Socrates was a famous ancient Greek philosopher but he didn't seem to write much because there are no records. It also seems that any discoveries he made were not written down. What we can gather from what others have

written about him is that he felt knowledge was a living thing. Many ancient Greeks considered Socrates to be a very wise man but he felt because there was so much to know the reality was that actually he did not know very much. He questioned everything, but he was different to other philosophers that have gone before him because he questioned and studied how one should live.

He did not want to answer questions on the universe like all the other philosophers have done previously. He wanted to question things like “what is friendship” or “what is courage”. He wanted people to be honest with each other, and search for the truth with one another. In doing this it led Socrates to have his own unique style of reasoning. Even today people still use the Socratic method. He was very good at questioning others, listening to what they have to say and then getting them to defend their point of view with reason. By using this method of trial and error Socrates would help them eventually reach an answer.

He had a very inquiring mind, which unfortunately resulted in his death. Because he questioned everything this unfortunately angered many of the leaders in ancient Greece. He questioned the existence of the gods and this angered the Greeks because it was something that had never been done before. He was accused of corrupting the young people of Athens and was sentenced to death. Many of his close friends wanted to help him escape from prison but that was not how Socrates felt, he said it was important to comply with the law and he wanted a die for his beliefs. Whilst imprisoned he drank poison and died.

Socrates

Questions…

1. Why can you not read any of Socrates’ work?

2. What did he think knowledge was?

3. How was he different to previous philosophers?

4. What is the Socratic method?

5. Who put him in Prison and why?

6. How did he eventually die?

Answers...

Name Socrates

Age

Occupation

Location

Relationship status

Socrates is …feeling clever

“The unexamined life is not worth living...lol” 1 hour ago

Your Task: Use your knowledge from last year to make Socrates a Facebook page. You could use the “news feed” area to get across some key facts you know about this person. Use the internet to find any extra information about the philosopher.

News Feed

Socrates

Objective Truth – this is truth based on evidence and is not based on personal opinion. Subjective Truth – This is based on personal opinion.

Truth Subjective or Objective

“X factor is the best show on TV”

“The sky is blue”

“Blue whales are the largest species to ever

“Britain is the best place to live in the world”

“God Exists and he is all powerful”

“The Battle of happened in 1066”

Your Task

Read the definitions of objective and subjective truth.

Then read each “truth” in the table and decide whether it is subjective or objective.

Make sure you include a brief explanation of why it is subjective or objective!

For the empty box you can make up your own example!

Objective or Subjective

Type of Truth What is it? When is this type of truth useful?

When is this type of truth not useful?

Historical Truth

Truth based on Archaeological findings and evidence from the past. This can involve newspapers, artefacts and many other primary and secondary sources. This truth is always changing as we uncover new facts that change our understanding of the past.

Scientific Truth

Although Scientific truth can be extremely useful, it can’t tell us anything about “why” we exist or what our purpose in life might be. Science explains “how” questions but does not concern itself with “why” questions.

Religious Truth

Types of Truth

Types of Truth

Truth Type of Truth The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was built in 580–2560 BC (4th dynasty).

Historical Truth: Based on evidence from the past.

God Exists, He is real .

The Universe began 13.7 Billion years ago.

Jesus is the Son of God and he performed miracles during his life.

The Battle of Hastings was fought between Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy in 1066.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

If you are good you will be reincarnated as a person and if you are bad you will be a plant or animal in your next life.

20% of the Earths oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.

Your Task: Complete the table. The first one has been done for you! The last two are blank; so you to come up with your own examples!

Reason to Believe in God Reason to NOT Believe in God

Atheism vs Theism

My final decision is ...

What is a Miracle?

A miracle is ...

St Bernadette Soubirous

Find out who is this person was and what happened to her. What was the important event in her life?

And how do Christians celebrate/remember it?

Write your findings below:

Religious Experience

How might an Atheist explain this “miracle?”

What happened?

During the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11th, 2001 almost 3000 people were killed. However, a small group of people (firefighters, police officers and office workers) were trapped underneath staircase B; close to the ground floor of the tower 1. When the building collapsed they were sheltered by the staircase and somehow they all managed to be rescued and survived. Is this a miracle? Is it random chance? How did they survive when almost no one else did? Below, say what an Atheist (someone who doesn’t believe in God) and a Theist (someone who does believe in God) would say about this “miracle”.

Religious Experience: The Miracle of Staircase B

How might an Atheist explain it?

How might a Theist explain it?

If this is the answer what could be the question? The first one has been done for you! The last one is blank; use the space to make your own up.

The Big Bang Theory

Examples:

What is the name of the Scientific theory about how our Universe began?

What theory argues that the Universe had a beginning?

13.7 Billion years ago.

Edwin Hubble

Red Light Shift

Still expanding

The Hubble Telescope.

Objective Evidence

The Big Bang Theory

Objective Evidence for the Big Bang Theory: Red Light Shift

Edwin Hubble realised that the ______ light emitted by stars varied according to how far away they were. ________ realised that the further away stars were the more red light they admitted. It had been realised that the stars in the _____ ___ were travelling _____ ____ __, but Hubble concluded that even the stars in the Andromeda Galaxy were also travelling away from us. This means that everything in the ________ appears to be moving away from everything else – the universe __ _________.

This suggests that at one time everything in the universe was _____ ______ _________. Most cosmologists now think that once there was no

________ at all between the matter in the universe. It was all concentrated in a ______ ______. Scientific theory suggests that there was an rapid expansion (called the Big Bang) and it all flew apart. Around

____ _______ _____ later it is _____ _________.

away from us is expanding

Hubble red Universe

much closer together single point Milky Way

13.7 Billion years still expanding distance

Objective Evidence for the Big Bang Theory: Microwave Background Radiation

In 1927 Georges Lemaître proposed that the Universe began with an explosion called the Big Bang. Hubble’s research into the red shift of galaxy light showed that the Universe was expanding, and that the galaxies had originated from _ ______ _____. If the expansion of the Universe was ________, then everything would revert back to a single point.

This evidence supported Lemaître’s ___ ____ _____.

In ____, it was suggested that if the Universe started with an explosion, there should be __________ _________ __________ in space left over from the _________. This radiation was discovered in 1964. It is called cosmic microwave background radiation or _____.

CMBR is _______ the piece of evidence to show the _________ ___ _____, and this supports the Big Bang model of the origin of the Universe. The short wave-lengths of the ______ _______ emitted in the initial explosion are believed to have become _______ due to the expansion of space into longer wavelength microwaves.

a single point Explosion Big Bang Theory

second reversed

1948 Microwave background radiation gamma radiation

CMBR expansion of space stretched

In the beginning there was no earth or sky or sea or animals. And then God spoke in the darkness: “Let there be light!” And right away there was light, scattering the darkness and showing the infinite space. “That’s good!” said God. “From now on, when it’s dark it will be ‘night” and when it’s light, it will be ‘day’.”

The evening came and the night passed and then the light returned. That was the first day.

On the second day, God made the earth and over it He carefully hung a vast blue sky. He stood back and admired His creation. “That’s good too!” said God and the second day was over.

The next morning God looked around and thought, “the earth needs to be a bit more organized.” So, He put all the water in one place and all the dry land in anoth-er. When He had finished that, God made plants to cover the land. Dandelions and daffodils appeared. All sorts of trees and grasses began to grow. “It’s looking great”, said God and that was the end of the third day.

On the fourth day, God looked around and though, “the daylight still needs a bit more work and the night is just too dark.” So, He made the sun to light the sky during the day and the moon and stars to add a bit of sparkle to the night. He hung them in the sky and stepped back to look at his work. “This is coming along very well,” said God.

The next day, God turned his attention to the water he had collected in the oceans. “I want these waters teeming with life!” As soon as He said it, it was so. In no time, there were millions of small fish darting through the shallow water and huge fish swimming in the ocean. God made birds, too. He sent them soaring through the air. “Ahh, that IS good!, “said God. The dusk fell over the water and the sky grew dark and that was the end of the fifth day.

On the sixth day, God added creatures to the land. He made lions and tigers and bears. He made rabbits and sheep and cows. He added everything from ants to zeb-ras to the land. But He still felt something was missing. So God added Mankind to enjoy and take care of all that He had created. God looked around and was happy with all He had made.

After six days, the whole universe was completed. On the seventh day God had a nice long rest and enjoyed looking at all He had made. Christians today remember this last by resting on the Sabbath day (Sunday).

Genesis: The Christian Creation Story Questions…

1. What do Christians think existed before God created the Universe?

2. What did God create on the first day?

3. What did God create on the second day?

4. What three things did God create on the fourth day?

5. Give two examples of things God made on the fifth day.

6. Why did God create mankind?

7. How do Christians remember the last day?

Answers...

Fundamentalist Christians regard the words of the Bible as being the true voice of God. For example, when reading the creation story in Genesis, fundamentalists would believe that the world was literally created in seven days.

Conservative Christians believe that the Bible was written by humans who were inspired by God. They still follow its teachings but don't necessarily take every word as being the voice of God. For example, when reading the creation story, conservatives might accept that one of God's days may not necessarily be the same length as one of our days; meaning the world wasn't literally created in seven days but that God did create the world as outlined in Genesis.

Liberal Christians regard the Bible as words that have been written about God. Although these are a good guide for Christians in understanding their faith, they might interpret passages differently to fit modern society. For example, when reading the creation story, a liberal Christian might believe that the Genesis account is simply a story to help Christians understand that God is the creator of the world.

Genesis: How do Christians read the Bible Differently?

Read the information above. Which perspective do you think a Christian should have on the Bible? Explain your answer in detail referring to scientific and religious ideas about creation e.g. The Big Bang theory and Genesis.

Science vs Religion Why is Science more reliable? What can religion tell us that science can’t?

Can science and religion work together or do they have to be opposing ideas?

Key Words Recap Subjective Evidence Objective Evidence Historical Truth Scientific Truth Religious Truth Big Bang Theory Red Light Shift Genesis Creation Story

For each of the key words write the definition