2nd Reflective 
Courtney Shearin
4 November 2014
Russell
UNIV 3581 R51-F14C
Faith or Reason when Pursuing The Truth
The pursuit of truth has never been a small undertaking, and simply developing a workable sense of what constitutes truth can be difficult in and of itself. The issue is further compounded upon recognizing that some people, those of religious persuasion, approach the quest for truth solely through faith while others, like scientists and philosophers utilize reason to varying degrees. Around the 11th century, both the economy and population of Europe began to expand and increasing contact with other cultures, especially the Islamic, leading to a more varied intellectual life. Greek philosophy became a renewed interest because of the recovery of certain Greek texts. This presented a comprehensive and coherent world-view based on reason, rather than faith. Such a powerful rationalist account of the Universe clearly posed a significant challenge to the Christian interpretation. And while some framed this issue in terms of a conflict, others sought to reconcile the two, believing that both could lead to Truth. Faith and reason have standing issues in the theory of the ultimate truth and take different approaches to the question; however, a reason approach seems to be more superior.
The period from roughly the first century to the 16th – is sometimes referred to as the Age of Faith in European history. The first sixteen centuries mark the rise and ascendancy of the Christian faith. In the early centuries, Christianity struggled to gain acceptance and in the process challenged not only the old pagan gods but also Greek rationalist philosophy. Tertullian was the son of a Provincial Roman official and, his various writings show that he was very familiar with the different schools of Greek philosophy. After his conversion to Christianity, he spent much time writing about his new religion.
Tertullian directly states “indeed heresies are themselves instigated by
4 November 2014
Russell
UNIV 3581 R51-F14C
Faith or Reason when Pursuing The Truth
The pursuit of truth has never been a small undertaking, and simply developing a workable sense of what constitutes truth can be difficult in and of itself. The issue is further compounded upon recognizing that some people, those of religious persuasion, approach the quest for truth solely through faith while others, like scientists and philosophers utilize reason to varying degrees. Around the 11th century, both the economy and population of Europe began to expand and increasing contact with other cultures, especially the Islamic, leading to a more varied intellectual life. Greek philosophy became a renewed interest because of the recovery of certain Greek texts. This presented a comprehensive and coherent world-view based on reason, rather than faith. Such a powerful rationalist account of the Universe clearly posed a significant challenge to the Christian interpretation. And while some framed this issue in terms of a conflict, others sought to reconcile the two, believing that both could lead to Truth. Faith and reason have standing issues in the theory of the ultimate truth and take different approaches to the question; however, a reason approach seems to be more superior.
The period from roughly the first century to the 16th – is sometimes referred to as the Age of Faith in European history. The first sixteen centuries mark the rise and ascendancy of the Christian faith. In the early centuries, Christianity struggled to gain acceptance and in the process challenged not only the old pagan gods but also Greek rationalist philosophy. Tertullian was the son of a Provincial Roman official and, his various writings show that he was very familiar with the different schools of Greek philosophy. After his conversion to Christianity, he spent much time writing about his new religion.
Tertullian directly states “indeed heresies are themselves instigated by