10 Questions
According to Augustine and Aquinas, how do they view evil in the natural world?
As a necessary inevitable part of the existence of good
How do Augustine and Aquinas explain the concept of evil?
Evil is a measure of the distance from perfection
What term did St Augustine use to describe evil?
'Privation of good'
Why did Augustine argue that we automatically call anything that does not seem good as evil?
Because he saw it as a privation of good
How did Augustine and Aquinas explain the presence of evil in contingent beings?
As a necessary part of created, contingent world
What is the main limitation of ordinary mental logic in comprehending the reality of the Divine?
It is constrained by language and disputation alone
What distinguishes the path of Sufis from that of philosophers and other scholars, according to the text?
Sufis seek knowledge through direct experience rather than intellectual reasoning
What is the fundamental principle of Sufism?
The unity of all Being, encompassing the Creator and His creations
What is the primary obstacle that prevents humanity from perceiving the fundamental unity of Being?
The limitations of the physical and material tools that mankind possesses
What is the pathway described in the text for achieving the realization of the unity of Being?
Purification and meditation to ascend from the animal nature to the true human being
Explore the arguments of philosophers like Augustine and Aquinas on the existence of evil in the natural world as a necessary part of the existence of good. Understand how evil is viewed as a falling away from goodness and a measure of imperfection in contingent beings.
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