Platoism and Aristotelian Theory
Ancient Greece has made an everlasting effect on society and culture throughout time. Between it's great thinkers and intellectuals, Ancient Greece has created a basis of knowledge that has been modified and altered over the course of history. People have learned a great deal from these superb intellectuals. Philosophers and intellectuals alike, respect the ideals and principles of Greek thinkers, especially those of Plato and Aristotle. Their reasoning has had significant impact on several different cultures. It is important to look back on the past in order to advance in the future. The past carries the link to the future. Intellectuals seem to agree with this theory. The philosophy's of Plato and Aristotle have been mutated several different times and in several different ways. However, it is very common that one modifies the ideas of others. In fact, sometimes it is the only way to progress. If philosophy's or experiments stood forever, would anything new ever develop? Maybe, but it is more effective and valuable to society if they are altered. Scientists imitate old experiments to hopefully discover new findings. This is also true in the case of philosophers. In fact, the great principles and theories of Pl
The Christians accepted the views and ideas of Plato and Aristotle. St. Augustine harnessed their knowledge and came to his own understanding of Platoism. He went through several different levels of consciousness with Christian Theology. He first appreciated the idea of Manichism, which was the idea that there was two gods: a god that created goodness and a god that created evil. He then disposed of that theory and accepted the idea of Neo-Platoism, which was creation is constant and it is eternal. In addition Neo-Platonists believed that there was one source of light, presumably a being and that source of light created no beginning, middle or end. Finally, St. Augustine came to his final stage in understanding Christian theology. He based his ideas on Greek philosophy and believed in several different theories. First, evil was not created. Rather it was caused by the absence of light. Secondly, he accepted Aristotle's idea that faith is separate from the world of matter and that to understand faith is to let oneself free from the world of matter. Thirdly, he believed that one possesses free will and that one has the ability to choose right or wrong. St.Augustine used these Greek originated principals to better understand his own faith. The philosophy of Plato and Aristotle had considerable impact on the development of Christianity. Their theories and principles were modified to create a 'new' theology. It was the philosophy and ideology of Western Christendom during the height of the Middle Ages. Christian ideology was based on the use of reason to deepen the understanding of what is believed on faith, and ultimately to be able to rationalize and understand the idea of pure faith. Basically this theology is used to prove the existence of God by rational means. This presumption parallels the Aristotelian theory of natural law; that the universe is a supreme living being. Aristotelian philosophy became the official language of the church. In fact, Christian Europe gained the lessons of Aristotle through the Arabs and began translating his books into Latin in the late twelfth century and early thirteenth century. It was also believed that Christian philosophies were criticized if they were not founded on the basic principals of Aristotle. Their bud of wisdom and theories spurred an understanding of Christianity in Europe. Plato and Aristotle impacted the ideas of several twelfth and thirteenth century scholars. Thomas Aquinas, who was most effected by these great thinkers, produced an extreme amount of writing on Aristotelian works. He was a twelfth century philosopher that placed his proof of the existence of God through Aristotelian logic. Aquinas used a posteriori argument on empirical observation: "For example: All motion is caused; we can observe motion; but there cannot be an infinite regress of movers, therefore there must be a prime mover who is God." (Chambers, et al, 285) He also believed that natural truth is ultimately grounded on observation, but in fact, he observed very little. He used Aristotle's experiments and observations rather then doing his own. (Chambers, et al, 285) Aquinas was able to use the theory and logic of Aristotle to create his own ideas and thoughts. On the other hand, another twelfth century scholar, Duns Scotus, used Platonic theory. He believed that faith was logic to reason: "Placing emphasis on
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Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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