... articulation within his dialogues conveying theories. Some accredit Plato with the invention of philosophy, while A. N. Whitehead concluded, 'The safest general characterisation of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.'2 Here arises the discussion into how extensive this influence has been on religious philosophy. During the time of Plato in Ancient Greece, religion was irrationally theorised to account for acts ... contest the Divine command theory and question whether there are any spiritual intentions of a creator at all. The...

• Word Count: 2979
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... case especially, man's relationship to God. Herbert reserved his poems' subject almost entirely to the holy and within his work can been seen a deep understanding of the history of religious philosophy. Notably so is Herbert's debt to Saint Augustine of Hippo, whose late fourth century work, Confessions, had been at the time (and continually persists to be) a heavy influence on Christian, especially Catholic, doctrine ... is aptly stated in the fourth stanza when he writes, "Affliction shall advance the flight in me." The word affliction in this sense can be understood in its now-defunc...

• Word Count: 1516
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... let as many desires as possible be satisfied. Any modern moral theory is adherent to this principle of subjective utilitarianism. According to DesCartes the central concept of Philosophy is the first person point of view. DesCartes evolved philosophy by theorizing that the conscious self is at the center of any philosophical perception. His theories on fundamental thought have been influential to countless great thinkers including ... lives to fit their preferences to form a more virtuous society as a whole. The idea that all of our moral and ethical goods are conducive at making people ...

• Word Count: 2303
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... perfection then you are a fool. By this, Gaunilo is trying to criticize the process by which Anselm moves from his definition of God to his suggestion of God's existence. Of course Gaunilo has a point: If the idea that a type of thing "than which no greater could be conceived" must necessarily exist, might this not apply to the most perfect potato or the greatest monkey? Aquinas ... and therefore there are also no sides. He said that in the same way, if you don't accept the concept of God in the first place, it is a useless argument. Further criticism comes from the Empiricist David Hum...

• Word Count: 662
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... to unexplained questions, while never providing answers to the questions about God himself. This is evidenced a great deal in the circular argument made by Descartes in the Meditations on First Philosophy. What follows is a brief account of the third and fifth meditations, which provide Descartes' response to the masked question, "What is God?" Can one perceive or confirm the existence ... scripture that has been deemed to come from your god is also the proof that God exists. This is the type of circular definition that Descartes is trying to avoid at all costs. Basically, it's like usi...

• Word Count: 1331
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... produces a radically contrasting approach to life from Lucretius, the first of the Epicureans. One of the clearest reasons for Plato's domination of human thought is revealed early in the Timaeus. In discussing the origins of this world, he designates the Demiurge, or his equivalent of the contemporary God as the creator of the universe. Because his philosophy was much easier to "Christianize," it seems reasonable to think ... things grow smaller, and everything melt, so to speak as years go by.(30)" By basing much of his philosophy on his observations, he disagrees with Plato who discou...

• Word Count: 1275
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... was executed by Islamic authorities for this statement. It is likely that Islamic followers erred in understanding the context of Hallaj's declaration, believing that he meant that he was Allah himself. My understanding of this quote is that Allah is the ultimate definition of reality and by spiritually connecting to Him one can interpret reality in the way that He can. If one ... subsequently arrives at their own divine ascension. By realizing the viewpoint of someone else, one loses part of him/herself in the process. Sufi's believe that through understanding God's perspective, one los...

• Word Count: 1441
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate