...The Cosmological argument argues for the existence of God a posteriori based on the apparent order in the universe. For Aristotle, the existence of the universe needs an explanation, a cause, as it could not have come from nothing. Nothing comes from nothing so since there is something, there must have been some other thing that is its cause. Aristotle rules out an infinite progression of causes, so, that led to the conclusion that there must be a First Cause. Likewise with motion, there must have been a first cause; Aristotle calls this the ‘Prime Mover’. There is a God, says Aristotle -for how else does motion begin? Whilst this argument does generally offer some support for the existence of God, it does not prove his existence. Aquinas believed that, since the universe is God's creation, evidence of God's existence can be found in his creation using intellect and reason, as such a concept of God is beyond all direct human experience. Hence, he devised his 'Five Ways,' 5 a posteriori arguments for the existence of God, based on our empirical experience of the universe. The Cosmological argument rests on the first three of Aquinas' Five Ways. The first way is called the argument from motion or ‘change’. It is in this first way that Aquinas follows Aristotle’s ‘prime mover’ thesis. The first way (The 'Kalam' argument) follows as: • Everything in the world is moving or changing • Nothing can move or change by itself • There cannot be an infinite regress of things changing other...
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...The Cosmological Argument The Second Way: The Argument from Causation Aquinas claims that if we look around the world, we will see that things are caused to come into existence by other things. Children are caused to come into existence by their parents, who are in turn caused to some into existence by their parents, etc. We never observe anything causing itself, for this, Aquinas argues, would be absurd. However, the series of causes cannot go back infinitely. If you do not have a first cause, then there cannot be any intermediate causes, or a last. So there must be an uncaused first cause--and this we call God. The Third Way: The Argument From Contingency Contingent vs. Necessary: Before we dive into Aquinas' Third Way, it will help to get a grasp on the difference between contingent things and necessary things. A contingent thing is one that either in fact exists, but might not have, or one that does not in fact exist, but might have. For example, Alumni Hall exists, but it might not have (we can imagine that they just never built it); so Alumni Hall is a contingent thing. Unicorns, on the other hand, do not in fact exist, but it seems possible that they might have; so unicorns are contingent things. There are lots of contingent things: you, me, your parents, my parents, etc. In contrast, a necessary thing is one that in fact exists, but is also something that could not have failed to exist. In other words, it is logically impossible that a necessary being could...
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...God existence In the Middle Ages the existence of God was unquestionable to theologians. They simply knew that He was not an invention of humans. Even so, many of them tried to prove that God was real. The main conflict in the XI century was between two social groups: First of all, those who saw theology as a Bible commentary –and said that God was unreachable and a mystery-. Secondly, those who thought that rational analysis would be better -and were in favour of a more empirical and rational knowledge-. Religion and philosophy were largely mixed. The task of philosophical theology was to clarify, determine and explain the existence of God. How were philosophers supposed to do it? What are the different approaches taken by two of the most important medieval thinkers –Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas-, and how do they differ? ***** Both Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury identified God as a supreme being with a large number of attributes, necessary for life and the cause of the universe. They acted as mediators between the philosophical problems of their time. Anselm of Canterbury defined God as "that than nothing better can be thought" -meaning that we think of God as the most perfect being, the supreme being-. He considered it possible to demonstrate the existence of God from the mere intellectual understanding of the concept of God. He rejected the observation of the world. The existence in reality is greater than in the mind alone...
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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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...Examine how the Teleological Argument for the existence of God has developed. The teleological argument is the design argument for the existence of God. The name is derived from the Greek word ‘telos’ which means “end” or “purpose”. This theory speaks about things in the universe that appear to fulfil a purpose. Such design could not have occurred by chance, the only explanation has to do with references to an intelligent, personal being. This makes it an ‘a posteriori’ argument. The origin of the teleological argument dates back to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (424-348 BCE) who believed in a pre-existent universe. He believed that the universe wasn’t created by an intelligent being which he referred to as the ‘demi-urge’. Instead his theory stated that the demi-urge did not create the universe ex nihilo, he simply developed a universe which he already existed in. For Plato, this was a rational explanation as to why there’s order in the world rather than chaos. Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who was a student of Plato also contributed to this theory. He considered that based on all that can be observed in the world and the stars above, the only explanation for all the complexity and beauty that the world contains was a divine intelligence. He believed that there was a first unmoved mover who is responsible for all order that exists. Such a God was also viewed as possessing intelligence, goodness, eternity yet remained incorporeal. St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century) adapted and...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...Aquinas and Plato: Of Souls and Men Question 2 “…since the rational soul is the proper form of man, there is in every man a natural inclination to act according to reason, and this is to act according to virtue. Consequently, considered thus, all acts of virtue are prescribed by the natural law.” (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, p. 223) a. Analyze the passage and explain the meaning of natural law according to Aquinas. b. Compare this passage to Plato’s theory of ideas. To understand the concepts proposed in the assigned quote, this paper will first break down the quote into its individual statements. This independent analysis will then be utilized to find a core message in the quote as a whole, and ultimately to assist in understanding Thomas Aquinas’ view of natural law as a governing precept of human thought and action and in comparison to Plato’s theory of ideas. “…The rational soul is the proper form of man…” The first statement in the quote establishes what Aquinas sees to be as the essence of humanity. He understood the rational soul to be that aspect of the soul that creates reason. He understood reason to be the defining characteristic that separates man from other animals. Therefore, the rational soul being the mover that differentiates man, it is man’s proper form. He is making a judgment that since reason is what makes man unique it is also what man is, properly. The idea of form is important as well. Aquinas understood man to consist...
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...emotions have been the ignition fueling countless social movements as well as horrid tragedies. Emotions are as unpredictable as they are complex. Implementing Eleonore Stump’s analysis of love as well as the arguments for eliminating anger by Owen Flanagan and the Stoic philosophers, the new sentient robots should not be given the ability to experience human emotions because of their characteristics of destructiveness and unpredictability. Eleonore Stump argues that love is the desire for the objective good and union with the beloved. Stump comes to this view by first dissecting the relational, volitional and responsiveness accounts of love. Stump uses the...
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...contribute to the study of organizational behavior and they determine how an individual would behave in a scenario. It also includes mention of a case study to determine corporate psychological defenses, which explains how organizations try to avoid charges even if it’s their fault. This term paper discusses how different attributes of organizational behavior are affected by disciplines of different nature. Key words: Interdisciplinary, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, Management, Political Science, Medicine. 1 Introduction: 1. Meaning & Definitions: Organizational Behavior is a systematic study of the actions and attitudes that people exhibit within organizations, according to P G Aquinas (2006). This study is basically concerned with the psychosocial, interpersonal, and behavioral dynamics in organizations. The term ‘Organizational behavior’ is defined by Stephen P Robbins as “a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving on Organization’s effectiveness”. According to Keith Davis, “organizational behavior is an academic discipline concerned with understanding and describing human behavior in organizational environment. It seeks to shed light on whole complex human factor in organization by identifying causes and effect of that behavior.” This study deals with humans and, what causes them to...
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...believed, similarly to Aquinas, that we have a God given ability to reason through the use of our conscience. Benevolence is, according to Butler, the natural tendency of all human beings. In dramatic contrast to what Freud would say from a modern perspective, Butler would argue that we are all essentially good. This is the foundation for Butler’s argument that we have an innate sense of right and wrong from our god given conscience. Hence, since we say that we are all essentially good self-love comes as one of the many ways to show such goodness as highlighted by Butler in his book “15 Sermons Preached at the Rolls Chapel”. We as innately benevolent people will want to help others as one of the many ways to show goodness. Butler also believed that human beings have two rational guides to behaviour: enlightened self-interest and conscience. Conscience helps the selfish human become virtuous and so provides a balance between these two tendencies. Butler, although believes we are essentially good people, doesn’t deny the fact that we have feelings and passions but says that it is our conscience and its god given sense of right and wrong judges between these passions as the “moral approving and disapproving faculty” and we therefore act proportionately according to our conscience. Overall Butler argues that each human has a direct insight into the universal or objective rightness or wrongness of an action, otherwise known as an innate moral guide. St Thomas Aquinas agreed with Butler’s...
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...Albert Rosales Professor: Gill Intro Philosophy: 213 In writing this paper, I was apprehensive by the immensity of the task that was required of me, having never studied Philosophy and philosophers before this class and not having a good understanding of it. I could not begin to comprehend Metaphysics, Ethics Epistemology etc. if it was not for this course. This may sound ignorant but I had never really given any thought to my worldview. If asked what I believed about something I would give my belief and that was that. What exactly is a worldview? A worldview is what it sounds like. It is the way one may see the world or as Nash puts it in his book Life’s Ultimate Questions “the sum total of a person’s answers to the most important questions in life(392).” Everyone has a worldview whether we realize it or not. How does one get their worldview? Our education, our upbringing, the culture we live in, the books we read, the media and movies we watch, all can help shape our worldview. Nash says, “Worldviews contain at least five clusters of beliefs, namely, beliefs about God, metaphysics (ultimate reality), epistemology (knowledge), ethics and human nature (14).” Using these five sections I will share my worldview. In general my worldview is a Christian one. I believe that there is one God who exists in three forms who created the Heavens and the earth. In the Bible Genesis 1:1 tells of how God is the beginning of everything; he created the heavens and the earth out of nothing...
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...vs. Politics, human law vs. divine law, and good government vs. bad government, are all things that hold strong influence over the people in society, and determine their behavior towards one another. Laws are created to maintain order amongst the people, and therefore, should be reflective of everyone as a whole. For those who cause trouble should be the only ones subjected to the law. And, despite the law holding so much power, many people still break it. In this paper, I will explore the religious, philosophical, and political views of St. Thomas Aquinas in relation to the law in society, through his following works: The Doctrine of Necessary Being, the Weakness of Will, and his views on the City, Province, and Empire in the Subsidiarity, Federalism, and Best Constitution. I will then explore his reasoning about why religion and state should co-exist independently, but overlap in the governing of the people. Thomas Aquinas is one of the most renowned Saints in the Dominican Order. He was born in Roccasecca, Italy in 1225. From the age of five to thirteen he attended a...
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...misery; literally the elimination of misery. Secondly, food – gives pleasure – Happiness is lack of human misery and maximizing /pleasure and happiness. Bliss 24/7 – hedonism Epicureanism – eliminating misery and maximizing happiness. The justification of utopianism = why did plato want the republic? Justisifcation for improving human society among the Greeks? Poor always poor, always unhappy, death claims everyone - it is rational to maximize pleasure and eliminate misery. Do eternally accouding to plato. Opinions – 1. Relativism is a retreat in the 20th century. Can’t voice own opinion – can’t change the world – retreatist. Lazy persons out – often times used as avoidance. DO NOT USE AS IMMEDIATE THE POOR MANS WAY OUT OF ARGUMENT. If use, have to have massive justification for it. 2. a. Define the difference between Greek utopian experiments (2 of them) Plato and Homer refuge Plato – more of an activist Homer - the nostalgic Garden of Eden...
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...Journal Entry 11.Chapter 5: The teacher and his teachings, Pages: 108-109. Monday 24, 2014 A New Kind of Teacher Socrates a different kind of teacher, he was not paid to be a teacher and his teaching method was different. He believed that people could not think clearly if they are not clear on what they are analyzing or talking about. Therefore, in his teaching sessions he would ask questions and answer them the best he could. So I wondered, how different would the education system be if we had follow Socrates way of teaching? Socrates is one of the most important people in western philosophy. I found it interesting that we have no writings from his own hand, from his two students Plato and Xenophon. I agreed with Socrates claim that appearance of the body is less important than how it functions and true beauty comes from spirit and character. I questioned if spirit and character is more important than the physical appearance, why do modern society judge an individual based on their physical appearance? Journal Entry 12. Chapter 6: the Theory of forms. Pages 144. Thursday, February 20, 2014. Knowledge Vs. Opinion Plato is one of the philosophers that interest me the most because of his search for knowledge outside his “comfort zone.” Plato left the Athens and wandered for twelve years and during that time he studied mathematics and mysticism. For me, as a math minor, it was interesting to see how mathematics influenced Plato’s philosophy and I wondered, does an individual’s...
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...out of. As such the case religious and ethical truths are to be discovered. Ethical naturalists such as F.H. Bradley have argued that ethical language is about facts of the world. It is argued that moral statements which are subjective statements about values can be translated into facts or objective statements of fact. Thus it can be argued that ‘Hitler is evil’ is a true statement on the account that he was responsible for mass murder. This view was challenged by Hume. Hume argued that it is not possible to move from an ‘ought’ to an ‘is’. This is known as the naturalistic fallacy. This is because such a move leaves open questions unanswered such as ‘is mass murder wrong?’ and so on. This critique is described as the open question argument. G.E. Moore in Principa Ethica proposed a solution and argued that statements can still be about facts. He proposed the theory of Ethical Non Naturalism which has come...
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