Article 1: Boyer, Pascal. Human instincts that fashion God. 2001. Retrieved from, http://www.nous.org.uk/Boyer.html.
Inference concerns a logical conclusion based on evidence. One arrives at inference after consideration of the face value of the evidence. This clearly indicates that inference is not the result of systematic analysis nor is it the result of testing of evidence. Therefore, in order to note an inference one should achieve a conclusion based on evidence obtained concerning the aspect under concern.
- Ad populum “Faith is not always necessary
- Ad Ignorantium “Human mind may have evolved to experience the world in domain-specific ways”
- Begging the question “Reassurance or comfort are not always provided”
- The straw man “Salvation is not always central”
- False dilemma/false dichotomy “Specialized systems produce inferences about the different aspects of the objects surrounding us”
- Inconsistency/ double standard “We do not have the cultural concepts we have because they make sense or are useful”
- Equivocation “We have certain concepts or hold certain beliefs because it is in our interest”
Premise A: faith is indeed necessary in order to enable people to go through difficult times. Without faith, it will be difficult to achieve. This is popular among the secular people who do not belief in faith.
Premise B: human mind is from God and the content well developed by God. This argument does not base on any evidence and hence unnecessary to make such a claim.
Premise C: reassurance and comfort are available as long as they come from God. This claim jus involves stating the evidence of the person making the claim with no inference.
Premise D: salvation is indeed central, as there is only one creator. It is not necessary to take others arguments and rely on them as evidence.
Premise E: systems do not necessarily produce inferences. Different options are necessary to enable making of a fair claim.
Premise F: cultural concepts are of value to us. The person arguing this way contradicts his or her claims in various ways.
Premise G: beliefs do not necessarily reflect our interests. They are indeed natural. One need not manipulate others to take on their beliefs.
Conclusion
G: beliefs indeed play significant roles in our lives and people need not manipulate other to take on their beliefs so that they fulfill their interests.
The inference in this article involves the claim that inference systems are in human cognitive architecture. This is because the cognitive ability of the human determines how the human perceives and understands various phenomena.
Article2: Elmerjohnthiessen’s blog. The offensiveness of religious persuasion and evangelism. 2012. Retrieved from, http://elmerjohnthiessen.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/the-offensiveness-of-religious-persuasion-and-evangelism/.
Persuasion
Persuasion involves the process employed to influence the attitudes or behaviors, without duress, by way of communication from or to other people. For one to change their beliefs, they require persuasion. As such, converting people to different beliefs in religion take the process that concerns persuasion.
- Posr Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc “Life is wasted without Jesus”
- Reductio Ad Adsurdum “I believe this is worth standing up for”
- Extension “It is not just standing up for religious rights; it is standing up for my rights”
- Ad Verecundiam “ People are also not entirely consistent in the way in which they take offense”
- Division” Indeed, I believe that any evaluative statement entails an implicit judgment on contrary statements”
- Slippery Slope “ All religious statements are unreasonable”
- Composition “We need a more generous definition of what it means to be reasonable”
Premise A: based on the belief of Christians, life without Jesus lead into eternal death as indicated in the Christian religious book.
Premise B: whatever one believes is the absolute truth, he or she has the right to stand for that as long as it does not affect the well-being of others. Whatever is justifiable by evidence is abounding.
Premise C: religious and otherwise rights require due recognition by all members of society. As such, there should be no victimization once one is practicing his or her rights.
Premise D: people differ in the way they consider various things. As such, it is important to consider the diversity of ideas and opinions in order to accommodate every other individual.
Premise E: evaluative statements will always attract implicit judgments and therefore, one’s own beliefs require recognition in order to ensure the wellbeing of all persons.
Premise F: it is clear that some aspects of life will necessitate some conclusions. Suppressing the religious beliefs of some individuals may indicate that all religious beliefs, satanic or Godly are unreasonable.
Premise G: people need to understand what it implies to be reasonable. Avoiding facts demeans the essence of being reasonable and as such, all people require enlightenment.
Conclusion
Being reasonable entails considering all aspects of a phenomena and not indeed overlooking any. In order to understand what it means to be reasonable it is important to develop a common standard that would measure reasonability appropriate.
Persuasion in this article involves convincing people that life without Jesus is not fulfilling. However, this brings about controversy, as people are different regarding beliefs.
Article 3: Wall, Mike. Would finding aliens shutter religious beliefs? 2012. Retrieved from, http://www.space.com/16285-alien-life-discovery-religion-impact.html.
Discovery
Discovery involves finding out something new for the first time. Religiously, it involves finding out truths regarding matters of concern in life. It entails unraveling of spiritual matters that affect the human life. As such, one gets knowledge of certain phenomena that influence human life in distinct ways.
- “The discovery of life beyond Earth would shake up our view of humanity's place in the universe” The Non Sequitui
- “Our planet's organisms were not created in their present form but rather evolved over billions of years” Ad Baculum
- “We're not the center of the universe” Ad Populum
- “Religious faith remains strong in much of the world despite scientific advances” Begging the Question
- “Earth is not the center of the universe” The Straw Man
- “I think there are reasons that we might initially think there are going to be some problems” False Dilemma/False Dichotomy
- “The Bible, Koran, and other sacred texts of the world's major religions stress God's special concern for humanity and for Earth” Appeal to Belief
Premise A: discovering life beyond earth can influence the view of humanity’s place. This is a fallacy in that different people respond to different phenomena differently. Therefore, this need not necessarily change the view as addressed
Premise B: claiming that our planets organisms were not created is personal opinion based on personally investigated and identified results. However, there is power that led to development of the organism
Premise C: claiming that we are not the center of the universe bases on individual or group assumptions. This may be difficult to find out as a certain power t controls the universe.
Premise D: religions differ substantially and hence, different religions belief in different influential powers. This is a fallacy in that it does not specify the religion in question but the claim comes from ones own views.
Premise E: earth need not necessarily be the center of the universe. However, the center of the universe is known only to the power responsible for creation of the universe.
Premise F: individual thoughts differ substantially. As such, claiming that there might be upcoming problems is an individual opinion that would appear differently to different persons.
Premise G: people have different beliefs. While others belief in the world religious texts, others do don’t hence, making such a claim indicates ones beliefs
Conclusion
People have different beliefs and therefore different factors will influence their beliefs and not just religious texts.
The article explains of issues of new discoveries and their influence on religious beliefs.
Article 4: Cline, Austin. Why does religion exist? Explaining religion and religious beliefs. 2013. Retrieved from, http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophyofreligion/p/ExplainReligion.htm.
Explanation involves giving an account with regard to different compelling aspects of life. In religious terms, it encompasses giving an account of why people have certain beliefs and faith that influence their lives.
- “Religion is a pervasive and significant cultural phenomenon” Taking out of Context
- “None fully captures what religion is” Appeal to the Consequences of Belief
- “Religion is Systematized Animism & Magic” False Consolation
- “The reason religion exists is to help people make sense of events which would otherwise be incomprehensible by relying on unseen, hidden forces” Reductio Ad Adsurdum
- “Religion is Mass Neurosis” Slippery Slope
- “Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things” The Straw Man
- “Religion is an illusion whose chief purpose is to provide reasons and excuses to keep society functioning just as it is” Equivocation
Premise A: understanding religion depends on the beliefs of individuals. This is a fallacy in that the person claims his opinion based on his own understanding.
Premise B: people have different definitions of what religion is. As such, this is a fallacy in that people differ in their opinions regarding what religion truly is.
Premise C: religion has a distinct focus and direction. Therefore, this is a fallacy in that one puts across his opinion regarding his observation concerning religion without any evidence.
Premise D: religion exists because it originates from a distinct source. This is a fallacy in that it only suits the claim of the proponent and no particular evidence is available to prove this.
Premise E: religion need not necessarily be mass neurosis. This claim is human and would probably appear wrong to others. Therefore, it has no evidence to prove it certain.
Premise F: this definition and explanation of religion comes from one’s own view as such, there is no evidence to prove it standard as different people have different definitions.
Premise G: religion is not an illusion as religious people indeed feel the power in religion when they observe results. The fallacy here is that religion does not provide reasons and excuses propelling the society but is real.
Conclusion
Religion has distinct functions which religious individuals find real by experiencing the power of the supernatural being they belief in.
The article presents how differently different people understand religion. As such, religion is an aspect that influences beliefs and people feel its impacts once they focus their beliefs and faith on the supernatural being.
Work cited
Boyer, Pascal. Human instincts that fashion God. 2001. Retrieved from, http://www.nous.org.uk/Boyer.html. (Accessed 10 October 2013).
Elmerjohnthiessen’s blog. The offensiveness of religious persuasion and evangelism. 2012. Retrieved from, http://elmerjohnthiessen.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/the-offensiveness-of-religious-persuasion-and-evangelism/. (Accessed 10 October 2013).
Wall, Mike. Would finding aliens shutter religious beliefs? 2012. Retrieved from, http://www.space.com/16285-alien-life-discovery-religion-impact.html. (Accessed October 10 2013).
Cline, Austin. Why does religion exist? Explaining religion and religious beliefs. 2013. Retrieved from, http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophyofreligion/p/ExplainReligion.htm. (Accessed 10 October 2013).
