Greek Philosopher Xenophanes - 1392 Words

Xenophanes was a Greek philosopher before the Socratic era whose conception of God was different from other philosophers of his time. Before the evolution of God as a non-human entity the ancient Greeks believed that Gods and Goddesses were similar to that of humans and the only distinction was that Gods were immortal and humans were mortal. He challenged openly the concept of divinity proposed by Homer and put forward his ideas of God through his poetic approach. He noticed the corrupt behavior of humans and realized that if human are going to worship any being it must be worthy of such an honor. He argued that ancient Greek Gods of Olympia had experienced downfall similar to humans and thus are not worthy of being worshipped. Xenophanes declared the idea of unity of God. This notion was very unusual for Greek culture and society. He suggested that different poets and writers have induced the idea of multiple Gods in the minds of Greeks. But the character of these Gods was against the very idea of a divine entity. Xenophanes attacked the Greek mythology of his time by defining the unexplained deepness of nature of divinity. He declined to accept the idea that Gods were just like human, they were born, required cloths and are dependant on their body. Discussion There were two angles from which Xenophanes viewed God. One is that Homeric Gods showed behaviors that were quite similar to the behaviors of humans. As per the definition, God had to be someone much greater thanShow MoreRelatedElizabeth - the Golden Age977 Words   |  4 PagesXenophanes Xenophanes of Colophon (Greek ΞÎ µÃŽ ½ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€ ÃŽ ¬ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ·Ãâ€š á ½  ÃŽÅ¡ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ »ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€ ÃÅ½ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š ([Xenophà ¡nes o Kolofoneos]  (570 – 480 BC) was a Greek philosopher, poet, and social and religious critic. Our knowledge of his views comes from his surviving poetry, all of which are fragments passed down as quotations by later Greek writers. His poetry criticized and satirized a wide range of ideas, including the belief in the pantheon of anthropomorphic gods and the Greeks veneration of athleticism. He is the earliest Greek poetRead MoreXenophanes and His Ideology of God1280 Words   |  5 Pages Xenophanes His Ideology of God Xenophanes and his philosophical beliefs related to God or Divinity belong to late 5th century BC. Where the beliefs of Xenophanes were rebellious to the prevailing Greek concepts about Almighty powers, it shows striking resemblance to the existing western philosophy regarding existence of God. According to the Western philosophy, God is one and is an independent entity. Considering the flow of history, Xenophanes can be considered as the compiler of buildingRead MoreXenophanes Critique of Greek Religion960 Words   |  4 PagesXenophanes’ Critique of Greek Religion In this paper, I will show how Xenophanes was a man before his time. Even though everyone around him followed and believed in all the same things, he was not willing to conform or stop attaining knowledge for anyone. He is a man who will challenge the belief of not only his generation but of generations to come. During a period where people prayed to many gods and had beliefs in gods that we now today view as fiction, Xenophanes was not afraid to stand upRead MoreEssay about Doubting Thomas530 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom the Greek word skeptesthai meaning to examine, and the practice was brought about during the elementary stages of philosophy by Pyrrho sometime between 360-270 b.c. Some other well-known skeptics are Xenophanes, Gorgias, and Sextus Empiricus. Skepticism is very common in todays society, and is practiced in some way by all. If you are alive and functioning on this planet, youll find that it is difficult to avoid being skeptic in one way or another.96 Pyrrho was an ancient Greek philosopherRead MoreThe Odyssey And The Iliad1060 Words   |  5 PagesHomer was one of the first great authors in Western culture. He was known for creating the two Greek epics The Odyssey and The Iliad, which. The Odyssey tells of the ten-year journey by Odysseus to Ithica from Troy to be reunited with his beloved wife. The Odyssey was written in a with illustrative language. The Iliad was written in a. It depicted the end of the Trojan War and the siege of Troy. This event occurred centuries before Homer was assumed to have been born. Although both epics were writtenRead MoreThe Myth Of The Atlantis1203 Words   |  5 PagesAtlantis , one of the most fascinating enigmas of the past, has never ceased to fascinate and make the world dream. 2400 years after this myth was built by the Greek philosopher Plato, researchers revived the ancient legend of this lost paradise myth. The origin of the myth goes back of course to Plato who describes the Atlantis as a civilization barbaric, greedy luxury and whose decadence provoked the anger of the gods who, punishment, caused a cataclysm that engulfs the city. But, researchersRead More Tracing Changes in Pythagoras Speech in Ovids Metamorphoses1381 Words   |  6 Pagesmoral and vindictive purpose of exhorting the practice of vegetarianism.   By contrast, Ovids motives in narrating myths in the Metamorphoses are rarely ulterior.   Most myths are free of the religious implications and the moralistic nuances that his Greek predecessors used as the backbone of their plays and poems.   Instead, Ovid chooses to entertain his readership by his brilliant language and delight them with not only absorbing tales, but also with his masterful talent of weaving narratives togetherRead MoreThe Development of Ancient Greece through Philosophic Evolution732 Words   |  3 PagesThe Ancient Greeks founded for western culture a basis of understanding and appreciation of wisdom that still carries sub stantial influence in modern times. During this time, the need for understanding became predominate as humankind readied themselves to begin looking beyond religion and mysticism for answers upon the fundamental principles in life. Although, the pre-Socratics focused more toward a material aspect on the physical nature of things, Socrates and his disciples established an influentialRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Greek Philosophy947 Words   |  4 Pagesof human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems. The Golden Age of Greek philosophy is the antecedents of humanism. It is nothing like todays humanism but has the same characteristics. Society’s in the Greek world had become increasingly intricate and they also developed new ways of solving problems, having doubts about Greek philosophy. This new thinking did not abandon religion in essence but was establishing passion to follow science, intelligenceRead MoreThe Greek Philoso phers And The Philosophers1422 Words   |  6 PagesThe Greek philosophers did not explain the world using Gods. Instead, they preferred to explain the world using principles. These principles were fundamental in how the philosophers taught their students. Three philosophers, Plato, Epicures, and Aristotle, used different principles to help them explain the world and the universe around them. In this essay, the principles of these three philosophers will be explained and then compared with each other. When the philosophers spoke of principles, they