David Hume wrote “As every enquiry which regards religion is of the utmost importance, there are two questions in particular which challenge our attention, to wit, that concerning its foundation in reason, and that concerning its origin in human nature”.
To say something is socially constructed is to emphasize our dependence of it in our everyday lives .Basically what it means is that this idea, thing or institution would not exist if we had not made it .If the society was different with different norms and values then probably it is likely that we would have built a different kind of thing. The contrast is with something with an independent existence.
Social constructionism can been seen as a part of the postmodern ideology, the concept behind the postmodern concept is that reality stresses and builds upon worldviews by individuals in a dialectic interaction with society at a time. Dialectical interaction with society at given point in time. This theory assumes that knowledge is not developed within the individual. This theory assumes that human beings rationalize their experiences and knowledge by forming a model of the functioning social world, this theory also assumes language is the most important aspect by which they construct reality. Several theorists talk about the concept of religion as not being cultural or universal but has emerged because of historical and political conditions.
Throughout history (of the West), there has always been a tendency to separate the state from religion, it started in the medieval era and is still being favored today in most nations of the world. The scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th century has given a term to the scientific and religious separation called secularization. .
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...ause suddenly there was a new view of how you look at the world and that challenged many existing social orders. Immanuel Kant was also critique of human reason in order. Kant’s view religion had to be redefined in strictly moral terms. This meant that religion had to be kept separate from our analysis of the physical world.
Daniel C.Dennett in his book ‘Breaking the Spell religion’ talked about Religion as a natural phenomenon. In this book he basically talks about how religion is something that is transmitted culturally through language and symbolism anything other than this such as a product of humans, artifact or something genetic is irrelevant. He argues that when a child is born at that time religion and language is taught to him and it is not something inherited or something innate. He does not deny the existence of God but however he does questions religion.
The next major theory on how one obtains knowledge comes from David Hume’s Empiricism. Empiricism itself is the idea that all knowledge obtained is done so through senses or experiences throughout life. This theory itself clearly contrasts with rationalism as rationalists believe at no point that they should gain knowledge through senses/experiences. Furthermore, as an empiricist, he does not value anything that is not attained through experience. One of Hume’s beliefs is the idea that everyone is born with a mental “blank slate”. Because all knowledge we gain is thought to be gained through experience (which a newborn would have none at that point) the “slate” starts as blank and will filled in as the person learns through experiences. This
... construction works within society, which is that, a person witnesses another 's actions of thoughts on a certain thing. The more they see this type of thought towards said thing, the more they recognize it and assume that they must have the same thought on that subject. (Mizruchi, Fein. 2)
Megan Darnley PHIL-283 May 5, 2014 Compatibilism and Hume. The choices an individual makes are often believed to be by their own doing; there is nothing forcing one action to be done in lieu of another, and the responsibility of one’s actions is on him alone. This idea of Free Will, supported by libertarians and is the belief one is entirely responsible for their own actions, is challenged by necessity, otherwise known as determinism. Those championing determinism argue every action and event is because of some prior cause.
The Social Construction Theory is defined as the event of individuals and or groups perceive real life events and objects and put a meaning to them. Social construction is an ongoing process and views can be modified because the concept is relying upon the communication from one person to another and different people can interpret things differently. One way society has constructed ideas is with animals. Throughout history people have created stories using animals as characters and those stories were passed down from generation to generation. Those stories can influence how people feel about the actual animals.
Perhaps the most powerful statement made about religion was made by Dr. John Simmons of Western Illinois University. He makes the valid point that religion is not a noun, but a verb. Religion is based on beliefs and how people act based on those beliefs. Tradition, prayer, and meditation are all acts of religion and are considered intangible behaviors. Although many rituals of religion are “things”, the ethical and social portions are lifestyles. In addition to this point, Dr. Simmons mentions the possibility of religion being founded as a way to understand and answer important questions about life and death. People must find out who they are, why they are here on Earth, and what purpose their life holds. Questions known as boundary questions are posed when humans are faced with new situations in their lives (Beliefs and Believers, Class 1). They must believe that there is reasoning to support their actions. Rites of passage are the most frequent experiences involving boundary questions. For example, as a child of Christian parents, I was told that people die because it is their turn to be with Jesus. Heaven made sense to me and comforted me, knowing that my loved ones would be in such a wonderful place. Also in the Christian religion, questions may arise about the beginning of life and how we got to Earth. The myth of Adam and Eve and the story of the Creation answers that for Christian believers. As for my purpose on Earth, my question was answered by the Christian doctrine. I am here to spread the word of God in actions and words so that all humans may know His love. However, these answers do not make sense to a...
how we were raised, what believes that were instilled into us and how other might view or perceive us. This matters in the study of social problems, because it allows us to understand the individual or group of people. An example of something that is socially constructed is a wealthy man purchases organic locally grown fish food for his pet fish, when he checks out the cashier, who makes $6 an hour makes note the man is spending $50 on fish food and thinks to themselves, WOW! This fish is going to eat better than me. The man thinks to himself, I am taking great care of my fish and everyone should feed their fish this food. The cashier thinks, his man is wasteful with his money and has no sense of
The term social construction is the understandings childhoods are not the same everywhere and that while all societies acknowledge that children are different from adults, how they are different and what expectations are placed on them, change according to the society in which they live and what culture they are born in to. Every individual child goes through emotional changes that occur between birth and adolescence. A Childs development is impacted by the environment and nurture during this course. For example having both parents can add stability to the child’s life which encourages a healthy development. As opposed to being raised by one working parent who can’t provide the child with the same amount of time a two parent family can which some may argue impacts the child’s progression. Social construction of childhood and youth is how culture dictates the way people act and treat children and the way this impacts their adulthood. Ideas about children and childhood
In Part II of David Hume’s Dialogues of Natural Religion, Demea remarks that the debate is not about whether or not God exists, but what the essence of God is. (pg.51) Despite this conclusion in Part II, in his introduction to the Dialogues Martin Bell remarks that the question of why something operates the way it does is quite different from the question why do people believe that it operates the way it does. (pg. 11) This question, the question of where a belief originates and is it a valid argument, is much of the debate between Hume’s three characters in the Dialogues. (pg. ***)
Scottish philosopher David Hume wrote one of his famous writings, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, in 1779, which is a conversation between three individuals discussing religion and the various aspects surrounding it. The three members of the dialogue are Philo, Demea, and Cleanthes. Demea represents fideism, which means that he believes that one has to rely on faith, not reason. Philo represents skepticism and is the individual whose ideas are closest to Hume’s own personal views on religion. Cleanthes represents theological rationalism, which is the belief that one can learn about God through evidence in nature. A major topic of discussion in Hume’s Dialogues between Philo, Demea, and Cleanthes is the argument from design.
As far as mankind’s history can date, religion has had quite an intimate relationship with people. Although maybe it hasn’t always been identified in the same way as we identify religion today, spread across the world we have the remains of pyramids, temples, and even written in ancient texts from centuries ago dedicated to god, to the afterlife, to what lies on the other side. And up to today’s times, religion has grown along with man.
Some sociologists claim that what changes primarily is the social system and religious change is an effect of the change in the former. It is not religion but, to a larger extent, the economy that is supposed to legitimize reality. From this perspective it is the social system that changes and this change in relation to religion means secularization, which generally speaking means the diminishing impact of religion on social life at various levels, degrees and intensities. Theories such as Luckmann’s privatization thesis or Hervieu-Le´ger’s emotional theory of religion may be categorized as giving priority to changes within the individual. The fundamental thought is that in contemporary society it is primarily the individual who changes. It is the individual that seeks direct contact with the sacral sphere, is driven by emotion, feeling, a personal and individualized need. The third current of theoretical solutions to the question of what predominates in modern and post-modern changes is the one that points to religion itself as the sphere of these changes. It is neither the society nor the individual, but rather religion that is pushed to the forefront of the phenomenon. Religion in confrontation with modernity takes on new forms which function well in the modern
Religion is an ever-growing idea that has no set date of origin. Throughout history religion has served as an answer to the questions that man could not resolve. The word religion is derived from the Latin word “religio” meaning restraint in collaboration with the Greek word “relegere” which means to repeat or to read again. Religion is currently defined as an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. Throughout time, there has yet to be a culture that lacks a religion of some form, whether it is a branch of paganism, a mythological based religion or mono/polytheistic religion. Many religions have been forgotten due to the fact that they were ethnic religions and globalizing religions were fighting to be recognized, annihilating these ancient and ethnic religions. Some of these faiths include: Finnish Paganism, Atenism, Minoan Religion, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Vedism, Zoroastrianism, Asatru, and the Olmec Religion. Religion is an imperative part of our contemporary world but mod...
Religion has stricken much debate over its origins. Some finds propose that some sort of religion was present since the beginning of mankind. Evidence of sacrificial ceremonies can relate the relationship between man and animal, and between man and his natural environment. Another theory of the birth of religion came from the “Near East” from the polytheistic views of the Hindu. They believed there were gods and goddesses of fire, wind, rain, and earth which lead to them making ceremonial prayers for rain, sunshine, or health. The pantheistic views, from African and American Indian cultures, briefly meant all is God. And the monotheistic views which is believed to have come from 2000BC. One can only question, what purpose does religion serve in today’s society? And what does society, as a whole, feel it needs to know?
David Hume is considered to be one of the big three British empiricists, along with Hobbes and Locke, and lived near the end of the Enlightenment. The Catholic Church was losing its control over science, politics and philosophy and the Aristotelian world view was being swallowed up by a more mechanistic viewpoint. Galileo found the theory provided by Copernicus to be correct, that our earth was not the center of everything, but the celestial bodies including the earth circled the sun. Mathematicians abounded. Pascal developed the first mechanical calculator and Newtonian physics was breaking new ground. Not even the arts were immune. Within the same era Mary Shelley authored Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus. The main theme for this novel was the effects science was having on humanity. The scientific revolution was well underway and set to become the new religion. Hume attempted to strip the omnipotence of both divinity and reason and place it squarely on human experience. To try and secure anything beyond our realm of natural human experience is an exercise in futility. We are trapped behind the wall of human sensory experience. Hume suggests that complex ideas come from simple ideas, and ideas come from impressions. These impressions are arrived at through perception. “Ideas produce the images of themselves in new ideas; but as the first ideas are supposed to be derived from impressions, it still remains true, that all our simple ideas proceed either mediately or immediately, from their correspondent impressions.” Hume uses “mitigated skepticism” with surgical precision. While this is the same methodology that Rene Descartes used to arrive at his well known declaration “I think therefore I am” it has drastically different...
Social Structure is the framework of social institution family, education, religion, and political views shape the relationships members of society have with one another. Social structure suggests that society prepares crime and those who commit the crime give it life. Structural theorist follows two general models of society, the consensus perspective or the conflict perspective.