MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

STOICISMThe term "Stoicism" derives from the Greek word "stoa,"

referring to a colonnade, such as those built outside or inside

temples, around dwelling-houses, gymnasia, and market-

places.

The Stoic doctrine is divided into three parts:

logic, logic of Aristotle.

Physics All things, they said, even the soul, even God himself,

are material and nothing more than material

ethics. importance of science, physics, and logic, which are

valued not for themselves, but because they are the

foundations of morality. The prime virtue, and the root of all

other virtues, is therefore wisdom.

Stoicism is essentially a system of ethics which, however, is

guided by a logic as theory of method, and rests upon physics

as foundation.

EPICURISMEpicurus is one of the major philosophers in the Hellenistic period, the

three centuries following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E.

Epicurus taught that the basic constituents of the world are atoms,

uncuttable bits of matter, flying through empty space, and he tried to

explain all natural phenomena in atomic terms. Epicurus rejected the

existence of Platonic forms and an immaterial soul, and he said that the

gods have no influence on our lives. Epicurus also thought skepticism

was untenable, and that we could gain knowledge of the world relying

upon the senses. He taught that the point of all one's actions was to

attain pleasure (conceived of as tranquility) for oneself, and that this

could be done by limiting one's desires and by banishing the fear of the

gods and of death.

ST. AUGUSTINEThe first truly great medieval philosopher was

Augustine of Hippo, a North African rhetorician and

devotee of Manichaeanism who converted to

Christianity

Augustine simply rejected the epistemological

criticisms mounted by the Academic skeptics. Even if

it were true that I am mistaken about nearly

everything that I suppose to be true.

Augustine believed it possible to employ human

faculties of sense and reason effectively in the pursuit

of substantive knowledge of the world.

ANSELM OF CANTERBURY

He is most famous in philosophy for having discovered and

articulated the so-called “ontological argument;” and in theology

for his doctrine of the atonement.

one of the most fascinating arguments for the existence of an

all-perfect God is the ontological argument. it is a necessary

truth that such a being exists; and this being is the God of

traditional Western theism.

In western Christian theology, atonement describes how human

beings can be reconciled to God. Atonement refers to the

forgiving or pardoning of sin in general and original sin in

particular through the death and resurrection of divine Jesus,

enabling the reconciliation between God and his creation.

ST. THOMAS AQUINASSaint Thomas Aquinas was a Catholic Priest in the

Dominican Order and one of the most important Medieval

philosophers and theologians.

his most influential work is the Summa Theological which

consists of three parts.

The first part is on God. In it, he gives five proofs for God's

existence as well as an explication of His attributes. He argues

for the actuality and incorporeality of God as the unmoved

mover and describes how God moves through His thinking and

willing.

The second part is on Ethics. Thomas argues for a variation of

the Aristotelian Virtue Ethics. However, unlike Aristotle, he

argues for a connection between the virtuous man and God by

explaining how the virtuous act is one towards the blessedness of

the Beatific Vision (beata visio).

The last part of the Summa is on Christ and was unfinished when

Thomas died. In it, he shows how Christ not only offers salvation,

but represents and protects humanity on Earth and in Heaven.

This part also briefly discusses the sacraments and eschatology.

The Summa remains the most influential of Thomas’s works and

is mostly what will be discussed in this overview of his philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY QUIZ 10% EXPLAIN EACH STATEMENT.

1. Do we use logic when we by a car?

2. Is it ethical to buy merchandise that is not

produce in the country?

3. Did Egyptians apply epistomology to their

lifestyles?

4. Should metaphysics be apply to solve the

“mystery” questions of the world?

5. Why is logic important in our daily decisions?