¶ … Life in a Godless World For as long as mankind has contemplated its own creation philosophers have pondered the meaning of life largely within the context of humanity's relationship to the divine, from Aristotle's metaphysical conception of God as all actuality to Descartes' systematic attempt to develop a proof of God's existence. The dominance of Christianity throughout much the civilized world invariably constrained the ability of great thinkers to challenge many of the religion's most fundamental precepts, from the concept of free will to the nature of good and evil, leaving much of the early philosophical canon regrettably limited by a reliance on unquestioned faith. After the European Renaissance validated the structural foundations of scientific inquiry, the glaring inability to empirically observe God in any conceivable form prompted many to privately question the dogmatic assertions of the Pope and his church. It wasn't until the momentous contribution of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who first published his seminal treatise on the nature of existence The Gay Science in 1882, that one's refusal to believe in God was transformed from fringe idiosyncrasy to legitimate worldview. When Nietzsche answered the query "Whither is God?" By declaring boldly "I will tell you. We have killed him -- you and I. All of us are his murderers..." (Guignon & Pereboom 143), his ability to rhetorically dispose of God as merely a human construction paved the way...
At the time Nietzsche made his infamous observation that "after Buddha was dead, people showed his shadow for centuries afterwards in a cave, -- an immense frightful shadow. God is dead: but as the human race is constituted, there will perhaps be caves for millenniums yet, in which people will show his shadow" (Guignon & Pereboom 132), his opinions bordered on the heretical. Just a generation later, the work of both Sartre and Camus expanded on the conceptual framework Nietzsche developed, positing that in a world devoid of divine influence all other meaning is necessarily lost. The unrelenting objectivity of rigorously applied logic laid bare the facade that underlies the human consciousness' interpretation of the physical world, and "Camus, in The Myth of Sisyphus treats defiant, lucid self-awareness as the only realistic response to the absurdity of life" (Guignon & Pereboom 9). With the role of deity having ostensibly been deconstructed by Nietzsche, and the utter dehumanization inflicted by fascist dictatorships during World War, the thinking of Camus and…
Mythology Through the Eyes of Joseph Campbell This essay discusses a little part of world mythology as perceived through the eyes of Joseph Campbell. It also relates to his conceptualization of the myths associated with different geographical regions of the world. This uses 1 source in MLA form. Long has existed the phenomenon of myths and religions. Mythology is defined as the study of myths, which is a strong belief that
Westerns soon developed into a staple of TV land. The independence and strength of the characters epitomized the ideals that made America so unique. Families sat down with their TV dinners to watch such shows as " Gunsmoke," the Lone Ranger," the Rifleman," Have Gun, Will Travel," and " Maverick." You were not anybody unless you could sing the theme songs of each show. Moviegoers were also being drawn into the
Thus, the authors introduce the second theme: the duality. Er-kishi is double. He aspires to a Godless existence and tries to topple God, thinking he is better than God, but he receives his punishment soon enough and is thrown into the depths of the earth. On the other hand, the authors are masterfully explaining the idea that the earth was the result of a revolt. In this myth, God
Morality Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote about the natural nobility and inherent goodness of the savage, whom he saw as the earliest human being who was differentiated from lower animals and already possessing free will and a basic sense of perfectibility (Wikipedia 2004). This primitive being already had and realized a basic drive to care for himself and others and felt as well as expressed compassion and pity in a natural way.
violence in Bhagavad Gita and the Song of Roland In contrast to current conceptions of violence as problematic, in ancient societies violence was an accepted part of daily life and acting violently was even seen as a heroic attribute. In the Bhagavad Gita, the struggles of the central protagonist Arjuna with Krishna are portrayed as a dialogue between Man and God. Arjuna despairs at his fate at having to kill
Grave Goods of the Avars in Medieval Carpathian Basin The objective of this study is to examine the burial styles and grave goods of the Avars. This includes such as buried livestock and artifacts. As well the variability in the relationship between different several sites from this similar time period, and some specific burial sites of interest will be examined as well as the various traditions relating to positioning of bodies
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