Zain's Guide to Overthinking Everything

Hylomorphism vs. Cartesian Dualism: Exploring the Mind and Body with Thomas Aquinas                      Hylomorphism, a theory proposed by Aristotle and appropriated into Christian philosophy by Thomas Aquinas, entails that entities, including the mind and body, are a combination of matter ( hyle ) and form ( morphe ). Dualism, in contrast to monism, posits a fundamental distinction between mind and body as separate substances. Aristotle’s hylomorphism, on the other hand, emphasizes the unity of form and matter in entities, proposing an interconnected relationship rather than strict separation. So, I began to ponder the differences between Aristotle’s hylomorphism and Cartesian dualism. Cartesian dualism, proposed by René Descartes, posits a strict separation between the mind ( res cogitans ) and the body ( res extensa ). Descartes viewed the mind as non-material and distinct from the mater...

Proving the God Hypothesis: Aquinas and Al Kindi     The quest to prove the existence of God has inspired profound philosophical reflections throughout history. Among the notable thinkers who engaged in this pursuit, Thomas Aquinas stands as a prominent figure in Christian theology and Al Kindi in the Islamic tradition. This blog post will present their arguments for God however without explanation. For an in-depth explanation of Al Kindi’s argument read William Lane Craig’s The Kalām Cosmological Argument , and for Aquinas read his Summa Theologica : First Part, Question 2, Article 3 and A History of Philosophy, Vol. 2: Medieval Philosophy - From Augustine to Duns Scotus by Frederick Copleston.   Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 CE):   The First Way – Argument From Motion   P1. Our senses prove that some things are in motion. P2. Things move when potential motion becomes actual motion. P3. Only an actual motion can convert a potential motion into an actual motion. P4...