Essay The Metaphysical One in Platonic and Augustinian...

The legacy of Plato left its distinctive brand of influence on St. Augustines beliefs and writings, of this there is no doubt. In Confessions, Augustine himself professed that it was the Platonic books that enabled him to attach himself to his God. However, it is evident that Augustine re-augmented much of the Platonic thoughts and, combining them with the early Christian doctrines, configured the hybrid into what became the foundation of Catholicism. The differences—as well as similarities—that exist between the two thought systems can be dissected from two points: the nature of the metaphysical supreme One and its relationships with the Many. At the heart of Platonism is the concept of eidos, or Forms: the theory of an absolute and†¦show more content†¦This concept is akin to the Hindu doctrine of Atman, the Cosmic Soul that is the ultimate Being; while Platonic material world is similar to the Hindu idea of Maya—the World of Illusions that is made by the materialization of the Invisible. The Platonic God remains formless, nameless, and utterly unfathomable. It can be seen as a unified collection of isolated eidos, much like how thousands of different colors are in the end dissolved into an eternal shade of gray. Or it can also be understood as the Form of Being. In a sense, this God is a mathematical concept: Infinity. Centuries later, Augustine incorporated Platos half-hidden pantheism into the foundation of the monotheistic Catholic Church. Though both metaphysical entities are the cause of physical existence, the Platonic One is passive while the Christian God of Augustine can be defined through his action of Creating. He is similar to the other entity in that He is immaterial, eternal, immutable, and unchangeable. He is the Word and the Will. However, whereas Platos Universal Principle is a one-dimensional perfect Reality, Augustines God is the spiritual substance—the formless Matter which is both everywhere and nowhere at once. The Creation is unified and contained, across all past, present, and future, in one single Creator. To God, there isShow MoreRelatedPhilosophical Assumptions and Key Concepts2432 Words   |  10 Pagesthat, in order to think can act in a healthy manner, people are advised to reduce appearances to facts and to base their response on these facts. As far as I know, although some counseling approach, such s RET, peripherally touch on phenomenology with one of Ellis structures having client examine whether indeed incident really occurred, there is no counseling approach that actively and thoroughly centers itself around the philosophy. The phenomenological approach is best for understanding descriptionRead MoreEssay about Ecofeminism4924 Words   |  20 Pagesessay will analyze: Starhawks The Spiral Dance, Witchcraft as Goddess Religion, The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, and the Descent of Inanna and examine the pros and cons of the position that a return to goddess worship would save our planet. Part One Ecofeminisms Ecofeminism is a multicultural perspective on the interconnectedness of social systems of domination and the domination of non-human nature. It recognizes the cultural and political links between ecology and feminism. Ecofeminism is a