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SYSTEMS OF BELIEF |
THIS PAGE IN UNDER CONSTRUCTION
AQUINAS PURITANISM ENLIGHTENMENT
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Religious |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Prime Mover |
God: Triune, all-powerful, benevolent |
God: Triune, all-powerful, good, just, and wrathful |
God: One, all-powerful, initially benevolent; now detached |
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Universe |
Creation of God, unknowable, good |
Creation of God, predestined, unknowable |
Creation of God, but man’s charge; eventually knowable and good |
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Man |
God’s creature (not an animal) |
God’s creature (not an animal) |
God’s creature (not an animal) |
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Nature |
Created by God for the use of man, benevolent. |
Created by God but often hostile, evil, and a source of temptation |
Created by God but often hostile, evil, and a source of temptation |
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Human Nature |
Corrupted by Original Sin, weak, prone to error |
Corrupted by Original Sin, depraved |
Perfectible |
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Source of Evil |
Devil-a fallen angel |
Man’s nature (through Adam’s fall) |
Ignorance and “passions” |
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Attitude Toward Life |
Optimistic—in the hereafter |
Deterministic (predestination) |
Optimistic—progress through reason |
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Man’s Will |
Free |
Not free |
Free |
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Man’s Duty |
Faith, observance of Church offices, morality and good works |
Faith, the glorification of God, and preparation for the after life |
To cultivate reason, do good works |
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Social Attitude |
Obedience to authority |
Obedience to authority, spriritual stewardship of all men |
Environmentalist, ethical, humanitarian |
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Man’s Destiny |
Heaven (by way of purgatory0, or hell |
Election or reprobation |
Happiness on earth, rewards and punishments hereafter |
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How Determined |
Faith and good works |
Will of God |
Good works and rationality |
Naturalism (literary)
Freudianism
Marxism
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Religious |
No |
No |
No |
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Prime Mover |
Natural forces |
Libido |
Economic/material forces |
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Universe |
Exists as an observed fact, mechanistic, chaotic |
No theory |
Exists as an observed fact, mechanistic, but dynamic |
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Man |
Product of evolution, animal |
Biological accident, animal |
Product of evolution, animal |
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Nature |
Product of evolution, indifferent, even hostile |
No Theory |
Product of evolution, not intrinsically hostile |
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Human Nature |
Selfish, cruel, egoistic |
Egoistic, sexually motivated |
Perfectible; shaped by economic environment |
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Source of Evil |
Man’s nature and social conventions |
Excessive repression of libidinous instincts |
The profit motive plus social and economic inequalities |
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Attitude Toward Life |
Pessimistic |
Not strongly marked—can be either |
Optimistic—progress through economic evolution |
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Man’s Will |
Not free |
Not free |
Free within the evolutionary process |
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Man’s Duty |
Man’s actions irrelevant |
To achieve the balanced psyche |
To achieve the good society through revolution of the proletariat |
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Social Attitude |
Disillusioned--cynical |
Accepts principle of social responsibility (superego) |
Class consciousness, but ultimate goal of classless Utopia |
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Man’s Destiny |
Frustration and unhappiness in life, ending in death and oblivion |
Happiness on earth |
Happiness on earth |
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How Determined |
In the course of nature |
Through mental hygiene, reconditioning |
Dialectical process—Revolution of proletariat |
Unitarianism
Transcendentalism
Pragmatism
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Religious |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Prime Mover |
God: One, all-powerful, benevolent |
Oversoul: not anthropomorphic, good |
Natural forces: God a projection of human ideals |
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Universe |
Creation of God, but man’s charge: eventually knowable and good |
Manifestation of creative power of Oversoul |
Exists as an observed fact, mechanistic |
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Man |
God’s creation (not an animal) |
Same as above |
Product of evolution, animal |
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Nature |
Created by God, benevolent, and proof of God’s existence |
Same as above, benevolent, and proof of Divine existence |
Product of evolution, exists as an observed fact |
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Human Nature |
Partakes of the Divine nature |
Basically good (comes from the Oversoul) |
Perfectible through scientific trial and error |
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Source of Evil |
Human perversity |
Evil non-existent |
Ignorance, and failure to adapt to environment |
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Attitude Toward Life |
Optimistic—progress through faith and good works |
Optimistic—inevitable progress |
Optimistic—progress through rational group effort. |
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Man’s Will |
Free |
Free—self-reliance plus compensation (not locally consistent) |
Free |
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Man’s Duty |
To imitate the goodness of God |
To realize his fullest capabilities |
To achieve the good society |
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Social Attitude |
Environmentalist, ethical, humanitarian |
Individualistic and humanitarian |
Environmentalist, scientific social experimentation |
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Man’s Destiny |
Progress forever |
Reemergence with Oversoul |
Happiness on earth |
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How Determined |
Good Works and rationality |
Cultivation of innate Divinity |
Application of scientific livingGod: One, all-powerful, initially benevolent |
Hinduism
Buddhism
Islam
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Religious |
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Prime Mover |
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Universe |
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Man |
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Nature |
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Human Nature |
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Source of Evil |
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Attitude Toward Life |
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Man’s Will |
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Man’s Duty |
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Social Attitude |
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Man’s Destiny |
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How Determined |
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Hamilton
Jefferson
Jackson
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European Influence |
Hobbes and Locke |
Locke, Physiocrats and Rousseau |
None, but Rousseauist |
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Man |
Depraved |
Perfectible through reason |
Perfectible through opportunity |
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Political Principle |
Authoritarian |
Minimal authority |
Minimal authority |
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Form of Government |
Federal: strong, central |
Republican: important local government |
Republican: important local government |
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Ruling Group |
Propertied few (“Stake in society” principle) |
“Natural aristocrats” (Aristocracy of merit) |
Total electorate |
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Economy |
Industrial |
Agrarian (small, independent operators) |
Proletarian (non-marxist) |
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Specific Proposals |
National Bank Creation of national debt Protective Tariff Government to aid industry |
Universal education State control of credit Low tariff Louisiana Purchase (to extend agrarian territory) |
Destruction of Bank Low tariff Spoils system developed to principal factor in political office-holding. |