Descartes, one of the first significant philosophers gives first thoughts of existentialism saying “I think and therefore I am” showing an idea of a need for having reasons to prove existence. Both, Plato as a poet type of guide for religious and political matters and Aristotle, a political scientist, see justice as a right order of relations. Plato thinks that right order is between men themselves. Augustine, another philosopher, sees justice as a right order between men and God. Further on, in the history of a theological process, Empiricism and Idealism intruded into the history of ideas being scrutinised by Kant and Hegel, philosophers of the XVII and XVIII centuries. Empiricists stood against of idealists and believed in ‘change’ as a tool for intellectual development.Where does God ‘stand’ in all those theories?
If we take that the existence is the synthesis of two opposites the analysis of God’s existence could look like this:Thesis – God does not exist
Antithesis – God exists (and man has been created on the image of God- Catholic’s view)
Synthesis – Existence/ birth of an idea of invention of God for survival reasons (‘change in thinking’) this could prove Hegel’s theory that ‘God is made in the image of man’
If the idea of “God being made in the image of man” (Feuerbach/ Hegel), in another words, God was invented by a man, this means that the Synthesis has already resulted after a clash of the thoughts about the God’s existence. Effectively it means that God as an Almighty and metaphysical spirit from Eden does not exist (Thesis). The whole process of “Alienation” in Hegel’s theory would no longer direct people to reach eternity and connect back with God as an award for following the God’s Ten Commandments during their lives.One of the philosophers of the XIX century, Karl Marx wrote a criticism of Feuerbach’s book about Jesus Christ. Feuberback agreed with Hegel in this book, but also said that, God is the result of a dialectical change rather than causing it. (ref.3) Moreover, materialism bacame a new way of thinking, the way that people are, depends on how do they lead their lives and what do they show by their moral behaviour rather than whether they obey God’s law or not. In Thesis on Feurbach, a new category of philosophers, known as instrumentalists was also created, “knowing by doing” (ref.3)
References:
1. Plato to NATO, Studies in Political thought, Brian Redhead
2. Bible/internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments
3. Winchester University Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism Part III Lecture 1
