Reason in us: N.O.T.Fun

Natural: It is not cultural or conventional; it is universal, the same in all persons at all times.

Ontological: It applies to being as well as thought. No square-circles or uncaused events.

Transcendental: It is authoritative and self-attesting; it cannot be questioned but it makes questioning possible.

Fundamental: It is basic to other aspects of human personality; its use is the source of man's greatest good and its denial is the source of mans deepest misery.

Ontological Argument

i. Contradictory statements cannot both be true and cannot both be false.

ii. The contradiction of "some is eternal" is "none is eternal"

iii. If "none is eternal" then: All is temporal-had a beginning-came into being.

iv.If all came into being then being came into existence from non-being.

v.Being from non-being is not possible.

vi.Therefore the original "none is eternal" is not possible.

vii.Therefore its contradiction "some is eternal" must be true.

Cosmological Argument

Against Materialism

i. If the material world were eternal it would be self-maintaining

ii.The material world is not self-maintaining.

iii.Therefore the materal world is not eternal.

Support of ii: General, Part, and Whole.

General: Highly Differerentiated. Sameness.

Part: The cosmos are not self-maintaining. No re-filling

Whole: Infinite regress.  Big Bang Oscillation.

The 2nd Cosmological Argument

Against Materialism

i.If all is matter then thinking must be motion of atoms in the brain.

ii.Thinking is not motion of atoms in the brain.

iii.Therefore it is not the case that all is matter.

(Support for ii.)

Thought is True or false and cannot be observed as up/down, fast/slow and straight/curved.

The 3rd Cosmological Argument

Against materialism

i.The most immediately known is the most certainly known.

ii.The self is the most immediately known.

iii.Therefore the self is the most immediately known.

(ii. Support (Not wholly accurate, as it's paraphrased by me.)

The self is more immediately known than anything else that can be known, as the surveyor can attest to his own existence before whatever else exists.

Religion

Religion is a belief or set of beliefs used to give meaning to one's experiences.

The Eternal

Eternal, Infinite, and Unchangeable

(Not finished. Will update.)

Reason in its use: F.C.I.C

Reason, in its use is...

Formative: Form concepts, judgments, and arguments, which are all forms of thought.

Critical: To test for meaning; meaning is more basic than truth. If a law of reason is violated, there is no meaning. Wherever there is meaning, reason is being used.

Interpretive: To interpret (give meaning to) one's experience in light of one's basic beliefs.

Constructive: To construct a coherent world view.

The Laws of thought

Law of identity: A is A

Law of non-contradiction: Not both A and Non-A.

Law of excluded middle: Either A or Non-A

Religion and Its Implications

1. Religion is cognitive. Beliefs are true or false and have meaning based upon the use of reason.

2. No experience is meaningful without interpretation.

3. All are religious since all need and seek meaning.

4. As truth cannot be separated from meaning, faith cannot be separated from reason.

5.There are two basic beliefs: all is eternal and only some is eternal.

6. These two beliefs cannot both be true and cannot both be false since they are contradictory.

7. History is an outworking of the conflict of these two beliefs in all persons, in all cultures and between cultures.

Levels of Religion

Popular, Historical, Philosophical

Popular (95+%)

1. Concern mostly for practical and psychological needs.

2. Generally unaware of historical creeds.

Historical (2-3%)

1.What the best minds have agree'd upon after much discussion.

2. This understanding is summed up in the great creeds of the faith.

Philosophical

1. Addresses questions that have not yet been discussed historically.

2. Addresses questions that remain from the internal and external challenges.

Minimal Definition of God

1. God is a higher power.

2. God is the highest power (none higher)

3. God is eternal (not dependant on another for his being.)

4. Only God is eternal (God is higher than all others.)

5. Only some is eternal (there are other beings beside God than which he is higher.)

6. Some is eternal and some is not eternal (direct implication of the above.)

7. What is eternal brought into existence what is not eternal (being from non-being is impossible.)

8. The eternal (God) is creator (to bring into being is to create.)

Clarity (Definition and Argument)

~C>~D

D

...C

Applied to basic beliefs; a belief is clear to reason if the contradiction is not logically or existentially possible; e.g., there must be something eternal; clarity is necessary for meaning, morality and inexcusability; one knows what is clear if one can show what is clear; what is clear can be known by anyone who seeks to know.

i. If nothing is clear there are no distinctions.

ii. There are distinctions.

iii. Some things are clear.