philosophy of god midterm

Form

An independently existing entity in then world of form, which determines the nature of particular things of this world that "participate" in it. The perfect representation of something. This was a part of Plato's philosophy.

Matter

A less perfect entity than in the realm of form and even less perfect than the concept of it. It is the physical item or thing itself (such as a person). This was a part of Plato's philosophy.

Essence

A things "essence" is its "whatness". This is similar to its form. This was a part of Aristotle's philosophy.

substance

A thing that has both form and matter. Substances are independent entities, while essences define what they are. (Aristotle)

Accidents

The qualities that help us distinguish substances that don't define the substance. They are appearance based. (Aristotle)

Material Cause

what a substance is made of. (Aristotle) Ex: the material cause of a chair is plastic.

Efficient Cause

The thing that brings a substance about. (Aristotle) Ex: The efficient cause of a chair is the craftsman who made it.

Formal Cause

The "what" something is. Plato would say that this is the form, Aristotle would say that it is the essence. Ex.: the formal cause of a chair is "chair."

Final Cause

The Final Cause is the ultimate purpose of something. Ex: the final cause of a chair is to provide a place for someone to sit.

Aristotle

Essence and Substance. You can't separate form and matter. Every substance is essence and accidents. everything that has form and matter is a substance. The Four Causes.

Aquinas

The Five Proofs, The Argument for God as trinity, the nature of God.

Plato

Matter and Form, there are two worlds (this world and the world of forms)

Anselm

the ontological argument for God's existence

Heraclitus

Philosophy of constant change (you don't step into the same river twice)

Descartes

The wax argument, the dream conjecture, the evil genius

Dei Filius

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, theology is the study of religious faith, practice and experience. It is different from Philosophy of God because theology mainly focuses on the meaning of religion, while Philosophy of God focuses on the structure of religion. Philosophy of God basically uses reasoning and different philosophical theories to help understand God. Dei Filius supports a philosophical study of God by affirming that "God, the beginning and end of all things, may be certainly known by the natural light of human reason, by means of created things." This says that reason can be used to help understand God's teachings. A philosophical study of God is in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Using philosophical arguments to help understand the teachings of the Catholic Church forms a relationship between faith and reason. This can allow for a deeper understanding of one's faith. Additionally, it can provide a more solid groundwork for faith.

identify and explain Aristotle's four causes, then name a substance in the room and list its four causes.

Material, formal, efficient and final cause. Material cause is what a substance is made of, formal cause is the "what" something is, efficient cause is the thing that brings a substance about and final cause is the ultimate purpose of something. One substance in the room is a chair. The material cause of the chair is plastic. The formal cause of the chair is “chair”. The efficient cause of the chair is the factory that made the chair and the final cause of chair is to sit in the chair.

explain Pascal's wager.

Pascal thought it is better to bet that God exists, and therefore to live accordingly. If God exists, we could gain a lot, like eternal happiness in Heaven, but if God did not exist it would make no difference. However, if we didn't believe in God, and He did exist, we would go to hell. If we didn't believe in Him and He didn't exist, nothing would happen. For this reason, it would be better to believe in God, Pascal said.

Explain Plato's allegory of the cave as completely as possible.

Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is a concept devised by the philosopher to ruminate on the nature of belief versus knowledge. The allegory begins with prisoners who have lived their entire lives chained inside a cave. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is the shadow of swords. The prisoners watch these shadows, believing this to be their reality as they've known nothing else. Plato posits that one prisoner could become free. He finally sees the fire and realizes the shadows are fake. This prisoner could escape from the cave and discover there is a whole new world outside they were previously unaware of.This prisoner would believe the outside world is so much more real than that in the cave. He would try to return to free the other prisoners. Upon his return, he is blinded because his eyes are not accustomed to actual sunlight. The chained prisoners would see this blindness and believe they will be harmed if they try to leave the cave.