Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, an 18th-century philosopher out of Germany, was the man who modified “an ancient concept of God and the creation” referred to as The Great Chain of Being (Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia 423). This concept of hierarchical order in the world believes a creature's level of intellect and rationality is what determines its ranking in creation. From this perspective on the world, Leibniz formulated the concept of philosophical optimism which is a belief that everything in the world is in the best state it can be. The Great Chain of Being is referenced in the works Essay on Man by Alexander Pope and Candide by Voltaire. Although the works of Pope and Voltaire argue for opposing views, both authors reference The Great Chain of Being to either support these views or satirically argue against them. Essay on Man by Alexander Pope is a poem that “sets out to consider humanity in relation to the universe, to itself, to society, and to happiness” (Puchner 89). In this poem, Pope defends the concept of The Great Chain of Being as present in the world and created by God. This philosophical poem goes into great detail of the imagery of The Great Chain of Being. Pope writes that man questions God's power, but he has no authority to rebel …show more content…
Pope defends the importance of these beliefs through demonstrating the impact it makes on a person's life when they rebel against it or live in consideration of it. In the fourth section of Essay on Man Pope claims that the cause of misery and error in the world is man's “pride of aiming at more knowledge, and pretending to more perfection” or “putting himself in the place of God” (Puchner 90). The general order, which has been set in place since the beginning of time, provides structure and the passions of
Furthermore, the renewal and rejuvenation of the Catholic Church makes Pope John a major reformer of the 20th century and a significantly large influencer during his time. He made universal and worldwide impacts to religious adherents by reforming and revitalizing the Christian traditions through achieving ressourcement, aggiornamento. In addition, his passion for unity amongst Christian faiths and interfaith dialogue, world peace and economic justice also furthered his impact not only within the Catholic Church but also in other Christian denominations. Moreover, in the short time of Pope John’s authority and power within the Catholic Church, the contributions and achievements he made had a substantially large impact to the Christian traditions as he brought the Catholic Church into the modern era,
The most empowering change of this era was the dominance of a secular attitude and the decline of church absolutism. This secular viewpoint altered man’s reason for existence from an otherworldly quest to an intimate, immediate appreciation for that which exists on earth. Humanism is a primary source of individualism. Pico della Mirandola’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man” captures the essence of the humanist movement. He writes that God gave man the ability to make of himself what he wills. Although man is capable of depraved acts, he also possesses the profundity to distinguish him as a holy being. Pico praises the goodness of mankind when he writes, “man is rightly called and judged a great miracle ...
St. Thomas concludes this section by reiterating a foundational component of Catholicism, namely, that man’s ultimate happiness is not to be found in an earthly city, but transcends the political community. This prudential doctrine clarifies and concretizes the positive and substantial, albeit limited, aim of the ruler, since “if this end could be attained by the power of human nature, then it would be necessary that the office of a king would have to include the direction of men to it. We are supposing that he is called king, to whom the supreme power of governing in human affairs is entrusted.” Man’s supernatural end is incapable of being fully actualized in this life; it can only be brought about by divine government and the outpouring of grace, which properly belongs to the ministry of the Catholic Church and its priests. In light of this integration and crucial distinction between the intrinsic and extrinsic finality of the polis, articulating the precise content of the common good and man’s ultimate happiness beyond this life, St. Thomas can provide concrete guidance for how the king can inculcate genuine virtue in his subjects.
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire’s novella, Candide, incorporates many themes, yet concentrates a direct assault on the ideas of Leibniz and Pope. These two well-known philosophers both held the viewpoint that the world created by God was the best of all possibilities, a world of perfect order and reason. Pope specifically felt that each human being is a part of God’s great and all knowing plan or design for the world.
The existence of suffering and evil in the presence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent God has proved to be one of the most pressing concerns raised in arguments against the existence of God, since the beginning of Christian traditions and beliefs. In Dostoevsky’s work, The Grand Inquisitor, several chapters allude to thoughts on this topic. In chapter 5 of Dostoevsky 's book we see the link between freedom and human suffering. Older philosophers such as Epicurus also had arguments that resonated with Dostoevsky. The freedom bestowed upon us by this all powerful and all loving God has led to much of the suffering present in our world today. Dostoevsky’s argues not against the notion of suffering nor that of a God, but that of a just
Leibniz maintains that, since the world was created by God, and since God is benevolent and capable, the world must be the best world imaginable. To Pangloss and followers of Leibniz, to have any evil in the world would be a sign that God is not all knowing and all powerful, because God is omnipotent, and must know some evil will occur. Any evil that is perceived in the world is so because humans cannot understand the ultimate good that the “evil” is meant to serve. In Candide, Voltaire stakes a different claim, demonstrating that it could also be possible that this world is not the best, and that because it is not the best God is not controlling it. Where Pangloss represents theism, Voltaire and fellow enlightened thinkers believed there may have been a god, and he created the universe, but once he created it he stepped back and watched events play out. These “Deists” believe God can be known through reason. It is for these differences that Voltaire mocks the idea of a completely good world, and is unfair in his satire, making Pangloss a caricature of a person and magnifying his flaws. The novel’s characters, especially Pangloss and
Humanists had been calling for reform in the Catholic Church long before Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses. Humanism was an intellectual and cultural movement of the Renaissance that emphasized the expansion of mans’ capacities. “[Humanism] was an attempt to discover humankind’s own earthly fulfillment. . . [it] developed an increasing distaste for dogma, and embraced a figurative interpretation of the scriptures and an attitude of tolerance toward all viewpoints” (Sporre 310). This perspective could not differ more from the Church’s strict reliance on tradition. People’s outlook on the world changed, but the Church continued on with what had previously worked. It soon became clear that reform in the Church was not in the foreseeable future, so people decided to take matters into their own hands. As humanism spread throughout Italy and northern Europe, more and more people agr...
Roles of the Catholic Church in Western civilization has been scrambled with the times past and development of Western society. Regardless of the fact that the West is no longer entirely Catholic, the Catholic tradition is still strong in Western countries. The church has been a very important foundation of public facilities like schooling, Western art, culture and philosophy; and influential player in religion. In many ways it has wanted to have an impact on Western approaches to pros and cons in numerous areas. It has over many periods of time, spread the teachings of Jesus within the Western World and remains a foundation of continuousness connecting recent Western culture to old Western culture.-
Before, most people in Europe placed great importance on God and religion, but during the Renaissance, some people began to think about the importance of individuals as well. These thinkers were called humanists. In spite of this, people have twisted this idea for the advantage to themselves. Such words to describe them are egoistic and self-centred. The already corrupt Papacy reached its crucial depths during the rule of Pope Alexander VI, who abused his power within the church. He was a pope bent on political and material triumph. It was no secret that Cesare, his son, was a murderer and killed many of his political opponents. As pope, they are granted outstanding privileges. Pope Leo X utilized nepotism to guarantee his position as pope. He also used up the papal treasury with his extravagant lifestyle and projects. To free himself from debt, Leo granted indulgences to those who pay the church (to forgive their sins, thus saving them from the punishment from God). In addition to that, not only was the papacy corrupt but also the rulers. Rulers used many different methods, such as diplomatic marriages and Machiavellian acts to secure their rule of the area. To response whether it is better to be lo...
At the beginning of the sixteenth century church theologian, Martin Luther, wrote the 95 Theses questioning the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In this essay I will discuss: the practices of the Roman Catholic Church Martin Luther wanted to reform, what Martin’s specific criticism of the pope was, and the current practices Pope Francis I is interested in refining in the Roman Catholic Church today.
W. Andrew Hoffecker. Building a Christian World View, vol. 1: God, man, and Knowledge. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey : 1986. William S. Babcock. The Ethics of St. Augustine: JRE Studies in Religion, no. 3.
The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, was a time of great intellectual and moral growth for humanity. In part because of the increasing effect of the Protestant Reformation, people were starting to turn to reason for the answers to life's questions, rather than to the dogmas of the Catholic Church. Scientific inquiry became widespread and accepted as the standard for inquiring into the nature of the universe. The scientific method was developed. For the first time in the history of art, perspective was used in paintings. (Now people who were farther away looked farther away). Great advances were made in medicine, in part because of pioneers like Leonardo da Vinci, who studied the human body inside and out and used reason to discover what secrets it kept hidden, rather than accepting (as was common at the time) the ancient Greek idea that sickness was caused by an imbalance of the four elements in the body. The Enlightenment also marked the advent of capitalism, an economic system which, in theory, is a meritocracy in which the skilled producers and traders rise to the top of the economic spectrum through their own effort. Capitalism stands as a stark contrast to the earlier, pre-Enlightenment economic situation, in which the rich tended to come from the aristocracy, the poor tended to be serfs bonded to a certain section of land, and opportunities for economic advancement for the majority comprised of non-aristocratic individuals was severely limited.
The theme of "man’s relationship to God and the universe" presented in Epistle 1 of Alexander Pope’s "An Essay on Man" complements Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe is an inconsistent character who turns to God whenever he is in need, yet fails to maintain respect for nature and for his fellow man. In the first year of Robinson Crusoe’s solitary life on the island, he falls ill and has a terrifying dream that alters his awareness of his place in the universe and God’s control of it. This experience leads him to contemplate his past ingratitude and to embark on a life of piety, reading the Bible daily, though without a drastic or permanent change in his character. Throughout his adventures in the novel, Crusoe has moments of awareness and appreciation of God, yet each moment of faith fades as he regains control over his situation. The ideals presented in the last three sections of Epistle 1 — that life exists in a "chain of being" and is interdependent, that the spirit of God exists in all things, and that man should accept existence as good — speak directly to the understanding that Crusoe comes to as a result of his illness and the life he leads throughout the novel.
Man is created in the image and likeness of God. The purpose of his existence is to reach his full potential, that being to live a life that is more human, more Christian, a life that is similar to that of Christ. Thus, our existence revolves upon loving and inculcating knowledge in the minds of others. These Christian concepts are essential in Fr. De Torre's discussion of the perfectibility of man through education.
In "An Essay on Man" Pope is trying to make clear the relationship of humanity to the universe, himself, society and also to happiness. He states "For me health gushes from a thousand springs; seas roll to waft me suns to light- me rise; My footstool earth my canopy the skies" (330). Pope implies that the universe is created for man's pleasures and needs and so therefore we are all connected to the chain of universal order. Through this connection man realizes that all are part of one stupendous whole. He then suggests that this order extends further then we know; any interference with it could destroy the whole. Pope asks in the poem, "Is the greater chain, that draws all to agree, upheld by God or thee?" (327).