to both of these subjects Their are an infinite number of ways of examining love and religion but none of them can be taken as fact and none of them can be guaranteed as false. In this paper‚ I will examine the ways that Rene Descartes and Saint Augustine examine their lives and what they feel makes their life worth living. In the Meditations‚ Descartes attempts to doubt everything that is possible to doubt. He is uncertain of the existence of many things from God and himself. Then he goes on
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his sinning in that period by stating the he "can recall not a single trace." Saint Augustine continues his book by discussing his disappointment in the fancy reading and writings that he learned in school for the purpose of gaining honors and future wealth. He blamed his teachers for their misguided curriculums in the remaining portion of this book‚ and thanks them only for teaching him literacy. Saint Augustine finishes the book one by listing his sins in that era‚ but also lists what was good
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Augustine and the Problem of Evil Introduction When St. Augustine wrote Enchiridion‚ The City of God‚ and On the Free Choice of the Will he certainly had various reasons in mind and multiple arguments he was seeking to prove. One common thread throughout is the problem of reconciling the existence of evil in a world in which God exists as well. This is the problem of evil. I will show that Augustine attempts to solve the problem by denying that evil exists as such and by saying that what we
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St. Augustine St. Augustine St. Augustine might be known for being an influential scholar that was considered to be a very intellectual and thoughtful thinker; but what many don’t realize is that he was a turn around man. In the early years of his life he lived with ease‚ he partied and loved entertainment. He was an inspiration because of his conversion back to Christianity and finally realizing it was the true religion. Some of his pieces included subjects such as: Grace‚ the Trinity‚ the Soul
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it is here were a man commonly known as Plato (true name Aristocles) begins to write brilliant philosophical dialogues‚ sparked by the state mandated execution of his teacher Socrates. It was in this moment Plato etched his name in to the physique of humanity‚ as one of the greatest philosophers in history‚ it was at a midpoint of his career when he wrote what is arguably his greatest work The Republic; this will be our subject of Review. In the Republic Plato (Aristocles) uses the character of Socrates
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Knowledge Aquinas and Descartes have different ideas on how humans gain knowledge in the world. Both philosophers need to define what the human body is composed of in order to determine how we gain knowledge. For Aquinas intellect comes from the soul and the body working in unison. The soul is the substantial form of a living material thing. It is the actuality of a living material substance. Even though the rational soul is what differentiates humans from other living things‚ it does not
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What we call evil is actually just a corruption of good. God created everything with a good intention‚ so everything God created is actually good. Augustine approaches the idea of evil by saying that‚ “evil had no being on its own but is only an absence of good” (44). Augustine explains this reasoning with the example of him stealing the pears. When Augustine stole the pears‚ he did not actually need them. He already had plenty of pears‚ so he did not steal them for nourishment. Also‚ the pears that
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The Republic by Plato builds an ideal and complete city between Socrates‚ Adeimantus‚ and Glaucon. The ideal city distinguishes between justice and injustice by establishing four virtues which are wisdom‚ courage‚ moderation‚ and justice (372e). Each citizen has a specific role or art which they are required to fulfill‚ in order for the ideal city to function properly. However‚ the city is not self-sufficient because each citizen is "in need of much. (369c)" In contrast to Plato‚ Aristotle’s Politics
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Aquinas If we are perfectly happy we will have god in our presence and happiness is a beatific vision. Humans have deliberate will‚ which means they can make decisions based on reason rather than instinct like animals. Wealth leads to all of the other things that are believed to be needed for happiness. Two types of wealth- natural and artifical. Natural is like food‚ clothing‚ & shelter – the natural things created in nature necessary for survival. Artificial- money and cars‚ things made
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disputed through logic and through faith. Out of the readings assigned in class‚ I will be presenting Aquinas’ Five Ways argument. In short‚ this claim simply gives five logical reasons that prove god’s existence‚ which in turn‚ explains the existence as a whole. Within this paper‚ I will invalidate Aquinas’ argument‚ for his reasoning is full of logical loopholes and inconsistencies. Ultimately‚ Aquinas believes there would have to be a mover that first put things in motion. This first Way states that
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