They can be physical parts or concepts (similar to Plato’s idea of the forms). Two main issues come up during discussions of cosmology; how the universe was created and out of what the universe was created. In the Theogony, Hesiod has the world created out of gods that are human by nature and to create this universe the gods reproduced. Hesiod’s theories of the universe can clearly be classified as myth, since there is no scientific background for it. The philosophers to follow Hesiod moved slightly away from this.
Aquinas’ design argument was influenced by Aristotle’s ideas presented in his work Metaphysics. He strongly showed aspects of a teleological argument when he shared the idea of a ‘prime mover’, a designer who looks ahead when putting the world in motion. He also argued that everything has purpose and direction. Therefore, this strongly suggests that there must be a ‘designer’ at work. Similarly, William Paley, strongly believed that the observation of the intricate complexity of the universe concludes that there must be a creator.
Explain the main challenges of the teleological argument for the existence of God The word ‘telos’ derives from the Greek meaning end, goal or purpose. The teleological argument is the argument that the world was designed by a designer and this designer is God. Throughout history there have been many points to support the teleological argument however there have also been many that challenge it. In “dialogues concerning natural religion” David Hume offers three key criticisms of the teleological argument. His first point was that the universe is bound to look designed because it has to be this way for us to be here to observe it, any solar system or planet which provided the conditions for conscious life to exist will seem to have been designed for our purposes.
the theory of knowledge, and attempt to discuss the development of different theories of philosophers ranging from pre-Socratic to post-Aristotelian Ancient Greece. 2. Pre-Socratic Epistemology Before any specific reference is made to philosophers of the pre-Socratic era, one must comment on the shifting in the mind-set that was taking place in Ancient Greece at this time. All that was known to the Greeks was that of traditionally accepted and unquestioned truths pertaining to the gods communicated to the people by poets such as Homer and Hesiod. (Lawhead 2011:15-16).
Christina Politis Mr. Lambropolous HZT4U1 Sunday, April 10, 2011 The Ideological Shift From Metaphysics to Ethics Like most things in life, philosophy been evolving throughout history. One of the original, well-recognized philosophers was Plato who was mostly concerned with the metaphysical. His beliefs extended beyond the perceivable world. At one point in time, Plato’s philosophy was the standard viewpoint of society. However, as philosophies such as Epicureanism started to develop, the opinions of society were revolutionized.
Later philosophers such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, built on the work of the ancient philosophers in natural law theory treatises of their own. They all suggested that natural laws are built into the fabric of the universe and therefore guide human reason, they are universal and therefore should apply everywhere. Natural law as a framework for criticizing and reforming positive laws, arguing that positive laws which are unjust under the principles of natural law are legally insufficient. In this report I will evaluate how natural law theory adapt under the works of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas with reference also to the work of the previous philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Cicero. St. Augustine’s City of God The original sin plays a significant role in St. Augustine’s views on the natural law theory.
There are ‘expansion and refinements’ to Aristotle’s thought, but not only that he cognisant of criticisms and tries to address these [Marmura]. Marmura further argues that Avicenna’s thought is rooted in his own emanative system, and makes distinction between essence and existence, which will be explored further below. This account will largely focus on the analysis of Ibn Sina’s Causality; through its link with that of Aristotle: how it differs from other prevailing views of Greek philosophers, and that of the al-Ghazzali and the Ash’arites, and, how from this analysis of causality Ibn Sina seeks to shows affirm his own belief that God exists rationally. According to Ibn Sina the early Greek Philosophers seemingly focused on specific or single elements more than others in nature that explained events that are happening in nature and in the world around us (Asif 2009). The Greek philosophers included Thales focusing on water, Aximenes emphasised the importance of air, Hereclius unusually saw fire as a
relating to creation, nature and the cosmos progressed and fed off of each other in an ongoing attempt to provide a more rational understanding of being. Generally acknowledged as the first of the pre-Socratics, Thales is the earliest philosopher to be quoted on attempting to formulate an understanding of being. Thales claimed that behind all of the multiplicity of the world observed by our human senses there is one unity. This unity, or arché, as Thales says is water. Water is flowing and ever changing and so serves as a sufficient basis for all forms of nature, and especially life as water provides nourishment for organic life forms.
Numerous theories were proposed by scientists or religions to explain the beginning of the universe. They were questioned by people believed for their integrity. The big bang theory was challenged by many too, but it has become the model that the scientific community has widely accepted to explain the birth of the universe as it is backed up by many evidences. According to the theory, there is a finite age to the universe. At the very start, the entire universe was about a size of an atom.
On one hand Plato believed in more of a nativist view, in which assumes that people are preprogrammed for certain behavior due to their lineage from the time they are born (Gerrig, R. J. and Zimbardo, P. G. 6). Conversely, Aristotle led a belief that people are free from any hereditary constraints and are free to interpret their experiences as they saw fit (Gerrig, R. J. and Zimbardo, P. G. 6). William Wundt is credited with founding the first formal laboratory and is considered a critical figure in the evolution of modern psychology (Gerrig, R. J. and Zimbardo, P. G. 6). From his psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, he taught many of the pioneers of modern psychology. Many of his graduates went on to define in depth versions which we now recognize as the many facets of psychology today.