St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College Year 12 Pre-Course Tasks: RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Philosophy, Ethics & DCT Scholars Knowledge Identify the different scholars we have studied in both Philosophy, Ethics and DCT Skills Outline the key theories/arguments associated with each of these scholars Extended thinking Apply the different scholars to the different topics you have covered this year.

Philosophy Scholars

Plato 427-347 BCE Aristotle 322-384 BCE Plato Plato Ancient Greek scholar who inspired Judaeo-Christian beliefs about the nature of God. He argued that empirical evidence cannot be accepted as fact and should not be trusted. Instead he argued that knowledge was ‘a priori’ – it was gained prior to experience. He proposed the theory of the world of forms and argued that there were essentially two forms of existence. The material world (the world of the senses) and the world of forms (the original and perfect world). He used his famous analogy of the cave to highlight this theory with the cave representing the material world and the outside showing the world of forms. The sun in the analogy represented the ‘Form of the Good’ – this was the form of all forms. The analogy is also linked to his beliefs about the soul. Plato was a dualist and argued that the soul (which was immaterial and immortal) could exist separately to the body. Plato Plato

Rene Descartes 1596 - 1650 Gilbert Ryle 1900 - 1976 Plato Plato

Richard Dawkins 1941 - David Hume 1711 - 1776 Plato Plato

Bertrand Russell 1872 - 1970 St Thomas Aquinas 1225 - 1274 Plato Plato

William Paley 1743 - 1805 Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882 Plato Plato

Immanuel Kant 1724 - 1804 Anselm of Canterbury 1033 - 1109 Plato Plato

Gaunilo of Marmoutiers 11th Century St Augustine 354 - 430 Plato Plato

John Hick 1922 - 2012 J.L Mackie 1917 - 1981 Plato Plato

Friedrich Schleiermacher 1768 - 1834 William Rowe 1931 - 2015 Friedrich Schleiermacher 1768 - 1834 Plato Plato

Peter Vardy 1945 - William James 1842 - 1910 Plato Plato

Rudolph Otto 1869 - 1937 Richard Swinburne 1934 - Plato Plato

Sigmund Freud 1856 - 1939 V.S. Ramachandran 1951 - Plato Plato

Ethics Scholars

Aristotle 322-384 BCE St Thomas Aquinas 1225 - 1274 Ancient Greek scholar who inspired the ethical theory of natural law. He argued that behind every living thing lay 4 causes. They were the efficient, formal, material and final cause. The most important cause was are final cause which Aristotle referred to as ‘telos’. This is a Greek term for end or purpose. Aristotle believed our ‘Telos’ was Eudaimonia or ‘human flourishing’. He said we pursue goals to reach happiness – this happiness is different to pleasure. We should not seek pleasure for our own gratification. He inspired St Thomas Aquinas who accepted his view that all human beings were motivated toward some end or purpose. He is seen as one of the earliest thinkers involved with natural law ethical theory. Plato Plato

Joseph Fletcher 1905 - 1991 Immanuel Kant 1724 - 1804 Plato Plato

Jeremy Bentham 1748 - 1832 John Stuart Mill 1806 - 1873 Plato Plato

W D Ross 1877 - 1971 Karl Popper 1902 - 1994 Plato Plato

Pope John Paull II 1920 - 2005 Peter Singer 1946 - Plato Plato

Cardinal Vincent Nichols 1945 - Robert C Solomon 1942 - 2007 Plato Plato

DCT Scholars

Plato 427-347 BCE Dante 1265- 1321 Plato Plato Ancient Greek scholar who inspired Judaeo-Christian beliefs about the nature of God. He argued that empirical evidence cannot be accepted as fact and should not be trusted. Instead he argued that knowledge was ‘a priori’ – it was gained prior to experience. He proposed the theory of the world of forms and argued that there were essentially two forms of existence. The material world (the world of the senses) and the world of forms (the original and perfect world). He used his famous analogy of the cave to highlight this theory with the cave representing the material world and the outside showing the world of forms. The sun in the analogy represented the ‘Form of the Good’ – this was the form of all forms. The analogy is also linked to his beliefs about the soul. Plato was a dualist and argued that the soul (which was immaterial and immortal) could exist separately to the body. Plato Plato

Richard Dawkins 1946- Augustine 354- 430 Plato Plato

Pelagius 360- 420 St Thomas Aquinas 1225- 1274 Plato Plato

Friedrich Schleiermacher 1768- 1834 William Paley 1743- 1805 Friedrich Schleiermacher 1768- 1834 Plato Plato

Brian Davies 1951- Reinhold Niebuhr 1892- 1971 Plato Plato

John Hick 1922- 2012 Pope John Paul II 1920- 2005 Plato Plato

Sigmund Freud 1856- 1939 D.Z Phillips 1934- 2005 Plato Plato

Joseph Fletcher 1905- 1991 John Calvin 1509- 1564 Plato Plato

Christopher Southgate 1953- James Arminius 1560- 1609 Christopher Southgate 1953- Plato Plato

Jesus Christ (Roughly) 4- 30 David Brown 1948- Jesus Christ (Roughly) 4- 30 Plato Plato

Cardinal Newman 1801- 1890 Rudolph Otto 1869- 1937 Plato Plato

St Anselm of Canterbury 1033- 1109 Joseph Butler 1692- 1752 St Anselm of Canterbury 1033- 1109 Plato Plato

Karl Barth 1886- 1968 Soren Kierkegaard 1813- 1855 Plato Plato

Don Cupitt 1934- Leonardo Boff 1938- Plato Plato

Karl Rahner 1904- 1984 Raymond Brown 1928- 1998 Plato Plato

Gustavo Gutierrez 1928- Steven Pinker 1954- Plato Plato