Circle time: Inspired by the idea of Supreme Being

In many faith systems (both organized and not) there is often a power greater than human which inspires right action, right thought, right deed.
These men in Baltimore decided it was time to stand up to the rioters and defend their police.

Circle question:

Who or what inspires you to do the right action, right thought, right deed?

Supreme Being: Theory

Who would you save?

Circle time: Who would you save?

Film

Sometimes it's not obvious until it hits you over the head ...

Circle time: 

Tell me one thing that is now so obvious to you now that, 

at one point in your life, 

was not so clear.

The human nature of the question of a Supreme Being . . . 
In order to begin your study of questions of a Supreme Being, please read through Chapter 8 of the text and make  notes on these ideas. . . 


Different Approaches to Concepts of a Supreme Being
Theism
Deism
Polytheism
Monotheism
Pantheism
Panentheism     For these six note the similarities and differences between them.


What about the Existence of a Supreme Being (God)?
The Ontological Argument
Cosmological Argument
Argument from Design (Intelligent Design)
Pascal's Wager
Atheism


Hard Determinism
Theories of Freedom
Soft Determinism


And Where Do We Derive Meaning from in our Lives?
Nihilism
Theistic Approach
Non-Theistic Approach

Resistance is futile ... so is Ignorance. We MUST keep QUESTIONING.

1.  Think, pair, share: With a partner, look at these definitions of a person.  Discuss the good and bad of each definition.  Rank them in the order to which you agree with them (accuracy in your mind).  Leave out any you disagree with. 

2.  Share with another set of partners.

3.  As a group of 4, write your own definition of a person.  Share as a class.

4.  In your groups of 4, list 5 criteria for personhood (5 things a person must have to be considered to have personhood status. Ex: self-awareness).  

4a.  Person?  Our Criteria

5.  Using this continuum, decide where each of these living beings appear.

6.  Class continuum: where are your living beings? Discuss.

7.  Introduction to Peter Singer.

8.  Peter Singer on personhood.  Do you agree with any/all/part of his definition of a person?  How could his definition of a person affect law (government or social)?

9.  NOTE: this next video is being used to contradict the previous video.  It is not necessarily my belief or the belief of any member of this class. It is NOT graphic.  

Abortion 73: anti-abortion group. Do you agree with any/all/part of their definition of a person?  How could their definition of a person affect law (government or social)?

10.  Susan Savage-Rumbaugh: The gentle genius of bonobos: Persons?

11.  Personal response: written.  For intro discussion tomorrow.  

What is more important to personhood; 

mind (consciousness) or matter (brain and body)?  

Bring texts for tomorrow.

Who decides who I am? Continuation of Intro to Metaphysics

Circle Time:  Imitation can be the most flattering action.

Who would you/do you imitate?

Why?

Personhood, self, supreme being(s): an introduction to Metaphysics

Who am I?

Circle time:  Look at the posters. 

 Which one represents a part of you?  How?

You may have to share the poster with someone else.

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

Socrates (469 - 399 BCE)

Big Questions of Metaphysics: Presentation 

Self: Main ideas from text

How do you define the ''self''?

Notes from text.

Bundle Theory
Who: David Hume

• the "Bundle" refers to the collection of experiences that you carry around with you forever.
• the Bundle represents your experiences.
• It's a loose collection of PERCEPTIONS about your past experiences.

Project Theory
Who: Jean-Paul Sartre

• the "Project" refers to an ongoing, never-ending project, like the building of a bridge that never ceases.
• always evolving, your "self" is always changing, it's connected to the past (experiences) and the future.
• The exact nature of the project that Sartre refers to is connected to the soul, morals, conscious thinking.

Narrative Theory
Who: Ricoeur:

• The image of a "Book" comes to mind, somewhere to write your own story.
• The main character is created by one's experiences and present events.
• The story is related to other people too, and everyone's book intermixes.
• Your story never ends, even after death as your story continues to be written in other people's narratives (books).

Substance Theory:
Who: Descartes

• the "Substance" is a mental substance of the mind, NOT derived from material things.
• This is the opposite of the Bundle Theory.
• Experiences do NOT change the self, they only send the self in difference directions.
• This is analogous to a sail boat, e.g., "the HMS Self" - the wind are experiences that may change the boat's direction in the water but do not change the boat in any way.

Your turn!  Into your notes definitions for the following:

• idealist
• realism
• materialism
• monists
• dualists
• ontology
• determinism
• substance
• essence
• form