Divine Command Theory

Divine Command Theory Divine command theory is based on the idea that God is the determinant of right and wrong behavior. Religious groups such as Christians, Muslims and Jews follow laws contained in holy books that guide their worship activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Divine Command Theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Holy books were written by wise people inspired by God and should be followed. God forbids morally wrong actions and encourages people to engage in morally upright activities. Violation of commandments of God is immorality. People will be held responsible for their actions on the final Day of Judgment. Theists disagree with divine command theory because they do not believe in the existence of God. There are also differences within believers. According to Plato, any act is neither good nor bad unless God has categorized it. This raises an issue of dilemma in some cases such as whether people should be truthful because God has commanded them or because it is good (Rachels Rachels, 2011). According to Rachels and Rachels (2011), the criterion used to define wrong and right is not clear. For instance, in a case of child abuse where a child has been slapped, the action could be right if God wants it that way. In such a case, defining morality would be mysterious. The definition of what is moral makes commandments of God Arbitral because judgment depends on God. For instance, lying is not allowed. However, if God commanded it, it would be accepted. Conception of morality differs with moral principals. This is because the theory does not recognize effects of child abuse as long as punishment is based on Gods commandments. Divine command theorists argue that child abuse could be allowed if God was not in existence. The statement is invalid because if God was not there, then He could not be there to make child abuse wrong. Since child abuse is malicious, it would still be wrong. Religious texts give contradicting information that makes even believers have doubts in God’s commands. It is wrong for believers to say that the commandments given by God are arbitrary because He knows what best fits them. People should remain truthful because God requires them to do so. Believers should follow Gods wishes if they are to remain religious. Many theologians have rejected the theory because it is impious and untenable. Other thinkers like Saint Thomas Aquinas have explained the relationship between religion and morality in other ways (Rachels Rachels, 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Theory of Natural Law According to this theory, laws of nature govern human beings. According to Aristotle who lived between 384 and 322 B.C, everything that exists should serve a certain purpose. He gave the example of a knife that is used for cutting, different body parts th at perform different functions in the body and rainfall that enables proper growth of plants. Many things exist in the world with each serving its own purpose making the world a rational and orderly system. Other scholars who followed later have supported Aristotle’s view. For instance, Christian thinkers accepted the view but added that the aspect of God was missing. They argued that human beings use animals because God made them to serve that purpose (Rachels Rachels, 2011). Rachels and Rachels (2011) point out that the Natural theory describes the nature of things. People live in unity when everything is in place and every individual assumes his/her responsibilities in order to maintain social order. For examples, eyes that cannot see are functionless and this can be explained by the natural law. God created people to help each other. Naturally, human beings are social beings who need the company of other people. People who seem not to care about others (psychopaths) go a gainst the natural law. Deviant sexual activities are condemned in the theory of natural law. Theorists argue that sex is meant for procreation. Practices like gay and masturbation are condemned. The Catholic Church bases its moral values on this theory. Apart from Catholics, the theory has few supporters; reasons being that not all natural things are good. Secondly, it brings about confusion because people must not engage in sex except for purposes of procreation. Lastly, natural law differs with science (Rachels Rachels, 2011). The theory of natural law points out that determining right and wrong depends on one’s reasoning. Right actions should bring about good results. In this case, believers and non-believers follow in the same category of accessing moral truth. People have the ability to listen, think and make sound decisions. Natural theorists argue that morality is not dependent on religion (Rachels Rachels, 2011). Reference Rachels, J. Rachels, S. (2011). The eleme nts of moral philosophy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

Biography of Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Computers

Biography of Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Computers Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955–October 5, 2011) is best remembered as the co-founder of Apple Computers. He teamed up with inventor  Steve Wozniak to create one of the first ready-made PCs. Besides his legacy with Apple, Jobs was also a smart businessman who became a multimillionaire before the age of 30. In 1984, he founded NeXT computers. In 1986, he bought the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd. and started Pixar Animation Studios. Fast Facts: Steve Jobs Known For: Co-founding Apple Computer Company and playing a pioneering role in the development of personal computingAlso Known As: Steven Paul JobsBorn: February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, CaliforniaParents: Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Schieble (biological parents); Paul Jobs and Clara Hagopian (adoptive parents)Died: October 5, 2011 in Palo Alto, CaliforniaEducation: Reed CollegeAwards and Honors: National Medal of Technology  (with  Steve Wozniak), Jefferson Award for Public Service,  named the most powerful person in business by Fortune  magazine,  Inducted into the  California Hall of Fame, inducted as a  Disney LegendSpouse: Laurene PowellChildren: Lisa (by Chrisann Brennan), Reed, Erin, EveNotable Quote: Of all the inventions of humans, the computer is going to rank near or at the top as history unfolds and we look back. It is the most awesome tool that we have ever invented. I feel incredibly lucky to be at exactly the right place in  Silicon Valley, at  e xactly the right time, historically, where this invention has taken form. Early Life Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California. The biological child of Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Schieble, he was later adopted by Paul Jobs and Clara Hagopian. During his high school years, Jobs worked summers at Hewlett-Packard. It was there that he first met and became partners with Steve Wozniak. As an undergraduate, he studied physics, literature, and poetry at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.  Formally, he only attended one semester there. However, he remained at Reed and crashed on friends sofas and audited courses that included a calligraphy class, which he attributes as being the reason Apple computers had such elegant typefaces. Atari After leaving Oregon in 1974 to  return to California, Jobs started working for Atari, an early pioneer in the manufacturing of personal computers. Jobs close friend  Wozniak was also working for Atari. The future founders of Apple teamed up to design games for Atari computers. Hacking Jobs and Wozniak proved their skills as hackers by designing a telephone blue box. A blue box was an electronic device that simulated a telephone operators dialing console and provided the user with free phone calls. Jobs spent plenty of time at Wozniaks Homebrew Computer Club, a haven for computer geeks and a source of invaluable information about the field of personal computers. Out of Mom and Pops Garage By the late 1970s, Jobs and Wozniak had learned enough to try their hand at building personal computers. Using Jobs family garage as a base of operation, the team produced 50 fully assembled computers that were sold to a local Mountain View electronics store called the Byte Shop. The sale encouraged the pair to start Apple Computer, Inc. on April 1, 1979. Apple Corporation The Apple Corporation was named after  Jobs favorite fruit. The Apple logo was a representation of the fruit with a bite taken out of it. The bite represented a play on words: bite and byte. Jobs co-invented the  Apple I  and  Apple II  computers together with  Wozniak, who was the main designer, and others. The Apple II is  considered to be  one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers. In 1984, Wozniak, Jobs, and others co-invented the  Apple Macintosh  computer, the first  successful home computer with a mouse-driven graphical user interface. It was, however, based on (or, according to some sources, stolen from) the Xerox Alto, a concept machine built at the Xerox PARC research facility. According to the Computer History Museum, the Alto included: A mouse. Removable data storage. Networking. A visual user interface. Easy-to-use graphics software. â€Å"What You See Is What You Get† (WYSIWYG) printing, with printed documents matching what users saw on screen. E-mail. Alto for the first time combined these and other now-familiar elements in one small computer. During the early 1980s, Jobs controlled the business side of the Apple Corporation. Steve Wozniak was in charge of the design side. However, a power struggle with the board of directors led to Jobs leaving Apple in 1985. NeXT After leaving Apple,  Jobs founded NeXT, a high-end computer company. Ironically, Apple bought NeXT in 1996 and Jobs returned to his old company to serve once more as its CEO from 1997 until his retirement in 2011. The NeXT was an impressive workstation computer that sold poorly. The worlds first web browser was created on a NeXT, and the technology in NeXT software was transferred to the Macintosh and the iPhone. Disney Pixar In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group from Lucasfilms computer graphics division for $10 million. The company was later renamed Pixar. At first, Jobs intended for  Pixar to become a high-end graphics hardware developer, but that goal was never met.  Pixar moved on to do what it now does best, which is make animated films. Jobs negotiated a deal to allow Pixar and Disney to collaborate on a number of animated projects that included the film Toy Story. In 2006, Disney bought Pixar from  Jobs. Expanding Apple After Jobs returned to Apple as its CEO in 1997, Apple Computers had a renaissance in product development with the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and more. Before his death, Jobs was listed as the inventor and/or co-inventor on 342 United States patents, with technologies ranging from computer and portable devices to user interfaces, speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves, lanyards, and packages. His last patent was issued for the Mac OS X Dock user interface and was granted the day before his death. Death Steve Jobs died at his home in Palo Alto, California, on October 5, 2011. He had been ill for a long time with pancreatic cancer, which he had treated using alternative techniques. His family reported that his final words were, Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow. Legacy Steve Jobs was a true computer pioneer and entrepreneur whose impact is felt in almost every aspect of contemporary business, communication, and design. Jobs was absolutely dedicated to every detail of his products- according to some sources, he was obsessive- but the outcome can be seen in the sleek, user-friendly, future-facing designs of Apple products from the very start. It was Apple that placed the PC on every desk, provided digital tools for design and creativity, and pushed forward the ubiquitous smartphone which has, arguably, changed the ways in which humans think, create, and interact. Sources Computer History Museum.  What Was The First PC?Gladwell, Malcolm, and Malcolm Gladwell. â€Å"The Real Genius of Steve Jobs.†Ã‚  The New Yorker, 19 June 2017.Levy, Steven. â€Å"Steve Jobs.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 20 Feb. 2019.