MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

STOICISM  The 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.

EPICURISM  Epicurus 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. AUGUSTINE  The 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 AQUINAS  Saint 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?