Reason and Faith
Reason is defined as “a statement offered in explanation or justification with a sufficient ground of explanation or of logical defense,” (Webster). Reason is looking at a situation and determining an outcome based on objective thought. For example, take a look at lightning and thunder. Ancient greeks dealt with these phenomenons by attaching a god to each. When looking at natural events objectively, a correlation is noticed between the two: when lightning strikes, thunder is soon to follow (Charles Smith The Ohio State University Lecture Political Language). This same approach can be taken towards every natural event.
Plato believed that everything in human nature should be derived off of reasoning and those placed in positions of power should have a strong sense of philosophy. Plato stated that there were three forms of the soul: reason, appetite, and courage. With strong reasoning, the person would be able to control their appetite. Appetite is considered to be the wants and desires throughout life. These wants and desires could range from political power to wealth to sexual desires. Plato
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For instance, look at the United States of America and views held on abortion or gay marriage. One side, the side of reason, looks at the situation objectively and believes people should be given the choice to do as they please. The other side, the side of faith, looks at the situation through a religious lens and believes everyone should follow God’s teachings and beliefs, regardless of their constituents personal faith. This does not follow the dynamic that Maimonides sets forth. For faith and reason to coexist within government, they must work together. Both sides must be willing to deliberate to find a medium of reason and rationality to faith and morals. These conflicting views lead to tension within society and thus harms the common
In general, it was a philosophical, intellectual, and cultural movement that accentuated reason and logic over dogma and superstition, which was a part of traditional medieval Christianity. 3) Passage 2, John Locke. Locke argues that reasoning is more than deductive reasoning. Rather than trusting your own ideas, he states that “Reason is natural revelation” in which things created by God are proof enough and need no certainty. Faith is considered as a communication from God.
In his article “The Range of Justice (or, How to Retrieve Liberal Sectual Tolerance)” Gerald Gaus states that human reason is what leads to the continued disagreement and the development of parties (or sects) to support the different ways of thinking. He claims that because the use of reasoning leads to such controversy that we should learn to apply the
According to Socrates one of the most important things that identify with human being is their desire. Socrates argues that desire that can change people minds quickly and very abnormally. The three-part division of the soul is crucial to Plato’s overall project of offering the same sort of explication of justice whether applied to societies or individuals.
Plato’s moral theory consisted of the concept of the soul and the concept of virtue as function. To Plato, the soul has three parts; reason, spirit, and appetite. The reason we do things is to reach a goal or value, our spirit drives us to accomplish our goal, and our desire for things is our appetite. The three virtues that must be fulfilled to reach the fourth, general virtue are temperance, courage, and wisdom,
Faith, it is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. We as humans can only define it as that because we cannot tangibly grasp faith, or even understand it as we do our emotions. It can be as overwhelming as love and yet there may not be a reason or an understanding to why we have it or put our faith into someone or something. The only way to describe it is through the claim faith and reason are compatible. This claim is examined in the stories, Genesis, as God creates human beings to live amongst his other creations but to have free reign over the land, the Romans & Corinthians, as even Jesus’ faith was to put to the test, and it is deeply explored in St. Augustine’s Confessions. Furthermore, the compatibility of faith and reason is seen in The Book of Matthew as Jesus travels the lands of Israel blessing them with his own faith. Faith and reason would not be attainable if it weren’t for our triune God subtly giving us the knowledge we need to make decisions on our own.
Plato concurs that rationality requires self-intrigued activity. On the other hand, he recognizes the difference between perceived self-interest and real self-interest and contends that any evident clash in the middle of rationality and morality is essentially a contention between one 's apparent self-interest and the prerequisites of justice. Seeking after of one 's genuine self-interest never clashes with the requests of morality. Since, for Plato, it is more reasonable to seek after one 's genuine, than one 's evident, self-interest, rationality and morality do not conflict. It is rational to be moral.
He found that there was no order in everyday life; history was composed of the downfalls of man, follies that were repeated generation after generation. He believed that the only way to purge one’s body from the cycle of unending meaninglessness was to live by logic. Logic allowed the body to exist in harmony with the soul by casting aside anything without meaning. The unity of body and soul represented ultimate control. Plato stated, “When the soul and body are united, then nature orders the soul to rule and govern, and the body to obey and serve” (513). When the soul was in complete control, the bodily weaknesses disappeared and the mind was left to think freely. Eventually, through thought, one could achieve bodily transcendence and purpose within life.
Plato recognizes that knowledge and understanding of the Forms is of momentous value, because they are pre-eminent and transcendent goods. Possession of the Forms, in a sense that does not imply ownership, is the product of reason — visualised as the most worthwhile attribute of the human soul — and it is this possession which leads to human happiness. A happiness shared by all of those who arrive at a true realisation of the Forms, through the supremacy and superiority of human reason [12]. For Plato, an action is approved of not simply because it is preferred by reason, but because reason will prefer it when reason has succeeded in apprehending the Good, and applying that apprehension to the task of choosing actions [13].
In life, there is a constant battle ensuing over faith and reason. Those two things are constantly feeding off of each other in someone’s mind when making a decision. Over time in which some say is a great conversation about history this battle is changing. The Great Conversation of history spans over many eras where the questions of faith and reason are always things battling for a spot in our minds, but they shouldn’t be in battle because they are very much dependent on the other. Among the time periods from Ancient Greece, the Enlightenment, and the 19th century, writers such as Socrates, Kant, and Martin Luther King Jr have looked at the issue of faith and reason.
Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties
In Book IV, Plato theorises individual justice to be a mirror reflection of political justice. Much like Plato’s three class structure of a just society, he also hypothesised there are three components to an individual’s soul. That is: the rational, the spiritual, and the appetitive. In this model, the rational soul seeks truth, and is accountable for philosophical tendencies. The spiritual component of the soul desires honour and is liable for feelings of anger. The third and final aspect of the the soul is the appetitive element that 's sole purpose is for satisfying it 's selfish desires, most of all it lusts after money what can be used to satisfy other desires (e.g. Food, shelter, clothing
Faith and reason were two modes of belief that dominated the history of Western Civilization. Both faith and reason were popularized as tools to understand the universe in Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian eras. By conflicting with each other, these two modes of belief sparked a lot of controversy. Reason or rationality is belief based on concrete evidence and logic. The development of one’s reason relies heavily on observation and questioning. Greco-Roman philosophers believed in the power of the human mind to understand the world. So in order to find ultimate truth, Greco-Roman philosophers dedicated their lives to perfecting their reasoning skills and encouraged those around them to do the same. Contradictory to reason, faith is the
Plato is remembered as one of the worlds best known philosophers who along with his writings are widely studied. Plato was a student of the great Greek philosopher Socrates and later went on to be the teacher of Aristotle. Plato’s writings such as “The Republic”, “Apology” and “Symposium” reveal a great amount of insight on what was central to his worldview. He was a true philosopher as he was constantly searching for wisdom and believed questioning every aspect of life would lead him to the knowledge he sought. He was disgusted with the common occurrence of Greeks not thinking for themselves but simply accepting the popular opinion also known as doxa. Plato believed that we ought to search for and meditate on the ideal versions of beauty, justice, wisdom, and other concepts which he referred to as the forms. His hostility towards doxa, theory of the forms, and perspective on reality were the central ideas that shaped Plato’s worldview and led him to be the great philosopher who is still revered today.
Faith and reason can be viewed as opposites. Faith is an element of belief, something an individual does not necessarily require a reason for accepting without reason. For example, an individual’s reason for believing in God may not seem too rational when they are trying to explain them. They may not even stand up to criticism. On the other hand, reason is constructed as a formula. Faith is basically something we believe in, like something we learn in church. Reason is something we learn in school, such as a math formula.
conceptualizations of mankind. This ideal purpose is called a telos, and every human being has a telos to live up to. According to The Republic written by Plato the soul consists of three parts: reason, spirit and appetite. (Plato p. 130: 435 b-c; p. 135: 440 e) Each person is governed by one of the three components of their soul and it ultimately determines their role in society. Individuals with a soul that is dominated by reason are the only ones that are rational and those who spirit or appetite rule there body are deemed as irrational. The component of reason in the soul is the rational part which is wise and rules the spirited and appetitive