Philosophy assignment 6

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PHILOSOPHY 1001
THE QUESTION OF GOD AND PHILOSOPHY IN THE MIDDLE AGES

PPT 8

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QUESTION OF GOD

  • Does the question of God belong in the study of Philosophy?
  • Philosophy can be viewed as an objective/scientific approach to the great questions of life
  • But, religious beliefs are a critical part of many cultures
  • Philosophy and religion are closely related
  • For many people God/religion is the basis for answering philosophical questions

A transcendent unchanging reality

An absolute justification for the value and purpose of human life

  • What about the questions of

“proving” God’s existence?

varieties of religious beliefs and controversy

still, religions and religious beliefs are commonly part of philosophical discussion

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MIDDLE AGES

  • This ppt. covers history of Mid ages and deals with some questions about God as philosophical base
  • Middle Ages, Medieval Ages, (Dark ages?)
  • 400AD to 1300 AD
  • Begin with “fall” of Roman Empire
  • End with beginning of Renaissance
  • Christianity is dominate philosophical influence in west
  • Major thinkers/ figures
  • Augustine 354-430AD (Plato synthesis)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 AD (Aristotle synthesis)
  • Mohammed 571-632 AD Founded Islam

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TERMS TO KNOW

Augustine influenced by Plato

Aquinas influence by Aristotle

Natural Law

Middle Ages/Medieval Ages

Theocracy

Copernican revolution

Theodicy

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CHRISTIAN ERA

  • Rome declines/ Christian movement increases
  • Ushers in the Middle ages- (age of the church)
  • Church governance, scholarship, thinking dominant
  • Christians persecuted into 2nd century AD
  • By Jews and Romans (wouldn’t submit to emperor worship)
  • Gain acceptance over time
  • Christian message took root
  • Offered hope in an uncertain world
  • Valued individuals including women (India today)
  • Served during plagues
  • Promoted education for the commoners
  • Through time Christians found in leadership

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CHRISTIAN ERA

  • Emperor Constantine, AD 300
  • makes Christianity state religion
  • Some reverse persecution
  • Christian forces close down the Academy and the Lyceum.
  • Augustine and Aquinas become dominant “philosophers” of that era.
  • Philosophical emphasis is on the being of God, man is subservient.
  • (Classical era-Philosophical emphasis is “humanism” –philosophy attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters)

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INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY

  • Though fashionable to discredit religion – influence of religious belief should be understood.
  • Names of students in our class
  • Historical credits
  • Orphanages and outlawing of “exposure”
  • Art
  • Christian ethic
  • Forgiveness/ 2nd chance
  • Humility
  • Love for enemies

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CHRISTIAN CALENDAR

  • Current world calendar established in 6th century AD is based birth of Jesus
  • Change from Julian Calendar begun in 45BC named after Julius Caesar.
  • Since British empire eventually controlled ¼ world, Christian calendar became dominant
  • We still hear of Jewish or Chinese New Year
  • 622 is year 1 for Islam (Muhammad completes his Hegira, or “flight,” from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution.)
  • Jewish calendar 2019 is year 5779
  • Chinese calendar 2019 is year 4717

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AUGUSTINE

  • 354-430AD
  • Like Aquinas wanted to connect Christian Faith with Greek tradition of reason.
  • Sought to use/synthesize Plato with Christianity
  • Like Plato, happiness found in higher reality
  • For Augustine, a loving God is that reality
  • Worldly realm changes, God doesn’t change
  • Love and peace are key goals obtained when God’s created order is preserved
  • Moral law is expression of the nature of God
  • Natural divine law is basis for ethics

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THE WHY QUESTION

  • How do you answer the why question?
  • Why do bad things happen to good people?
  • Why are things, good and bad, the way they are?
  • Moral evil and Natural evil
  • Theodicy – the question of evil
  • Theo/dicy God/Justice
  • If God is good, why is there evil in the world or why doesn’t God stop evil?

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QUESTION OF EVIL (MILLER CH. 11)

Augustine known for pursuit of answer for the question- If God exists and is benevolent, why is there evil?

  • Six typical solutions
  • 1. God is limited- though created universe - not involved in humanity.
  • 2. God is too high above humanity for us to comprehend his purposes- God/evil exist but explanation too high above to grasp
  • 3. Evil is absence of good- (St. Augustine) God is perfect but humanity is not- door is left open for evil to occur (Plato)
  • 4. Free will defense- For God to have beings who could, of their own will, love and respond to him- he had to also give them the ability to reject him.
  • 5. Evil as therapy- God allows evil so humans see how bad it is and right themselves
  • 6. There is nothing but evil ultimately- it touches everyone- life is futile

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ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 1225-1274

Aquinas- Influenced by Aristotle

But Aristotle’s thinking not enough- no personal God

Goal of a person – Perfection

People drawn toward what fulfills and perfects them

Aristotle; people drawn toward perfect function

Aquinas; people drawn toward perfection itself- God

Law of God

  • God’s laws incorporated into human nature
  • Nature draws toward doing good
  • Human reason is capable of grasping moral truth/ethics from God

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NATURAL LAW

Natural Law – transcendent principles about ultimate right and wrong that are authoritative for all people at all times-discovered by reason.

  • Human nature tends toward good, purpose and meaning
  • By reason we can grasp the essentials of right and wrong
  • Source of natural law
  • Aristotle – natural law- no God
  • Aquinas – natural law- from God
  • Law controversy- for example U.S. constitution

A. Based on Natural Law?

B. Or, invention of humanity – therefore can change with times- “Living Constitution”

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3 GREAT MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS

  • Judaism
  • Moses Maimonides 1125-1204AD – Spain
  • Christianity
  • Islam – Mohamed 570-632 AD
  • Avicenna 980- 1037
  • Averroes 1125-1198

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THE PROBLEM OF GOD

  • Many issues today revolving around god/religion
  • Role of religious belief in government
  • Religious terrorism
  • American scene
  • Prayer in school
  • Ten Commandments on the wall
  • Pledge of Allegiance

  • Does Religion belief reinforce ethical living?
  • Do we hinder ethical living by excluding religion from society?
  • Philosophical problem for people of faith
  • Believe in God but is “truth” valid if not empirically provable?

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END OF MIDDLE AGES

  • Renaissance 1300-1590 (Italian Renaissance) Humanism re-emphasized
  • Dante 1265- 1321 Dante’s Inferno
  • Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519 Artist/ engineer
  • Machiavelli 1469-1527 The Prince
  • Michelangelo 1475-1564 Artist
  • Copernicus 1473-1543 Copernican Revolution
  • Heliocentric Solar system
  • Galileo 1564-1642 Astronomer

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GOD AND SCIENCE

  • Copernican revolution
  • If we can explain universe as “natural” phenomena, what part does God play?
  • Add to that
  • If we can’t know for sure about other realities beside the material world, how can we depend on religious ideas?
  • Continuing dilemma/debate about faith and knowledge
  • Western culture today, person of faith has feet in two worlds

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BELIEF

  • How do we manage to hold conflicting ideas in our heads?

  • The word belief in our culture often means to simply entertain an idea not to make a commitment to the truth of the idea.

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ULTIMATELY, DO WE CHOOSE WHAT WE BELIEVE?

  • Do we define belief as simply holding an idea in our heads? Do we often hold contradictory ideas in our heads?
  • How far is the Sun from earth? (click)
  • How do you know?
  • Can you measure it yourself?
  • Are you “forced” to believe anything?
  • Science describes world
  • Scientific knowledge is not absolute
  • Moons of Jupiter (has the number changed)
  • Irony of the day?
  • Do we use the “absolute” of science to prove the non- absoluteness of faith?

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BEGINNING OF EARLY MODERN ERA

  • Western Civilization; though faith/religion remains driving force, “secular” course in philosophy and science continually advances.

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TERMS TO KNOW

Augustine influenced by Plato

Aquinas influence by Aristotle

Natural Law

Middle Ages/Medieval Ages

Theocracy

Copernican revolution

Theodicy

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THINGS TO KNOW

Who were the dominant “Philosophers” of the mid ages? What classical philosophers did they associate with? Were they rationalist or empiricist?

What explanation for the existence of evil did Augustine favor?

How many miles is earth from the sun?

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