Atheistic Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Atheistic Existentialism - Essay Example This in turn refers to the vast improvements achieved in agriculture, the sciences, the arts, and in almost all spheres of human life, in activities which contribute to the cultivation, betterment, and refinement of the individual person, and of societies in general. Modern culture therefore refers to the sum total of all human experiences and phenomena, starting with the period mentioned and continues up to the present time. Modern culture is the integrated system of learned behavior and actions, mediated by new technologies such as in telecommunications, the Internet, and others. Culture is produced from the creative, imaginative, inventive, and innovative ideas that people make during their time. Culture is primarily in two forms, that of physical things made by a group of people, called as artifacts, and secondly, the intangible culture made up of language, customs, traditions, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and a particular worldview. In particular, the intangible aspect s of culture can be evidenced by the prevailing or prevalent philosophy at a certain time, which in turn guides human thinking and behaviors. Relatedly, there are various or different types of life philosophies over the course of human existence. In this connection, this is the focus of this paper. The philosophy of existentialism is a fairly modern kind of world view, a product of the modern times. It can be traced to around the nineteenth century and clearly within the modern period in human history; its main tenet is the emphasis on the individual person. Discussion Existentialism is a philosophy which states that thinking begins with the individual. It is further claimed by existentialists that acting, feeling, and living are the true indicators of what it termed as an â€Å"existential attitude† which refers to a vague sense of disorientation and confusion, felt by people who are truly living in the real meaning of the word. This feeling of disorientation is experienced when an individual realizes he is living in a meaningless, absurd world. People have always asked since time immemorial what constitutes reality, because human existence is faced with doubts whether human existence is the reality or merely a reflection of it. This feeling of doubt was expressed succinctly by the famous Dutch philosopher, priest, and humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) with his utterance of â€Å"cogito ergo sum† or in the plain English language translated roughly as â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† Basically, existentialism advances the idea that it is the individual himself, and not society or religion, which determines and gives meaning to human existence. In other words, it is up to that individual, by his actions, how to live his life the way he wants, how it will turn out to be. This is quite a radical departure from previous life philosophies, because the sole responsibility is placed squarely on the person. Man acquires essence, once he acts on his thoughts, by using his free will (Sartre, 1947). Existentialism as a life philosophy ignores the basic question of whether there is really a God or not. It rather dwells on the capacity of Man to act by himself through his free will; that is Man himself is ultimately responsible for what happens, based on a doctrine of action. A God is seen by existentialists as a limitation or a hindrance to what Man can achieve (Webber, 2009). Conclusion Existentialism as

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic Research Paper

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic - Research Paper Example They are responsible for leading scientific and intellectual breakthroughs in history. The world, in general, owes the Islam community a debt. In terms of industrialisation, the Islam played an intricate role in the process. They also had a central position to play in the evolution of the philosophical enterprise in the world. This paper will explain how these revolutions shaped the world. In the past, it was easy for scholars, mathematicians, economists, and researchers to draw their inspiration from Islam (Huff 73). Islam worked to open up the minds and hearts of everyone in the world. In thought and study, many scholars can attribute their success to the Islam faith and its growth and spread. It is believed that the Islam community in the late seventeenth century drew their philosophical strength from the Greek. This means that, the introduction of many inventions, for example, the telescope led to the growth of the Western curiosity on the influence of Greco-Islam revolutions. Th e West had a number of inventions and scientific breakthroughs. However, they did not draw their inspiration from anywhere as many civilisations did. Many individuals around the world believe that there was no scientific or intellectual breakthrough in the Islamic world. This is because, most of them believe that all that is Islam developed as a result of the Greek heritage. Without it, many believe that Islam would not have an avenue to exist on its own. Others also believe that, the Arabs cold not identify what the ancient hieroglyphics in their presence meant. This is not until the coming of a European who explored the ancient language and drew conclusions from his research (Abu-Rabi 145). The introduction of foreigners makes the issue of Muslims being intellectually capable of making strides in the world debatable. What these critics do not seem to comprehend is the fact that, every civilisation brings forth diverse worldviews on diverse matters. In the field of optics, the Musl im and Arab community have made significant strides (Huff 79). The most revered thing about the Muslim faith is the belief they exhibit the necessary aspects of knowledge and wisdom in life. This makes them refuse the influence brought on by many education and religious influences from around the world. The fear of foreign influences pushes them to create their own understanding on issues, which pertain to many aspects of life. Islam focuses on regulating the philosophical attitude of the world. This is by overarching the philosophy of embracing mankind regardless of their faith and cultural background. No faith in the world claims that taking another life in the name of religion is justified, and Islam is not the first. Islam embraced the power of science, even when Christianity shunned and condemned the likes of Galileo for the assumptions he made about the earth. This laid the basis for the growth and development of philosophy and science among the Islam community (Huff 81). In A frica, intellectual revolution opened doors for the much needed economic change. Islam can be the perfect ground to lay this intellectual foundation. With the political changes, it is possible to have many channels created by the Western world in the third world countries. In Africa, for instance, the introduction of madrasa ensured that children learned the importance of the different fields in the world. The European and African enlightenment was brought on by the light that Islam shone