Anaxagoras’ ideas are in many ways similar to that of Heraclitus; however, there are some deviations that I will highlight in contrasting each philosopher’s theory on the nature of what is. Heraclitus’s main motivation in his philosophical endeavors revolved around his desire to know what is and the organization or order of all things that exist. Heraclitus's central claim in his attempt to answer his curiosities was that the world (and universe for that matter), is ordered, guided, and unified by a rational structure, which he called the LOGOS. This rational structure of the cosmos orders and controls the universe. Thus the LOGOS, in Heraclitus's view, is the unifier in nature.
Hence why, natural laws such as gravity and motion assist in forming the basis for the cause and effect that fills the discussion of hard determinism. However, James Lovelock argued that according to GAIA theory the world changes, adapts and amends itself in order to survive and the human race is of little significance. Humans do not control nature, nature is in control. Philosophical determinism, like all forms of hard determinism, is based on the theory of Universal Causation. This is the belief that everything in the universe including all human actions and choices has a cause.
The theory of ontology, a branch of metaphysics, is concerned with the nature and relations of being (Meriam-Webster, 2015). Not only is it concerned with these relations, it also explores what kinds of things exist, and more specifically, what entities there are in the universe. Henry Thoreau held the belief that everything changes, but the foundation of reality is eternal. He was an ardent lover of all things “natural”, and this led him to understand how diverse and complex the natural world reveals itself to be. It would be accurate to accept that because Thoreau noticed the beauty of nature and its life-giving potential, this changed his entire perception of who the human being is (Ruehl, 2015).
The ultimate law is Eternal Law. These are the principles by which God made and controls the universe which only God can understand completely. We can have a partial understanding of these laws through ‘reflections’. Aquinas argued that we can understand these laws more by using human reason. He was influenced by Aristotle’s view that humans, like all objects in this realm, have a specific purpose.
This essay will discuss what can be found in the Scriptures on the topics of the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. The Apostle Paul's epistle to the church in Rome provides sufficient answers to each of these topics. Specifically, Romans 1:20, and 8:19-21 speaks a great deal on the natural world. The Apostle wrote in Romans 1:20 (HCSB), “For His [God's] invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” According to Paul, the natural world reflects God's invisible attributes.
The Natural World God created the natural world through His word. This shows the nature of God as all powerful and His word as power. When God spoke, the universe and everything in it came into existence. This we know because the Bible is the word of God that it is not written by human knowledge, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Romans 1:20 says “that the creation has been seen and understood because of God’s invisible qualities, divine nature and His eternal power so that men may not have an excuse.” It, therefore, follows that God is seen through His creation.
Aristotle asked the question of ‘how does it happen?’ and believed that every object has a purpose. This is known as ‘The Final Cause’ and it was believed that perfection was only reached when an object fulfilled its purpose. In the thirteenth century, Aquinas developed natural law and explained how it was a moral code existing within the purpose of nature, created by God. It exists to help humans to direct their actions in a way, which will help them, reach their destiny with God. Aquinas described that, fundamentally, humans should do good and avoid evil.
In the Rig Veda’s creation myth we encounter the hymn of The Golden Embryo. It is stated that god of all creation, Prajapati who is identical with the Golden Embryo, was born from the primordial waters; “When the high waters came, pregnant with the embryo that is everything, bringing forth fire, he arose from that as the one life’s breath of the gods.” Since most of these myths took place along the geographical area of the Fertile Crescent where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers were most active, water was seen as a primordial factor in the creation and survival of civilization. These myths further reinforced the importance of water through tales of universal creation beginning with
Darwins dangerous idea was that he asked the question who created life, and his response was that no one did which in it's nature denies the supernatural explanation of the universe. Darwin focused on the idea of natural selection which presents the theory of evolution. the danger of his ideas were that they defied common sense, previously held religious beliefs and contradicted the bible.
How successful is the teleological argument in proving the existence of God? The teleological argument is an a posteriori argument: it tries to justify the existence of God by asking “Why are we here?” Is it due to design or chance? The argument goes as far back as the days of Cicero and has been objected by the likes of Charles Darwin. One of the first known teleological arguments is the argument from analogy, which is argued by William Paley and Aquinas. Paley believes that some natural objects display design like qualities- they display a fitness to purpose.