Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Classical Cosmology (frags)', 'Two Concepts of Liberty' and 'Theology and Verification'

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5 ideas

25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 5. Freedom of lifestyle

20544	Berlin distinguishes 'negative' and 'positive' liberty, and rejects the latter [Berlin, by Swift]
	Full Idea: Isaiah Berlin draws a famous distinction between 'negative' and 'positive' concepts of liberty, and argues that the latter should be seen as a wrong turning (because totalitarian regimes have invoked it).
	From: report of Isaiah Berlin (Two Concepts of Liberty [1958]) by Adam Swift - Political Philosophy (3rd ed) 2 'Intro'
	A reaction: Swift argues against him, saying that positive liberty is not a single concept (it's three), and has aspects that should be defended. I think I'm with Swift on that. Is religious freedom a freedom 'from' something, or a freedom 'to do' something?

27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 1. Cosmology

5994	Is the cosmos open or closed, mechanical or teleological, alive or inanimate, and created or eternal? [Robinson,TM, by PG]
	Full Idea: The four major disputes in classical cosmology were whether the cosmos is 'open' or 'closed', whether it is explained mechanistically or teleologically, whether it is alive or mere matter, and whether or not it has a beginning.
	From: report of T.M. Robinson (Classical Cosmology (frags) [1997]) by PG - Db (ideas)
	A reaction: A nice summary. The standard modern view is closed, mechanistic, inanimate and non-eternal. But philosophers can ask deeper questions than physicists, and I say we are entitled to speculate when the evidence runs out.

29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / c. Religious Verification

1470	Belief in an afterlife may be unverifiable in this life, but it will be verifiable after death [Hick, by PG]
	Full Idea: Religion is capable of 'eschatological verification', by reaching evidence at the end of life, even though falsification of its claims is never found in this life; a prediction of coming to a Celestial City must await the end of the journey.
	From: report of John Hick (Theology and Verification [1960], III) by PG - Db (ideas)

1471	It may be hard to verify that we have become immortal, but we could still then verify religious claims [Hick, by PG]
	Full Idea: Verification of religious claims after death is only possible if the concept of surviving death is intelligible, and we can understand the concept of immortality, despite difficulties in being certain that we had reached it.
	From: report of John Hick (Theology and Verification [1960], IV) by PG - Db (ideas)

29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / d. Religious Falsification

1469	Some things (e.g. a section of the expansion of PI) can be verified but not falsified [Hick, by PG]
	Full Idea: Falsification and verification are not logically equivalent. For example, you might verify the claim that there will be three consecutive sevens in the infinite expansion of PI, but you could never falsify such a claim.
	From: report of John Hick (Theology and Verification [1960], §II) by PG - Db (ideas)