Goodness, perfect

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Zagzebski
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Natural Theology ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Moral Sense ◽  
Philosophical Theology ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Medieval Philosophy ◽  
Divine Attributes ◽  
Moral Concept ◽  
The Difference

The concept of perfect goodness had a central place in ancient Greek and medieval philosophy, and is still frequently discussed in contemporary natural theology. Medieval philosophers adopted the idea from the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, with the difference that they identified perfect goodness with a personal God. In ancient and medieval philosophy the concept is primarily a metaphysical one, since goodness was thought to be extensionally equivalent to being, but it is secondarily a moral concept referring to the distinctive sort of goodness appropriate to those beings that have wills. Thus it is fundamental to a long tradition on the metaphysical basis of value which lasted from Plato until at least the sixteenth century. In Plato, perfect goodness is the Form of the Good, upon which everything that has being is ontologically and causally dependent. In Aristotle, the good is identified with the end or purpose of a natural being. The good is that towards which all things move for the fulfilment of their natures. By the time of Aquinas, medieval philosophers had identified the good in both the Platonic and Aristotelian senses with the Christian God and had argued that God is both the perfectly good creative source and the perfectly good end of all beings other than himself. The concept of a perfectly good being in Christian philosophical theology faces two major kinds of difficulty. One is the problem that perfect goodness appears to be incompatible with the divine attributes of omnipotence and freedom of the divine will. And if a perfectly good being does not have a will that is free in a morally significant sense, that being seems to lack goodness in the moral sense of goodness. The second kind of problem is that the existence of a being who is both omnipotent and perfectly good seems to be incompatible with the existence of evil. In spite of these problems, there is a strong attraction to the idea of a perfectly good God in contemporary philosophical theology. The category of perfect goodness is therefore one of the most persistent of the concepts in the Platonic legacy.

The Greatest Possible Being

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Speaks
Keyword(s):  
Philosophical Theology ◽  
Divine Attributes ◽  
Existence Of God ◽  
Concept Of God ◽  
Attributes Of God

Philosophical theology is the attempt to use reason to determine the attributes of God. An ancient tradition, which is perhaps more influential now than ever, tries to derive the attributes of God from the principle that God is the greatest possible being. This book argues that that constructive project is a failure. It also argues that the principle that God is the greatest possible being is unsuited to play two other theoretical roles. The first of these is the role of setting the limits of the concept of God, particularly in the context of debates over the existence of God. The second is the role of explaining the meaning of ‘God.’ This leaves us with three unanswered questions. If the principle that God is the greatest possible being can’t deliver results about the divine attributes, define the concept of God, or give the meaning of the name ‘God,’ what can? The last chapter makes some initial steps toward answering these questions.

Communicatio Idiomatum

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Cross
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
Divine Attributes ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Comprehensive Account ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Communicatio Idiomatum

This book offers a radical reinterpretation of the sixteenth-century Christological debates between Lutheran and Reformed theologians on the ascription of divine and human predicates to the person of the incarnate Son of God (the communicatio idiomatum). It does so by close attention to the arguments deployed by the protagonists in the discussion, and to the theologians’ metaphysical and semantic assumptions, explicit and implicit. It traces the central contours of the Christological debates, from the discussion between Luther and Zwingli in the 1520s to the Colloquy of Montbéliard in 1586. The book shows that Luther’s Christology is thoroughly Medieval, and that innovations usually associated with Luther—in particular, that Christ’s human nature comes to share in divine attributes—should be ascribed instead to his younger contemporary Johannes Brenz. The discussion is highly sensitive to the differences between the various Luther groups—followers of Brenz, and the different factions aligned in varying ways with Melanchthon—and to the differences between all of these and the Reformed theologians. And by locating the Christological discussions in their immediate Medieval background, the book also provides a comprehensive account of the continuities and discontinuities between the two eras. In these ways, it is shown that the standard interpretations of the Reformation debates on the matter are almost wholly mistaken.

scholarly journals Rational and natural theology in Anne Conway's Principia

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51
Author(s):  
Jonathan Head
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Natural Theology ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Philosophical Theology ◽  
Religious Epistemology

AbstractThis paper gives an account of the religious epistemology and theological working methods used in Anne Conway's Principia Philosophiae antiquissimae et recentissimae (1690). It is argued that the epistemic foundations of Conway's philosophical theology are rooted in a personal revelation of the existence and nature of God, which forms a framework through which the natural world can be approached and studied as creation. In this way, we can clarify both the place of Conway's work in the intellectual currents of the seventeenth century and various aspects of her metaphysical system, such as her account of creation.

scholarly journals CO-EVOLUTION OF HIGH TECHNOLOGIES AND ARCHITECTONICS OF SOCIETY: TO THE BACKGROUND OF THE PARADIGM

Adam alemi ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 53-65
Author(s):  
V. Dunaev ◽  
◽  
V. Kurganskaya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Power Functions ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Semantic Organization ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Difference

The article deals with a number of cultural and historical forms of implementation of the principle of coevolution of technologies and the semantic organization of society. Using Plato's cosmogony as an example, the use of numerical symbolism as a matrix of the divine creation of the world and the human soul is analyzed. The article analyzes the difference between technologies introduced by ancient Greek philosophers and the philosophy of Taoism in China, based on: 1) on the cultivation of natural processes, and 2) on giving the material substrate any arbitrary shapes. The role of this difference in the endowment of ethical characteristics and power functions of key mythological characters is shown. Using the example of the mythological symbolization of metallurgy and blacksmithing, the features of the archaic perception of complex technological processes are analyzed. On the example of the architectural design of the "Panopticon" by I. Bentham, one of the first social technologies and its role in the transformation of the concept of power and the ways of its implementation is considered. Various forms of realization of the idea of the panopticon with the help of digital information and communication technologies are analyzed.

scholarly journals FROM PROMETHEUS TO AMRAN: ON THE CHAINED HERO IN THE OSSETIAN EPIC

Kavkaz-forum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Р.Н. АБИСАЛОВА
Keyword(s):  
Greek Mythology ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
National Myths ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
The Difference

В статье рассмотрен один из мотивов осетинского Даредзановского эпоса – мотив прикованного героя, еще в древности вошедший в мифологию, фольклор, литературу многих народов и получивший название «мотив Прометея». Образ Прометея относится к «вечным образам» мировой художественной культуры. История прикования и освобождения Прометея и в древнегреческой мифологии, и в трагедии Эсхила позиционируется как топонимически привязанная к Кавказу. Именно здесь сюжет о наказанном Богом и прикованном богатыре получил распространение в национальных мифах и эпических преданиях – грузинских, осетинских, кабардинских, абхазских, вайнахских, армянских и др. Эти лаконичные предания об Амиране-Амране, по мнению Вс.Ф. Миллера, – кульминационные во всех источниках, рассказывающих об этом герое. Рассмотрены как древнегреческий Прометей, так и кавказские, в первую очередь осетинские, прикованные герои, представленные в работах Вс.Ф. Миллера, Г.Н. Потанина, Дз. Гатуева, Д.А. Калоевой, З.Г. Тменовой, Ю.А. Дзиццоты, Х.Ф. Цгоева и др. Образ Амирана сравнивается с соответствующими ему героями кавказских эпосов. При всей схожести мотивов богоборчества и наказания героя прикованием к скале или столбу нельзя не отметить отличия осетинского Амирана от остальных. В Даредзановских сказаниях он героическая личность, истинный богатырь, совершающий множество подвигов, побеждающий великанов, помогающий всем нуждающимся. Сын племянницы Бога, герой близок к народу, он побеждает врагов не только ради демонстрации силы, ловкости, хитрости, но и для спасения родных и друзей. В отличие от большинства кавказских прикованных героев, освобождение Амирана не предвещает гибель мира, напротив, осетинский Амиран, в случае освобождения, даст людям свободу и счастье. Многие мотивы в преданиях об Амране соотносятся с мотивами Нартовского эпоса. Амиран-Амран приравнивается к любимым героям осетинской Нартиады – Сослану, Батразу, Урузмагу, Шатане. В работе его образ рассмотрен для подтверждения объективной закономерности подобной репрезентации осетинского героя. The article deals with one of the motives of the Ossetian Daredzanian epic − the motive of the chained hero, which in ancient times entered the mythology, folklore, literature of many peoples and was called the "Prometheus motive". The image of Prometheus belongs to the "eternal images" of world art culture. The history of the chaining and liberation of Prometheus, both in ancient Greek mythology and in the tragedy of Aeschylus, is positioned as toponymically tied to the Caucasus. It was here that the plot about the God-punished and chained hero became widespread in national myths and epic legends − Georgian, Ossetian, Kabardian, Abkhaz, Vainakh, Armenian, etc. These laconic legends about Amiran-Amran, according to Vs.F. Miller, are culminating in all the sources telling about this hero. Both the ancient Greek Prometheus and the Caucasian, primarily Ossetian, chained heroes presented in the works of Vs.F. Miller, G.N. Potanin, Dz. Gatuev, D.A. Kaloeva, Z.G. Tmenova, Yu.A. Dzizzoity, Kh.F. Tsgoev and others. The image of Amiran is compared with the corresponding heroes of the Caucasian epics. With all the similarity of the motives of fighting against God and the punishment of the hero by being chained to a rock or a pillar, one cannot fail to note the difference between the Ossetian Amiran and the others. In Daredzan's legends, he is a heroic person, a true hero who performs many feats, conquers giants, and helps all those in need. The son of the niece of God, the hero is close to the people, he defeats enemies not only for the sake of demonstrating strength, dexterity, cunning, but also to save family and friends. Unlike most of the Caucasian chained heroes, the release of Amiran does not portend the death of the world, on the contrary, the Ossetian Amiran, if liberated, will give people freedom and happiness. Many motives in the legends about Amran correlate with the motives of the Nartov epic. Amiran-Amran is equated with the favorite heroes of the Ossetian Nartiada - Soslan, Batraz, Uruzmag, Shatana. In the work, his image is considered to confirm the objective regularity of such a representation of the Ossetian hero.

Defending God in Sixteenth-Century India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Duquette
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Philosophical Theology ◽  
Language School ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Magnum Opus

This book is the first in-depth study of the Śaiva oeuvre of the celebrated polymath Appaya Dīkṣita (1520–1593). It documents the rise to prominence and scholarly reception of Śivādvaita Vedānta, a Sanskrit-language school of philosophical theology which Appaya single-handedly established, thus securing his reputation as a legendary advocate of Śaiva religion in early modern India. Based to a large extent on hitherto unstudied primary sources in Sanskrit, this study offers new insights on Appaya’s early polemical works and main source of Śivādvaita exegesis, Śrīkaṇṭha’s Brahmamīmāṃsābhāṣya; it identifies Appaya’s key intellectual influences and opponents in his reconstruction of Śrīkaṇṭha’s theology; and it highlights some of the key arguments and strategies he used to make his ambitious project a success. Centred on his magnum opus of Śivādvaita Vedānta, the Śivārkamaṇidīpikā, this book demonstrates that Appaya’s Śaiva oeuvre was mainly directed against Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, the dominant Vaiṣṇava school of philosophical theology in his time and place. A far-reaching study of the challenges of Indian theism, this book opens up new possibilities for our understanding of religious debates and polemics in early modern India as seen through the lenses of one of its most important intellectuals.

The Nature of God

1983 ◽  
pp. 56-69
Author(s):  
Byron L. Sherwin
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
Medieval Philosophy ◽  
Divine Attributes ◽  
Ultimate Truth ◽  
Mystical Tradition ◽  
The Face ◽  
Jewish Philosophy ◽  
Mystical Literature ◽  
Idea Of God

This chapter assesses Judah Loew's views on the nature of God. Rabbi Loew's position on this question derives from and is expressive of the idea of God as it had been developed in Jewish mystical literature until his time. What is of importance here is the question of Judah Loew's attitude toward the Jewish mystical and the Jewish philosophical traditions, as they relate to the predication of divine attributes. For Rabbi Loew, Jewish tradition is Jewish mystical tradition; that Jewish medieval philosophy, culminating for Loew in the writings of Eliezer Ashkenazi, is an unnecessary and inauthentic threat to what Loew perceived Judaism to be. He emerges as one who felt obliged to articulate the kabbalistic idea of God in the face of what he perceived as a vital threat to tradition from the philosophers. For Judah Loew, the attempt to submit religious truth to rational analysis is doomed to failure. Jewish tradition, specifically Jewish mystical tradition, is the gateway to supernal, ultimate truth. Jewish philosophy, at its best, can only hope to provide penultimate truth; at its worst, Jewish philosophy is a gateway to heresy.

Empiricism in Sixteenth-Century Medical Practice

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 487-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stolberg
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Personal Observation ◽  
Lay Persons ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Key Terms

Based on an analysis of some 4.000 pages of manuscript notes on ordinary medical practice which the little-known Bohemian physician Georg Handsch (1529–1578?) wrote from the late 1540s, this article traces the central place which empiricist attitudes and approaches held in mid-sixteenth-century learned medical practice. While explicit epistemological statements are rare, the very effort which Handsch put into recording thousands of observations he and other physicians around him had made, and the value they attributed to the experiences of ordinary lay persons and even “empirics” reflects a profound belief in the value of sensory experience and personal observation. The paper traces the uses of empiricist key terms like “experientia,” “historia” and “observatio,” it highlights the epistemic effects of personal observation, from confirming and challenging established notions to the creation of new general knowledge from particulars, and it suggests, in conclusion, that such brief notes on ordinary medical practice played an important role in the history of “facts.” 


Verb inflection in Ancient Greek and Sanskrit and auxiliation patterns in French and Italian

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nunzio La Fauci ◽  
Liana Tronci
Keyword(s):  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Verb Inflection ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Verb Inflections ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship

This paper deals with the complex interaction between form and function in the verb morphosyntax of four Indo-European languages (French, Italian, Ancient Greek and Sanskrit). Beyond the difference in form, auxiliation patterns in French and Italian, and verb inflections in Ancient Greek and Sanskrit correlate, thanks to the agreement for number and person, to the expression of the relationship with the Subject. The different auxiliation patterns (sum and habeo) and the different inflections (middle and active) correlate to different properties of the Subject. In particular, these forms depend on the syntactic opposition between middle and non-middle. The ways of this dependency are regulated and systematic, although they appear fuzzy and chaotic, not only if the four languages are compared to each other, but also if different morphosyntactic combinations, inside the same language, are concerned.

scholarly journals The Use ofKairosin Renaissance Political Philosophy*

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Paul
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
The Political ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
History Of Political Thought ◽  
Important Concept ◽  
Niccolò Machiavelli ◽  
Greek Tradition ◽  
History Of

AbstractAlthough the Greek concept ofkairos (καιρός)has undergone a recent renewal of interest among scholars of Renaissance rhetoric, this revival has not yet been paralleled by its reception into the history of political thought. This article examines the meanings and uses of this important concept within the ancient Greek tradition, particularly in the works of Isocrates and Plutarch, in order to understand how it is employed by two of the most important political thinkers of the sixteenth century: Thomas Elyot and Niccolò Machiavelli. Through such an investigation this paper argues that an appreciation of the concept ofkairosand its use by Renaissance political writers provides a fuller understanding of the political philosophy of the period.

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