We continued with our lesson about Philosophy today. Moving on with the views of Aristotle’s Realism and the other emerging philosophical perspectives during the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Aristotle believed that objects of sense or perception exist independently of the mind. A student of Plato, he differed from his teacher in philosophical views. Aristotle sought truth by investigating the real world around him. His work reflected the philosophical orientation called realism and forms the basis for scientific method. Despite the lack of scientific equipment and basic knowledge of the laws of nature, Aristotle pushed science forward by acting on the belief that the study of matter would lead to a better understanding of ideas.
As a student of Psychology, I am agreeable to Aristotle’s belief that as individuals experience the world, they develop and refine concepts about objects through direct experience. Knowledge exists independent of human knowing and so it is the role of educators, counselors and psychologists to guide students and clients in the world they live.
We moved forward to the discussion of Medieval Philosophy, Thomas Aquinas’ Thomism and St. Augustine’s Christianity which now hold the basis for the Catholic Church today. Their philosophies have such strong influences during their time that it was used to answer psychological questions. Although they used reason to study psychological processes, they did not use scientific method to study them.
It is my belief that during that time, people were so thirsty for religious dogma that there seemed to be a decline of philosophical studies done with the ways of Plato and Aristotle. It seems that people were more attuned to the “supernatural” or a Greater Being that empiricism might have been erased from the face of the earth if not for a brave few who chose to stress the importance of gaining knowledge pragmatically and through the senses.
Fortunately, the Renaissance period hailed more on philosophy to once again answer to psychological questions. Rene Descartes’ “I think therefore I am” went to he extreme of using reasoning to prove one’s existence. He contributed much, though, to modern intellectual outlook, which opposes blind acceptance of proclamations put forth by authorities, religious or otherwise. Which explains why church leaders became so threatened by Descartes’’ challenge—that people should base their beliefs on observation and life experiences.
At this point, I reflected that although there is such a thing as faith, on which we base our belief in God, we also need to have an observational basis for believing things. As Filipinos are trying to move towards a progressive society, I also notice that sometimes, we go backwards. Just out of the blue, a miracle priest comes out in the open and people would rush to him to be “healed” without even trying to find out if they are just being played. There are some who perform dances, go to saints’ churches or statues because they heard that it could get them pregnant, heal them from their disease or illnesses and even spend much on something that does not even guarantee anything.
Personally, I grew up in a religious family. My parents are into church work and as a child I have heard the teachings of our sect many times. Yet, as I grew older, I realized that I needed to find out the basis for these teachings. I cannot go on, live them, and share them to others if I cannot defend the truthfulness in them. I guess it is also the same with philosophy. I serves as a guideline for our lives, our careers, our practice so we should know its basis, its foundations so that we can understand ourselves and even other people who may hold the same philosophy as we do, or differ from us.
No comments:
Post a Comment