Philosophy of Religion and Applied Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion and Applied Philosophy
This domain examines religious belief and the application of philosophy to practical issues. Exam questions often ask for evaluation of arguments and for principled reasoning in applied cases. Natural theology uses reason; revealed theology relies on scripture.
Core rules
- The cosmological argument infers God from contingency or causation; the teleological argument from order or purpose; the ontological argument from the concept of a perfect being.
- The problem of evil argues that an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God is incompatible with evil; defences include free will and soul-making.
- Faith and reason may be seen as conflictual, independent or complementary. Religious language debates ask whether talk of God is literal, analogical or symbolic.
- Applied philosophy includes bioethics, environmental ethics, technology ethics and animal ethics.
- A strong applied answer identifies the moral principle, applies it to facts, considers objections, and reaches a qualified conclusion.
Worked example
In a euthanasia case, a deontologist may appeal to the sanctity of life and the prohibition on intending death; a utilitarian may ask whether the act reduces suffering and respects preferences. The disagreement is not merely about facts but about which principle has priority.
Traps
Do not confuse the ontological argument with the cosmological argument; do not treat the problem of evil as automatically refuting all religion; and do not derive an ought from an is without argument.