Tuesday 29 May 2007

A2 Revision Notes






Here are the notes from the A2 Revision session.

AS Revision notes






Here are the notes from today's revision.

Enhanced podcast

Click here for an enhanced podcast about Virtue Ethics. Sorry, couldn't upload it straight to this site.

Mark my Essay ...




Remember, I wrote this in 20 minutes, which is why there is no substantial part (b). Sorry! But now try and mark it using the mark scheme in the previous post, and post a comment telling me how many marks I would get for part (a), and why.

Saturday 26 May 2007

AS Mark Scheme


Use this mark scheme to mark the essay which I'll try and put up in the next couple of days.

Some more A2 photos

1. Critically assess the view that Natural Law is of no use when discussing sexual ethics.

2 Evaluate the claim that conscience is the voice of God.

3 ‘God knows the ethical decisions we will make.’ Discuss.

4 To what extent is it true to claim that people have an individual sense of moral responsibility for the environment?

Wednesday 23 May 2007

A2 Essay Questions

1. To what extent is the religion you have studied consistent with a utilitarian approach to ethics? (45)

2. How far is killing in warfare more justifiable than other kinds of killing? (45)

3. 'Unless we assume that everyone is free to make moral choices, we have no right to punish criminals.' Discuss. (45)

4. Discuss critically the belief that conscience is the voice of God. (45)

5. Assess the view that conscience is not the voice of God, but is learned. (45)

6. Compare and contrast Utilitarianism with the ethics of the religion you have studied. (45)

7. Discuss the claim that killing in warfare is more justifiable than other kinds of killing. (45)

8. 'Religious ethics prevent progress in embryo research.' Discuss. (45)

9. Assess critically the nature and role of the conscience in ethical decision-making. (45)

10. 'We do not possess any genuine freedom to act ethically.' Discuss. (45)

11. To what extent, if at all, can the ethics of the religion you have studied be interpreted as Utilitarian? (45)

12. Discuss how ethical theories might be applied to issues of war and peace. (45)

Wednesday 16 May 2007

AS Exam Essay Questions

If you had to choose one of the following three questions, which would you choose, why, and how would you answer?

1. a) Explain the Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives. (33)
b) 'It's always right to do one's duty.' Discuss. (17)

2. a) Explain the main features of one absolutist theory of ethics. (33)
b) 'Moral absolutism is too rigid.' Discuss. (17)

3. a) Explain how a follower of Natural Law might respond to issues raised by genetic engineering. (33)
b) 'Genetic engineering is "playing God".' Discuss. (17)

AS Exam Essay Questions

If you had to choose one of these exam questions, which would you choose? What would you write?

1. a) Explain how moral relativism might be applied to voluntary euthanasia. (33)
b) 'Moral relativism is not the best approach to voluntary euthanasia.' Discuss. (17)

2. a) Explain the main differences between Act and Rule Uilitarianism. (33)
b) 'Rule Utilitarianism ignores consequences.' Discuss. (17)

3. a) Explain objections to abortion in the religious ethics you have studied. (33)
b) 'A foetus is a person and should be protected at all costs.' Discuss. (17)

Tuesday 15 May 2007

Prayer and Portsmouth: Football and Religion

I heard a really interesting article on the news this evening; could it be that Portsmouth managed to come ninth because of the power of prayer? There is an interesting documentary on 1Xtra called "Praying for a Win" tomorrow; there are a number of Christian players and staff members, who regularly pray before games, in the laundry. They do make it clear that they are not simply praying that they will win, but it is interesting that they did better this year than last ... could the power of prayer at least make some of the players more confident in their own abilities, or less stressed, or change them in some way that makes winning somewhat easier? What do you think?

Radio 4 also mentioned the case of Marvin Andrews, who plays for Trinidad and Tobago and Raith Rovers; whilst playing for Rangers he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that should have been treated through an operation. However, he believed that God wanted him to pray and not have the operation: six weeks later he was playing again, and managed to help Rangers win the league that season.

What other sports people are Christians, or followers of other religions? Do you think prayer makes a difference? How, and why? Should people pray for their teams to win, or does that trivialise prayer?

Fears over NHS drugs costs ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6652183.stm

How much should we have to pay for drugs that keep us alive? Who should be subsidised? If all drugs were to be free, where should the money come from? How do we make the decision about how much to charge for certain drugs? All these are areas relating to medical ethics ...

Stallone admits hormone charges

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6656407.stm

In the Religion and Sport unit with Year 12s, we have looked at the use of drugs in sport - what are the ethical considerations of Sylvester Stallone possessing growth hormone drugs? He was stopped in Sydney while promoting his most recent Rocky movie ... what example is he setting to his fans? What do you think?

GCSE Revision Key Words

These are the GCSE Key Words that have not been asked in the exam papers yet. This may make them more likely to come up this year ... but that's not definite, so you should learn them all just in case! However, doublely make sure you know these ones ...

Believing in God
  • causation
  • design
  • moral evil
  • natural evil
  • omniscient

Matters of Life and Death

  • contraception
  • heaven
  • hell
  • non-voluntary euthanasia
  • paranormal
  • voluntary euthanasia

Marriage and the Family

  • marriage
  • nuclear family
  • promiscuity
  • re-marriage

Social Harmony

  • discrimination
  • multi-ethnic society
  • racism

There are so few words left that the examination board may start repeating them. However, they may also ask for examples (eg in the past they have asked for an example of racial discrimination and to name two religions in the UK apart from Christianity), so have a few of these up your sleeve as well, just in case.

GCSE Revision Mindmaps


Here are a couple of mindmaps covering the topics "Believing in God" and "Matters of Life and Death". I hope they enlarge large enough for you to read them!

Monday 14 May 2007

Advice for Year 11s ...

The time is fast approaching ... the exam is on Thursday. Here are the key points that we suggest you definitely revise (you do need to revise everything, but we think these points are particularly important ...):

Believing in God
  • Catholic Upbringing
  • Miracles
  • Problem of Evil and Suffering
  • Arguments for God's existence
  • Types of Religious Experience

Matters of Life and Death

  • Abortion
  • Euthanasia
  • Life after death
  • Contraception

Marriage and the Family

  • Divorce / Remarriage
  • Family Life
  • Sex before / outside marriage
  • Christian attitudes to homosexuality

Social Harmony

  • Different roles of men and women (eg women in the ministry)
  • Prejudice and discrimination
  • (possible contribution of one Christian in this area ... Martin Luther King)
  • Christian attitudes to other religions

Religion, Wealth and Poverty

  • The work of CAFOD / SVP
  • The causes of world poverty
  • Christian teachings on wealth and poverty

Thursday 10 May 2007

More GCSE notes





GCSE Revision Notes






They are a bit scrappy, but here they are at last ... the hard copy of some of the notes we've been making in class over the past couple of weeks.

Wednesday 9 May 2007

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

DivShare File - Parable presentation (parable_sheep_goats.mov)

I'm not sure if this is going to work ... it should be a short movie clip of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Essential knowledge for all GCSE students!

(I've put in the link ... the embed function doesn't seem to work properly.)

Sunday 6 May 2007

Video and Audio: Embryo Research

There have been a lot of relevant, controversial and interesting articles in the news recently relating to Embryo Research and other Genetic Engineering issues, all of which are of particular interest to the A Level students. There are many informative videos on the BBC Video and Audio search on Embryo site. One of the most recent issues is whether embryos should be allowed to be screened for a breast cancer gene, in order to protect future children. Is this a good idea, saving future lives from the heartache caused by cancer, or does it diminish the personhood of all those with, or those who may be diagnosed in the future as having, cancer? What would Natural Law have to say about this? Or Act or Rule Utilitarianism?