Tag: causality
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Warnings about Taoism
I think that everybody should know the negative aspects of religions and philosophies before considering adopting them. It is easy to get acquainted with the benefits, but relatively few people will speak openly about the drawbacks. Let me speak out my mind about the drawbacks of Taoism, after having studied it for a long time…
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Taoism and the karma concept
Karma is an idea shared by Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern philosophies. It corresponds to the causality principle identified by Aristotle (384-322 BC), but adds psychological or ethical aspects. Aristotle observed that, when the occurrence of event A is routinely leading to event B, and we can identify a logical link between them, we can…
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Michel de Montaigne’s thoughts on risk
In his pursuit of reason, effectiveness and happiness, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) devoted extensive efforts to assess risks; he recorded his reflections and conclusions in essays like “On one saying of Caesar.” Montaigne refers to a saying from Caesar just to start his discussion about risk. He wants to establish the role played by reason…
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The path of Aristotle’s influence on Western philosophy
The influence of Aristotle (384-322 BC) on Western ideals, philosophy and society has been a slow and difficult process. I tend to choose direct ways when it comes to business, learning, and problem solving but Aristotelian ideas survived and spread only indirectly. Before Aristotle’s works became popular in twelve-century Europe, they had been preserved in…
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Aristotle’s influence on Western philosophy
The historical influence of Aristotle (384-322 BC) rests on the labours of one man, namely, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). I find it remarkable that Aquinas made Aristotle’s philosophy popular even though he had never intended to do so. Aquinas was an Italian Dominican monk and theologian, who aimed at spreading Christian ideals. He could not care…
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The role of causality in Aristotle’s views on reality and existence
As soon as Aristotle passed away in 322 BC, the enormous importance of his contributions got lost for most people. Only a superficial knowledge of his philosophy remained such as the concepts of potentiality and actuality. To the detriment of civilisation, the pillar of Aristotle’s ideas was rapidly undermined, lost and forgotten. I am talking…
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Aristotle’s four key contributions to philosophy
Aristotle (384-322 BC) made four decisive contributions to philosophy. First, in metaphysics, he refuted Plato’s theory of forms. While Plato had believed in a world of pure abstractions (which he called “forms”), Aristotle emphasized observing the material world. Second, Aristotle came up with the concepts of substance and form. He asserted that each item is…
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Aristotle’s views on the nature of reality
Aristotle used a systematic method for drawing conclusions from empirical observations. His concept of reality revolves around the idea of “substance,” which actually means “entity” in the sense employed by Aristotle. Every entity, he taught, is composed of matter that takes a certain form, configuration, or shape. For Aristotle, the “form” is what characterises each…
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Aristotle’s theory of the four causes
In this article, I present one of Aristotle’s key contributions to philosophy. Aristotle’s theory of the four causes seems at first sight very easy to understand, but if you dig into the details, you will see its epochal consequences. It changed human mentality, and in doing so, it changed the course of history. The four…
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Recent Posts
- Lao-Tzu’s quotes on adversity
- The effortlessness of Taoism
- Beware of Lao-Tzu’s paradoxes
- Warnings about Taoism
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