He was an academic and studied the works of Aristotle, translating them and analyzing his works. He was born in Córdoba in 1126 and followed a traditional education for the time. He came from a highly regarded family and studied medicine as well as philosophy. He was a student of Ibn-Bajjah, another philosopher, and was prominent in many areas of medicine, which he learned from Ibn Zuhr, a Muslim physician widely known in the Arab empire. He was, however, banished because of his rational views, which clashed with the orthodox views of the political leaders, and devoted the rest of his life to his philosophy and works.
Adelard’s nephew was responding to Adelard’s thoughts of Aristotle and God in the article Natural Questions. Adelard was a traveling advocate of Arabic science and also was one of the scholars who was interested in Aristotle’s philosophic, naturalistic, and empirical approaches in the medieval period. Knowing this, it is obvious that Adelard was going to view things with an incredibly knowledgeable bias. An example of this bias is when Adelard said, “It is difficult for me to talk with you about animals, for I have learned one thing, under the guidance of reason, from Arabic teachers; but you, captivated by a show of authority, are led around by a halter.” Because Adelard was a highly intelligent scholar, he looked at things in a more scientific and scholarly manner rather than in the common manner of God’s will that was popular in the medieval times. Another example of Adelard’s bias is the quote, “For why not fill up sheets of paper, and why not write on the back too, when you usually have such readers today who require no rational explanation and put their trust only in the ancient name of a title?” In this quote, it is clear that Adelard was beginning to defend Aristotle’s teachings and slightly turn his back against the “God’s Will” approach.
However, if this link between religion and morality is criticised, then there are sufficient grounds for secularist and atheistic ways of life. Why is religion needed when it is not the source of moral guidance? Two famous critiques of the link between religion and morality are the Euthyphro dilemma and the many critiques od Richard Dawkins against religion. Both essentially come to the same conclusion; that we do not need God to be good. The basic concept of religion and morality, especially divine command theory, is very simple: what God commands is good, therefore only do that.
Morality is not simply about avoiding the wrong, but is also about doing what is virtuous. This theory is secular in the fact that it is non religious and therefore universal as it can be applied to all, and we all strive for happiness. Virtue ethics also values morality for its instrumental worth as when people acquire good habits of character, they are better able to regulate their emotions and their reason. This, in turn, helps us reach morally correct decisions when we are faced with difficult scenarios. Furthermore it emphasises the need for people to break bad habits of character, as they prevent one from achieving full happiness and being a moral person.
Bill Maher is a smart individual but an agnostic can only promote what they know which means not very much when it comes to religion. Bill Maher said “Rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price.” To me having a meaning and a reason to
A Golden age is such a time when a certain civilization or ruling power has an economic boom and is doing very well in generally every aspect. Golden ages can last hundreds of years or just a short time. One example of a golden age was in Islam this golden was a huge leap in many aspects of culture, art, architecture, education, religion, sciences, and the economy. Ancient Islam was very diverse with many cultures including Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, and Europeans. As humans naturally do, the Islamic people learned from and blended customs and traditions into theirs.
It also allows human beings to get their minds around the fact that Gods knowledge and being is beyond anything our human minds can comprehend, let alone try to describe with ‘positive’ words. It is easy for us as human beings to believe in a God and portray God to be like us (anthropomorphism), but truthfully we do not know how he would appear, and this theory helps to convey the mysteriousness of God. Negative descriptions of God or divine Powers are literal fact and so are easily understood across cultures and time, because they never change and always remain fact, there is no confusion, however
The Renaissance: The Era That defined the World By LaKeitha Lewis Prof. Scott Gressford HUMN303: Intro. To Humanities 12/07/2014 The Renaissance: The Era That Changed the World The Renaissance was an era full of some of the most profound and revolutionary innovations, inventions, and advancements, so much so that they defined civilizations for many centuries to come, even in the world of today. It was a time period that many viewed as both important and unique, having characteristics of its own earmarked by the influx of interest in the Classical style of Ancient times. The return to the classics span across all aspects of science and art. Many important events came from this era, including a surge in human awareness appropriately called “Humanism”, the re-visiting classic art styles from Ancient Roman and Greek times, and a boom in scientific discoveries.
When looking into the history of the sciences, one cannot ignore the incredible contributions Islamic nations in the past have made including discoveries in medicine, astronomy, geography, mathematics, and philosophy to name a few. In many ways, Islamic religion was what promoted and justified scientific exploration and discovery. Muhammad told his people to seek knowledge, “God did not send down a disease without also sending a cure (Al-Kahlili).” Muhammad’s wisdom helped to promote exploration and discovery among Muslims. God is believed to be all encompassing and that everything is connected to Him. Science is therefore seen by Muslims as a branch of knowledge that is connected with the oneness of God (Unal, pg 12).
Although there are differences between the Arab people from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, Arab people enjoy a common bond of history, culture and tradition. It was in the Arab world where people first developed the system of writing; scientific advances were also developed. Rich cultures like Ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia began in this region. The Arab culture has had many influences but Islam has shaped the culture like no other. The message of Islam appeared for the first time in the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century, and soon the faith expanded across North Africa, the entire Middle East and extended to the borders of China.