another argument is the cosmological argument. This has portrayed many forms, and the first one is that if there is a contingent being, which exists, there ought to be a necessary being as well to explain its existence (Collins 57). Some cr itics have also come forward to criticize it. The third argument is that from design, which was proposed by various philosophers who gave it the classical formulation, ‘watches on the heath’ (Collins 61). The major question about this argument is what is the appropriateness and success of using the philosophical tools to show the existence of God in a probable way. This argument presents meaningless arguments on the existence of God because they cannot be verified. For example, the problem of evil has varnished and has no sign of popularity. Today, the problem of evil cannot assist philosophers of religion to knock down arguments on atheism. Some critical works have shown impossibilities in establishing the truth about the non-existence of God using this argument (Collins 65). Instead, it has been presented to argue that the existence of God is improbable. Atheists and believers are still on the debate of whether God exists, and if he doe, why does he allow sufferings? This argument cannot answer this question. The rationality of the belief Some critics argue that the religious belief is a basic belief that can be rationally held without necessarily inferring from other beliefs. This implies that since the belief is not necessary for purposes of rationality, its purpose is to convince the non believers. A belief is only justifiable if its production is from a cognitive mechanism that functions according to its designed plan (Collins 68). Otherwise, it would have made sense to believe that if God is our maker then his design plan, which we believe in him, should be rational. What is Godlike? Philosophy of religion has attempted to understand what God is like. The central claim is that God’s existence has put philosophers of religion on an edge in trying to explain this view. The debate has always focused on the four attributes of God, which include; omnipotence, omniscience, e goodness and eternity (Collins 79).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each of this attribute bring about puzzles like; why did God create a heavy stone that is so heavy that he himself cannot lift or why did God create a human being who knows secrets that he does not know. For instance, the attribute of omniscience has brought questions like does God know what I will be doing tomorrow. Another controversial issue about the nature of God is eternity (Collins 81). God is referred to as everlasting or eternal, but the concern is; why is God ever praised for doing well if he cannot do evil. Religious language The nature of religious language is another traditional controversial issue in the philosophy of religion. The issue is whether the language of God is to be understood literally, metaphorically, or analogically (Pomerleau 601). Theists have struggled to find a language construing religion but philosophers of religion shou ld be free to mean what they say and to say what they mean. The philosophy of Christians The Christian philosophers suggested to their believers that they should never feel forced to follow the current philosophical trends but should instead stick to the teachings of the church and philosophize the issues in the church, which are believed to be of significant importance than the philosophical issues (Pomerleau 606). Christian philosophers are also reminded not to forget their Christianity obligations when working in the fields of philosophy. In this context, Christian philosophers have brought their faith to carry topic like analyzing the unlikely counterfactuals. Christians should read about the sinfulness of human kind and guilt as well as the salvation of God for human’s sake (Pomerleau 607). They should also inform themselves more about the bible, which is their holy book to reveal to them about God. One of the Christian doctrines, which have touched so much on Christiani ty and philosophy, is the trinity. This aspect has evoked a strong debate. Analytic philosophers have sought by using all tools to explain this concept, but they have not yet found an answer for it. Conclusion To conclude, the standard of discussion is still high and more research needs to be done. There is a lot of interest amongst philosophers of religion and other fields of study. Atheists need to research on the argument about God and bring forward sensible reasons for rejecting theism. Human beings have viewed Atheism from a right or wrong perspective, which has left most of them pessimistic.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The conclusions arrived at do not matter; the time spent to argue out these questions and ambiguities is not time wasted. This is because religious beliefs of human beings underpin the way they live their lives in this world. The clear answering of the above questions will be beneficial. The building of confidence in us will make us better people. Works Cited Collins, James. The Emergence of Philosophy of Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967. Print. Pomerleau, Wayne P. Western Philosophies of Religion. New York: Ardsley House, 1998. Print. This essay on Philosophy of Religion was written and submitted by user Raul S. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tourism and Nepal Tour Essay Example

Tourism and Nepal Tour Essay Example Tourism and Nepal Tour Essay Tourism and Nepal Tour Essay Nepal has given the plentiful tourism resources to Nepal. The natural scenery, high mountains, incomparable cultural heritage and numerous specialties have made Nepal a well known destination in the world of tourism map. The center for numerous adventure activities such as trekking, mountaineering, rafting, mountain biking, Paragliding, Jungle Safaris etc. Nepal is widely famous for adventure tourism activities among the visitors from around the world. Almost a million visitors turn to Nepal to perceive the miraculous mountains each year. To primarily focus on the tourism sector and to promote Nepal internationally, government of Nepal has declared the year 2011 is to be celebrated as Nepal Tourism Year-2011. The prime objective of this campaign is substantial growth of the tourism industry attracting more than a million tourists. The concept of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 envisions harnessing these opportunities and strengths and bringing together the commitment of the government for further tourism development in the country. SPECIAL TAVEL PACKAGE FOR NTY-2011 Trekking in Nepal Nepal Tour Rafting in Nepal Adventurous Sport Sightseeing Place Annapurna Trekking Kathamdnu Valley Tour Trishuli River Bungy JumpingKathmandu Everest Trekking Lumbini Tour Bhote Koshi River Paragliding Bhaktapur Langtang Trekking Art and craft Tour Kali Gandaki River Mountain BikingPatan Mustang Trekking Bird watching Tour Marshyangdi River Motor Gliding Dhulikhel Manaslu Trekking Kailash Tour Seti River Mountain FlightNagarkot Kanchanjunga Trekking Lhasa Tour Karnali RiverKakani Dhaulagiri Trekking Photograph Tour Tamor RiverKirtipur Ganesh Himal Trekking Arun RiverHelambu Dolpo Trekking Bheri RiverNamo Buddha Short TrekkingCharikot Other Trekking Manang Chepang Village Chitwan Lumbini Gorkha Janakpur Tansen Tibet Damak Pokhara Gosainkunda Muktinath Bandipur Namche Bazzar

The University of Pennsylvania Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The University of Pennsylvania - Essay Example I also respect the University of Pennsylvania’s philosophy in education which is concerned with the preparation of dental students in many roles of dental practitioners such as; â€Å"scientist, clinician, artist, teacher, engineer, and business manager.† I believe this philosophy will allow me to receive an all encompassing education in dentistry which will provide me with the background needed to succeed in dentistry and achieve my goals as a health professional. The wide network of the institution reflects its commitment to reach and provide a quality health care to the surrounding community at large as well as provide an opportunity to the students to be compassionate with the patients, develop leadership skills and professionalism while at the same time building up creativity and love in a just way. It serves as a center for training students to become outstanding dentists who can influence the community with goodwill, passion and commitment.The institution also em braces and encourages an environment of discovery and promotes a global view of dentistry which is increasingly important for dental practitioners. Since the 21st century, there have been various technical developments in every field and the dentistry field has also benefitted from this advancement in technology. The students at this institution are given the opportunity of doing research and the results of various researches have helped America to be a force to reckon with in giving good oral health to its citizens.

Have services closed the gap in delivering appropriate support in dual Literature review

Have services closed the gap in delivering appropriate support in dual diagnosis working - Literature review Example Likewise, patients that suffer from mental illness are quite likely to sustain their substance use habits throughout their life as compared to people who are mentally healthy (Mueser, Noordsy, and Drake 6). Therefore, it can be said that the disorders of an individual’s mood serve as the risk factor for other disorders that are related to the use of substance and vice versa (Westermeyer, Weiss, and Ziedonis 69). Depression, anxiety and tension are some of the types of upsets in the mental health (Department of Health cited in The Scottish Government). Substances most commonly abused are marijuana, heroin, tobacco, alcohol and alcoholic medicines. Treatment of such people requires the medical practitioner to study the history of the individual and find out which of the two occurred with the individual first. Either he/she acquired the mental illness first which probably caused him/her to consume drugs in order to relieve the tension, or else, he/she first became addicted to dru gs which later led the individual to the deteriorated mental health and low self esteem. There are many ways this can happen. For instance, some people get the psychotic episode triggered upon smoking marijuana (â€Å"Dual Diagnosis†). ... Once someone gets addicted to a substance, he/she starts taking it more frequently than others would mostly do. In such circumstances, all an intervention can do is to reduce the frequency with which the substance is consumed by the client. Thus, a service provider may effectively reduce the quantity of substance consumption, though the achievement of quality in intervention requires consideration of the problem at a much detailed and deeper level. Many service providers resort to such methods of treatment as counseling, prescribing substitutes for substances and encouraging group work. Mostly, these are the only techniques available to most practitioners, and their usability is limited. Reaching the correct underlying factors is extremely essential for appropriate treatment, which can not be achieved unless the addiction has been reduced to a considerably lower level. â€Å"If your client has chronic substance dependence, making substance treatment successful has to be the goal ove r accessing mental health services† (Thomas). The service of mental health assumes the main responsibility of offering comprehensive care to the people that suffer from such mental problems as co-morbid substance use problems and schizophrenia. Mental health service can be used to provide people with long term care and supervision than most services related to substance misuse can offer. According to results of the research conducted by (Menezes cited in Hughes 5), one third of the total number of users of mental health service are individuals that have combined problems of mental health. Cannabis, alcohol and other stimulants are some of the most widely consumed things

How Effective Are Various Methods in Reducing Recidivism Essay Example for Free

How Effective Are Various Methods in Reducing Recidivism Essay Prison, non-custodial sentences and rehabilitation seem all failed in reducing recidivism; however, there is little and limited evidence to support non-custodial sentences, as well as some people think if rehabilitation could be implemented effectively, it would work. Although the advantage of prison is keeping our society from dangerous people, when it comes to reducing recidivism rate, the effect of prison is disappointing. The public usually think that imprisonment is safer for communities; however, it appears powerless to deter inmates from committing crime again. In the article, â€Å"Study shows building prisons did not prevent repeat crimes†, Fox Butterfield (2002) cites a large-scale study of recidivism from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which investigated up to 272,111 former prisoners in 15 states during the first three years after being released. It found that 67% of inmates broke the law again in three years right after their release in 1994. It is surprised that it does not make any difference to recidivism rate which was studied in 1960’s, and it is even 5% higher than the study done in 1983. In addition, it indicated that the more rearrest records a criminal has, the higher recidivism rate he has. The inmates who have more than 15 prior arrests have 82. 1% of recidivism rate. Nevertheless, according to Emily Kingham’s article (2006), she believes that prison forces offenders to regret and reflect on their behaviour; as for the reason that criminals cannot reject the temptation of committing new crime is because of inadequate provided support. In spite of this, some experts have admitted that prison does not work in terms of reducing recidivism rate (Considering the alternatives 1978; Finckenauer 1988). Some limited evidence has shown that non-custodial sentences may decrease recidivism; regardless of some experts being sceptical about their desired achievements. On the one hand, alternative sentences can help government save money and alleviate over-cramped number of criminals in prison (Considering the alternatives 1978). On the other hand, Kingham(2006) points out that alternative sentences do nothing but return prisoners to their original circumstances, which result in unawareness of their crimes and the onsequences. One study indicated that through one of alternative sentences, intensive probation, recidivism rate is less than 20%; however, the evidence maybe weak as the study has not been completely put into practice (Considering the alternatives 1978). Furthermore, in the Minnesota, alternative sentences have been successfully adopted to keep criminal rate not increasing, but it may not be convinced because of the source not being confirmed (Considering the alternatives 1978) . While some people argue rehabilitation is also failed in reducing recidivism rate, some authors counter that if government could support rehabilitation, recidivism rate would decrease. According to the article, â€Å"Prison†, James O. Finckenauer (1988) cites some studies, which shows that even though the government has already provided with good rehabilitation programmes, they cannot achieve reformatory of inmates. On the other hand, this position is contested by Joan Petersilis (cited in Butterfield 2002), a professor of criminology at the University of California at Irvine and an expert on parole, who says that state governments spent such little money on rehabilitation programs that inmates do not receive sufficient help with drug addition, work skill and preparation for a new life, which may lead increasing recidivism rate. Butterfield (2002) further cites the statement by Mr. Travis, who also argues that criminals return to crime.

Dragonsbane :: essays research papers

The setting for Dragonsbane was in about the 1400's in a place called Wyr. Jenny John and Gareth are the main characters. Jenny is a wizard women who is always trying to advance her skills but still isn't very good. John is Jenny's husband and is also a dragon's bane, which means that he has slayed a dragon. Gareth is a prince who's hero is John. And final Zyerne, she is also a wizard women whom is the most powerful in the land. Gareth comes up from the South to ask of John's assistance in slaying a dragon that is threatening the King's lands. John decides to go with him and talk to the king. When they get there they find out that Zyerne is holding the king under some sort of spell and using him for her bidding. John talks to the king and gets ready to slay the dragon. He asks Jenny to make the most powerful poisons she can and then dips his harpoons in it. John then rides off to slay the dragon. When the battle his over Jenny goes out to were the battle happened and finds the dragon and John lying in bloody pools and realizes that john is still alive. She takes him back to camp and puts healing spells on him. She then goes back to the dragon and sees that he is still alive to. The dragon told her that if she healed him that he would tell her where the books of healing were in the caves called the deep so she could heal John. She agrees and the dragon through telepathy shows her the way in the maze of tunnels. It is always said to save a dragon is to slave a dragon for life. So Jenny saved the dragon and John. Zyerne was waiting for them to kill the dragon so she could take over the deep because of the huge amounts of gold in them. So Zyerne came and tried to kill the dragon and Jenny but failed and she was killed. The dragon through all of this fell in love with Jenny and asked her to turn into a dragon and return with him to were the dragons lived.

The Rise and “Fall” of Xerox Organization

In 1960 the Xerox Corporation was in a position where it could corner the copy machine industry for the next 15 years. Xerox had practically invented the copy machine, and had secured its dominate stake in the copy machine industry with patents. However, this security backfired on Xerox because it didn't allow them to focus on new product development. During this period, their research and development goals diminished, and the quality of their products remained the same if not worsened. The strategy Xerox had remained stagnant. Xerox found itself in the mid 1970's with a loss in profit, market share, and competitive stance. By effective supply chain management, Xerox would be able to revamp its structure. In order to confront new competitors such as Ricoh and Canon, Xerox was going to have to make major changes within its organization. First, Xerox management sought to simplify the purchasing process. By consolidating its supply base, it was able to reduce overhead, pass lower costs onto customers, improve quality of its products, and work better with suppliers. Next, the â€Å"commodity teams† were designated to reduce defect parts per million through a five step program it developed. Thirdly, internal restructuring brought about the â€Å"circle groups† which resulted in a new system of competitive benchmarking and customized products. Finally, with a new research and development approach Xerox was able to delve into new product development, bringing them brand recognition. And, with a new â€Å"central logistics and asset management† program the company was able to reduce excessive inventory and related costs.  · Determine how Xerox's strategies transformed from the late 1970's to the 1980's.  · Determine how the change in strategies and organization allowed Xerox to be competitive.  · Identify the source of guidance it received for its restructuring , and what this revealed about the advantages of a multinational firm.  · Determine how taking a global perspective make it more competitive in the global marketplace.  · Evaluate the role of global manufacturing, materials management, and R & D in better performance in the 1980's. Once Xerox found themselves in a poor competitive position in the mid to late 1970s, they were forced to make general changes in strategy and structure or organization. In the late 70s, the copier environment consisted of just a couple of competitors with a rapidly declining market share. Xerox's new strategy was segmentation-to keep their three main legs (Fuji, Rank, and Xerox) as separate entities. Therefore, structural and organizational areas were decentralized. In the 1980s, the copier environment consisted of even more competitors who had superior products at lower prices. The market was more hostile, and if Xerox didn't make a significant change in its strategies, they would lose the battle. At this stage, Xerox's strategy was aimed at streamlining supply ties and reduce production costs by improving the supply chain. Bringing together the three entities was the new centralized approach for structure and organization. Moreover, by using Fuji-Xerox as a guide to restructure, Xerox benefited by having various cultural organizations to choose from and achieving global learning. In addition, by taking on a singular identity rather than a three leg multinational, Xerox was able to capitalize on location economies in relation to the product life cycle. Therefore, both Xerox and the local suppliers were able to achieve economies of scale. Also, a global perspective resulted in more uniform products. In regards to performance, restructuring global manufacturing allowed them to deal with suppliers more effectively and to get one or a few suppliers for one global product. Effective materials management helped Xerox gain closer supplier and customer ties, which in turn reduced inventory costs. By staying in sync with customer demands and needs, Xerox's R & D division was able to come out with customized product lines, which in turn gave Xerox a first mover advantage and resulted in a stronger competitive position. Finally, the internal restructuring regarding the â€Å"quality circles† involved all areas of the company. With an encompassing implementation of the Leadership Through Quality groups, Business Area Work Group, and â€Å"Quality of WorkLife† Circles, Xerox increased in performance. By allowing workers to find quality shortfalls and generate ideas about problems, these programs allowed them to find better solutions to those problems, for example, via the process of competitive benchmarking. Our team consensus is that Xerox shouldn't have relied solely on their patents and previous technological know-how to maintain their large market share. Because of this reliance, Xerox paid less attention to quality and new product development. If they would have focused on developing newer, higher quality products, their market share would have remained the same or better once the patents expired. They should have foreseen the expiration of the patents, and been better prepared with a stronger product line and global strategy to confront the competitive market in which they were going to enter in the 1970s. The competitive benchmarking allowed them to integrate the most efficient practices of other global companies. This integration, as well as the efficient supply chain management and emphasis on quality, was a smart move which enabled Xerox an efficient structure for years to come.