Locke believed that all of our ideas come from experience. He notes that our minds begin as a blank…
He achieves this by combining theoretical foundations in truth, which is represented by the Word of God and illuminated by the Holy Bible which transcends into people’s lives within society. Psychology is represented by what Entwistle refers to as the book of Gods work which is illuminated by God creating human beings with all types of behavior. This book is written with precision appealing to all who are seeking to be tools used by the Holy Spirit. This book covers recent literature based on the history philosophy, theology, and psychology. Difficult areas of study or highlighted allowing the reader to evaluate the material through their own view point of integration and draw their own conclusions. Christianity and Psychology or viewed as two opposing views that should never intertwine, never the less this point is being illegitimated in the book. Entwistle (2010)…
The blank slate theory is also seen in Mary Shelley’s classic novel, Frankenstein. In Frankenstein, the monster starts out his life in loneliness and in a condition of disorientation. The creature says, “I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me…” The monster’s experience is very representative of John Locke’s theory of mind as a blank slate. At first, he can barely perceive a leaf from a bird, but his senses gradually become regulated to his environment. He starts to distinguish the different sights and sounds based on his surroundings and the atmosphere. As the monster walks through the woods, he experiences new objects. He comes across foods to eat and drink. The monster is gaining more knowledge as he…
In David Entwistle’s book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity (2010), he explores two potentially divergent disciplines: psychology and theology. He then considers whether integration of these two disciplines is attainable, desirable, or necessary…
Just as the title describes, Entwistle explains within the book the attempts and varied approaches of integrating both psychology and Christianity, two entities which seem to have been at odds with each other since the time of Galileo. By explaining key historical conflicts, such as instances of friction between religion and science, readers are able to understand how psychology and Christianity are intertwined, and how the same principles that hold them together also seek to push them apart. As said best by Entwistle, “The interaction of psychology and theology is virtually inevitable due to their mutual interest in understanding the ambiguities and mysteries of human behavior, and healing human brokenness.” (Entwistle, 2010, p.51)…
Researcher David Entwistle builds a case to support the integration of Christian faith and psychology by first making the point by asking the question what has Athens have to do with Jerusalem?(2004). He sets out to answer the by explaining the historical of these two historical and conflicting views. Athens representing the voice of reason and Jerusalem represent the voice of faith (pp. 18-52). The question if Christianity and the discipline of psychology can be integrated seeing that theology depends upon a specific methodology that delineates both the behavioral and physical exploration of human beings.…
Stanley Fish discusses how we in society base our lives off of assumptions. Using the example of Dorothy and the tree, Fish is able to show how with our assumptions, we as people categorize others and things into what we believe to be correct. Whether or not we have actually taken the time to figure out if we are right is irrelevant. He notes that we should just “keep trying to expand our sense of ‘us’ as far as we can”, so we can avoid judgments and isolating ourselves from the rest of society. Even though Dorothy realizes her mistake, she doesn’t realize that it is not a failure, but her consciousness assuming the classification of things in the world. Fish later on defines thought as the “structure that at once enables perception”, meaning that within categories things emerge, limiting perception and nothing can allow one to see everything because that is God’s job. Fish uses many Bible allusions to create justification for his assertions. He uses Genesis 1:26, and Paul’s road to Damascus to show that people can be persuaded to change their placement of things in society. Despite all of his valid points, Fish states that it is nearly impossible for one to change just on realizations. He believes it takes practice to accept the fact that there are things that we cannot comprehend because there is no limit on the conceptual trappings of…
Modern Scientific Picture: Scientists and educated men feel the Christian attitude towards the world and human existence is inappropriate. While science has both robbed us of any purpose that we had before, it has also furnished us with enormously greater power to achieve these purposes.…
John Locke was best known as an advocate of empiricism and for his belief of tabula rasa, or the blank slate. In this way his beliefs were similar to those of the behaviorist school of thought. Locke is known as the father of English Empiricism. Empiricism believes that everyone is born with a blank slate that we fill as we experience life. The knowledge that we gain throughout life is due to our experiences, not through reasoning or thought. Locke believed that there is only the capacity to have ideas in the mind, not to be born with them. He states that all knowledge of the world comes from the experience we have within it, through our perceptions and senses. According the empiricism, every thought that we have is influenced by an experience that we have had. Essentially, according to Locke’s view and empiricism, the only way to know the truth about something is to actually experience it through our senses.…
Locke believed that the mind is blank upon birth. As a person grows and develops, so does their mind. He urged individuals to formulate theories and to test them through experiments. The fundamental claim is that human knowledge begins with sense experience and primarily is derived from it. Locke begins his philosophical examination of knowledge by trying to disprove the claim that some of our knowledge is original, in the sense that it comes from ideas which are innate or inborn. Locke's attempted refutation depends on a questionable assumption: if an individual has an idea, then that individual would understand it and assent to its content.…
The foundation of our worldviews is based on how we were brought up and the society we were raised in. Our worldviews affect everything, the way we live, the way we think and the way we react. This book helps us understand our worldview assumptions and provides a roadmap to determining what we base our assumptions on. We need to have an understanding of Psychology and Christianity if we want to effectively integrate the two. (Entwistle 2010) discusses epistemology, which is the study of knowledge and belief. Epistemology introduces 4 ways of knowing: Internal Dialogue, Interactive, Investigative and Interpreting God’s Word. Epistemology allows us to keep questioning that which we think we know.…
Psychological studies are mainly based on the direct observation of human behavior, rather than reasoning or speculation. Psychology is like any other subject- the majority of people have a very shallow and basic understanding of what the study involves, and yet they lack a crucial knowledge of the major struggles and disagreements among those who study it. It does not surprise me that psychology is one of the more popular majors available. By nature, it sparks human curiosity, especially as to what contributes to the system of our thoughts and the pattern in our behaviors. For the first eighteen years of one’s life, the primary struggle to understand oneself and psychology is the first opportunity that arises to help us answer our questions (excluding Christianity). And often even faithful believers see reason in having their curiosities dissected and explained by science rather than religion.…
Throughout this essay I will be defending the idea that we cannot escape our biological heritage through the argument from Evolutionary Psychology. I will also present and critique conflicting ideas of our human nature through the idea Standard Social Science Model (SSSM). To begin this paper I will firstly break down what is meant by the question ‘can we escape our biological heritage?’ as well as mention the importance of the answer to this question and explain what is meant by the ‘Theory of Human Nature’.…
Everyone’s values and beliefs are affected to different degrees by the same range of factors. Each of us will be influenced to a greater or lesser degree by these layers of influence. As each individual is different, the…
The argument which Steven Pinker asserts in “Revenge of the Nerds” is ultimately grounded in his claim that “our minds and our way of life evolved together” (205). From the very beginnings…