“Reason and History” by Hilary Putnam takes the reader on a journey of the absurdness of opinion and morality. The rise of STEM fields in the recent decades has pushed away many humanities subjects of knowledgeable pursuit such as politics, moral thinking, philosophy, and art. An argument can be made that the stated social sciences… Continue reading Pondering on Putnam’s “Reason and History”
Author: Vinnie Grewal
How Medieval Answers on Faith Disprove the Rationality of Science at its Most Fundamental Level
The Medieval philosophers Thomas Aquinas and Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali were two of the most influential of their age. That time of philosophy was primarily tied with religion and new ideas of what God may mean for us that have passed on to our current ideologies today. In the present day, however, science has largely taken… Continue reading How Medieval Answers on Faith Disprove the Rationality of Science at its Most Fundamental Level
“The Grand Inquisitor” and the Problem of Freedom within Religion
The Background: The Story: “The Grand Inquisitor” Argument: P1: Jesus Christ resisted three temptations that Satan offered Him in the desert: a. To turn stones into loaves of bread in order to satisfy His hunger after fasting for many days. b. To jump from a high tower in order to prove that God would send… Continue reading “The Grand Inquisitor” and the Problem of Freedom within Religion
Pondering on Smith’s “Disruptive Religion”
Christian Smith elaborates in his article “Disruptive Religion” about how leadership qualities, financial resources, communication channels, tools, identity, and more can all come from an inner devotion to religion which can then be used to apply to one’s religious movement/activism. His conclusion can then be discerned as religious mindsets providing the foundation and motivation for… Continue reading Pondering on Smith’s “Disruptive Religion”
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is considered by the author, Friedrich Nietzsche, as his most important work. In it, Nietzsche uses the fictional character of Zarathustra to act as a messenger of a new way of thinking, a reevaluation of all values. This starts when Zarathustra goes about his first going-under where he exits his mountain and leaves… Continue reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The Insufficiency of Words on Being
In the Categories and the Metaphysics, the philosopher Aristotle attempts to define “being” in a variety of ways, disproving many options, but eventually accepting a plausible possibility. The conclusion that he puts forward for the readers is one of combining actuality and potentiality as a definition for a “substance.” However, the complicated road it takes for him to get… Continue reading The Insufficiency of Words on Being
Defending Hume’s Argument for an Alternative View on God
The current theologian view of God is a Being who is perfect in all aspects. With this understanding, followers of the main monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam lead their lives in service of a Being who is powerful enough to create the universe, knowledgeable enough to share His wisdom with prophets, and good… Continue reading Defending Hume’s Argument for an Alternative View on God
Pondering on David Hume’s “Evil and the Existence of God”
Hume states that man has become master of the world by becoming stronger and smarter than all of the other animals. Our society is built where we are the greatest animal creations; the other animals are no longer any threat to us. However, man still has one last enemy: other men. We torment each other… Continue reading Pondering on David Hume’s “Evil and the Existence of God”
Challenging Socrates’ Greatest Evil
In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates explains how the greatest evil one can practice in life is to indulge in pleasure and pain. Death, he describes, is the separation of the body and the soul. He goes on to say how a true philosopher is one who limits these bodily pleasures and pains as these actions tie the… Continue reading Challenging Socrates’ Greatest Evil
A Purplish Day
A man is walking down the street on a cold, cloudy January day. He is on his way to work but is constantly on the lookout for anyone of the “other” party. His purple shirt is buttoned up and tucked into his magenta pants. His polarized sunglasses make it hard to see, but he needs… Continue reading A Purplish Day