Philosophy of Aristotle, Aquinas, and Descartes and Meditation Essay Example

human life is a series of efforts to create happiness through achievement of objectives.
Regarding Aristotle's notion of ethics, he argued that humans defined right actions as those that serve their purposes. He argued that ethics should not be set standards but rather determined by the current situation. Hence, according to Aristotle, the right thing to do is determined by the details of the particular situation.

How Aquinas modified the Aristotelian notion of human function to entail a supernatural, human end and accordingly added to the list of Aristotle's virtues

Thomas Aquinas and some other Aristotelian philosophers used scholasticism as a method of teaching in the universities. Scholasticism combined ethical aspects of Aristotelian philosophy with Christianity ethics from the Bible. Aquinas's philosophical project discussed the existence and function of the human being with regards to origin from creation. Regarding this, Aquinas described the functions of the man as to act according to an essence. According to him, humans exists as a conditioning from a higher supernatural being; God. The rule of man was designed in the covenant and later translated in the Bible. Hence, sinning or breaking the covenant is the ultimate crime. According to the scholasticism philosophers such as Aquinas, the human end was justified as a nature of creation. Hence, generations come and go as is nature. Regarding this, Aquinas explained that parents have children who have other children, and the cycle continues infinitely.

Aquinas's philosophy of existence differs in some aspects with that of Aristotle. For example, while Aristotle described form in its material form, Aquinas describes the existence of the human in both physical and non-physical form. Regarding this, Aquinas discusses the existence of the

soul as a part of the being. Also, while Aristotle argues that all human actions have a function of creating leading to other activities, Aquinas believes in existence by virtue. Hence, according to Aquinas, things happen as they are pre-destined to happen.

How Descartes' approach of Methodic Doubt in his Meditations undermines the realistic metaphysics employed by Aristotle and Aquinas

Rene Descartes was a rationalist philosopher whose ideologies were often opposed to the normal way of thinking. In the Meditations, Descartes opposes the idea of making conclusive judgments in aspects where there is no evidence or justification to be the truth. Regarding this, Descartes argues that most of the assumptions we make in such situations are often mistaken. Using the philosophies of Descartes, it can be said that Aristotle and Aquinas seem to be making a presupposition of metaphysical realism in their assumptions about the existence of certain non-physical aspects. For example, Aquinas assumes that the body has a soul that is in spirit form. On the other hand, Aristotle assumes that all humans have a higher purpose for their lives that they hope to accomplish before death.

In the approach of methodic doubt, Descartes is hypocritical over conclusions reached by the philosophies of religion and existence. Additionally, Descartes dismisses the claim by other philosophers that we can gain knowledge over all aspects of life from our past experiences. According to Descartes, the only situations where we can be sure of our judgments is when we have subjected our thought to sincere meditation. Hence, Descartes proposed a mediation process where we can subject our ideas to determine that they are justifiable, reliable and correct.

Conclusion

Aristotle idea of human teleology

described the nature of humans to use current actions to create future opportunities. According to him, life is a cycle of actions aimed at fulfilling the function of an individual's life. Similarly, Aquinas believes in the existence of the being to serve a pre-determined purpose. Therefore, Aquinas adds the aspect of a supernatural being to Aristotle's theory of teleology. On the other hand, Descartes argues that we cannot gain knowledge in different fields based on past experiences. Hence, Descartes believes that what is unknown should remain anonymous until there is justifiable evidence that is the truth.