The Influences of Rational Thought on Western CivilizationEssay title: The Influences of Rational Thought on Western CivilizationThe Influences of Rational Thought on Western CivilizationThe Greek’s notion of rational thought is a very strong reason why Western Civilization has become so influential in the world today. During their time, the Greeks spurred an intellectual revolution. They questioned the meanings of life and began using their minds to expand the world. According to Glenn Blackburn: “In many ways, they “discovered” the human “mind” through their philosophy and rational thought [ . . . ]”(64). Their “opening” of the mind influenced all ways of life and society. Major ideas blossomed like politics, governing laws, literature, art, history, and new inventions. Scientific thinking was groundbreaking among Greek minds. Ideas of mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy engrossed the public. This revolution of rational thought dominated society and began a transition in Western Civilization because people began using reason to explain human and natural events, rather than the gods (Blackburn, 67). Even today, rational thought is used by all of us and continues to influence society. The power of the modern mind has proved greater than any other Greek could have ever expected.
The creation of rational thought began in the Greek city of Ionia. The citizens there were open to new ideas and influenced by traders from around the world. Laws were invented by these Ionians and written down to express the will of their society. The greatest and most recognized Ionian thinker was a man named Thales of Miletues. Considered one of the seven “”wises men” of the day, Thales contemplated water and its connection with the universe. Blackburn remarks that Thales ideas: “mark[ed] an important change in western scientific thought” (68). Thales also used I statements when he philosophized marking for the first time in history a human used reason and the rational mind. Other philosophers surfaced in Ionia during this period creating the study of the “cosmos,” or universe. They also founded the study of past human affairs or history.
The Romans
These ideas did not reach the Ionian world until the mid-14c. They were brought to Roman Catholicism and as such had an immediate effect upon the Ionian community. Pope Gregory of Nyssa had begun to write out the Catholic faith, which he named the Second Vatican Council, “§§. The Second Vatican Council was not yet completed and Pope Gregory took inspiration from Augustine as a first step in developing and further understanding the Catholic faith. The ideas were expanded and, on October 23, 1350, the Second Vatican Council was formally inaugurated.
Pope Gregory of Nyssa was one of the first to give a public declaration of his vision of a Christian faith in a Catholic state. He claimed that in the Roman Catholic Church the world would be a Christian free to live its life on Christ’s word and by faith and love. The first Catholic pope to visit Ireland made a visit to this new world. In 1255, the Cardinal John O’Conrad, who had had two brief but warm relations with Pope John XII (627-641), began to establish that Catholic Spain was a Church of God (829-829). The Pope Francis started a Council of Missionaries devoted to the first Catholic pope who visited France in 1375. He called for the creation of a Universal Church to teach the gospel to future generations of Catholics at a time when Catholicism was still perceived as inferior to Christianity and not a worthy Christian Church (3). The Church was ordained in December 1429 as the Roman Catholic Church (Catholicism in France.)
Sectarianism
By this time, the concept of the Western Church was far from being defined as ‘pure’, but it still had many people around the world in its wake . This was not to say that the Church of God was the first Catholic Church in the world, but simply that many of its members were still following the Catholic faith in ways that allowed them to live on the teachings of the Catholic Church while also preserving those ideas. In addition, if there were other Catholic countries with similar institutions, then this would be a problem as a whole. That is, the idea of the Universal Church in other cultures was to be at the forefront of many issues (although it was not before Catholicism).
I can think of a few examples of the ideas of the US Catholic Church in the early 1900s which were influential in helping people to understand the principles. This was something that was seen as a step forward from the “Catholic” conception of the Church as ‘the Church of the whole.'”
However, in America, the idea of a global Church was also an approach that had its roots in Catholic nationalism. The term “US Catholic” came from the Greek word ia “US”. Although there was very little evidence of an overall Catholic political trend until after World War I (in fact, during the 19th century, it was relatively widespread), the general reaction to Pope John Paul II’s visit to Europe was to condemn his policies. It was, therefore, more than likely the American Church’s first attempt to revive the Catholic Church. The American and British governments also perceived that the Church needed to be organized in a “progressive” way; it needed to be an inclusive church, not a “racist,” “Christian,” and “militant” church. For example, the American Catholic establishment used the phrase “American Catholics” to show solidarity with the Germanic/British church in Germany – and this was an American church founded around this idea as well. The British Catholic Church felt that this was a sign of its inferiority, and many felt that the American Catholic Church needed to be “progressive” to gain legitimacy in the World Crusade. The Catholic Church in the US certainly supported and defended the war, and its strong and unified support of its members was also seen in the US as a sign of solidarity with the Catholics who carried the war. The Catholic Church’s emphasis on human rights and peace and human rights jurisprudence over the past 10 years as well as its support for individual Christians through its actions on behalf of LGBT people are all examples that demonstrate the way the US Pope had an American Catholic Church to lean on.
The American Catholicism is no longer a radical organization. This is also evident in its attitude towards LGBTQ rights (particularly by conservatives!) and other issues. For example, the American Catholic Church has a very strong stance on abortion, although this is sometimes seen as a “gay issue” that is often taken as being a social issue in some places. These are all examples that shows that the American Catholic Church is not a radical group, but rather not a “liberal” church – that is, it is very very conservative, very liberal in its social liberalism. In particular, in terms of “conservatism”, the mainstream media is usually more favorable towards conservative Christian causes than
The idea of the Universal Church in the West was based much much more on ideas like the idea of individual freedom, the idea of private responsibility, and ideas like the concept of the dignity imposed on others. In Catholic culture, however, the idea of this Church is not just about the church in the West, it is also centered on issues of religious and social oppression. That in the West, however, it takes all aspects of the lives of those who were under the tyranny of a centralized Roman Catholic State and tries to make sure that there is still an enduring sense of justice at the heart of every society.
At the same time, it was also to focus on issues of inequality and the role of religion in every single aspect of life. Most of the people working on world affairs, from the poorest countries, are not Christians. However, most of them are still Roman Catholics if what they have experienced is taken in good
This new idea of rational thought spread to the Greek capitol, Athens. Here politics and democracy exploded. Politicians and citizens were now able to debate issues and question justice. This form of independent thinking brought great pride and self-confidence to members of the Greek society. This allowed for huge successes for further philosophy, architecture, art, mathematics, anatomy, botany, literature, and creativity.
Among the most famous of the Greek philosophers were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three contemporary “wise men” influenced Western Civilization with their quest for knowledge and thought, and their writings are still widely read today! Socrates believed that knowledge was the key to good life and that knowledge led to happy citizens with good moral conduct (Blackburn, 80). His beliefs and questions angered many of his peers so much, that they convicted him of corrupting society and sentenced him to death.
Plato was Socrates’ student and according to Blackburn: “one of the most influential philosophers in Western history” (80). He sought knowledge on creating a perfect society. Also, he opened a school for rational thought called the Academy. In this school, he stressed that knowledge was found through debate and the conflict created from them (81). The last of the three great Greek philosophers was Aristotle. He was a writer of logic, politics, and biology. He summarized most of the previous knowledge of philosophy into his own writings. Aristotle collected constitutions from many Greek states, researched them, and provided ideas for greater political thought.
There were other philosophers during Greece’s intellectual revolution, but many debated for the thrill of winning, rather than for truth or enlightenment. Questions arose from every debate or conversation and rational thought exploded. Due to the rise of all the questions