Activity 2

1. Explain the personal view and contributions of the great philosophers

A. Socrates - According to Socrates, philosophy should produce useful outcomes for the benefit of
society as a whole. He made an effort to develop an ethical framework devoid of theological ideology
and based on human reason. He made the claim that the pursuit of happiness drives human decision-
making. The key to wisdom is understanding oneself.

B. Plato - One of the most significant Greek philosophers was Plato. In Athens, he established the
Academy. His writings on philosophy, politics, and mathematics had a significant impact and helped
Euclid develop his methodical approach to mathematics.

C. Aristotle - Aristotle is credited with developing the scientific method of analysis, which has
applications in many academic disciplines. He is also in charge of classifying and sub classifying other
branches of knowledge, including psychology, biology, politics, logic, chemistry, and botany.

2. Explain St. Anselm's statement about God

Beginning with the idea that there is nothing greater than God, Anselm developed his theology.
It is contradictory to imagine such a being as existing only in idea and not also in fact because a being
without real existence is not a being that cannot be imagined to be larger.

According to Anselm of Canterbury, we can prove God's existence by acting righteously to the
best of our ability. Anselm of Canterbury's ontological argument is a masterpiece of medieval theology.
It is the sole justification for God's being. In other words, it is a proof that is simply based on our
capacity for reason and is independent of experience.

3. Why is idealism opposed to materialism?

In the view of materialism, there is only physical matter in the world; there is no spirit, soul, or
existence of ideals. Idealism claims that the world is either basically ideal in nature or that the material
world emanates in some way from the world's fundamentally ideal nature.

4. How do educators apply idealism in teaching?

The most important teaching techniques in idealism are lectures, discourses, and dialogues.
These techniques work when teachers plan and select a subject to explain and transfer idealistic
knowledge to the students.

Idealism seeks to awaken one's creative energies because it is also founded or focused on
values. Teachers in idealism education set an example for their students, therefore those with high life
ideals are crucial in shaping a child's personality and developing self-discipline.

5. Discuss the 5 arguments presented by St. Thomas on his contention regarding God's existence.

1. Arguments from Motion - The empirical observation of motion in the outside world serves as
the basis for Aquinas' Argument from Motion. As a result, the conclusion is not said to follow with
confidence from this à posteriori argument. Since everything that moves is pushed by someone else,
Thomas argues that there must be an Unmoved Mover.
 2. The first cause argument - Beginning with the empirical observation of causal sequence in the
real world, Thomas' Argument from Efficient Cause begins. As a result, the conclusion is not said to
follow with confidence from this à posteriori argument. There must be a First Cause in the sequence of
causes that created our cosmos.

3. Contingent Argument - Thomas' Argument from Necessity starts with several factual findings,
one of which is the notion that items in the universe that are contingent come into existence and
disappear. The conclusion is not asserted to necessarily follow from the argument because it is an à
posteriori argument. Since everything that is existent depends on other things to exist, there must be at
least one object that is independent and is therefore a Necessary Being.

4. Teleological Argument - Beginning with the factual observation of the universe's design and
order, Aquinas presents his Argument from Design. As a result, the conclusion is not said to follow with
absolute certainty from this à posteriori argument. The study of purpose, aims, and goals in natural
processes is known as teleology, and it is used to refer to this argument as "The Teleological Argument."
A teleological explanation explains natural phenomena in terms of directive or purposeful principles.

5. Degrees of Perfection - Starting with the empirical observation of various levels of goodness in
various types of objects in the world, Thomas' Argument from Gradation begins. Since the conclusion is
not claimed to follow with absolute certainty, this argument is truly an à posteriori argument.

6. Explain Blaise Pascal's Wager Philosophy

Pascal's wager, which he originally put forward, adopts a more practical stance. Pascal believed
that although there is still a lack of proof for God's existence, you should place a wager or gamble on
him since you stand to win significantly more than you stand to lose. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose,
you lose nothing, which means that if God does not exist, you will not be worse off in death than if you
had not believed, makes betting on his existence the sensible move.