Our next class will be Sunday, January 19.
(No class this Sunday.)
Last time:
We began with students sharing which were their favorite Truth Quotes and why. We then did a quick review of last time's discussion on Truth, and filling in the "Truth Notes" handout for those who missed it. Please see last time's update and resources, here, for that information.
Next, we continued on to the Principles of Truth and Reason: the principles of non-contradiction, complete explanation, and objective evidence. In the P&C class, we will be considering arguments from a philosophical point of view, i.e. using the Principles of Truth & Reason to look at evidence in a logical way to arrive at the truth, rather than using opinions or beliefs.
These three principles are items 2-4 on the "Ten Universal Principles" handout, which briefly describes each principle. (If you missed getting the handout, or if yours gets lost, see the Resources post linked below.) Principle #1 on the chart, the Principle of Beneficence — aka the Golden Rule — is the one we have already studied extensively.
Many times in history, major injustices have resulted from various tribes, nations, ethnic groups, classes, and other groups considering outsiders to be less human than themselves. Students did a great job brainstorming a list of examples, including:
- genocide between Rwandan ethnic groups
- Muslim women
- the caste system (e.g. India)
- Native Americans mistreated by conquistadors
- slavery in many different times and places
- human sacrifice of neighboring tribes by Aztecs
Properly defining the human person is important in order to prevent such tragedies.
Using the principles of reason and considering all the known data using a 4-step method based on Aristotle's "four causes," we can arrive at a real and complete definition of a being. This method leads to an objective and inclusive definition of the human person that embraces everyone from the unborn to those who are disabled, socially marginalized, elderly, or terminally ill.
Next time, we will analyze pro-abortion arguments using the Principles of Truth & Reason.
If you missed (part of) class or want to review:
- Please begin with the notes above.
- Then visit the Resources post at the class blog for info on the 4-step method of arriving at a complete explanation, definitions of terms, and more!
- Finally, complete the homework below.
- I did record most of the class, and can send you a link to the recording, so let me know if you'd like that.
Homework:
- Many jurisdictions have contradictory laws that consider an unborn child to be a person under some circumstances, but not when it comes to abortion. Do some research and identify if the state where you were born has these types of contradictory laws. If not, research one other state that does, or federal laws. Use the website: www.aul.org/your-state and your state government's website. Bring your results to discuss in class next time.
Class schedule:
The complete schedule is pinned at the top of the class blog.
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Merry Christmas!
Suchi / Mrs. Myjak