Augustine’s Theory of Intellectual Knowledge & Divine Illumination
Augustine’s Theory of Intellectual Knowledge
Augustine explains how intellectual knowledge occurs:
- Things as Reflections of Divine Perfection: Things are created and formed by God, reflecting His own perfection. God acts according to a plan, or model, and these models are the Ideas within His own mind. Therefore, things imitate, albeit imperfectly, the Ideas of the Divine Mind.
- God’s Implantation of Ideas: God infuses the ideas of all things into the depths of our memory.
- Perception and Recognition:
The Enlightenment: Key Characteristics and Kantian Philosophy
General Characteristics of the Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a period that followed the English Revolution (1688) and preceded the French Revolution (1789). Thinkers of this era emphasized reason, critical thinking, and the rejection of obscurantism, authority, tradition, and revelation. They had full faith in the new science, defending the autonomy of reason to achieve progress. Philosophy was regarded as an activity of critical reason.
Enlightenment thinkers were nonconformists and criticized
Read MoreAristotle, Politics, and Ethics of Saint Augustine
Aristotle: Historical and Sociocultural Framework
Historical and Sociocultural Framework: A period where significant political changes occurred. The Greek polis suffered a decline in political power compared to the previous century, due to the Medical Wars and clashes between Greek cities (Athens, Sparta, etc.) in the Peloponnesian Wars. This continued with the invasion of Macedonia by Philip II and ended when Alexander the Great, son of Philip II, unified all of Greece under his command. He then
Ethics and Politics: Comparing Plato and Aristotle
Some of the similarities we find between Plato and Aristotle are the connection between ethics and politics. The Platonic ruler must be wise, and wisdom links ethics and politics. In addition, the division into social classes recalls the three parts of the soul, each of which should seek to achieve its corresponding virtue.
For Aristotle, the relationship between ethics and politics is clear. If ethics is to provide a model of happiness, the proper purpose of politics is precisely to organize the
Read MoreKant and the Enlightenment: Philosophy, Science, and Reason
Kant and the Enlightenment
In the eighteenth century, some European monarchs embraced enlightened despotism. Prussia, Kant’s homeland, experienced great prosperity and annexed smaller states, contributing to the unification of Germany. Frederick II the Great, the most important king of Prussia, displayed intellectual gifts, engaged in governance, and maintained contact with French Enlightenment philosophers. Kant supported him.
Kant lived during the great revolutions of the eighteenth century. Britain
Read MoreMyth vs. Logos: A Philosophical Journey Through Time
Myth vs. Logos: A Philosophical Perspective
Myth: Myth embodies personification and deification through stories. World events depend on gods acting capriciously. Objects acquire properties based on their nature.
Logos: In contrast to the arbitrariness of myth, logos emphasizes necessity. Events happen when, where, and how they must. Logos uses ordered laws to create a cosmos from chaos. In logos, appearance aligns with the essence of unchanging reality.
Myth causes distress and ignorance about the
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