Skip to main content
In Wainwright's "Is the Concept of Ultimate Reality Coherent?" he establishes the needs of mankind to create the idea of religion and the required practices of religion. They exist to give dimension to a reality higher than our own. A higher reality that can intervene with our's and give us a fuller satisfaction than that which is possible within our realm of reality. The religiosity practiced by mankind is the devotion to an entity that asks for our full surrender of self in exchange for this fulfillment and satisfaction. But this practice of religion exists almost entirely in the ideal that the entity receiving of our full selves, is an entity that is not selfish nor ignorant in some way. For our worship (as told by some philosophers), the entity must be "maximally perfect in the sense that it is the most perfect possible reality" (Wainwright 89). But in this way, isn't the idea of this sacrificing of self in the name of religion somewhat shallow? If there were to be an even greater entity, would that praise be put elsewhere? With each hypothetical scenario given, there is another hypothetical to argue against it. And because of this there is no way of knowing, until there is fact.

Comments

  1. Anna GraziosiSeptember 13, 2017 at 7:47 PM

    I love the fact that you mention higher satisfaction in life, and how mankind is the devotion to an entity that asks for full surrender in exchange for self fulfillment; so in saying this, I think that an answer or stated opinion could be formed.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Seven Ways

Udayana states that there are seven ways to prove that God is in existence; effects, atomic combination, suspension, human skills, authoritative knowledge, Revelation, and atoms. He also calls Him the "all-knowing, imperishable God." He is imperishable God because he is the only one who could create atoms because humans are not able to. Also, humans can not break atoms or destroy them and he is stating that the only person that can do that is God because he created atoms. He mentions the difference between the cause and effect to validate if there is a God. He brings up the argument that "Things like the earth must have a cause, because they are produced by a body (101)." Some deity had to have made the earth for their pleasure. He also relies on objections to prove that God is real. Udayana does bring up good ideas to prove that God is real. The best argument to me is that he created atoms. Humans are unable to destroy atoms or to create them; so they had to be...
1 comment
Read more

The Five Ways

How can we justify the existence of God? Aristotle proposed an argument of an eternal universe and a temporary universe. He questions if the universe is one that has always been or one that is temporarily here for a moment in time. Many ponder the question and often go back and forth between answers, but nevertheless, many can agree that either way, the universe must have a cause or an overall creator and this is what St. Thomas Aquinas argues in, "The Five Ways." The five reasons are as follows: “The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion. It is certain and evident to our senses that some things are in motion.” Motion is caused by a movement of an object or person, but who does the initial movement? This is the question that must be answered. If there is motion, who is the mover? Who has created this cause and effect relationship? This leads us to the second reason of evidence: “The second way is from the formality of efficient causation.” Who started th...
2 comments
Read more

Is the Concept of Ultimate Reality Coherent

     Ultimate reality is dependent on a human beings's perspective. Ultimate reality, or the concept of God are compiled of different beliefs  and conceptual models. Questions are raised with  transcendent reality in  nature and existence. Chad Meister, addresses some of these questions. Humans desire to escape the suffering of this world with the faith and belief that another more perfect existence is obtainable where the flaws of this world does not exist (89). Wainwright states that from human beings needs and experiences came the concept of ultimate reality. Advaita Vedanta takes the Hinduism traditions of Upanishadic to interptet the concept of ultimate reality. Upanishadic traditions, such as the teaching of Brahman, could be traslated as ultimate reality. The world is simutaniously external and unchanging whole, and a individuated plurality that is constantly morphing or changing. Vedanta had taken up this particular insight and gives empahasis on th...
1 comment
Read more