Blake is the enemy of all authority(TM) Essay Example for Free

Blake is the enemy of all authority(TM) Essay Blakes poetry often serves to propagate his anti-authoritarian views and loathing of institutional power. Furthermore, his views often impress upon the reader his belief in the human right for both spiritual and social freedom, unconstrained by established convention. Blakes treatment of the institution of the church and religion is often contemptuous and shows his attitude to what he sees as the hypocrisy of an uncompromising establishment which in his eyes causes misery, rather than nurturing the human sole. In The Garden of Love Blake conveys his anti-clerical message in the stanza the gates of this chapel were shut and reflects his view of the church as exclusionary. Moreover, the shut gates imply that the path to heaven and God does not start at the foot of the alter, but in individual belief and spirituality. The idea is further reinforced in the poem by the image of priests binding with briars my joys and desires and thereby placing the priests in the position of Christs oppressors, making them seem malevolent in robbing people of their natural joyful impulse. The alliteration and assonance within the binding with briars further reinforces the idea of a cruel path to supposed salvation. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell challenges traditional Christian theology and makes the statement that Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion, this conveys his belief that whilst society may restrain immorality, religion can create it. The prisons built with stones of law also symbolise how traditional doctrinal teaching has imprisoned personal individuality. Furthermore Good is the passive which obeys reason. Evil is the active springing from energy epitomises the teaching of the Church of Blakes time and is contrary to the sentiments of most contemporary readers in an age prizing individuality and condemnatory of passive indolence. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell was composed after the 1789 French Revolution and in a period of radical ideological and political conflict, therefore Blakes condemnation of apathy is aimed to promulgate his vision of anarchic energy free from the restrain of authority. Reason is the bound or outward circumference of energy suggests that living purely through ones intellect is what constrains boundless energy, which to him is eternal delight. So in this respect it is evident that the traditional authority given to rationality is seen as preventative to living life to its full as the restrainer or reason governs the unwilling. This indicates Blakes view that the natural human instinct is to oppose reason and that to act according to reason is tantamount to acting under duress, in the mistaken belief that to oppose reason is to go against the Good [which] is the passive that obeys reason. In the poem The school Boy Blake condemns school- an institution which tries to teach reason as restricting the childs vivacity in his natural environment. How can the bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing? is a metaphor for human imprisonment to show that the environment of the classroom cannot cultivate the unrestrained and joyful energy which Blake reveres. This is in contrast to the sky-lark [which] sings with the boy when he rise[s] in a summer morn When the birds sing on every tree. This illustrates the bucolic setting, filled with aural imagery and how joy prevails in the boundless confines of nature. The repression of man-created institutions such as school can be contrasted to the freedom provided by nature, where arguably God is the only authority. The nurses song centres on the liberating environment of nature where the voices of children are heard on the green and laughing is heard on the hill. This evokes the abundance of delight created by Gods creation of the natural world and how in Blakes time the idyllic countryside of England was yet largely unspoiled by large, polluting manufacturers seeking profit maximisation. The laughing of the children in The Nurses Song almost becomes as natural as the song of the little birds and shows that in such pastoral surroundings the childrens freedom is boundless just as that of the birds. However, this freedom is circumscribed by the watchful nurse in The Nurses Song in Songs of Experience who reprimands the children saying your spring and your day are wasted in play and in contrast to the well intentioned protection of the children in the first Nurses Song, this poem presages the eventual loss of the childrens natural freedom. However, Blake does not oppose parental authority arising from love, that is in the best interests of the child. Whilst he may rightfully condemn the parents in The Chimney Sweeper (experience) who clothed [their child] in the clothes of death And taught [him] to sing the notes of woe, this is because they are uncaring and hostile to their childs happiness that is anathema to them. Consequently, their authority is destructive and oppressive. But, Blake does not condemn the guiding role of the mother in The Little Black Boy, who taught [him] underneath a tree, as her teaching is not institutionalised and rigidly doctrinal, but done outdoors in the natural environment that Blake so venerates. Moreover, at a time when slavery was still legal in England and the general perception of other races was of a racist sort, Blakes portrayal of the boy and his mother in an affectionate manner, devoid of savagery would have challenged the notions of his day. In another radical step away from the customs of his time the introduction to Songs of Innocence gives authority to the child, to which the piper assents. Pipe a song about a lamb. / So I piped with merry cheer paints the child was the origin of creativity and beautiful, with the piper as his instrument. The reference to the lamb suggests that the child has a moral and spiritual purpose and that his youthful innocence makes him more adept than the piper to whom he shoes how to convey the message through song. However the transience of the childs authority is conveyed in the words so he vanished from my sight which re-establishes the reality of Blakes time when children were powerless to resist the demands of their elders and could not dictate their own wishes or destinies. Blakes focus on authority is intended to make a social and political statement about the customs of his day. Arguably, he does not oppose all authority but merely the kind arising from self-interest and requiring the sacrifice of fellow human beings. His poetry advocates individuality and unrestrained vivacity for life rare for his time and fundamentally preaches unbridled equality.

Hunger game Essay Example for Free

Hunger game Essay In the novel the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main character is Katniss Everdeen a female that represent district 12. Throughout her journey she has to fight against eleven other district and twenty-three other tributes in order to be the last tribute to survive. Although Katniss know that the Hunger Games is not an easy task to complete winning or staying alive is the only option, she still gain the power and confidences to compete. Throughout the Hunger Games all the power was given to the totalitarian government of the capitol. The government was able to control the people and the districts of Panem, because they hold most of the country of Panem wealth. In theHunger Games the citizens of Panem were consider to be servants in a brutal game of life and death. The games keep the people of the districts divided and fighting among themselves. â€Å"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill on another while we watch† (1.  18). The main purpose is to remind the districts how weak they are, and cannot do nothing about it, their deaths is for televised entertainment. As the journey continues Katniss started to develop more power and confidences in herself. The control the capitol has over each districts is to maintain order. But when it came to Katniss and Peeta the capitol had little control over them. â€Å"Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble† (1. 6). At this point in time Katniss’s fear that the capitol is controlling her. â€Å"I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not† (10. 141). Peeta wants to die as himself, not as one of the capitol’s servants. The Hunger Games involved different stages of dystopia. In which they used propaganda to control the citizens of Panem. The only option they have is to fight for their survival to win or to be killed. However Katniss defeats the capitol and frees the districts from its wrath.

Oxygen Consumption in Cellular Respiration

Oxygen Consumption in Cellular Respiration Introduction   Dormant seeds are seeds that are living but have a seed coat around them. They have all the supplies they need to process and have a metabolism, and they would be able to germinate if they were under the right conditions.1 Germination occurs when dormant seeds are placed in the right conditions to start to enlarge and open so roots start to protrude. Oxygen, water, temperature, and amount of light are all important factors for germination. For peas to germinate, they need a dark, warm environment after soaking in water.   Cellular respiration is a metabolic process. Eventually, catabolic reactions are used to break down an organic molecule to release energy. Cellular respiration occurs through three stages: Glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, and oxidation phosphoralation. Cellular respiration is aerobic, and glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2) go into the reaction, and through the process, carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and up to 38 ATP are produced. This means that during the process, the glucose is broken down and the oxygen is consumed. As this happens, carbon dioxide and water come out and energy is released into the cell.   The general gas equation, otherwise known as the Ideal Gas Law, states: PV=nRT such that P is pressure, V is gas volume, n is the amount of gas molecules, R is the gas constant that remains the same and is measured in units of the other aspects, and T is temperature of the gas. The general gas equation is important because it shows that pressure and volume are inversely proportional in the molecules and temperature stays the same. Also, if the molecule number stays the same, but the temperature changes, the pressure and volume are directly proportional to temperature and one or both will change in the same direction. A respirometer measures how much oxygen is used during cellular respiration. The basic concept is, as oxygen from the air in the respirometer will be consumed in the reaction; the volume of the oxygen gas decreases, and the pressure decreases as well. When the pressure decreases, water from outside the respirometer will proportionally come into the pipette, and if the amount entering is measured, then the amount of oxygen consumed is the same. Potassium hydroxide solution reacts with carbon dioxide to form potassium carbonate. The carbon dioxide will be completely used in the reaction, so none will be left in the surroundings. In the experiment, the carbon dioxide that is produced will move towards the 15% KOH solution and will create the solid potassium carbonate. Therefore, any volume change is not related to the CO2.   The purpose of the experiment is to determine how much O2 is used in cellular respiration. In addition, the different rates of reactions of germinated peas compared to dry peas is tested to determine if one is more efficient, and different temperatures are tested to see which has the greatest effect. It was hypothesized that the germinated peas will have a higher rate of reaction and therefore consumes more oxygen than the dry peas. Also, the peas in the warmer water will have a higher rate of reaction as well. Materials and Methods 50mL tube H2O Tub with 10 ° C Water Extra ice Tub with room-temperature Water 50 germinating peas 50 dried peas Glass beads Paper towels Six vials Six stoppers with glass calibrated pipettes attached Absorbent cotton Nonabsorbent cotton Dropper 6mL 15% KOH solution 6 weights Tape Thermometer The room temperature water tub was placed out before the experiment took place to insure that the water reached equilibrium. Ice was added to the water of the second tub to keep a constant temperature of 10 ° C. This temperature was maintained by adding ice when needed throughout the experiment. A tube was filled with 25mL of H2O. 25 germinating peas were added, and the water displacement was recorded. This was the volume of the 25 germinating peas. The peas were then placed on a paper towel to dry off. The tube was refilled, and 25 dried peas were added. Glass beads were added until the same volume of germinating peas was reached. The peas and beads were placed on a paper towel to dry. The tube was refilled and only glass beads were added until the germinating peas volume was reached. The beads were placed on a paper towel to dry. The process of adding germinating peas, dried peas, and glass beads to 25mL of H2O was repeated so there were two sets of each. Next, the respirometers were created. Absorbent cotton was placed on the bottom of each of the six vials. One milliliter of 15% KOH was placed on the cotton, making sure that the sides of the vials remained dry. Nonabsorbent cotton was placed on top of the moistened cotton. For vial 1, the first set of germinating peas was placed on top of the cotton. Vial 2 had the first set of dried peas and beads, and vial three had the first set of only beads. Vial four had the second set of germinating peas, vial five had the second set of dried peas and beads, and vial six and the second set of beads. The stoppers with the pipettes were placed in each vial. A weight was attached to the bottom of each. Tape was placed across each tub to create a sling. The first 3 vials were placed in the tub of room-temperature water, and the last three were placed in the 10 ° C water tub. The pipettes of all were placed on the sling so that the vials were not completely in the water. After seven minutes, all the respirometers were submerged in the water so that the numbers on the pipette could still be read. After 3 minutes, the initial water amount was recorded for each vial. The temperature in both tubs was recorded. The water position was recorded for each vial in both tubs every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. Once done, the respirometers were taken apart, the cotton and peas were discarded, and the rest of the respirometers were washed and dried. The water in the tubs was discarded in the sink. Results It was hypothesized that the germinating peas would have a faster rate of reaction than the dried peas, and the ones in the room temperature water would have a better reaction rate than the ones in 10 ° water. The results support the hypothesis. As shown in Table 3, the difference column shows the initial reading minus the reading of the time for each vial, this represents how much water has entered into the pipette since the beginning of the experiment. If the water entered more, then the pressure inside the vial must have decreased, therefore the oxygen in the vial must have been consumed during the experiment. The germinating peas had much more of a difference than the dried peas. Therefore, oxygen was consumed must faster in the germinating peas than the dried ones. The hypothesis was correct. The glass beads were the control of the experiment, since there was no respiration taking place in those respirometers; therefore, if there were any outside forces affecting the experiment, they would be detected in this respirometer. In table 3, the difference in the initial and each time check was shown for beads. The pressure did change slightly in both the room temperature and 10 ° C water. This could be due to the temperature change of the air, resulting in the temperature change in the water and respirometer. According to the general gas law, if the temperature increases, the pressure or volume will also increase, and this would cause the water to leave the pipette. Therefore, the difference would be negative since there is less water in the tube than the initial amount. The corrected differences shown in Table 3 are found by subtracting the difference of the beads initial reading and reading at the moment from the difference between the initial amount and the reading of the moment of the peas. This is the amount of pressure just lost only due to cellular respiration. When the corrected difference is negative, that means that the pressure increased in the vial, as discussed above. The corrected differences in the 20 ° water are shown in Figure 1. The germinating peas increased a lot more than the dried peas, shown by the steep slope of the germinating peas in 20 ° C water. The dried peas actually had a negative corrected difference, which indicates either an increase in pressure or increase in temperature. Figure 2 shows the corrected differences in the 10 ° C water. The germinating peas still had a higher rate of reaction for cellular respiration in the colder water. The dried peas had a negative corrected difference, so like the ones in the r oom temperature water, this indicates either temperature of pressure increases around the respirometers. The hypothesis that cellular respiration would occur more in the room temperature respirometers than the 10 ° C water was correct. The germinating peas in the room temperature water consumed far more oxygen than the ones in the 10 ° water. As shown in Table 3, in the first five minutes, the germinating peas in the room water caused the pressure to drop .2 mL in the respirometer. The ones in the cold water only caused the pressure to drop .06mL, the big difference already shows that higher temperatures affect cellular respiration positively. Figure 3 shows the two germinating peas in the different water. The ones in room temperature water have a steep slope compared to the ones in the 10 ° C water. The curves indicate that the cellular respiration increased faster in the germinating peas in the room temperature water than the ones in the 10 ° C water. The difference between the two temperatures shows that the cellular respiration has an ideal temperature to achieve efficiency of the respiration, and that room temperature is better than 10 ° C water.

INFLUENZA Essay -- essays research papers

INFLUENZA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A virus called an Orthomyxovirus causes influenza. Often called flu, sometimes-even grippe. It is a very contagious disease, and it infects many parts of our bodies. This also includes are lungs. A person can get influenza if someone coughs, sneezes, or even talks around you while they are infected. Influenza is sometimes considered serious in some cases but can be prevented and treated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When you get the â€Å"flu† in the lungs, the lining of the respiratory tract is damaged by becoming swollen and inflamed. But the damage is not always permanent, and tissue heals within a couple of weeks. It is a respiratory disease, even though it infects the whole body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The victims’ symptoms usually are fever, chills, weakness, loss of appetite and body, head, back, arm, and leg ache. If you have the disease you may also suffer sore throat, a dry cough, nausea, and burning red eyes. Usually the victim will have nasal congestion and mucus discharge. The fever can reach to about 104*F but it only lasts about 2-3 days then it recedes. Occasionally in more severe cases there will also be gastrointestinal upset. In short, after all these horrible symptoms the patient still feels exhausted a series of days after the flu is gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Healthy people have nothing to worry about really when it comes to influenza. It is a moderately severe illness and people are usually back on...

Sex, Masculine Pride, and War in Henry V Essay -- Henry IV Henry V Ess

Sex, Masculine Pride, and War in Henry V      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Henry V, though reputed to be a crude, early item from Shakespeare's canon, provides many interesting and mature discussions on morality and psychology. Far from being, as it were, pre-written by being an "historical" work, it is a testament to the bard's skill that he can work so many ideas into a frame that has to take account of popular facts.    Interpretation of the play tends to revolve around issues of kingship, duplicity in Harry's self-presentation, or the consequences of war, but there is a glaring line of discussion present which has generally been missed: the relationship of war to sex and masculine pride. One critic writes, "War is a version of male lust. Hal never grows up but works out ways to aggrandize himself by owning more and more property. Geography as ego. And... he's a rapist too" (Landis 201). There are at least three significant relationships of pride, lust, and war which are brought out in the play and will be pointed to in the following. One is war as a response to insult and perceived or suggested (sexual) inadequacy. One is war as the occasion of massive rapine. The other is war itself as a sort of metaphorical rape. These themes will be brought to light most clearly by attention to the most traditionally ignored passages of Henry V.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Critics have often dismissed the comic scenes of the play as crowd-pleasing devices or filler, "only casually related to the main action" (Becker 74). The filler theory can be dismissed outright given the length the play already enjoys. The scenes involving Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph, or Fluellen and Gower actually fit the play perfectly. As far as the play's themes go, these... ... of many of this play's lines.    Works Cited Becker, George J. Shakespeare's Histories. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1977. Brennan, Anthony. Henry V. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1992. Landis, Hoan Hutton. "Another Penelope." Women's Re-Visions of Shakespeare. Ed. Marianne Novy. Chicago: Univeristy of Illinois Press, 1990. 196-211. Shakespeare, William. Henry V. Ed. F. Marshall and Stanley Wood. London: George Gill & Sons, (year unknown; between 1892 and 1936). Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Ed. John Dover Wilson. London: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Wilcox, Lance. "Katherine of France as Victim and Bride." Shakespeare Studies 27 (1985): 61-76.    1[1] i.e. the lily, the symbol of France, featured on its coat of arms. 2[2] "Flower of the bed," i.e. the maiden Katherine.

The Medical and Ethical Perspectives of Human Cloning Essay -- Argumen

The Medical and Ethical Perspectives of Human Cloning      Ã‚  Ã‚   In our modern day world, the technology of genetic engineering and human cloning for the use of asexual reproduction has reached a point to where we must ask ourselves if it is a good practice for medical purposes, or if it presents issues of ethical and moral concern.   Human cloning is a very cmplex process; it is very multilayered in the promises and threats that are suggested by scientists (Kolata 8).   In the basic definition, cloning is accomplished by removing the nucleus of a mature, unfertilized egg and replacing it with a specialized cell from an adult organism.   The nucleus taken contains most of the hereditary material from the original human source, and it develops from the human source it was taken from.   This process makes it possible for scientists, or geneticists, to reproduce unlimited amounts of duplicates, which are known as clones (Pence:   Flesh 18).   Human cloning has reached a point wher the ethical and moral values have not been co nsidered, and we have not fully learned and understood the negative consequences of such a new and overwhelming technology.   There are, however, individual benefits of using genetic engineering for medical purposes.   Such purposes include gene therapy and asexual reproduction.   The use of genetic engineering in our society is viewed differently in two very arguable ways.   Scientists, bioethicists, doctors, lawyers, professors, and authors join in the debate over human cloning and its medical benefits versus moral and ethnical concern.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cloning and genetic engineering ahve been ideas that scientists have explored for a long time.   "Cloning first came to public attention roughly thirty years ago, following the s... ...raise tough questions. http://www.msnbc.com/news/229707.asp Mohler, Albert R. "The Brave New World of Cloning: A Christian Worldview Perspective."   Human Cloning: Religious Responses.   Ed. Ronald Cole-Turner. Louiseville, Ky.: Westminster John Know Press, c 1997. MSNBC Staff and Wire Reports.   Korea says human clone test succeeds: Scientists claim to cultivate human embryo in experiment.   http://www.msnbc.com/news/224234.asp Pence, Gregory E. Flesh of my Flesh: The Ethics of Cloning Humans.   Lanham, Md. Rowman and Littlefield, c 1998. Pence, Gregory E. Who's Afraid of Human Cloning? Lanham, Md. Rowman and Littlefield, c 1998. Roleff, Tamara L. ed. Biomedical Ethics: Opposing Viewpoints.   San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. c 1998. Wekesser, Carol. ed. Genetic Engineering: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. c 1996. The Medical and Ethical Perspectives of Human Cloning Essay -- Argumen The Medical and Ethical Perspectives of Human Cloning      Ã‚  Ã‚   In our modern day world, the technology of genetic engineering and human cloning for the use of asexual reproduction has reached a point to where we must ask ourselves if it is a good practice for medical purposes, or if it presents issues of ethical and moral concern.   Human cloning is a very cmplex process; it is very multilayered in the promises and threats that are suggested by scientists (Kolata 8).   In the basic definition, cloning is accomplished by removing the nucleus of a mature, unfertilized egg and replacing it with a specialized cell from an adult organism.   The nucleus taken contains most of the hereditary material from the original human source, and it develops from the human source it was taken from.   This process makes it possible for scientists, or geneticists, to reproduce unlimited amounts of duplicates, which are known as clones (Pence:   Flesh 18).   Human cloning has reached a point wher the ethical and moral values have not been co nsidered, and we have not fully learned and understood the negative consequences of such a new and overwhelming technology.   There are, however, individual benefits of using genetic engineering for medical purposes.   Such purposes include gene therapy and asexual reproduction.   The use of genetic engineering in our society is viewed differently in two very arguable ways.   Scientists, bioethicists, doctors, lawyers, professors, and authors join in the debate over human cloning and its medical benefits versus moral and ethnical concern.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cloning and genetic engineering ahve been ideas that scientists have explored for a long time.   "Cloning first came to public attention roughly thirty years ago, following the s... ...raise tough questions. http://www.msnbc.com/news/229707.asp Mohler, Albert R. "The Brave New World of Cloning: A Christian Worldview Perspective."   Human Cloning: Religious Responses.   Ed. Ronald Cole-Turner. Louiseville, Ky.: Westminster John Know Press, c 1997. MSNBC Staff and Wire Reports.   Korea says human clone test succeeds: Scientists claim to cultivate human embryo in experiment.   http://www.msnbc.com/news/224234.asp Pence, Gregory E. Flesh of my Flesh: The Ethics of Cloning Humans.   Lanham, Md. Rowman and Littlefield, c 1998. Pence, Gregory E. Who's Afraid of Human Cloning? Lanham, Md. Rowman and Littlefield, c 1998. Roleff, Tamara L. ed. Biomedical Ethics: Opposing Viewpoints.   San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. c 1998. Wekesser, Carol. ed. Genetic Engineering: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. c 1996.

Religion and Morality Essay

Morality as dependant on religion The idea of whether morality and religion are linked or not was first looked upon by Plato, where in his Euthyphro Dilemma he asks, ‘Is what is pious loved by the Gods because it is pious, or is something pious because it is loved?’ In other words he is questioning whether things are good because God commands them to be, or does God command them because they are good? I will first examine the view followed by theists today, that things are good because God loves them and that religion and morality are linked. There are a number of ways which you can establish a possible link between religion and morality, the first being heteronomously. Heteronomy is the view that morality depends on religious belief, or things derived from religion. The rules in heteronomous societies are from religious authority so will obviously be linked to religion, however a non-religious person is still capable of being heteronomous as they live and abide by the culture’s laws therefore adopting a morality based on religion. To a certain extent it is hard to deny aspects of heteronomy, since words like ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are shaped by religion. It would be hard to present an ethical theory free from these terms. A theonomous link can also be made, where morality and religion depend on one source (for example, in Western cultures God) who is the fundamental designer of what is moral. Unlike Heteronomy, Theonomy does not require a religious authority as it is to do with the individual’s personal belief in the aforementioned source. The Natural Law theory developed by Aquinas is considered theonomous, in which an uncaused cause is the creative source for all. We can access God directly in this theory by fulfilling our purposes in life set by Him at our creation. The view that things are good through God’s command is directly illustrated in The Divine Command Theory, the common theory adopted by believers in the God of Classical Theism. According to Emil Brunner (1947), ‘The Good consists in always doing what God wills at any particular moment’, as it essentially impossible for God to command an evil act. If nothing was commanded or forbidden by God then there would be no wrong or right and arguably, there would be chaos. The DCT can be seen to provide a strong foundation for a stable necessary morality to be built upon as well as personal reasons to abide by it. For example, taken from the views of Kant (although not directly aimed at the DCT) the belief in the existence of an afterlife gives us incentive to live a moral life, which we otherwise may not be able to force ourselves to do. The presence of such an afterlife, and the fear of punishment make it rational (According to William Craig) to go against your own self-interest for the benefit of others, as self-sacrificial acts are looked upon well by God. This provides more answers to the question ‘Why be Moral?’ The DCT can be accessed through the Decalogue in the Bible (Exodus 20, old Testament), which provides a set of ten absolute, deontological commands by God. Also through the New Testament in Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount’ where he makes laws much more situationalist with teachings such as ‘Love your neighbour’, which are flexible and apply to many situations. Finally, many theists argue that it does not make sense for morals to exist in a non-moral universe as there is nowhere they originate from, they don’t fit into a natural universe. They do however fit into a theistic universe where they were created by a moral creator (i.e God), it is then easy to see why they exist. This is supported by philosophers such as John Newman who states that feelings of responsibility and guilt point to God, and by D.I Trethowan, who suggests that an awareness of obligation is an awareness of God. Aii) Morality as independent from Religion A belief in morality as being totally independant from God is an autonomous belief, and there are many arguments in compliance with Autonomy, very much to do with the idea of free-will. If we really are to act with personal freedom of choice then we cannot act out of fear of God’s punishment, it totally voids the notion of free-will; and if God is omniscient and omnipotent he would know what decisions we are to make anyway and he would have the ability to stop us making the wrong ones. James Rachels concludes that no being like God can exist who requires us to abandon our moral autonomy is worth worshipping. There are theories in concurrence with Autonomy which allow still for a good, firm morality without dependency on religion such as Utilitarianism (greatest good for greatest number) so it can be said that religion is unnecessary There are many autonomous arguments against the DCT, beginning with the fact that God himself is not bound by any moral law. This would mean that God’s Ten Commandments could easily have been totally the opposite to what they are, encouraging acts like murder and we would still consider them to be good as God is the epitemy of good. This worrying problem was recognized by philosophers such as G.W Leibniz, who decreed, ‘Why praise him for what he has done, if he would be equally as praiseworthy if he had done the contrary?’ There is belief that if God had commanded acts such as murder, people still would not do them as we through our intuition feel they are intrinsically wrong. Another difficulty with the DCT lies in the many different interpretations which can be drawn from God. The existence of lots of different religions all with equal claim to God makes it very complicated as we cannot tell which one is right. Also, if morality depends on God then surely it would be impossible for an atheist to live a moral life, but this is obviously untrue as so many atheists do live morally. Further criticisms of the DCT stem from its assumption that God is omnibenevolent, a claim which is not easy to comprehend for the atheist because of the undeniable existence of evil. Lastly, many people argue that religion is itself immoral, as it is through religion that the most part of suicide bomb attacks, and other horrific acts are carried out. Examples could be drawn from the events in America involving the Twin Towers, or more recently the teacher in Sudan who is imprisoned for allowing a teddy to be named after the prophet Muhammad. If not for religion, these arguably ridiculous acts would never be justifiable. Hume said on the subject, ‘the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous. Richard Dawkins in ‘The God Delusion’, clearly advocates the theory that religion is immoral when he discusses the story of Lot. This ‘righteous’ man is to be saved from the destruction of Soddom and Gomorrah because he is the most worthy man, however he offers his daughters for gang rape. According to Dawkins this emphasizes the serious disrespect for women in an intensely religious culture. B) To what extent is one of these claims more convincing than the other Going back to the basics of the Divine Command Theory, there are 613 commands in the Bible which were originally in effect, but are not now because they are ‘outdated’, and theists argue that an omniscient God used them knowing they would be relevant for different times. These theists fail, however to a provide a logical explanation for why there is nothing in the Bible which can be related to biological advances such as cloning, an omniscient God should be capable of filling in these gaps in moral law. Furthermore, as Dawkins relevantly points out – how can someone decide that parts of the Bible are now irrelevant, this is just picking and choosing which parts are in your best interest to follow. This suggests that the Bible and therefore the DCT does not in fact provide a stable foundation for morality as there are numerous conclusions to be drawn from ‘relevant’ parts. It must also be taken into consideration that the Bible is not in its original form, through hundreds of years it has been composed and revised so (as put forward by Dawkins again) does it not seem strange that we base our whole morality on such a distorted teaching. Another feature of the DCT, is that everyone will be judged by God, punished for their sins, often in the form of natural disasters. People could say that the recent tsunami and Hurricane Katrina incidents were a form of punishment, but as Dawkins once again highlights, why did this have to happen? It is hard to believe that everyone who died in these disasters was evil, so why could our omnipotent God of Classical Theism not just strike down the individuals without causing so much collateral damage. Moreover, this persuasively further argues the immoral messages religion can be seen to give. Often, it is argued that the set in stone rules of the DCT inspire people to live a moral life out of the incentive of making it to heaven, and avoiding hell. This may be true, but does it not tarnish the goodness of an act when it is done out of selfish reason? Does it then make that act immoral? Yes it does, so it can then be said that the DCT again fails to provide a stable, reasonable basis for morality. These set in stone rules are also cause for discussion, as they are obviously inarguable to a Divine Command Theorist. To them, consequentialist views such as killing someone to save a greater number would undisputedly be wrong. Even if our intuition is what is telling us that defying a command is right, the believer in DCT would say it is our intuition at fault; They do, however fail to take into consideration that by their own decrees intuition is given to us by God to live morally, so why would we intuitively want to go against God? Dawkins’ arguments suggest that religion is responsible for the most part of evil in the world and his descriptions of people like terrorists as e.g. ‘Not psychotic; they are religious idealists who, by their own lights, are rational’ certainly make sense. However he makes it seem that no religious person has the capacity to do good, which can easily be refuted at the mere mention of the names Mother Theresa, or Martin Luther King. He also unsurprisingly doesn’t mention the likes of atheist like Stalin who birthed communism in Russia. Despite this, the majority of Dawkins views and the massive flaws in the DCT show the latter statement in the initial question (‘Is something good because God commands it, or does God command something because it is good?’) to be the most convincing of the two. Although the DCT offers a way for humanity to be good, religion itself harbors too many inconsistencies to base everything we stand for on.