8 Mark

1 Explore what is meant by verification and falsification in the context of religious language. (8)

1 Explore the key features of Flews idea of falsification. (8)

1 Explore what is meant by verification  as an approach to religious language. (8)

1 Explore the key differences in Ayers thinking between weak and strong verification. (8)

1  Explore the context of Logical Positivism and the Vienna Circle. (8)

1  Explore the context and ideas of the Vienna Circle. (8) 

1 Explore the key features of logical positivism. (8)

1 Explore what is meant by verification in the context of logical positivism. (8) 

1 Explore the aims and purposes of logical positivism. (8)

1 Explore implications of Hume's fork and the reducing of knowledge to analytic and synthetic statements for the claim that religious language is meaningless. (8)

1 Explore the view that religious claims are meaningless. (8)

1 Explore the view that religious claims cannot be verified in principle. (8)

1 Explore the view that religious claims are false because nothing can count against them. (8)

1 Explore hares idea of ‘bliks’ as unfalsifiable ways of framing our interpretation of the world. (8)

1 Explore the strengths and weakness of  verification. (8)

1 Explore the strengths and weakness of falsefication. (8)

1 Explore the strengths and weakness of realist and anti-realist views on religious language. (8)

1 Explore realist and anti-realist ideas in religious language. (8)

1 Explore Swinburne's defence of the view that Christians can assume they are realists and not anti-realists in their religious language. (8)

1 Explore Hicks use of eschatological verification as a defence of religious langauge. (8)

1 Explore the strengths and weakness of eschatological verification. (8)

1 Explore the ideas of AJ Ayer in religious language. (8)

1 Explore Michell's idea of belief as significant articles of faith which may be significantly challenged but not easily abandoned. (8)

12 Mark

 2. Assess the relationship between the verification and falsification principles on religious language. (12)

2 Assess the implications for religion and human experience of Ayers argument 'God Talk is evidently nonsense'. (12)

2. Assess the significance of the verification and falsification criticisms of religious language . (12)

2 Assess the strength of the logical positivist critique of religious language. (12)

2 Assess the credibility of the verification and falsification criticisms of religious language. (12)

2. Assess the credibility of the claim 'statements about God are neither analytically true, nor open to verification by observation.' (12)

2 Assess the ways in which EITHER verification OR falsification can be used to discredit the meaningfulness of religious language. (12)  

2 Assess the weakness of claim 'no sentence which purports to describe the nature of a transcendent God can possess any literal significance. ' (12)

2 Assess the strengths of the claim that only analytic and synthetic statements are meaningful so religious language is meaningless. (12)

2 Assess the strengths of the claim that the weak verification principle conclusively shows religious language is meaningless. (12)

2. Assess the significance of the weak verification principle. (12)  

2  Assess the strengths of Ayers claim that religious claims are meaningless as they cannot be verified in principle. (12)

2. Assess the view that religious language is meaningless. (12) 2020 Q

2 Assess the claim Wisdom's parable of the gardener successfully shows that believers definitions of God 'die the death of a thousand qualifications' . (12)

2 Assess Flew’s views on religious language . (12)

2 Assess the importance for religious langague of claim that bliks  as unfalsifiable ways of framing our interpretation of the world. (12)

2 Assess the claim that ways of regarding the world which are in principle neither verifiable nor falsifiable but make a significant difference to a believer's life successfully show how religious language can be meaningful.  (12)

2 Assess the strengths of the weak verification principle. (12)

2 Assess the weaknesses of the Ayers weak verification principle . (12)

2 Assess how far it is the case that Swinburne's 'realist' example of the toys in the cupboard shows there are plenty of statements that cannot be falsified but are still meaningful to those who use them. (12)

2 Assess how far it is the case that theist have good reasons to be realist rather than anti-realist in there approach to religious language. (12)

2 Assess the significance of the claim that Hicks parable of celestial city means religious language can have eschatological verification . (12)

2 Assess how it is the case that strong verification cannot be successfully challenged. (12)

2 Assess the credibility of the weak verification approach to religious language. (12)

2 Assess Mitchell’s contribution to the falsification symposium. (12)

2 Assess how far it is the case that Mitchells parable of the partisan and the stranger demonstrates that believers do recognise challenges to faith without allowing them to be conclusively falsified. (12)

2 Assess how far it is the case that a statement may be meaningful despite lack of verification. (12)

2 Assess how far it is the case that a statement which is a 'Significant articles of faith' for a believer may be meaningful despite lack of verification. (12)

20 Mark

3b Analyse the credibility of the view that 'The criterion which we use to test the genuineness of apparent statements of fact is the criterion of verifiability'. (20)

3b Analyse the the ways in which EITHER verification OR falsification can be used to discredit the meaningfulness of religious language . (20)

3b Analyse the implications for Logical Positivism of the claim that the 'People began to realise that this glittering new scapel was, in one operation after another killing the patient.' (20)

3b  Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the challenge to religious language from the verification debate. (20) 2019 Q

3b Analyse the strengths of claim 'lack of verification renders religious Language meaningless. (20)

3b Analyse the strengths and weakness of the claim 'Hume's Fork' renders religious Language meaningless. (20)

3b Analyse the strengths and weakness of the criticism that religious language fails as God cannot be verified in principle.  (20)

3b Analyse the significance of the claim 'the sentence "There exists a transcendent god" has no literal significance. ' as there is no way to verify it in principle. (20)

2 Assess the claim Wisdom's parable of the gardener  conclusively shows the believers definitions of God 'die the death of a thousand qualifications' so fails to meet the falsification criterion of meaning. (12)

3b) Analayse the implications for religius langauge of the claim 'bliks are beliefs that are not open to rational discussion or refutation. They are based on personal commitments'. (20)

3b Analyse the implications of Wards claim God’s existence can, in principle, be verified since God himself can verify his own existence. (20)

3b Analyse the view that  Ayers weak verification  fails in principle to show that God and religious language is meaningless. (20) 

3b Analyse the extent to which a theist can claim just because we do not necessarily know whether a given statement about God is true or false does not mean there is no truth to be known. (12)

3b Analyse the view that Hicks use of eschatological verification is the best defence of religious language against verificationism.  (20) 

3b Analyse the significance of the  Hicks parable of celestial city for religious language.  (12)

3b Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the critique of religious language from the falsification principle.(20)

3b Analyse the relevance of the claim 'religious believers really allow nothing to count against their claims.' (20)

3b Analyse the strenghs and weakness of Flews statement that If a statement cannot be falsified, it is not a genuine statement about the world. It is, in effect, a non-statement'. (20)

3b Analyse the view that Basil Mitchell’s response to Flew’s use of the Parable of the Gardener defends successfully a realist view of God and religious language. (20) 

3b Analyse the distinctive ideas contained in R M Hare’s and Basil Mitchell’s responses to Flew’s use of the Parable of the Gardener. (20)

3b Analyse which was the most convincing point of view in the falsification symposium (20) 

30 Mark

4 Evaluate the significance to religious language of the claim "a sentence is factually significant if, and only if, we know how to verify the proposition which it purports to express." (30)

 4 Evaluate the claim that ‘Whereof one cannot speak, one must remain silent’. (30) 

4 Evaluate the claim that ‘The criterion of verifiability is not a conclusive test of meaningfulness, but it is a necessary condition for a statement to be meaningful.’ (30) 

4 Evaluate the opinion that Religious language issues in the 21st century are relevant. (30)

4 Evaluate the extent to which it can be claimed that only analytic and synthetic statements are meaningful and God is neither. (30)

4. Evaluate the view that religious language is meaningful if understood correctly. (30) 2018 Q

4 Evaluate the opinion that '‘Religious language is meaningless". (30) 

4 Evaluate the significance of the view that verification and falsification raise very difficult if not impossible problems for religious language.'  (30)

4 Evaluate the claim that  ' the statement “God exists” – is unfalsifiable, and therefore meaningless:.’ (30)

4 Evaluate the view “Antony Flew’s falsification principle presents a significant challenge to religious language.” (30)

4 Evaluate the view “the falsification principle presents no real challenge to religious belief.” (30)

4 Evaluate the relative importance of the view 'The falsification principle offers no real challenge to religious belief'. (30)

4 Evaluate the significance for religious language of Flews parable conclusion that there is 'no difference between an invisible, intangible gardener and no gardener at all.  (30)

4 Evaluate the importance of the  “Antony Flew’s falsification principle presents a significant challenge to religious language." (30)

4 Evaluate the view that RM Hare's non-realist idea of Blik's is a better defence of religious Language that Basil Michell's realism. (30)

4 Evaluate the view that RHare’s account of religious language is correct. (30)

4 Evaluate the importance of Ayers claim ' no statement with God in it is little significant' as a challenge to religious language. (30)

4 Evaluate the view that ‘the view that religious language is indispensable for an understanding of religious belief.’ (30)

4. Evaluate the implications of the claim that the proposition ‘the meaning of a statement is its method of verification’ cannot be verified.  (30)

4 Evaluate the view 'logical positivism offers a persuasive criterion for meaningful language.' (30) 

 4 Evaluate the extent to which realist about religious langauge are more pursasive than non-realists". (30) 

4 Evaluate Hick's claim "Ayer’s verification in principle makes religious statements meaningful". (30) 

4 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the ideas of AJ Ayer about religious language. (30)

4 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of Basil Mitchell’s   response to Flew’s use of the Parable of the Gardener. (30)

4 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of R M Hares Parable of the Mad Dean as a defence of non-realist religious language. (30)