Three Most Important Ideas from Faith, Reason and Revelation
I think the three most important ideas that I have learned about this semester are the unexamined life, the challenges to faith, and the five steps to critical thinking.
On the first day of class we were asked why we chose our seats. It was a simple question, but the answer was more complex than I thought. I chose it because it was open; or was it because my friend was sitting there or was it because it was in the back of the classroom. All of a sudden I wasn't sure why I had chosen that particular seat. I guessed it was a combination of the reasons but I didn't think it really mattered. Then I began to wonder what else I had thoughtlessly done. Socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living" and we were asked to examine our lives and the decisions we make. I think that examining your life and decisions is important because it is necessary to know what you choose to do and believe and how you go about living your life. I think that living an examined life applies not only to your religious decisions but also to the decisions you make in every aspect of your life.
I also think that understanding the challenges to faith is important because if you do, then you can more readily support your beliefs and you can also help others understand the way you do. The challenges to faith listed in the book are the attack from atheism, the challenge of science, and the power of dehumanization along with the problem of evil and our own culture. I also see part the definition of faith (as listed in the book) to be a part of the challenges to faith, that is faith is a risk. These are not the only challenges, though, since everyone's personal challenges are different each person must decide what their challenges are. I think that it is important to be able to use reason and your decision making ability to decide how to counteract and deal with these challenges.
I think the five steps to critical thinking are important because they not only apply to trying to understand faith and religion, but also to everyday life. The five steps are knowing the facts, remembering the principle of contradiction, defining your terms, being intellectually humble, and looking for different perspectives. These steps are important to not only to thinking about and understanding what you believe, but also being able to discuss and argue for your beliefs. These steps directly tie into living an examined life since they help guide you to a better understanding.
I think the three most important ideas that I have learned about this semester are the unexamined life, the challenges to faith, and the five steps to critical thinking.