Reference no: EM132268022

Question: Paper Assignment

1) In module two, you reviewed several arguments whose purpose is to prove God's necessary and sufficient existence. Each of these arguments approaches the idea of God from the perspective of His containing all perfections, especially that of creator. This means that if any of these arguments turns out to be true it follows that the basis of scientific speculation about the creation of the universe and of life must be wrong.

In module one you learned about the scientific method, and especially the application of this method to thought experiments. That is through the application of reasoned and logical argumentation one may explore and expose the core assumptions of the assertions and belief statements central to the argument. Then by imaginatively testing the validity and truth of these assumptions, come to some conclusion about the reasonableness and possibility of truth pertaining to that argument.

For this assignment take any one of the arguments for God's existence and in your own words summarize, (1) Its main points, (2) tell me what its strong points are, and (3) subject it to a thought experiment of your own design (that means, don't copy from the book), to show whether the argument is reasonable or not according to what you learned in module one. Finally, if it is reasonable, talk a little about why it convinces you, and if you believe it does not, say why not (use just a few sentences here or at most a short summary type paragraph).

2) In this section you have studied several ethical arguments the purpose of which is to both say what is right or good and to justify the reward and punishment for human actions. Below is a case history that I would like for you to consider:

Jane is a 17 year old woman who, about a year ago, presented to the ER of a major New York hospital with symptoms consistent with a neurological problem. She was referred to the neurology department and upon testing was shown to have a condition called neurofibromatosis. Because this is a genetic condition for which there is no cure all that could be done was to operate to remove the benign tumor from here auditory pathways. This meant, however, that she lost all hearing.

The operation was successful and she was discharged for OP follow-up but within about one year she was discovered to have a new tumor growth along her visual pathway. The surgeon recommended a second operation to remove the tumor (without surgical intervention the tumor will grow to the point where brain tissue is destroyed), but Jane was reluctant to have this done. She argued that since the disease is progressive and terminal in any event that she would like to live for the rest of her life with vision. Because the doctor believed that while she might experience some reduction in quality of life she should have to operation because it would prolong her life by several years, maybe even a decade.

Take a position about what should be done and present an argument using one or more of the ethical arguments we covered so far. Offer a defense of your position use reasons and give a personal observation as to why you think your action will be productive of the best outcome.