Similarities Between Aristotle And Aquinas - 1207 Words

Both Aristotle and Aquinas were prominent philosophers who wrote profound works that discussed the concept of the highest human good and how humans can achieve it. In Aristotle’s, Nicomachean Ethics, the highest human good is a state of constant seeking knowledge as a way of achieving full capacity as a human. The writings of Aquinas are similar to Aristotle, but, in Treatise on Law, he discusses the type and elements of law. His discourse on law ultimately names the highest human good as being in the perfect community with God. Aquinas’s argument supports obedience to law, preexisting inclinations for the good, and a resolution. Aristotle requires that the person constantly seek knowledge and be at work, which can act as a positive force†¦show more content†¦When happiness/proper function of a human is chosen as the final or highest good, it is not something humans simply achieve, it is a state of activity that humans set as a standard. Aristotle presented his interpretation of the highest good in a way that values the full use of human capacities. The function of a human is being in activity of the soul, according to reason and virtue. Humans have the capacity to investigate and think beyond. Aristotle recognized the importance of searching for knowledge and wrote about the human need to reach full capacity. Aristotle believed that humans are responsible for how the good appears, as well as how they know what is truly good. It is the responsibility of the person to exercise their brain and drive themselves to obtain wisdom that benefits their lives (1141b). However, Aquinas viewed Aristotle’s argument as inadequate because they were deeply focused on this world only. Aquinas’s definition the final highest good offers a sense of finality and hope, by including God’s transcendence. If a person is truly good, they can reach the end and be successful in finding community with God. Also, he believed that the answers were already determined, and that they don’t need to be figured out. God, according to Aquinas has already implanted the law that guides humans to the end.Show MoreRelatedSt. Thomas Aquinas Of The Personalist / Natural Law Ethics888 Words   |  4 Pagestheories having similarities, one cannot said that one theory is the same to another. For the reason, I personality felt as every time that there was a new theory introduced, I tried to see how it applied to my life. As the different theories were presented in our Ethical Theory class, the theory that stood out and reignited the most is St. Thomas Aquinas of the personalist /natural law ethics. St. Thomas Aquinas natural laws theory developed from a non-Christian that was Aristotle. Despite manyRead MoreGreek Philosophies Impact On The Early Development Of Christian Thought1348 Words   |  6 Pagesperceived by the sense, which is then rationally evaluated. Theologists like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas both discovered the use of Aristotle in the formation of the Christian mind. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, believed that all humans had a purpose and that the purpose was for the greater good. However, the good life or the blessed life for Aquinas and Augustine was heaven. For Greek thinkers like Aristotle or even Plato, human actions derived from reason, rationality, and intellect. Christian thinkersRead MoreAristotle And Aristotle s Views On Morality1394 Words   |  6 PagesBoth Aristotle and Aquinas, are both considered to be in the discussion of ancient/medieval thinkers. Though these individuals have differences in certain viewpoints, their overall ideology pu ts them in a grouping that is different from the individuals considered to be late modern thinkers (i.e. Kant and Mill). The discussions made in this essay will elaborate on the contexts of what each of the thinkers considered to be relevant to the making of moral judgments, how each think believed that decisionsRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Medieval Philosophy771 Words   |  4 Pagesformed during the medieval time period after the fall of the Roman Empire. This time period was the rise of independent philosophy and the linkage between their understandings with the theories of past philosophers. The history of medieval philosophy is divided into two periods; the period of the Christian philosophy, which included St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and Marsilius of Padua. The next period of the medieval philosophy known as the golden age of Arabic phosphors, this age of philosophersRead MoreThe Existence Of Saint Thomas Aquinas And Ren?ï ¿ ½ Descartes1460 Words   |  6 Pagesphiloso phers have attempted to prove God’s existence: Saint Thomas Aquinas and Renà © Descartes. Despite having been influenced by the former, Descartes’ arguments––while similar to Aquinas’––are reached through noticeably different methods. To analyze Aquinas’ proof for God’s existence, it is important to first analyze his definition of God––or â€Å"How We Know God†Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ¢â‚¬â€œ as outlined in the Summa of Theology (Qu. 12). Simply put by Aquinas, â€Å"[God] is (1) the cause of all, and that creatures differ from himRead MoreParis1378 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationships, meaning or accomplishments. The psychological and philosophical pursuit of happiness began in China, India and Greece nearly 2,500 years ago with Confucius, Socrates, Epicurus Mencius John Locke Marie Jahoda Aristotle and so on. We can find remarkable similarities between the insights of these thinkers and the modern â€Å"Science of Happiness. The ideas of major thinkers, from East and West, who devoted much of their lives to the pursuit of happiness. There have also been some studies of how  religionRead MorePhilosophy C100 Quiz 121572 Words   |  7 Pages  Which of the following statements about Plato and Aristotle are/were true?    | They were interested in practically every subject then known. |    | They spoke (and wrote) intelligently on philosophical topics. |    | One or the other (or both) formed the metaphysics for Christian theology up to the present day. | X   | All of the above. | 16.   According to the text, the first comprehensive theory of knowledge was developed by    | Aristotle. |    | the Sophists |    | the Cynics |   X |Read MoreThomas Aquinas And The King Of The City Of God1520 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Aquinas, much like Aristotle, composed that nature is sorted out for good purposes. Not at all like Aristotle, then again, Aquinas happened to say that God made nature and standards the world by perfect reason. Aquinas portrayed four sorts of law. Endless law was God s ideal arrangement, not completely comprehensible to people. It decided the way things, for example, creatures and planets carried on and how individuals ought to carry on. Divine law, fundamentally from the Bible, guidedRead MoreSumma Theologica : The View On The Acquisition Of Knowledge917 Words   |  4 PagesIn his work, â€Å"Summa Theologica†, Aquinas expresses his unique views on the acquisition of knowledge, and argues against the claims of other philosophers. Aquinas claims that one is born with a blank slate, or lack of knowledge, and obtains knowledge through phantasms, or sensible images, due to the uni ty of the body and soul. This opinion is generally unlike the views of other traditional philosophers who claim that knowledge is inherent, and Aquinas makes multiple valid arguments against the traditionalRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucius And Confucius1391 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and Contrast the Concept of Friendship according to Aristotle and Confucius. Confucius and Aristotle both examined the concept of friendship. Since they lived in vastly different societies, one would expect that their concepts would be dissimilar. Surprisingly they are also similarities. The two traditions’ thoughts on friendship are from two perspectives, virtue and trustworthiness. There are some similarities between Aristotle and Confucius on the concept of friendship. Both viewed friendship

Is Love the Solution or the Problem A Midsummer Night’s...

Is love a remedy to one’s sorrow or the unfortunate reason of their unhappiness? Love is a feeling that overtakes a person when they are around something or someone they admire. It is present everywhere, in every form, in every condition and even when one least expect its. Although love is said to bring happiness to a person’s life; in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it led the characters into a world of confusion and misunderstanding. Love is chaotic, unpredictable, and leads to sorrow. It is a hard concept to compromise with and if there are any misunderstandings, it could lead to a complicated and difficult life. In the play, Hermia has her heart broken by Lysander; Helena is confused about the sudden love events of her life, and†¦show more content†¦However, their inseparable bond had a flaw. When Lysander broke Hermia’s heart and showed no interest in her anymore, it had a huge impact on the feelings of Hermia. She was filled with grief, sorrow and regret. â€Å"What, can you do me greater harm, than hate? Hate me? Wherefore? O me! What news, my love? Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander?† (Act III, sc ii 277-279) Hermia was hurt and suffering because her Lysander left her unpredictably and so sudden. Was she not good enough, who is to blame? Hermia’s answer to these questions were Helena, her dear childhood friend. Hermia blamed her for the chaos that was brought into her life and the sudden loss of her loved one’s interest. But unfortunately, Hermia was unaware that Helena had nothing to do with this chaos. It was all love that twisted a perfect relationship of true love into a chaotic monster. Helena is a very desperate and aroused woman who loves Demetrius with her life. Even though she shows a great passion of love for him, Demetrius rejects this and therefore piles another burden of sorrow onto Helena’s shoulders. She is fed up with Demetrius rejecting her, but Helena is not tempted to give up yet. â€Å"And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel, and Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow you. (Act II sc i 206-211) Helena wasShow MoreRelatedEssay on Analysis of Rationality In A Midsummer Nights Dream1058 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not simply a light-hearted comedy; it is a study of the abstract. Shakespeare shows that the divide between the dream world and reality is inconstant and oftentimes indefinable. Meanwhile, he writes about the power of the intangible emotions, jealousy and desire, to send the natural and supernatural worlds into chaos. Love and desire are the driving forces of this play’s plot, leaving the different characters and social classes to sort out the resultingRead MoreCharacteristics Of Puck In A Midsummer Nights Dream788 Words   |  4 PagesA Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedic play about a complex love relationship between four lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius. The king of fairies, Oberon orders a hobgoblin named Robin Goodfellow or â€Å"puck† to retrieve an extraordinary fl ower so he can put the juice into the queen of fairies, Titania’s eyes. This was an exceptional flower because when the juice is applied to a person’s eyelid, it makes them fall in love with the first creature they see. Robin obtains the flower and dropsRead MoreThe Power of Magic in A Midsummer Night’s Dream1475 Words   |  6 Pages In William Shakespeare’s book, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, magic is a powerful and useful tool for the characters that have the capability to use it. Some of the characters abuse the power of magic, while others are more responsible in how they use it. Oberon is one the characters that abuses the power of magic. Oberon’s magic has an immense impact on the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. More specifically, Oberon’s magic affects his own life, the lives of other characters, and all the charactersRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Meddlesome Fairies1313 Words   |  6 Pages As a result of the meddlesome fairies, the plot line is able to reach the collision. The four lovers become tangled within the chaotic web of love, their perceptions of one another shifted, by the help of the mischievous Puck. Exchanges of affection and devotion are quickly reduced to those of hostility and resentment towards one another in an attempt to understand what has happened. Be that as it may, Shakespeare is able to portray the trivial jealousy between Hermia and Helena in an amusing wayRead MoreThe comparison of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, Goldsmiths She Stoops to Conquer, Wildes the Importance of Being Earnest, and Shaws Mrs Warrens Profession2543 Words   |  11 PagesThe Role of Money in Marriage Even though the four plays were written in four different eras, there are quite a few phenomena they have in common. Written in the 16th century, A Midsummer Nights Dream by Shakespeare is the oldest among the four dramas. Goldsmith wrote She Stoops to Conquer in 1773, Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest was published in 1895, while Mrs Warrens Profession by Bernard Shaw was written in 1893. It is obvious that each era imposed a particular world view onRead More A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay: The Importance of Setting1118 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of Setting in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream  Ã‚      The two locations of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream are essential to the development of the plot, although their presentation relies wholly on the characters we meet there, their adventures and their descriptions of these places. Athens is not an accidental choice of location: although much of the detail of the play is quintessentially English, the classical setting enables Shakespeare to introduce the notableRead MoreCommon Features of a Shakespeare Comedy1745 Words   |  7 Pagesclever word play, metaphors and insults. 1. Love: The theme of love is prevalent in every Shakespeare comedy. Often, we are presented with sets of lovers who, through the course of the play, overcome the obstacles in their relationship and unite. Love in Shakespearean comedy is stronger than the inertia of custom, the power of evil, or the fortunes of chance and time. In all of these plays but one (Troilus and Cressida), the obstacles presented to love are triumphantly overcome, as conflicts areRead More A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Identity of Characters1289 Words   |  6 PagesIdentity of Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Where Shakespeares tragedies will tell the story, chiefly, of a single principal character, this is rarely the case with his comedies. The comedies are more social and deal with groups of characters. In the case of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal groups are, at first, introduced severally. Though, one group may interact with another (as when Puck anoints Lysanders eyes, or Titania is in love with Bottom) they retain separate identitiesRead MoreMidsummer Nights Dream Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesLove is anonymous. It is superior to everything that matters. 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Far from aristocrats, some crities argue that these characters are irrelevant, however Shakespeare includes the company to emphasize contrast, and Nick Bottom to introduce

Beloved Paper Supernatural Free Essays

Beloved Essay: Supernatural A major part of the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison is the case of someone being haunted. The supernatural element pervades the novel. The characters are haunted by the past, because of the choices they’ve made and the things they’ve done. We will write a custom essay sample on Beloved Paper: Supernatural or any similar topic only for you Order Now All of the characters were affected by slavery, but Sethe, Denver, and Paul D are haunted by the past that stretches and grasps them in 124. Beloved’s character is an obvious use of the supernatural. She’s like a vampire that sucks the soul, the heart, and the mind of her mother while draining the relationships that exists between Denver with Sethe and Sethe with Paul D. Sethe is the most dramatically haunted in the book. She is the one whose past is so horrible that it is inescapable. How can she escape the past when it is physically apart of her? She is the one who was permanently scarred by slavery both literally and figuratively. She has scars left from being whipped that she calls a â€Å"tree†. She describes it as â€Å"A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago. Could have cherries too now for all I know† (pg. 16). She is the one went through slavery and escaped it. She decided to murder her own child rather than allow her to be forced into slavery, because she had suffered so much from it. It is inclined that her past is represented on her back, meaning that it is something that is behind her, something she cannot see but knows that is there. Sethe knows that the past has attached itself to her but the haunting of it has not stopped growing. Sethe doesn’t seem to recognize that the haunting is physically with her the whole time, because it drains the life out of her. When Paul D enters Sethe’s life, he discovers a haunting of Sethe almost immediately. He walks into 124 and notices that there is an unwanted spirit in the house, â€Å"It was sad. Walking through it, a wave of grief soaked him so thoroughly he wanted to cry† (pg. 9). Paul D stopped Beloved’s haunting, in her spirit form, the first time by screaming â€Å"God damn it! Hush up! Leave the place alone! Get the Hell out! † (pg. 18). But Beloved is Sethe’s greatest haunt and it is when Beloved arrives in physical form that Sethe is forced to turn around and confront the past. The reversal of power from Sethe to Beloved is when Beloved started to become like a parasite to Sethe. The parasitic aspect of motherhood is amplified in this novel, like the way the fetus is a parasite to the mother’s uterus, sucking the life from and continues to nourish its body by taking the mother’s body and nutrients. Beloved is the supernatural representation of this. Her mind and actions speak as a child not an adult. She loves her mother and wants her all to herself like a little two year old child. She even loves Denver like a little sister, but she is also jealous of her and the relationship she has with her mother and the fact that Denver survived and she didn’t. Beloved claims Sethe â€Å"I am Beloved and she is mine† (pg. 210). A typical two year old will do anything to get what she wanted, so Beloved â€Å"made demands. Anything she wanted she got, and when Sethe ran out of things to give her, Beloved invented desire† (pg. 240). Beloved has taken so much from Sethe that Sethe’s mental capacities decline because she has given up any thought of life other than focusing on taking care of Beloved and nothing else. Her own guilt had made it so easy for her to be entrapped by Beloved. The idea of Beloved leaving would crush her, as a result her greatest fear was â€Å"that Beloved might leave. That before Sethe could make her understand what it meant-what it took to drag the teeth of that saw under the little chin; to feel the baby blood pump like oil in her hands; to hold her face so her head would stay on†¦ † (pg. 251). Sethe didn’t do anything, can’t do anything except â€Å"those times when Beloved needed her†¦ she sat in the chair licking her lips like a chastised child while Beloved ate up her life, took it, swelled up with it, grew taller on it. And the older woman yielded it up without a murmur† (pg. 250) Towards the end of the novel, Beloved switched from being an innocent child who just wanted to be with her mother, she became an evil deceitful child who wants revenge from her mother for killing her. Sethe’s guiltiness made it that much easier for her to do so. When Paul D first showed up at the doorstep of 124, he seemed aware of the necessity of confronting the past in order to escape its grip. He tried to help Sethe forgive herself and she should feel safe about venturing â€Å"inside† her painful memories. When Beloved’s arrival forces Sethe to face the past and the memories began to consume her completely. The only way Sethe can escape Beloved’s hold is only with the help of those around her. Denver tries to keep Sethe alive; the community helps to expel Beloved; Paul D supports Sethe by telling her that she, not her children, is her own best thing. The only way they can possibly enjoy the future together is to deal with the past. The supernatural aspect played a big role in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. The characters are haunted by their pasts, from the choices that they’ve made and the things that they’ve done. The characters wanted to forget the past and leave it all behind, because â€Å"this is not a story to pass on. † The narrator’s warning is intended to remind us that it is not easy to keep that history in our memory, but it is not helpful for us to remember it either. Forgetting the past could be done if there is nothing that will remind the person about it, but how can it be forgotten when the past is haunting you in the physical form? Sethe was lucky the people around her helped her snap out of it and continue on with her life. How to cite Beloved Paper: Supernatural, Papers