Augustine’s Philosophy: Self-Knowledge, Faith, and Reason
Lesson 5: Augustine’s Path to God
Augustine posits that the soul has three capacities:
- Memory: Access and awareness of ourselves.
- Understanding: Comprehending the rational world order.
- Will: Aiming to meet a personal God who created mankind out of love.
For Augustine, wisdom is subordinate to love.
Believe and Understand
The desire for perfection opens the door to faith, revealing who God is and what He expects. Augustine emphasizes love as the core of all commandments. Wisdom, according to Augustine,
Read MoreEthical Frameworks: Communitarianism, Kantian, and More
Ethical Frameworks
Communitarianism Ethics
Main contributors: Amitai Etzioni, Jürgen Habermas
Origin: 20th century
Fundamental Ideas: Rooted in Aristotle’s philosophy, communitarianism posits that humans are inherently social beings bound by shared values and goals. Decisions are made collectively, emphasizing common duties over individual rights. Communitarians advocate for balancing rights and responsibilities.
Kantian/Deontological Ethics
Main contributor: Immanuel Kant
Origin: 18th century (The Enlightenment
Read MoreReason and Faith: A Philosophical Examination
The Dominant Problem: Reason and Faith
The central theme revolves around the relationship between reason (philosophy) and faith (religion), encompassing:
- Relationship between spiritual and temporal power
- The subject of “double truth” or Averroism
Averroism and the Theory of Double Truth
Averroism addresses the conflict when reason and faith provide different answers to the same question. Averroes defined this as the theory of double truth. This theory was embraced by some intellectuals and strongly opposed
Read MoreKant’s Life, Context, and Moral Philosophy
Kant’s Life in the 18th Century
Kant lived for much of the 18th century. During this period, the European elite perceived a common mindset. This mentality aimed to achieve a general revolution in minds, enlightening rulers and educating people so that they could improve the law and realize the idea of progress.
Historical Events During Kant’s Time
With respect to Kant, the most important event that happened in his time is the French Revolution. It was also at the dawn of the first Industrial Revolution,
Read MoreHume’s Philosophy: Empiricism and Knowledge
Hume’s Knife: A Principle of Simplicity
Hume’s Knife, a methodological principle reminiscent of Occam’s Razor (attributed to William of Ockham), asserts that if an idea cannot be reduced to its simplest components, the term designating that idea is meaningless. Hume used this criterion to dismiss metaphysical speculations. This concept is similar to the criterion of demarcation and meaning in logical positivism.
Hume’s approach introduces a strict criterion for determining the truth of ideas. To determine
Read MoreJustice and the Challenges of the State
Justice According to Different Authors
Justice: To each one as corresponds. Different authors define justice in their own way:
- Plato: Understands justice as harmony. Society is just if each member fulfills their specific function.
- Aristotle: Connects justice to proportional equality. Treat equals equally and unequals unequally. He distinguishes two forms:
- Commutative Justice: Exchange of goods between individuals.
- Distributive Justice: Distribution of goods and burdens within the community. Fair sharing