Aryesh Chaudhari
4/23/14
Philosophy 1000C
Professor Robert Grimwade
Interpret and explain the fundamental metaphysical position of Parmenides as expressed in “On Nature.”
“On nature,” is a narrative sequence written by Parmenides in which he takes a remote distant unpopular path to seek the divine acknowledgement from an un-named goddess on the nature of existence and nonexistence i.e. The object of knowledge i.e. the reality and the object of not of knowledge i.e. non-reality and unity of nature. He puts forward the theory of uniqueness; fact of the state of being and the way of truth but it is anything more than mere appearance.
In this poem Parmenides describes a journey he once made. A strong sudden unreflective urge to take a path to a sacred temple unnamed goddess, maybe the goddess of truth and wisdom. He travelled in a speeding chariot pulled by mares, which carried him unharmed through day and night.
The daughter of the sun hurriedly escorted him through the house of night towards the light. They have pushed back the wheels from their heads with their hands. The ethereal gate of path of day and night has doors of moral justness, justice and repayment. The maidens cleverly, flattering lure the guardians, maybe justice of the gate to unlock the doors.
Slowly the doors opened wide swinging in turn in their sockets fixed with rivets and pins. At the very moment the maidens drove the chariot swiftly through the gap along the roadway to heaven i.e. a sacred temple of enlightenment. Upon his arrival there an unnamed goddess welcomes him warmly. Affectionately she tells him the well rounded truth of the universe.
She expresses that he was very much fortunate to travel on the road which has only rights and justice. Sinc...
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...sible, being is real and hence “Being is One.” – “All is One”
Although the knowledge through senses misleads us into thinking in two minds that are opposite, different, void and unreal but actually in reality and ultimately everything is really one. – “All is one.”
Through this way of thinking Parmenides concludes that we should never rely on the experience that is obtained to us through our senses and completely ignoring it, and only employing pure deductive reasoning will help us to discover the eternal real, unchangeable, indivisible truth of Parmenidean One – Being. The only final eternal truth that can exist to be known. “It is unity without diversity.”
So according to Parmenides logical scientific deductive reasoning is the only way to achieve true knowledge.
“Everything is really and ultimately One”.
“Being is one.”
“All is one”
The ultimate true knowledge.
Not only is human connection vital to live a happy and joyful life, but it is necessary to create a legacy, and thus live on through others. But in order to do this, one must first overcome their ego and their sense of self. Once all of the “I” thoughts are gone, one can relate, but fully understand, the higher powers as well as other human beings around us. However, it is important to accept that we may never fully understand the driving force of this universe. While it can be experienced, and we can briefly get an idea of what it is, it is impossible to define these concepts in words, because we don’t have a language that transcends what we can understand. And though many recognize that these concepts could never be fully understood by the human brain, determined minds continue to ask questions that will never have an answer, “pushing their minds to the limits of what we can know” (Armstrong,
Human beings are comprised of two separate entities, a body and a soul. The soul is immortal and cycles in nature and lives an infinite number of bodies. This paper will explore the immortality of the soul as discussed by Socrates in The Apology, Crito and Phaedo and significance of being a philosopher.
Before launching into the body of this exposition, it is necessary that we define a few important terms. By "being", or that which "actually is", I mean those things that exist in the objective reality that might be perceived by some so-called omnipotent being. The flawed knowledge of non-omniscient humans - that which we see every day - is represented by the word "...
that "[the] sameness of body is a reliable sign of sameness of all; of soul" .
In Meditation 1, Descartes is confronted by the idea that throughout his life he has been taught numerous false truths. As his metaphysical knowledge is based on the things which he has been taught, they too are proven false and he is left without any indubitable ideas or beliefs. After Descartes puts all he knows under doubt, he begins to attempt to regain his knowledge of the world by thinking exclusively of absolute truths. On this mission, he encounters three arguments for accepting knowledge and beliefs as true and unfaltering. Through the course of the following paragraphs, I plan to dissect the different arguments and show how each of them test the validity of true knowledge.
Is it possible to exist in nature without existing in God’s eyes? With many different views on nature and its relationship with individuals, it always seems to return to the miracle of God. As each era ends and a new one begins’, we are able to see how the views and its relationship with nature change. While the Transcendentalists believed that regular contact with nature was an important part of life, and the Puritans thought it to be a gift from God, the Founding Fathers viewed it as a way to help build their nation.
The idea of Nature can often unfold itself in many ways and forms. We can either perceive it in a literal fashion, in which we describe nature as we see it, or we perceive it in a fashion that is more metaphorical, such as in the personalities and reputations of people or animals. Throughout the rise of literature and art, individuals have tried to embody and capture the essence of the natural world in their works. Even before times of Romanticism and the Renaissance, early civilizations constructed the ideas of the environment into deities, such as Gaea in Greek Mythology, who was the primordial personification of the natural environment of the world. Turn forward in time, and the Puritans had twisted the idea of Nature into one of evil or unholy. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, which was a sort of backlash against the Puritan hypocrisy, provides a sense of how Nature is often the main catalyst of the personalities and problems of the characters.
For thousands of years, mankind has persistently pursued truth, knowledge, and understanding. For most, this pursuit is a driving force which usually doesn’t end until one finds a “truth” that is satisfying to him or her. Even then, however, one may choose to look for an alternate truth that may be even more satisfying to them. This pursuit does not always follow the same path for everyone as there are different ideas as to how truth is actually obtained and which is the best way to obtain it. Two individuals and great philosophers of their time, Plato and Charles Peirce, each had their own ideas on how truth and knowledge could be obtained.
The ritual begins successfully, black clouds start to form filling the dark candle lit room with an evil malice, purple arconic symbols disperse from the magic circle slowly two portals start to form. The portals are positioned close to the centre, one white and one black.
Rene Descartes decision to shatter the molds of traditional thinking is still talked about today. He is regarded as an influential abstract thinker; and some of his main ideas are still talked about by philosophers all over the world. While he wrote the "Meditations", he secluded himself from the outside world for a length of time, basically tore up his conventional thinking; and tried to come to some conclusion as to what was actually true and existing. In order to show that the sciences rest on firm foundations and that these foundations lay in the mind and not the senses, Descartes must begin by bringing into doubt all the beliefs that come to him by the senses. This is done in the first of six different steps that he named "Meditations" because of the state of mind he was in while he was contemplating all these different ideas. His six meditations are "One:Concerning those things that can be called into doubt", "Two:Concerning the Nature of the Human mind: that it is better known than the Body", "Three: Concerning God, that he exists", "Four: Concerning the True and the False", "Five: Concerning the Essence of Material things, and again concerning God, that he exists" and finally "Six: Concerning the Existence of Material things, and the real distinction between Mind and Body". Although all of these meditations are relevant and necessary to understand the complete work as a whole, the focus of this paper will be the first meditation.
Nature in which people of the entire universe mostly depend upon is found as the true source of happiness in their own life. This great spectacle of the nature is what most of the people appreciate a lot. However the development taking place all over the world does not seems that people are now appreciating the creation of the mighty God. To live happily we the people have to be associated with nature as both Emerson and Thoreau believes in order to live a happy life people must learn to live in harmony with nature without destroying the nature. Both Emerson and Thoreau tends to have similar ideas upon the nature. Emerson states that the first important influences upon the mind of human is nature because nature has no beginning and has no ending but it is like a circular power that keep on returning again and again to the same place where as Thoreau believes that the harmony which the people get from the nature is far greater and the law of nature is to give happiness to the people. However the contrast appears when both Thoreau and Emerson have different ideas upon the manipulation of human mind by the nature.
The rest of the ride to the fortress nunnery was uneventful, but all the men were jumpy after seeing the nun and farmers. Every shadow was a creature of the Fey, every sound a monster coming for you. We halted at the outer wall, and I rode up to the castle alone, as some of my company were, shall we say, unsavory. The guard at the gate admitted me into the courtyard, and I dismounted, allowing a nun to take Grendel. A nun beckoned to me, then walked across the courtyard. I followed, sabatons clicking on the cobble. I climbed the steps to the massive monastery door, which I strained to open.
Seeing the light while in the tunnel is something we all hope for. Likewise, the “modern poets,” or wise men, were longing for the same thing. T.S. Eliot in “The Journey of the Magi,” finds the light at the end of the tunnel. By the use of imagery, symbols, and allusions we will see the Magi, Eliot, find his faith.
When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played. One day, in order to keep a promise I had made, I saw myself forced to enter. It took me quite a while to get the courage to pass through the old oak door, but the moment I stepped in, I realized just how enchanting and breathtaking this building could be. Its fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes reflect perfectly the unity between this earth and the unseen kingdom of angels in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also the vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and ask for respect it is where prayers are answered and magic is done. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony takes over you once you enter and God seems much closer. Darkness and light are welded perfectly together creating Redemption’s house. The tower allows you to see the entire town from the smallest river to the biggest building site, offering you its mightiness.
In the first meditation he casts doubt on the previous foundations of knowledge and everything he has learned or assumed. He stated "But reason now persuades me that I should withhold assent no less carefully from opinions that are not completely certain and indubitable than I would from those that are patently false." In order to evaluate and discern what is actually true he divides the foundations of knowledge into three sources: the senses, reality, and context.