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Question: Need help with philosophy paper on religion!?
I have to do a 6-10 page essay on the philosophy of religion!.
Discuss how the particular area of philosophy has developed, evolved or remained the same over the course of time!. E!.g!. if your chosen topic is ontology, you may discuss what Plato, Augustine, Descartes and Bentham taught on the topic
DEVISE A THESIS THAT ANSWERS WHY THAT PARTICULAR AREA HAS CHANGED OR REMAINED THE SAME!. WHAT DOES IT TEACH HUMANITY!?
It is not sufficent to simply state the positions of the various philosophers!.
I have to choose 4 philosophers from four different eras!. I was thinking of doing Plato, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Nietzche and Soren Kierkegaard!.
I need some help with first of all finding out what their views are on religion and i need help making a thesis!.
Im not looking for you guys to do my work but if you could give me some information on the philosophers in regards to religion or discuss what you think and PLEASE help me with my thesis:)
Thanks!
Best answer gets 10 points!Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Kierkergaard is really interesting in reguards to catholicism, especially the way he runs into Nietzche!. Plato (I would probably use Socrates) and Aquinas are fairly obvious!.
I always see Lierkergaard as an individual who desperately wanted to believe in the catholic god and Jesus, but heavily conflicted because he was far too inteligent!. His philosphy often seems to point out the 'despair' of life!. He'll go on and one for a while about how life is terrible and meaningless, but then says that God might possibly give it some meaning!. It's like we're insects captured by a mean little boy in a dark box with just one pin prick for an airhole!. That pin prick just bairly sustains us and gives us a tiny speck of light to focus on!. (I'm getting most of this from the sickness unto death)!.
I don't think he would ever admit it, but I think he really had a hard time believing in god!. I think that it was his entire philosphy that inspired the existentialists, except that they were comfortable suggesting that the pin prick in the box was an accident!. They had no problem suggesting that despair is a part of our accidental existence and there is no mystical force that makes all of this suffering okay!.!.!. I think that they felt okay with this because of the work of Nietzche!. He went so far in the other direction (away from god or significance) that the secular opinions of the existentialists seem tame!.
This is all basically opinion, but i hop it helps!.!.!.!. I would model my thesis around the struggle for intellectual people to let go of God!. Starting with Socrates questioning, not the existence of god, but the human conception of them, into the regression of Aquinas and his pals, and through the conflict of kierkergaard and into the absolute rejection of Nietchze and his legacy!.
This is long, and I wasn't paying much attention so please excuse all the typos and spelling errors!.
peace!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
That's a pretty broad topic for only 6-10 pages and frankly I can't see how ontology in general would link neatly into philosophy of religion!.
A better method might be to take two of those four and discuss any differences in the separation between them!. Plato and Nietzsche, for example, demonstrating differences/similarities in methodology and the kinds of conclusions both draw, also what each wants their methodology to deliver!.
Ethics is a good topic for these two particular philosophers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
nietzche is my favorite! well, he thought that people should all together just get rid of god and religion and become these "uberman" people; powerful and independent people!. he announced "god is dead" because he thought god is "dying out" and people dont need god anymore!. people should use the will to power and totally disregard god and religion and rise above everything!. i hope i helped a little!? have a nice day :)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Plato and Aristotle philosophy were influential in early Greek and Roman bible translations!.
Aquinas influence on Catholicism and Christianity (nature of god, jesus)
Nietzche on the negative aspects of ReligionWww@QuestionHome@Com
"Faith means not wanting to know what is true!."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything!."
- Friedrich NietzscheWww@QuestionHome@Com
Follow this link
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Philosophy_!.!.!.
it has some really interesting articles on the people you selected!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Philosophy of religion isn't my "thing" but!.!.!.!.!.
http://plato!.stanford!.edu/
(The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Should fill you in on the four people above and, unlike Wikipedia, you can cite it (I think - don't cite me on that!)!.
Your thesis should come AFTER you read them!. Something should "grab" you!. Best to write about that - you'll be interested and you'll have ideas!. If you write someone else's thesis you are liable to fall into just paraphrasing the philosphers, summarising their views and saying nothing!. If there is something that annoys the **** out of you about Nietzsche, say, then you'll find that 10 pages is too short to put it in!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
If you are going to use Aquinas, use Aristotle, not Plato!. Christianity was infused with Aristotle because of Aquinas and the trial of Galileo was because of Aristotilean cosmology!.
also, because of that cosmology, Aquinas was very opposed by both Averroes in the Arab world (they translated Aristotle before we did) and also by Occam (Occam's Razor) who had to flee to France to save his life--because he opposed Aquinas!. It was not Aquinas, of course, who threatened his life--it was the Church!.
How did religion itself "develop"!?
" Faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason!. But you must remember that religion is an early form of philosophy, that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man’s life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy!. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points!. They may have a good influence or proper principles to inculcate, but in a very contradictory context and, on a very—how should I say it!?—dangerous or malevolent base: on the ground of faith!."
“Playboy’s Interview with Ayn Rand,” March 1964!.Www@QuestionHome@Com