Medieval Philosophy / History - Research Paper Example

The courses that I am petitioning for in this narrative are as follows: Philosophy 309, History of Western Philosophy I: Ancient to Medieval and Philosophy 310: Modern Philosophy. In 1980, I began my transition to Christianity. My interest in Christianity began when I started to contemplate my mixed emotions on my military experiences; particularly how to come to terms with life and death on the battlefield. I felt that I needed answers and needed to believe that all was not lost. I began to seek answers from Christianity.

During this period of transition, I sought to discover my purpose in life; as well as discover some of life's most difficult questions, such as “what is happiness?” Over the course of almost two years, I worked independently and with a pastoral advisor to help understand my spirituality. My interest in studying the most fundamental questions of human existence, led me to the study of Philosophy. I began reading some of the great works by Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and many others. Once I began my formal education, I took several philosophy classes which required me to analyze several texts and create my own philosophical writings.

The reading and writing I did helped both to familiarize me with the major Western philosophers and their theories, and to obtain depth in understanding about the major problems they were trying to answer. What is Philosophy? In my opinion, the majority of people cannot answer the question of “what is philosophy?” because it is controversial, so much so that many philosophers themselves often can't agree on any answer. Philosophy is known as “love of wisdom” in the Greek language, and can best be understood as the study of problems on both a general and fundamental level.

These problems pertain to one's existence and knowledge, as well as one's values. Philosophy also seeks to understand the mind, reason, and human language. Philosophical study often relies on a systematic approach to big-picture question, such as how one should live their life, or what is reality. Philosophers use this approach to help provide plausible explanations, for unanswered questions. There are three types of philosophical study; they are: 1. Metaphysics – The fundamental study of being in the world.

Seeks to discover what sorts of things exist or don’t exist. This includes the study of realism about universals vs. nominalism, personal identity, the properties of objects, modality, and time. 2. Epistemology – this is the theory of knowledge which examines ways of defining knowledge, justification for belief, rationalism vs. empiricism, and skepticism. 3. Logic- The systematic study of human reason. 4. Moral and ethical philosophy – this is my favorite branch of philosophy in which I have both informal and formal education.

It examines questions such as how one should conduct oneself, what type of life should one live, and the origin of morality. It was moral philosophy that caused me to question my place in the world, and my presence and duties as a military man, leading me to the study of philosophy and religion. 5. Aesthetics- The study of beauty Philosophies and theories are continuously changing and the five aforementioned categories are not exhaustive. Again, I