System Of Beliefs Essay, Research Paper
The ?love of wisdom?. This, the literal meaning of philosophy, deals with the most general questions about the universe and our place in it. It attempts to ask questions which seemingly can never be answered empirically nor by observation or experiment. It is concerned with the common core of human knowledge and experience but also with the concepts, modes of argument, and foundations of other subjects like science, history, art, politics and religion. In order to ask philosophical questions about life and the world, we must realize where they come from. I?m speaking about the human mind and its system of beliefs.
One of the main teachings of philosophy is people?s ability to contain a system of beliefs, which starts from the core of the mind and continues to the outer layer. The core beliefs are general and most exist in all animals. Self-preservation, sensation, feelings, memory, instincts, self-awareness, the awareness of time and space and the ability to learn all come from the core. The next level of beliefs holds our irrational beliefs like faith and prejudices which usually cannot be changed. Next is the rational belief that are strong beliefs but can be changed. Finally, on the surface of the mind contains our everyday-life beliefs and memories, which are forgotten easily. This system of beliefs is what allowed philosophy to thrive and continue to ask questions for centuries.
The 14th century is a period in time that saw the start of a great intellectual movement and the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times. It was a time of rebirth or ?renaissance?. Modern Times began with the Renaissance, one of the rare periods of genius in the world?s history. The Renaissance began in Italy, and its first period (1300-1375) was marked by a universal revival of interest in classic literature and the classic ideals. It was a great revolt against bigotry and in favor of mental freedom.
Today?s society, in many ways, resembles the 14th century in that many are in quest for knowledge, freedom and human rights. Although I fell short for answers in my research for this particular assignment, I will attempt to give my opinion of what system of beliefs an average person living in the 14th century would have in comparison to my own.
The core of the beliefs has not changed since the beginning of human existence. Even the most uneducated person would encompass the same instincts of self-preservation and self-awareness. We have always carried the ability to learn and hold memories. The core is the same for a person in the 14th century and I. The irrational beliefs, the next layer of the system, are a bit different. This is a series of beliefs, which we hold dear and true but I feel that they are all acquired from our childhood and environment. My religious beliefs, prejudices and love of my family can, I believe, never be changed. The 14th century was a time of different of stronger religious beliefs because of the many unknowns and unexplainable things in the world. Their belief in God and his power was very strong and caused many of the parents to force feed the religious beliefs into the minds of their children. These beliefs could also probably never be changed.
The rational beliefs of the 14th century were very different from my own. I believe the earth is round and they did not. Most of our scientific discoveries, which only existed in the 14th century as philosophies, were not revealed yet. Because of this, my main beliefs and teachings were not presented to a person living in the 14th century, therefore would not exist. However, these beliefs could be changed if presented and argued to the person holding them. My everyday life beliefs and memories are obviously different from those of a person from the 14th century. For that matter mine are different from my neighbor?s or a person living in Europe. They do not see what I see and do not interpret happenings or events the same way I do. Their life in the 14th century was very different from my own, which would cause them to have very different beliefs from me.
While I was writing this paper I was beginning to realize that people from the 14th century lived in a very different time from myself. Their views, teachings, and beliefs were very different from my own which would cause them to have different thoughts but not a different ?system of beliefs?. This is my philosophy.