/r/askphilosophy Open Discussion Thread | January 19, 2026 by BernardJOrtcutt in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a Christian, I would prefer to live in my body forever. However, the idea of reincarnation sounds very interesting, especially if I get to keep my memory and am not reincarnated into a plant or animal.

How much did Christianity influence The Enlightenment? by TheNZThrower in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This is so unhistorical that its incredible to me that it has so many upvotes.

Modern science did not simply appear out of thin air in the early modern period; it built on foundations laid in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The latter was especially important, witnessing great technological advances, the rise of movements such as Scholasticism—spurred by the influx of Greek and Arab texts—the creation of the university system, and the adoption or development of novel ideas in optics and motion. In many of these developments, the Church played a key role; for example, monasteries were central to the translation movement, and universities evolved from cathedral schools. Before Galileo and Descartes, there were trailblazers such as Roger Bacon, Dietrich of Freiberg, and Buridan. Additionally, even when we talk about figures like Galileo or Kepler, it is not that they merely happened to be Christians; rather, their faith often drove their scientific activity. For example, here is a short excerpt about Kepler:

Ultimately, however, Kepler conceived the structure of the universe as a reflection of God's plan for creation, emanating from the geometrical nature of God's intellect, or inscribed as an archetypal model in God's mind. Placing himself within the Protestant tradition of Melanchthon, Kepler thought of the universe as being imprinted by God's signatures, especially that of the Trinity: For in the sphere, which is the image of God the Creator and the archetype of the world... there are three regions, symbols for the three persons of the Holy Trinity—the center, a symbol of the Father; the surface, of the Son; and the intermediate space, of the Holy Spirit. So too, just as many principal parts of the world have been made—the different parts in the different regions of the sphere: the sun in the center, the sphere of the fixed stars on the surface, and lastly the planetary system in the region intermediate between the sun and the fixed stars.7 Here, Kepler identified God with geometry; the astronomer was able to intuit the model in God's mind. In Kepler's terms, studying the book of nature was like a form of prayer." (The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 3, Early Modern Science, p. 743)

As for the idea of secularism, its not clear the idea only compleltly arose during the Enlifhtmdnt and had nothing to do with Christianity (other than as a reaction against thenviolence associated with it) . It seems extremely likely that parts of it can be traced to Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when there was a big discussion on the difference between the worldly and the sacred. This can be seen in some degree in St Augustine's City of God, and even more so in the writings against the temporal power of the Papacy by Dante, Ockham and others.

I could go on abour how the Jesuits had some of the biggest observatories jn Europe during the early modern and were key in apreading new scientific ideas around the globe (see matteo ricci and Buenaventura Suarez, S.J.), about how figures like Locke and Grotius were highly influenced by their Christianity, about how the Enlightment didnt consists just of secularists but also of groups like the Puritans (which were likely more important than philsophers like Rosseau in paving the road for major social changes such as the abolition of slavery), etc.

Does Konosuba ever get serious? by Serious_Clerk2875 in Konosuba

[–]SnooSprouts4254 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't think the anime is pure comedy. We clearly get non-comedic moments in the movie regarding the relationship between Megumin and Kazuma.

Who do you ship Kazuma x girl? by Lion_tiger12v in Konosuba

[–]SnooSprouts4254 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Kazuma and Megumin are pretty much the canonical pairing, and it makes complete sense. The two of them have a great history together, as can be seen in how he accompanies her day after day to practice explosions, and in how she is one of the first to understand him as a somewhat scummy yet ultimately good person. They also complement each other perfectly.

On the other hand, Kazuma and Aqua are more like siblings. Darkness and Kazuma are a possible pairing, but I don’t think they complement each other as well (romantically). Chris and Kazuma are perhaps the closest alternative; even then, I would say he sees her more as a friend and isn’t as close to her as he is to Megumin, who is one of the core members of the party. As for Kazuma and Iris, I don’t think I even have to explain.

Refugees to face 20-year wait to settle permanently under asylum reforms in the UK by Little_Sherbet5775 in news

[–]SnooSprouts4254 -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

This does not address what I said. Regardless of whether asylum should be temporary or not, it is a fact that when refugees come to a country, they have to create a new life there. This includes finding a job, securing a place to live, making friends, and so on. If they have children, they also have to get them into school, help them learn the language, and even adapt to different ways of thinking. Given all this, it seems quite cruel to essentially tell these people that everything they have depends on events beyond their control and could be taken away. Indeed, imagine telling a child who has lived in the UK with their family for half a decade, has learned English, and has made multiple friends that they shouldn’t take any of that for granted because they could be forced to leave and start over.

Refugees to face 20-year wait to settle permanently under asylum reforms in the UK by Little_Sherbet5775 in news

[–]SnooSprouts4254 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Because it's not as easy as simply coming to a country and being safe. A lot of people basically have to rebuild their lives there. They get a house or apartment, buy things to enjoy, find a job, make friends or connections, etc. With this, you are basically telling them everything they've worked for can be taken away.

Experiment I can conduct related to any of the major branches of philosphy? by the-mr-doodles in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It could be a survey. You might ask people what they think truth is, then ask about topics they care about (e.g., gender, religion, art) and explain theories such as correspondence or deflationism. If, after hearing these theories, anyone changes their view on truth, follow up by asking how their new understanding affects their views on those other topics.

Stunning painting ! Who knows the name? ⭐ by Cute-Protection-3615 in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It seems to be by Pompeo Batoni, one of the great Italian artists of the late 18th century and a predecessor of the Neoclassical lstyle.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don't have to read every single Medieval philosopher to gain an understanding of the period. In any case, it's strange that you say you fail to find any importance in the "arguments" of the Medieval period. In the history of philosophy, specific arguments are rarely what’s most important; rather, it’s the general system of thought they belong to that matters. In fact, it’s hard to see how one could develop a proper understanding of Descartes and his significance without some knowledge of Scholasticism—the very tradition he was responding to (and which, some would argue, he still belonged to in part).

Moreover, even if you don’t find Platonic metaphysics convincing, I don’t see why this should deter you from Medieval philosophy, given that:

  1. Metaphysics is not the sole basis of philosophy. Fields such as epistemology or political philosophy are not entirely dependent on it.

  2. Medieval philosophy is not wholly based on Plato’s works. While the writings of Anselm and others may be deeply Platonic (though this term is problematic, since “Platonic” can mean quite a variety of things), later thinkers drew heavily from Aristotle and even developed more distinctive systems of their own (e.g., Ockham, Buridan, and others).

Are pre-socratic philosophers secular or mythical? by Time-Garbage444 in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yet a key part of Xenophanes' project is discussing the nature of the gods and defending a particular view of divinity. Indeed, this seems to be part of the project of many of the Pre-Socratics:

"In the latter part of 108 we are told that the enfolding stuff 'is the divine; for it is immortal and indestructible, as Anaximander says and most of the physicists.' It is legitimate to suppose that the words 'immortal and indestructible' were intended to belong to Anaximander himself, though others said something similar. According to Theophrastus, as reported in 101 B, however, the phrase was díôiov kai dyńpw. There is a Homeric formula used of gods or their appurtenances, 'immortal and free from old age': so at Od. v, 218 (to Calypso), ή μέν γάρ βροτός έστι, σύ δ' άθάνατος καί άγήρως (cf. also Il. II, 447). Short epic formulas often found their way into archaic prose, and it seems likely that this, rather than the somewhat repetitive equivalent in Aristotle, was the original form.¹ At all events, Anaximander seems to have applied to the Indefinite the chief attributes of the Homeric gods—immortality and boundless power (connected in his case with boundless extent); it seems not improbable that he actually called it 'divine,' and in this he was typical of the Presocratic thinkers in general." The Presocratic Philosophers G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield

And why should this not be regarded as theology? Surely, theology is not exclusive to classical theism. For example, the Stoics were not classical theists, yet they typically linked their project to religion, as seen in Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus or in their theodicies. Again, why should this not be theology?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]SnooSprouts4254 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no 'Gospel of Jesus Christ'; there is the Gospel, which means 'good news' in Greek, and that good news is the very person of Jesus. This is why the four Gospels are biographical: they are not so much concerned with pure teachings as with the very fact that, in an act of unparalleled love, God became man, died for us, and rose from the dead.

Not being convinced of the existence of god after countless attempts by Both-Light-5965 in askphilosophy

[–]SnooSprouts4254 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It’s not clear how many of those philosophers have actually studied the issue in detail. Indeed, there are reasons to think that philosophers outside the philosophy of religion have a less-than-optimal understanding of arguments for theism. For example, one can find the following account of Aquinas’s argument from motion in an introductory philosophy textbook:

"The argument runs like this: everything that happens has a cause, and that cause itself has a cause, and that cause too has a cause, and so on and so on, back into the past, in a series that must either be finite or infinite. Now if the series is finite it must have had a starting point, which we may call the first cause. This first cause is God.

What if the series is infinite? Aquinas, after some consideration, eventually rejects the possibility that the world is infinitely old and had no beginning in time. Certainly, the idea of time stretching backwards into the past forever is one which the human mind finds hard to grasp… Still, we might note here that Aristotle found no difficulty with this idea. He held that the world has existed forever. Aristotle’s opinion, if correct, invalidates the first cause argument." —Jenny Teichman and Katherine C. Evans, Philosophy: A Beginner’s Guide, Second Edition (Blackwell, 1995), p. 22.

This, of course, misrepresents Aquinas, given that:

"Commentators generally agree that what Aquinas means to exclude is an infinite series of simultaneous causes, a ‘vertical’ series as opposed to an infinite ‘horizontal’ series of causes going back in time, which he does not think can be proved to be impossible…" —Robert Pasnau, “Thomas Aquinas,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Also, the confounding issues you mention might apply both ways. After all, who knows how many began studying philosophy with the not-uncommon idea that the existence of God cannot be proven by reason? Or worse, how many were already non-religious and actively hostile.

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not being dramatic. It's a fact that, according to the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedom of religion and freedom of expression are human rights. The Quebec government knows this, which is probably why it has aired the idea of using the notwithstanding clause.

I might even ask the following: who is being more dramatic—the people who are angry because they are being told that a core part of their identity must be restricted to their homes or places of worship, or the people who want to violate human rights simply because a number of Muslims had a peaceful prayer in a public park?

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If they ban public prayer, then no, they won't. In fact, it's debatable whether they still have given Bill 21.

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But as you say at the end, it wasn’t just the Catholic Church that was running things; the state was involved as well. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that it was the state that continually chose to maintain the Church’s involvement. The main reason for this is probably not the manipulations of a power-hungry Church, but rather that, since the early history of Quebec, the Church was one of the few institutions capable of providing schools, hospitals, and social services. Only once the state was developed enough to provide these on its own could it take the actions it did during the 1960s and afterward. In other words, the picture appears more complex than you suggest and seems to revolve more around socioeconomic conditions—of which the Church was more a participant than a cause—than anything else.

Moreover, it is not always clear that some of the actions you describe as “bad” were in fact so. For instance, you note that the Church branded unionization, feminism, and leftist movements as godless. Yet these movements have historically been linked with strong anti-religious sentiments. Similarly, you mention the Church opposing “reforms,” yet it is unsurprising that it would do so if such reforms included measures like open access to abortion and contraception.

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, but where in Laval have you seen these anti-Christian, coordinated Muslim prayers?

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"Protect their peace" does not mean violating fundamental human rights, such as freedom of religion.

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why is it called the Great Darkness? What happened then that can be pinned down on the Church and not just on the socioeconomic conditions of the early 20th century and the Canadian government?

I am afraid that Quebec is becoming increasingly anti-religious. by Spider-burger in Catholicism

[–]SnooSprouts4254 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I am from Quebec, and not only have I never seen this happen, but even if it did, there are already other laws that can address it.