Citizenship Through History: Rights, Duties, and Models
The Greek Polis: Birthplace of Citizenship
In the fifth century BC, the Greek polis, or city-state, recognized a number of rights and duties for its free male citizens. These citizens took responsibility for education and training in public life matters, directly and actively participating in governance through dialogue and discussion. They laid down rules for better living, aiming to build a more just society. The polis was considered necessary for the family, tribe, and rational human beings to
Read MoreHuman Sociability and the Concept of State: An Analysis
1. Origin of Human Sociability
a) Sociability and Self-Interest
Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Sigmund Freud argue that humans are not inherently social. They believe we live in society primarily out of self-interest, not because we are naturally inclined to do so. According to this view, our primary motivation is survival, and we perceive others as potential rivals in fulfilling our desires.
b) Sociability and Nature
Conversely, philosophers such as Aristotle and Erich Fromm propose that humans are
Read MoreAristotle and St. Thomas: Five Proofs of God’s Existence
The following are five proofs of God’s existence, drawing from the philosophies of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas:
The First Cause Argument
The second proof comes from Aristotle and is based on causality. It stems from the premise that “nothing can cause itself,” leading to the concept of God as the first cause, the foundation for all purpose. Nothing can cause itself because it would have to exist prior to itself. St. Thomas elaborates on this, presenting God as the first cause, not a cause in
Read MoreChristian Humanism: Models, Crisis, and Development
Over time, the world around us is increasingly breaking down, and the humanist dream of changing the world is disappearing. The ideals of human omnipotence become paralyzed, and there is a change in the meditation of human knowledge, a human being aware of the divinity.
It created three basic models of Christianization of humanism:
Leisure-Worthy Model
A person who retires to the quiet to meditate and study on the human condition, in solitude, but connected to others, surrounded by nature and beauty.
Read MoreUnderstanding Ontology: Concepts, Problems, and God’s Existence
Ontology: The Science of Being
Ontology: the science of everything that is, everything there. It studies objects; the material object is the set of all beings. The formal object studies what all beings have in common: Being. Being is considered in various ways. There are real beings (like a board chair) and unreal beings (like pi, a memory), which are not real but somehow exist.
Problems of Ontology
Problems arise from physics: Physics makes theories about reality but speaks of entities that are difficult
Read MoreThomistic Ontology: Structure of Reality and God’s Existence
In Christianity, there is a radical difference between God and other beings, creatures, which exist but may not exist. The contingency of created beings was noticed by Thomas Aquinas, who distinguished between essence and existence. Aquinas used this distinction as the basis for his system. This distinction is a fundamental principle in Thomistic ontology.
Aquinas states that the term “being” cannot be unambiguously applied to both God and creatures. God is Being, and creatures are beings in consequence
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