Content and Exam Tips for OCR A Level Religious Studies
Philosophy of Religion Glossary
A posteriori arguments
an argument based on sense experience and observations of evidence
A priori arguments
a type of philosophical argument that relies on logic or reasoning
Analytic statement
a statement that contains the truth needed to verify it within the statement itself
Anamnesis
the soul remembering the Forms
Anselm's four-dimensionalism
all times and places are equally real and present to God
Anthropomorphism
describing God in human-like terms; reducing God to the level of human beings
Apophatic way (via negativa)
the only legitimate way to talk about God is to say what he is not
Blik
a basic unfalsifiable belief
Cataphatic way (via positiva)
uses positive language to describe the qualities and nature of God
Category error
a logical error with the use of language; a mistake is made by applying concepts or language to the wrong type of category
Cognitive
a factual statement that can be true or false
Conditional necessity
an action is observed only because it has been freely chosen
Contingent
can exist or not exist; relies on something outside of itself for it's existence
Conversion experience
a change of heart and turning around of one's priorities, following a new direction in life
Corporate religious experience
a religious experience shared with many people
Deism
belief in a creator that started the world but then has no further involvement with it
Empiricism
all knowledge and truth are derived from the senses, experiences and observation
Epicurean hypothesis
finite particles given infinite time will eventually form order
Epistemic distance
humans cannot know or be sure that God exists in order to preserve free will
Epistemology
the study of knowledge
Equivocal
a word has different meanings in different contexts
Everlasting
a view of divine eternity; God has no beginning or end
Fallacy of composition
what is observed about the parts cannot be assumed to be the same for the whole
Falsification principle
a statement is a genuine scientific assertion if it is possible to say what evidence would prove it false or count against it
Following necessity
the moment of free choice is known in God's eternal present; God is with us because that moment is in God
Form
Plato's description of a perfect, unchanging concept or ideal in the World of Forms
Form of life
the wider context in which statements are made
Immutable
unchanging
Inductive
evidence is collected from observations and experiences to suggest a hypothesis which is then reinforced by further observation and experience. An inductive argument can only lead to a probable or possible solution
Infinite regress
a chain of events going backwards forever
Language game
rules (unspoken) which make sense of statements or words being used
Logical fallacy
an error in logical reasoning
Mass hysteria
collective obsessional behaviour with psychological and physical symptoms
Metaphor
a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that is not literally true but helps to explain an idea or make a comparison
Motus
Greek word meaning constant change observed in the world
Mystical experience
an experience of something beyond normal awareness
Necessary being
cannot not exist; does not rely on anything for its own existence and holds the reason for its being within itself
Non-cognitive
a non-factual statement that cannot be said to be true or false
Particulars or phenomena
the changing (mutable) things we witness in the world of the senses
Personhood
what makes each individual unique
Pluralism
all religions are valuable and hold truth
Pragmatism
the effects on and value to the individual; used by James to emphasise the effects of a religious experience because they show it holds value for the individual
Preceding necessity
there is no free agent r choice involved
Predicate (real or determining)
adds something to the description of a subject or object
Premise
a statement which forms the basis of an argument
Principle of credulity
things are as they seem t be unless we have evidence to the contrary
Principle of testimony
we should assume people are telling the truth unless we have good reason to believe otherwise
Privation
evil is not a substance itself but it is a privation or lack of goodness
Providence
God's knowledge; how God oversees the world and our free choices
Rationalism
human reason is the source of all knowledge and truth
Self-limitation
God chooses to limit his attributes in order to allow human free will
Simple necessity
the necessity of nature acting according to natural laws
Substance dualism
there are two kinds of basic substance: mental and physical
Synthetic statement
a statement that needs external evidence to verify whether it is true or false
Tautology
a statement that is always true
Telos
Greek word meaning end or purpose
Theism
belief in a God that is active and involved with the world
Theodicy
a defence or justification of God in the fact of evil and suffering
Universal salvation
everyone is saved or welcomed into heaven after death
Univocal
a word is used in the same way in different contexts
Vale of soul-making
natural and moral evil's purpose in this world allows humans to develop into the likeness of God