Tutor profile: Logan B.
Questions
Subject: Writing
Which is better, the Oxford Comma or the Cambridge Comma? Example of an Oxford Comma: "x, y, and z" Example of a Cambridge Comma: "x, y and z"
I exclusively use the Oxford Comma because it clears up ambiguities that can arise from the Cambridge Comma. Here's an example: "He brought apples, peaches and cream." Did he bring "apples, peaches, and cream" or did he bring "apples and 'peaches and cream'"? Are the peaches and cream separate? Or is he bringing peaches that have been mixed with cream? I honestly couldn't tell you the answer, and I'm the one who came up with the sentence! That's why I always stick with the Oxford Comma.
Subject: Religious Studies
Does Christian theology teach that you choose God? Or does it, instead, teach that God chooses you?
This is the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism; it has lasted for centuries. I am of the opinion that there is no clear answer here. If you are interested in this debate, I highly suggest looking into Molinism. Molinism is a sort of "middle ground" stance that is somewhere between Calvism and Arminianism and is, in my mind, the most promising answer to the questions above.
Subject: Philosophy
Trolly Problem: Suppose you see a train that is on a course to kill 10 people who are tied to the train tracks. Looking on in horror, you notice that the train is about to come across a place where the train tracks can switch directions. And you, it just so happens, are standing next to the lever that switches the tracks. If you switch the tracks, the 10 people will be saved. However (and here's the twist), there is one man who is tied to the other set of tracks who would be hit and killed by the train if you were to pull the lever. What is the morally right thing to do?
There is no clear answer here. Philosophers have debated "The Trolly Problem" for decades. At the end of the day, how you answer The Trolly Problem will help reveal certain fundamental moral beliefs you have. If you think that you should pull the lever, then you very likely believe that it is morally true that you should always choose actions that being about the greatest amount of good (i.e. it is better for 1 person to lose their life than for 10). If you think that you ought not pull the lever, then you very likely believe that there are some situations where actions are wrong (i.e. pulling the lever) despite the fact that such actions may bring about the "greater good."