Although the packet has Karen Armstrong's article first - read Richard Dawkins articles first.
1) After you have read the articles: write the main thesis / argument for each and then give as many of the main supporting arguments for each. I suggest that you take notes as you go so you can formulate the argument after you've read.
Richard Dawkins said that because of the theory of evolution, God became less believable for most people in the world. He also said that if there was a God, he had no hand in the creation of life due to evolution. If that was correct then he would've been very bored with everything in the world. Dawkins stated that life was the only thing that could manipulate the laws of physics. He states that the possibility of life is out there, but if there is extra terrestrial life, then it is probably unsophisticated.
Karen Armstrong agrees with Dawkins on his belief that the theory of evolution has dealt a serious blow to the concept and the belief of God. But, she thinks that God is and should be seen as a symbol, and thinks that the idea of God has not been given up on due to the fact that people see him through symbols. She also said that religion should now, not instead of answering unanswerable questions, but along with it, be a way to guide one's life. Religion should now be viewed and understood more for the moral actions and values in life.
2) Also as you read make notes of what is most intriguing and / or interesting to you. Give at least one example of something that made you "think".
2) Also as you read make notes of what is most intriguing and / or interesting to you. Give at least one example of something that made you "think".
Something i found very interesting, was when Karen Armstrong was talking about the ancient Greeks. She said, "Most cultures believed that there were two recognized ways of arriving at truth. The Greeks called them Mythos and Logos. Both were essential and Neither was superior to the other; they were not in conflict but complimentary, each with its own sphere of competence." This intrigued me because we talked about a chart in class where it was a circle that was not connected in the middle, and the ends were reason and religion. Which, in essence is what she is saying the Greeks believed a few thousand years ago.
3) Finally, develop a ToK approach to the reading. What is the "knowledge" presented by each of the authors.
3) Finally, develop a ToK approach to the reading. What is the "knowledge" presented by each of the authors.
Neither author has complete proof of what they are saying, but they both use the metaphysical knowledge of God to describe what they are trying to say.
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