Essay on Faith and Reason - 1797 Words

Pope John Paul II once said, â€Å"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.† (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties†¦show more content†¦Thomas Aquinas are considered to be scholastics. Because of this vast academic difference, it can be easy to assume that the interpretation of faith and reason among mystics and scholastics wou ld obviously be different. However, since Ibn Rushd, Moses Maimonides and St. Thomas Aquinas are all scholastics their views will essentially be somewhat parallel and connected. Before being able to truly understand what each philosopher’s stance ultimately is, this writer feels that it is important to distinguish the difference between each school of thought; the schools of thought in particular would be mysticism and scholasticism. According to the class discussion, materials and presentation, the term mysticism refers to a very personal and individual religious experience. In this school of thought, private faith and philosophy is accompanied with an emotional experience that surpasses reason. Mystics have a personal preference of a direct relationship and experience with God, or the divine. Mystics, like the ones studied in class, use certain visions, dreams and revelations to gain definite knowledge from God; further, mystics typically revolve their studies around Godâ⠂¬â„¢s infinite love. Conversely, the other school of thought is scholasticism; based on the class materials, it is understood that scholasticism refers to various methods and diverse ways of teaching in academic institutions. Differently from mysticism, this school of thought combines faith and reason.Show MoreRelatedThe Between Faith And Reason Essay1201 Words   |  5 Pagesanalyze the balance between faith and reason in human life. All three men are on personal journeys to better understand not only themselves, but their faith as well. Although the three have different writing styles, Augustine’s The Confessions, Aquinas’ Summa Contra Gentiles, and Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, all share the common theme of faith and reason. These pieces of writing are extremely influential, which are why they continue to be studied today. Faith and reason will always be a popularRead MoreFaith and Reason Essay1035 Words   |  5 PagesFaith and Reason Faith and reason can be viewed as opposites. 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