...Both rationalists put much significance on the confidence one must have in God through other worldly experience, yet treat tactile data altogether different. Aquinas, in spite of Augustine, was a remarkable empiricist. As he drew on Aristotle, who was additionally an empiricist, Aquinas trusted the faculties are that through which we discover reality. Aquinas, alongside Aristotle, trusted that deliberation is a procedure that happens in the human personality. A man, subsequent to seeing numerous material articles, for example, a wicker bin ball, will have the capacity to extract the general type of the item, along these lines having the capacity to build the conceptual thought of a b-ball in their brain, which would be a procedure done by the "dynamic mind". Aquinas developed Aristotle's thoughts of the astuteness and how we comprehend data. Aquinas contended that the brains comprehend "ghosts", or inside duplicates of what we see, by abstracting. The "aloof keenness" is the part of the insightfulness that knows material protests, what Aquinas accepted is the means by which we know all items. To comprehend ghosts, we require the detached brains to comprehend what we are seeing. The dynamic judgment is the part of the acumen ready to digest from learning of the inactive. Both Aquinas and Augustine concur upon the way that God is the object of extreme learning. The logicians would see eye to eye on the way that one can know God through reason, while nobody can know or...
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...Many great thinkers of the Church used reason and logic to search for answers in order to understand and justify the teachings of the Catholic faith. St. Thomas Aquinas provides a clear example in his work of the Summa Theoligica. It is composed of many logical and reasonable arguments intended to direct readers towards the truth found in Catholic teachings. In article three of question two, in the first part of the Summa, Aquinas focuses on the question of God’s existence. He provides a list of answers that appeal to both reason and logic because they are based on empirical observations about the world around us. The first of the reasons explains the existence of God through the theory of motion. Aquinas goes into intricate detail explaining how an object at rest remains at rest until an action is imposed upon it. The action causes the object to move; such action is derived from a previous one which also originated from another and so on and so forth. However, Aquinas points out that there cannot be an infinity of actions that cause movements, because there needs to be one ultimate mover. In this case, the label of such mover is attributed to God, for without Him, the first and foremost action, there would have never been the very first...
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...that is, no one should ever violate a moral prohibition or requirement for non-moral considerations.” I think that the worker was only thinking about himself and he really didn’t care about the job. It was not fair that the other workers had to always pick up his slack. I don’t think that he was considering what others were feeling and that is not a good co-worker. I don’t blame him all the way because the job let him continue to be absent and they continued to give him days off. He should have been fired or replaced. I think that St Augustine would have fired him and let him learn the consequences because Augustine feels that we learn from life lessons. He thinks that we should always be aware of the choices that we make because God set the plans for us through the bible and we should live by them. St Aquinas thinks that we can learn from mistakes. I think that he would have maybe put him on probation and gave him a couple of ultimatums. Aquinas doesn’t think that we should always make one pay or feel guilty about their actions. He...
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...People would rather believe in a different ontological explanation. When presented the concept of evolution, certain philosophers refute it and claim the idea of creation. Thomas Aquinas is a philosopher who believed in creation of man by a supreme being, God. In his most famous work, Summa Theologica, Aquinas gives five proofs of the existence of God through the five senses. In this novel, Aquinas also declared that God made every human being and every soul individually. He argues that God can bring something nonexistent into existence. Aquinas says that God does not simply change one existing thing into another but creates things into...
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...A Brief Look at Happiness If nothing else, one thing can be said about happiness: If individuals are happy and they know they are happy, they should clap their hands. While the intent of this simple statement is merely to amuse children, developing true happiness is thought by many to be very difficult. Also, happiness is often falsely recognized and misinterpreted. Therefore, being truly happy and knowing you are truly happy are very loaded concepts. The object of this paper is to analyze and compare the thoughts of three philosophers’ whose remarks on happiness have been most influential for centuries after their time. They are Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Although I do not have the perfect understanding of happiness and believe no one does, I believe that each of their approaches to happiness hold a common theme that must be inconsistent with true happiness. They base happiness ultimately on self fulfillment. One of the earliest to ask the question ‘what is happiness?’ was Aristotle, who, in a manner typical of philosophers, before providing an answer insisted on making a distinction between two different questions. His first question was what was meant by the word ‘happiness’—or rather, its ancient Greek equivalent eudaimonia. His second question was where happiness was to be found, that is to say, what is it that makes us truly happy? Reasonably enough he thought that it was futile to try to answer the second question without having given thought to...
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...Saint Augustus and Aquinas are both known for their input in the field of philosophy. With Augustus, coming some centuries before Aquinas. They both had similarities and differences in their inferences to different topics. Their similarities in this regard are they both explored the contrast of faith and reason and how they are related to each other. They both believe in the fulfillment of higher truths through faith. They both had aforethought on faith as trust in the scriptures and the belief in the reality of God. They also had some differences which included, St. Augustine, who was more inclined to the Platonist way of inference while St. Aquinas was more inclined to the Aristotelian way of thinking. St. Augustine believed that logic or...
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...The Catholic Church attitude towards the capital punishment has been changing throughout the history. The early Christians opposed to the death penalty as well as they opposed to the state. This attitude started changing when Christianity became an official religion. The Catholic Church as a power structure began utilizing all the repressive mechanisms inherent in a political formation. The clerical scholars started setting a theological basis to justify the murder. The inquisition became an instrument of the political suppression. Today, the Catholic Church changes the attitude to death penalty anew, retracing to early Christian positions. This paper analyzes the evolution of the Catholic thought on the issue of the death penalty. The early Christian Church opposed the death penalty, regarding it as the violation of the sixth commandment “thou shall not kill”. The teaching of Christ renounced the lex talionis tradition of the Old Testament which commanded to pay an equal price for a damage done (the principle known as “an eye for an eye”). The Old Testament distinctly orders to put to death a man who kills another man (Exod 21:12). On the contrary, at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). Apart from Christ's teaching, some books of the New Testament...
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...Spiritual Autobiography of Augustine * But what is he looking for? Truth * Why truth? Why do you prefer truth? (why not untruth; Nietzsche) truth; correspondence between idea and fact. Fittingness of the intellect to a thing. Aquinas- conceives truth as a light (in thy light, we see light) God is truth and God is love. (not an adjective) * Why truth? If you answer that because you believe there’s some purpose, a map, a teleology to your life and truth is about finding that plan and fulfilling your life, is that inadequate for Augustine? Nietzsche? * Existence for Augustine is not a fact, it is an act. * Truth for Augustine is not an abstract relationship between a subject and a predicate, it is real, concrete. Act of existence is a choice, in deed. * Pg. 20: (31) Book III (Carthage) * Love & Lust: Augustine distinguishes it. What’s the difference? Love is about the other, lust is about the self. * How is this similar to the critique of the theater in section 2? * You go see the theater and feel compassionate for the people who are suffering, you feel saintly- that is deception. * Jesus is compassionate to prostitutes but not to Pharisees- why? Deception of feeling good . * Why do we love to weep? Why do we get enjoyment from our own misery? * Section 4, he discovers Cicero. What’s the difference between heaven and hell? It’s your heart rather than mind that fundamentally seeks God, what does Augustine s ay about his heart...
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...Conjugal versus Revisionist Marriage: The ongoing debate in the U.S. over what constitutes marriage. What is Marriage? Are there qualifiers for what relationships can be classified as marriages? This paper will examine the arguments for defining marriage through the lens of Western Moral Tradition. According to the U.S. Government marriage is define as, §7. Definition of “marriage” and “spouse” In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word “marriage” means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word “spouse” refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. (Added Pub. L. 104–199, §3(a), Sept. 21, 1996, 110 Stat. 2419.) Where does the official United States Federal definition stem from? The answer to that question is not a single source but a series of teachings handed down from Western society stemming, arguably going back to ancient Greece and ancient Jerusalem. The legal use of marriage is not just for religious purposes but also for tax, property rights, and child rearing. Recently, a cultural divide has invigorated a debate on redefining marriage to include same sex or non-traditional unions as marriages. The debate is largely two sides each defining the specifics of what marriage entails. The first is referred to as conjugal view and the latter is revisionist view. Conjugal...
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...Just War theory is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics studied by theologians, ethicists, policy makers and military leaders. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. The criteria are split into two groups: ‘the right to go to war’ and ‘right conduct in war’ . The first concerns the morality of going to war and the second with moral conduct within war. Recently there have been calls for the inclusion of a third category of just war theory - jus post bellum - dealing with the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. Just War theory postulates that war, while very terrible, is not always the worst option. There may be responsibilities so important, atrocities which can be prevented or outcomes so undesirable they justify war. Origins The Indian epic, the Mahabharata, offers one of the first written discussions of a 'just war'. In it, one of five ruling brothers asks if the suffering caused by war can ever be justified, and then a long discussion ensues between the siblings, establishing criteria like proportionality, just means, just cause, and fair treatment of captives and the wounded. The war in Mahabharata is preceded by context that develops the "just cause" for the war including last minute efforts to reconcile differences to avoid war. At the beginning of the war, there is the discussion of "just conduct" appropriate...
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...Lecture 9/23 – Background to Descartes I. Introduction: Descartes’ Life and Works A. Descartes (1596-1650) 1. Born in La Haye, France in 1596. 2. 1606 – 1614 Descartes studies at the Jesuit University of La Fleche where his philosophical education would have focused on Aquinas and Aristotle – the dominant world view at the time. 3. 1616 – Received his law license. 4. 1637 – Discourse on Method 5. 1641 – Meditations on First Philosophy 6. 1644 – Principles of Philosophy 7. 1649 – Descartes moves to Sweden and tutors Queen Christina. 8. 1650 – Dies in Sweden in 1650. B. Descartes revolutionizes philosophy in two main ways. 1. In terms of epistemology, Descartes explores important issues via the first person point of view. He asks, “What can I from my own subjective point of view know about myself and the world around me.” This approach dominates philosophy after Descartes. 2. Descartes will also transform the way in which we think about substance. C. Descartes is a pivotal figure in the history of ideas since he writes at a time when the world is changing in important ways. The Meditations is a much discussed work. 1. Renaissance (1350-1550) 2. Reformation (Beginning in the First Half of the Sixteenth Century) ...
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...very powerful organization that dictated the social economic welfare, as well as the political governance of the world. After the fall of Roman Empire, Christianity took root in the moral fabric of the society and condemned most of the ancient cultural practices. Practices such as witchcraft were highly discouraged and individuals who got caught were punished and even killed. The catholic power at the time determined those who were to be kings and the kingdoms to fall and strongly condemned paganism as well as those who practiced indigenous cultural behaviors. Barbarism heavily faced fierce hatred as the catholic priests and nobles persecuted the barbarians and also those who protested Catholic Church. Great Christian thinkers like Augustine got educated through the Greek philosophical education. The staunch Christians could not accept this since it was not clear if it was possible to learn from the pagan ways and still follow the Christian values. However, the advantage were that learning from both extremities helped one to...
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...Anselm And Augustine Reason Of Faith Anselm And Augustine Reason Of Faith St. Augustine, who was also far and away the most influential Catholic theologian prior to St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustine’s mode of thought indicates perfectly that all knowledge upon all subjects must take into account the revealed truth of Scripture along with the insights of philosophy, since all knowledge is aimed at helping humanity understand God. He declared that “Faith precedes Reason” because unless you believe, you would not understand. St. Augustine like other Early Fathers of the Church, fully welcomed reason which was open to the absolute, and infused it with the richness drawn from Revelation. St. Augustine argued that reason and faith must be in concordance to know the truth and the stages of history. Moreover, he held that both help each other. Faith can help “illuminate” truths for philosophy and reasoning along the way to knowing God, and reason can help faith in understanding the perfections of God. St. Augustine, who was also far and away the most influential Catholic theologian prior to St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustine’s mode of thought indicates perfectly that all knowledge upon all subjects must take into account the revealed truth of Scripture along with the insights of philosophy, since all knowledge is aimed at helping humanity understand God. He declared that “Faith precedes Reason” because unless you believe, you would not understand. St. Augustine like other...
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...disclosure of his diagnosis. Having a proper treatment plan for the patient is imperative for him to follow; however; question lies how long has he had this murmur without any symptoms? There is a co pilot and some airlines still have flight engineers so the plane and passengers would still safe to fly his particular airline. People work with chronic illnesses in different fields every day so rather than jeopardizing his retirement ought/should be vs. what is comes into play with this scenario. Augustine and Aquinas, in my opinion would have the same answer since their ethics are religious driven. Aquinas will focus on the recipient of the natural law, that is, us human beings, the thesis of his natural law theory that comes to the fore is that the natural law constitutes the basic principles of practical rationality for human beings, and has this status by nature. The notion that the natural law constitutes the basic principles of practical rationality implies, for Aquinas, both that the...
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...by a God given ability which is pushed forwards by biblical teachings, or from the sense of guilt we feel when we go against our conscience according to Sigmund Freud. “The Conscience is a difficult notion to understand and even more difficult to explain how it operates,” (Richard Gula) therefore there are many definitions of conscience and there are many philosophical theories about conscience and it connection with moral decision making. Firstly an argument for the conscience, which is the voice of God, comes from Augustine of Hippo, who said that “Men see the moral rules written in the book of light which is called Truth from which all laws are copied.” (De Trinitate, Augustine of Hippo). He was a theologian and believed that the conscience is God’s love poured forth to human beings, thus it is when God speaks to the individual, therefore he is arguing that the conscience is the voice of God and it reveals itself in solitary moments thus is not learned. Augustine argued that when God reveals Himself to a human, the human experience their own inadequacy. Since God is ‘perfect love and virtue’, any divine experience will reveal the inadequacies of being human and our inability to do anything about it. However, some have found weaknesses in this argument because this assumes that it cannot be questioned because it is the voice of God...
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