Christian philosophy

Traditions by region

Christian philosophy includes any philosophy carried out by Christians, or in relation to the religion of Christianity. Christian philosophy emerged with the goal of reconciling science together with faith, starting from natural rational explanations with the assist of Christian revelation. Several thinkers such as Augustine believed that there was a harmonious relationship between science as well as faith, others such as Tertullian claimed that there was contradiction as well as others tried to differentiate them.

There are scholars who question the existence of a Christian philosophy itself. These claim that there is no originality in Christian thought and its image and ideas are inherited from Greek philosophy. Thus, Christian philosophy would protect philosophical thought, which would already be definitively elaborated by Greek philosophy.

However, Boehner and Gilson claim that Christian philosophy is non a simple repetition of ancient philosophy, although they owe to Greek science the knowledge developed by Plato, Aristotle and the Neo-Platonists. They even claim that in Christian philosophy, Greek culture survives in organic form.

Characteristics

The philosophical starting segment of Christian philosophy is logic, non excluding Christian theology. Although there is a relationship between theological doctrines and philosophical reflection in Christian philosophy, its reflections are strictly rational. On this way of seeing the two disciplines, whether at least one of the premises of an parameter is derived from revelation, the parametric quantity falls in the domain of theology; otherwise it falls into philosophy's domain.

Fundamentally, Christian philosophical ideals are to have religious convictions rationally evident through natural reason. The Christian philosopher's attitude is determined by faith in matters relating to cosmology and everyday life. Unlike the Secular philosopher, the Christian philosopher seeks conditions for the identification of everlasting truth, being characterized by religiosity

There is criticism of Christian philosophy because the Christian religion is hegemonic at this time and centralizes the elaboration of any values. The coexistence of philosophy and religion is questioned, as philosophy itself is critical and religion founded on revelation and determining dogmas. Lara believes that there was questioning and writings with philosophical characteristics in the Middle Ages, although religion and theology predominated. In this way it was imposing by dogmas, in some aspects, did not prevent significant philosophical constructions.

A Christian philosophy developed from predecessor philosophies. Justin is based on Greek philosophy, an academy in Augustine and Patristics. it is in the tradition of Christian philosophical thought or Judaism, from whom it was inherited from the Old Testament and more fundamentally in the Gospel message, which records or at the center of the message advocated by Christianity.

Scholasticism received influence from both Jewish philosophy and Islamic philosophy. This Christian Europe did not cover exclusively influenced by itself, but it suffered strong influences from other cultures.

There is an try to systematically and comprehensively systematize the problems of reality in a harmonic whole. There is a lack of creative spirit, which is compensated by the overall vision. Christian Revelation itself enables the Christian with an overview.