Philosophy is necessary for life, & for Theology. :Philosophy is necessary for life, & for Theology. Examples Substance and accidents (Metaphysics) : --------Transubstantiation-------- Matter and form (Metaphysics) -----Sacrament of Baptism------


OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE :OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE To see the development of human thought in history. How theology has guided philosophy. To see the unity and separation of Philosophy and theology. Philosophy and sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc)


WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? :WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? Greek: Philo (love) + sophia (wisdom) Ancient tradition thinkers = philosophers. PYTHAGORAS, the first philosopher: WISE MAN St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition Knowledge sought in and for itself Man’s desire for knowledge Philosophy seeks a deep knowledge of reality beyond spontaneous knowledge, the arts, particular and technical sciences.


DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHER: Wise Man :DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHER: Wise Man


LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE(de Torre, p. 54) :LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE(de Torre, p. 54) 1. Experience 2.Natural Science 3. Mathematics 4. Metaphysics Philosophy does not do away with spontaneous knowledge. Rain Water Gravity Cause?


PHILOSOPHY IN HUMAN LIFE :PHILOSOPHY IN HUMAN LIFE Philosophy – knowledge of all things through their ultimate causes acquired through the use of reason Common sense – ordinary knowledge acquired in an unreflective manner Ideology – a body of ideas that reflects the beliefs of a nation, political system (more pragmatic, goal-oriented)


PHILOSOPHIA ANCILLA THEOLOGIAE :PHILOSOPHIA ANCILLA THEOLOGIAE Philo of Nature Metaphysics, Natural Theology, Philo of Religion Philo of Science Philo Anthropology Creation, Sacraments God One & Triune, Sacraments, Ecclesiology Sacred Scriptures Christology, Grace REASON FAITH


Philosophy and a “World-View” :Philosophy and a “World-View” KNOWLEDGE St. Anselm on “the desire for truth”: “To see You was I conceived; and I have yet to conceive that for which I was conceived.” (Proslogion, 1: PL 158, 226).


PERENNIAL THEMES OF PHILOSOPHY :PERENNIAL THEMES OF PHILOSOPHY GOD Man World


Defining the Universe :Defining the Universe From prehistory to the Copernican Revolution world-view


I. Prehistoric and indigenous cosmologies :I. Prehistoric and indigenous cosmologies Neolithic times – Stonehenge & other standing stone circles indicate a time when apparent observation of the heavens was combined with ritual.


II. Ancient historical cosmologies (EGYPT) :II. Ancient historical cosmologies (EGYPT) The Dendera zodiac: Sky was a woman (Nut) or a cow, or later a metal lid. The heavenly bodies were personified and deified


II. Ancient historical cosmologies Ancient Mesopotamia :II. Ancient historical cosmologies Ancient Mesopotamia Babylon / Ur – Babylonian world system, adapted from earlier Sumerian cosmology


Hebrew world system: :Hebrew world system:


Ancient Greek (Homeric) :Ancient Greek (Homeric) Early Greek cosmology as revealed in Homer – Earth = a floating disc surrounded by the waters of Okeanus


III. The Ionian Dawn – 6th-3rd centuries BCE :III. The Ionian Dawn – 6th-3rd centuries BCE Brought abstract geometry to Greece; predicted an eclipse and shared the Homeric vision of a floating disk world Discarded the mythological view of the world in favor of natural process and raw material – the elemental substance was water, the arche – earth floats on water like a boat.


Slide 17:ANAXIMANDER => APEIRON (no limit)??????? ANAXIMENES => AIR (infinite, omni-present) HERACLITUS => FIRE


Pythagorean Revolution (c 569 - c 475 ) :Pythagorean Revolution (c 569 - c 475 )


Aristarchus :Aristarchus


Is the Earth the Center of the Universe? :Is the Earth the Center of the Universe? It is “obvious” that the Sun, moon, planets, and stars move about the Earth. We are observing motion and not feeling that motion ourselves. Therefore, the heavenly objects are obviously all moving about the Earth. This idea was first formally advanced by second century astronomer Ptolemy. The following figure represents a period diagram of the Ptolemaic Universe:


The Ptolemaic system – 2nd-16th centuries CE :The Ptolemaic system – 2nd-16th centuries CE Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria 87-165 CE. Ptolemy suggested that the solution to preserve 'uniform circular motion' was to add extra circles or 'epicycles'


The Ptolemaic system – 2nd-16th centuries CE :The Ptolemaic system – 2nd-16th centuries CE Ptolemaic epicyclical system of planetary motion was able to predict planetary positions, but required a complex and ultimately untenable system to do so (circles centered on circles to explain 'retrograde motion‘)


WISDOM AND IGNORANCE :WISDOM AND IGNORANCE Wisdom facilitates the attainment of moral uprightness, and the consequent happiness. virtue = knowledge The wise man is good SOCRATES:


WISDOM AND IGNORANCE :WISDOM AND IGNORANCE But the exercise of the human freedom plays an important role in the growth of sapiential knowledge INTELLECT WILL Formation Virtues SOCRATES The wise man is good


PLATO(427-348 BC) :PLATO(427-348 BC) World of ideas World of the senses The myth of the cavern Concern for character has flourished in the West since the time of Plato, whose early dialogues explored such virtues as courage and piety.


Myth of the cavern :Myth of the cavern


Myth of the cavern: 2 worlds: ideas /senses :Myth of the cavern: 2 worlds: ideas /senses


PLATO :PLATO How ought I to act? What kind of person ought I to be? Moral Questions


Slide 29:Any BEING can be of 2 types: 1. Substance (n) = that which exists by itself; stands under. 2. Accidents (n) = that which exists in another; perfects the substance (color, size, etc): 9 types of accidents. METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS


Slide 30:A Metaphysics Refresher Matter and Form:HILEOMORPHIC TH. =


MORE METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS :MORE METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS Change = passage from potency to act Potency = capacity to be Act= to actually be Tree + fire?charcoal (tree in potency to become charcoal; after the fire, actually become charcoal, but not milk.)


Virtue: Ethics to Nichomacus :Virtue: Ethics to Nichomacus Strength of character (habit) Involving both feeling and action Seeks the mean between excess and deficiency relative to us Promotes human virtues ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC)


Two Conceptions of Morality :Two Conceptions of Morality We can contrast two approaches to the moral life. The childhood conception of morality: Comes from outside (usually parents). Is negative (“don’t touch that stove burner!”). Rules and habit formation are central. The adult conception of morality. Comes from within (self-directed). Is positive (“this is the kind of person I want to be”). Virtue-centered, often modeled on ideals.


Rightly-ordered Desires and the Goals of Moral Education :Rightly-ordered Desires and the Goals of Moral Education Moral education may initially seek to control unruly desires through rules, the formation of habits, etc. Ultimately, moral education aims at forming rightly-ordered desires, that is, teaching people to desire what is genuinely good for them.


PURE REASON: PLATO AND ARISTOTLE :PURE REASON: PLATO AND ARISTOTLE PLATO (427-348 BC) -The world of Ideas and the world of things. Participation. -Immortality of human soul; reincarnation -God is the supreme soul and the origin of all motion (one God) ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC) -Reality is in the sensible world. Being as being. -Substantial and accidental change; matter and form. -God as First Mover, First Cause and Final Cause; but not Efficient Cause


Different Stances of Philosophy in History. :Different Stances of Philosophy in History. 1st stage: Pre-Christian Philo Pure Reason 2nd stage: Christian Philosophy Reason enlightened by Faith 3rd stage: Modern Philosophy Reason versus Faith Cfr. INTERESTINGCONVERSATION_1.pps


EASTERN THOUGHTThought prior to Confucius :EASTERN THOUGHTThought prior to Confucius Natural phenomena under Supernatural control. But no communication between earth and heaven. How to guess? 1. Superstitions. Spirits, Divination, sorcerers. 2. Virtue. Tso Chuan, 650: “Without virtue, the people will not be harmonious and the spirits will not accept the offerings”. 3. Astrology: order of planets, seasons, solstices, 5 elements: earth, metal, fire, water, wood HEAVEN (T’ien); GOD (Ti)


Thought prior to Confucius :Thought prior to Confucius HEAVEN (T’ien); GOD (Ti) EMPEROR: heavenly appointment. He is an Imperial God, and his regulations divine. People seats below. There is a Physical T’ien (sky) Fatalistic T’ien Naturalistic T’ien Ethical T’ien


Changes in China: 400-200 (Unification) :Changes in China: 400-200 (Unification) Amassing of some private fortunes School of Dialectians: right-wrong-right… Breakdown of Institutions, morality and virtue. End of Warring States Period Ch’in Dynasty (255-207) UNIFICATION CHINA. Past destroyed (books burned, 213) Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Philosophy flourished. Renaissance.


HISTORY :HISTORY 206: HAN DYNASTY. Less and less landlords, feudal system disappears, and Emperor & some aristocrats grow in power. Triumph of Confucianism especially among aristocracy. Like divinized, a religion. Later more systematic teaching. Buddhism from India.


EAST WEST :EAST WEST Human nature (ethics) Ways to Heaven (Metaphysics) SAGE // KING Self-cultivation and virtue rather than knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Practicality Never systematic, no methodology. Reason why China never developed a system of science. Metaphysics Ethics Epistemology Logic Philosophy of Science Philosophy of History …


6 Majors Schools of Ancient Chinese Thought :6 Majors Schools of Ancient Chinese Thought 1 CONFUCIAN Literati/ rituals (li) 2 MOHIST Military arts/ self-defense/ universal love 3 NAMES (OR DIALECTIAN) Sophists 4 LEGALIST Politicians 5 YIN- YANG Occult arts (mixed with rituals): astrology. 6 TAOIST Educated people Eternal Way of Nature


CONFUCIUS, Kongzi ?? :CONFUCIUS, Kongzi ??


CONFUCIUS :CONFUCIUS Lived in the State of Lu, North East. Orphan at an early age. Married (had a son and a daughter) Goal: to become a political adviser, and to bring ethics to the activities of government.


CONFUCIUS :CONFUCIUS Repeatedly turned down as adviser in States. Private instructor. Supported by his many students. Some succeeded in government. He did not write. His students later did (Analects) Teachings adopted during Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AC) -rén (humaneness, benevolence, love versus self-interest) ? -li (life ceremonies, ritual, propriety, good manners) ?


CONFUCIUS :CONFUCIUS FORM A VIRTUOUS CHARACTER: -Become friend of people with virtues. -Danger for youngsters: softness & love for comfort. -Examine your behaviour frequently. -Accept corrections for your faults. -Music helps in formation of character: edifying songs.


CONFUCIUS :CONFUCIUS -Four virtues: + sincerity (zhong): in speech ad duties. Loyalty. + benevolence (ren ?): kind regard for welfare of others. + filial piety (xiào ): love & respect, bring honour to your family name. + propriety (Li ?): etiquette, ceremony, ritual.


CONFUCIUS :CONFUCIUS RITES: Capping: 20th birthday of the son. Marriage: parents’ consent needed. Patriarchal system. Mourning rites: length according to rank. Sacrifices: food for the spirits. No “priesthood”. Ancestral shrines in all houses. Burning incense shows piety. Feasts: Spring, Autumn, local clans worship together. Interviews


Mencius ?? 372- 289 BC :Mencius ?? 372- 289 BC Disciple of Zi Si, grandson of Confucius. “Book of Mencius” Minister of State in Hsuan. But not successful. From State to state, promoting confucianism, reforms, welfare of people.


Mencius ?? :Mencius ?? Human nature tends to what is morally good. If one does evil, it is due to influences of external environment. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety; and the feeling of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Men have these Four Beginnings just as they have their four limbs.


Mencius ?? :Mencius ?? “Goodness is in the heart, and conscientiousness is the correct road”. Merely external controls always fail in improving society. True improvement results from educational cultivation in favorable environments. Likewise, bad environments tend to corrupt the human will. The object of education is the cultivation of benevolence. Education must awaken the innate abilities of the human mind. He denounced memorization and advocated active interrogation of the text, and problems. To discover what is good by THINKING: given by heaven


Mencius ?? :Mencius ?? GOLDEN RULE: ‘DO YOUR BEST TO TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WISH TO BE TREATED YOURSELF” (PATH TO GOODNESS)


Lao Tse ?? TAOISM :Lao Tse ?? TAOISM 6th Century BC


Lao Tse ?? "Old Master" :Lao Tse ?? "Old Master" Laozi : Few records. Revered as a God. Popular legends: born as a grown man; reincarnated 13 times; Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou. No school opened, but many students attracted to him & his TAO: road, way, rule.


Lao Tse ?? :Lao Tse ?? TAO: is a metaphysical concept: source of reality, with order. We re-present that order in writing (chinese characters). Human life also requires order. If you know and follow, you get TE. TE: ethics, virtue. Educate, & do not set impositions. From outside. Sage must be virtuous. WU WEI: principle of non-action


Lao Tse ?? :Lao Tse ?? People have desires and free will. Many act "unnaturally", upsetting the natural balance of the Dao. Ideal? seek the calm state of wu wei ("non-action", free from desires). Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility. A stone sculpture of Laozi, located north of Quanzhou at the foot of Mount Qingyuan.


Lao Tse ?? :Lao Tse ?? Ordinary people can become god if they follow dao. Pursues? Immortality and health, though cultivating moral character and personal integrity. “Do good without making it known to others”. Follow rule of nature. No ascetism. Open view to sex. “Things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme”.


Lao Tse ?? :Lao Tse ?? Pantheism, with a trinity on top: 1. Like Creator 2. Regulator of time & YIN-YANG. 3. Lao Tse Every part of the body has a soul. Seeking the drug of immortality. To cure= frighten demons away.


TAOISM :TAOISM Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, men-cosmos correspondence (????), health, longevity, wu wei (action through inaction), liberty, and spontaneity. Chinese alchemy, astrology, cuisine, several Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional medicine, feng shui, immortality, and many styles of qigong breath training disciplines.


MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC :MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC China’s first true philosopher. MOHISM. Promotes universal love with the aim of mutual benefit. Love equally & impartially. Mozi was strongly against Confucian ritual.


MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC :MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC Against family-centred philosophy of Confucius. Mozi tries to be more universal. Opposition to any war. Opposition to music (as extravagance, waste of public resources) Opposition to elaborate funerals (lengthy and costly funerals). Divine retribution from the persona force of heaven.


MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC :MO TZU (MOZI) ?? ca. 490-403 BC Impossible to know an ultimate moral principle (1 God, 1 virtue). But different moral opinions. What’s the guide? It is not the ruler: mandate does not come from heaven. We cannot follow traditions: Tradition is not necessarily benevolent. Mozi proposes UTILITY to measure standards. Maximize general utility. Criterion? ? based on benefit / harm “Do what maximizes benefit” (in terms of humanity: Ren)


BUDDHISM - Three Marks of Existence :BUDDHISM - Three Marks of Existence What do you see in yourself? Thoughts, feelings, perceptions. . . . You don’t find anything else. You don’t find yourself. There is no self or soul. A person is just a bundle of thoughts. . . . There are only streams of consciousness. Nothing unites past, present, and future Atman - there is no ultimate reality, no essence underlying existence, nothing exists beyond the present moment. The essence of Buddhism is that there is no essence. Anicca - The world is constantly changing - “impermanence” Dukkha - suffering is part of the human condition and the most important of the Four Noble Truths: like a wheel that has come off the axle, or a "dislocation;" how to get rid of it?


Reincarnation? :Reincarnation? There is no soul to occupy a different mind or body But there is a cycle of thoughts and desires between birth and death. Samsara - because of a lack of self, rebirth consists of the transference of a bundle of energy, which is patterned according to one’s karma.


Buddhism :Buddhism 4 Noble truths: Life is painful (dukkha) Desire (tanha) causes pain Nirvana: Eliminating desire can eliminate pain The Eightfold Noble Path (the Middle Way) eliminates desire: Right… Thought - Intention Speech - Conduct Livelihood - Effort Concentration - Meditation


Slide 67:Theravada Buddhism Stress MEDITATION Southeast Asia Ideal? Arhat: saint who attains enlightenment, experiences nirvana. Chief virtue: wisdom.


Mahayana Buddhism :Mahayana Buddhism Stress COMPASSION China, Korea, Japan Ideal: bodhisattva: holy people, future Buddhas.


Six perfections of the bodhisattva :Six perfections of the bodhisattva Charity Good moral character (concern for others) Patience Energy Deep concentration Wisdom


HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY :HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Pre-Christian Philosophy Humble Reason (w/o faith) close to truth Christian Philosophy Humble Reason enlightened by Faith, closest to fullness of truth Modern Philosophy Proud reason rejects faith and falls into error easily.


Erroneous foundations in Western Philosophy :Erroneous foundations in Western Philosophy Mechanism: reductionism to matter, and only the quantitative aspect. (Evolutionist theories). Marxism: reductionism to economy. Behaviourism: materialism in human behaviour. Relativism: there is NO TRUTH


REASON AND FAITH: :REASON AND FAITH: St. Augustine (354-430 AD) -The true philosopher is one who loves God. -The “ideas” of all that exists are in God, and God has sown these ideas in the world of matter as a seed. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274); canonized 1323 -Harmony of faith and reason. -Creative causality of God -The world of creatures as participated beings. “I am who Am” (Ex. 3).72


SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY :SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY Philosophy conceived in dynamic union with the faith. Humility of reason towards God, truth, reality.


HARMONY OF FAITH AND REASON (STH AQ) :HARMONY OF FAITH AND REASON (STH AQ) What we can see with reason alone, is seen by faith with much more light, and what faith reveals is never against reason, though it often surpasses it. For example: existence of God; only one God; cause of all that exists.


THOMISTIC SYNTHESIS :THOMISTIC SYNTHESIS “THOMAS GATHERED THEIR DOCTRINES TOGETHER ---THEY HAD LONG LAIN DISPERSED LIKE THE SCATTERED LIMBS OF A BODY—AND KNITTED THEM INTO ONE WHOLE.” (POPE LEO XIII, ENC. AETERNI PATRIS, 1879)


CRISIS OF MODERNITY:FAITH VS. REASON :CRISIS OF MODERNITY:FAITH VS. REASON Martin Luther 1483- 1546 Protestant Revolt in the Church. FIDEISM: ONLY FAITH Rene Descartes 1596- 1650 Parallel ‘Revolt’ in Philosophy RATIONALISM: ONLY REASON


CRISIS OF MODERNITY:Death of Metaphysics :CRISIS OF MODERNITY:Death of Metaphysics Rene Descartes 1596-1650 “Discourse on Method” RATIONALISM: ONLY REASON His starting point is DOUBT ? THOUGHT Cogito, ergo sum= =I think, therefore I exist LOGIC IS FIRST


SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY :SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY Rejection of all received knowledge: x faith x past x senses Man finds truth out of himself, by himself (sciences) and for himself. God is unknowable. FROM RATIONALISM ? EMPIRICISM ? IDEALISM


SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY :SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY FIDEISM (faith alone; revealed truths do not need demonstration with reason) AGNOSTICISM (to live practically as if God does not exist: we cannot say anything for sure: it cannot be demonstrated) ATHEISM (assertion that God does not exist). Communism. NIHILISM (ultimately there is no meaning in anything)


SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY :SPIRIT OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY RELATIVISM (There is no absolute truth) Skepticism


METAMORPHOSIS: MODERN ? CONTEMPORARY :METAMORPHOSIS: MODERN ? CONTEMPORARY DESCARTES Rationalism= intellect Empiricism = senses KANT HEGEL MARX COMTE Communism Philo of Science Analytic Philo Nihilism, Hedonism NIETZSCHE Idealism


KANT 1724-1804 :KANT 1724-1804 His chief concern is to discover the ground of SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE (what is universal & necessary). TWO SCIENCES: Physics & Ethics. Their propositions are universal & necessary, and based on sensible experience. For Empiricism: all is particular & contingent. Universality, for Kant, comes from our forms in our minds (objectified in our mental moulds: a priori forms).


KANT 1724-1804 :KANT 1724-1804 What comes from outside supplies the content of our knowledge. The mind adapts reality to itself; objectifies it into phenomena (things as they appear to the mind), while the noumenon, the thinkable, what is the thing in itself, remains unknown (the world, the soul & God).


KANT 1724-1804 :KANT 1724-1804 MORALITY is based not on Being, in Metaphysics, but in the very structure of the human mind. IMMANENTISM


An Evaluation of Modern Philosophy :An Evaluation of Modern Philosophy IT HAS GREAT MERIT IN FOCUSING ITS ATTENTION ON MAN. BUT REASON, IN ITS ONE-SIDED CONCERN TO INVESTIGATE HUMAN SUBJECTIVITY, SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT MAN IS ALWAYS CALLED TO DIRECT ITS STEPS TOWARDS A TRUTH WHICH TRANSCENDS THEM… REASON HAS WILTED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE…AND LOST ITS CAPACITY TO LIFT ITS GAZE TO THE HEIGHTS… (FIDES ET RATIO, NO. 5)


IN SEARCH OF LOST UNITY :IN SEARCH OF LOST UNITY Philosophy to recover union with faith Because: Reason w/o faith? loses final transcendent good Faith to be enriched by right reason Because: Faith w/o reason? sentimentalism, myth, superstition


RETURN TO REALIST PHILOSOPHY IN 20TH C. :RETURN TO REALIST PHILOSOPHY IN 20TH C. Revival of Thomistic Philosophy, with its openness to the truth and compatibility with the faith: Cardinal Mercier (Louvain), Cornelio Fabro (Italy), Josef Pieper (Germany), Jacques Maritain, Etienne Gilson (France), John Henry Newman (Engl).