Great Works of Western Philosophy pre-final paper 2 Essay

Great Works of Western Philosophy pre-final paper 2 - Essay Example While Anselm’s ontological argument achieved a good amount of support, Aquinas’ cosmological outlook was the result of his strong criticism of the views of the former. However, what seems to be evidently noticeable is that Aquinas’ argument is another improvement of the ontological view of Anselm. Saint Anselm proposes his ontological view on the existence of God in Proslogion, one of the most discussed philosophical discourses of all time. As Anselm argues, he makes certain key points in favor of the existence of God: So the ontological argument states that God is the greatest possible entity to be conceived, and God exists in both reality as well as in our understanding. Whatever we can assume in the mind, it can also be conceived of as existing in reality too. Therefore, God is the greatest being existing in both reality and in the mind. However, Anselm’s ontological theory has been criticized and strongly rejected by a number of Catholic theologians as well as non-Christians, and particularly by Thomas Aquinas, another Italian theologian. Aquinas’ most acclaimed work is Summa Theologiae or ‘Summary of Theology’, where he discusses his outlook on the existence of God. Criticizing the ontological argumentation of Anselm, Aquinas elaborates his cosmological view on the existence of God in terms of five arguments or proofs. The first proof is argued from the point of view of motion that everything on earth undergoes change with regard to something existing in reality. That means there must be a first mover from which it starts. This mover is constant and known as God. The second proof argues that every effect must have a cause. The first and efficient cause of everything is known as God. The third proof states that God is the main cause for the necessary existence of everything. The fourth pr oof argues that God is the most perfect thing to possibly conceive of. The fifth proof argues that God is the master planner of everything

Sociology and Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sociology and Class - Essay Example However the Marxist theory of racism bases racism on another interesting premise. The class conflict where as the Proletariat (the working classes mainly composed of the Black and ethnic minorities) will be suppressed by the Bourgeoisie (the ruling classes primarily composed of the White majority who will be economically stronger and thus in a position to marginalize the "proletariat" i.e. the Black minorities) Today the modern African American can be identified with the likes of Opera Winfrey and Barrack Obama, as well as highly educated Hollywood stars like Will Smith etc.This denotes a respectable status for them but academics like in the Article at hand are quick to point to the reality of the ghettos and poor uneducated members of the ethnicity who live on low pay differentials. From the Marxist sociological perspective these economic and wage differentials are responsible for the continuous racial tensions in states like Los Angeles which have a large number of minorities settled there.Most of this crime and disorder is based upon race and ethnicity. The current racial tension is not just the usual white-black conflict but now statistics show that the local African American Population feels economically threatened by the immigrants that come from Latin America. As the article notes the root of most of the violence and unemployment in the Ghettos is poverty and increased immigration. Things are further complicated by racist judicial and law enforcement mechanisms which promote the gang culture and lure poverty stricken and suppressed young people into crime and disorder. The economic and sociological conflicts with in the "proletariat" (working classes) lead to ethnic squabbles between and with in the suppressed minorities in the over crowded metropolitan cities and it is worth noting from a political perspective that the black Latino rivalry for economic opportunities means that in 2008 presidential race there is not Latino support for Mr. Obama. Unemployment has caused a deterioration in race relations based on unequal wealth distribution and the fight for survival within the marginalized groups.As long as these minorities remain economically and socially suppressed there is little chance of reducing these tensions. There is a need for sustainable community measures to counter the problems in this area of racial economic conflict aimed at better race relations. All this however keeps us wondering whether these sociological conditions exist for their own sake or is the conflict theory " a Marxist ideological ploy" which divides the lower classes so that the White and Black and working classes from other races fight each other instead of the bourgeoisie.However one never fails to reflect on the political system and the society which seems to adhere to the well known rhetoric of George Orwell in his well known parody of the Communist Manifesto and the Marxist ideals of race and class i.e. the "Animal Farm" where he stated that , "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others". Source: Materials provided in