Purpose of Phillosophy

[AlNg]

As far as "non-algorithmic process" I don't understand what you mean by that.

In the book The Emperor's New Mind, Roger Penrose says that human cognition is beyond the algorithmic. So Godel's Incompleteness results imply that humans can do things that machines cannot. Non- algorithmic information processing  mimics human learning and  intelligent synthesis of knowledge from information.

[james03]

No argument.  Perception and intentionality are examples of functions above what a machine can do, including the material brain.

[Polymath]

Hat tip to Ann Barnhardt.  Seems apropos: 

"Any old woman can love God better than a doctor of theology can."
-St. Bonaventure

That being the case, why do we need philosophy and theology (Church doctrine excepted) to begin with?

[james03]

Because half of us aren't women.
(rim shot!)

[Michael Wilson]

Hat tip to Ann Barnhardt.  Seems apropos: 

"Any old woman can love God better than a doctor of theology can."
-St. Bonaventure

That being the case, why do we need philosophy and theology (Church doctrine excepted) to begin with?

Because how do we know if this peasant woman is a true or false mystic? Inspired by God or deluded by the devil? Because the doctors of theology have worked out not only the nature of true mysticism but of theological and philosophical concepts that can explain this nature and its foregrounding concepts. Along with the true mystics in the history of the Church, there has also been false ones; fakes; deluded souls and even possessed persons, who appear to be inspired by God. How can we tell them apart? How do we know the true from the false? That is why St. Teresa of Avila, who was greatly troubled by doubts in her own spiritual journey, said that she preferred to rely on the advice a learned confessor who might not be so pius, to one who was ignorant, though very pius. 

[james03]

Hat tip to Ann Barnhardt.  Seems apropos: 

"Any old woman can love God better than a doctor of theology can."
-St. Bonaventure

That being the case, why do we need philosophy and theology (Church doctrine excepted) to begin with?

I don't take St. Bonaventure literally.  He's stressing the need not to get too caught up in philosophy.  Similar to warning about becoming the priest or Levite in the Good Samaritan parable.  Obviously studying philosophy and theology are critical.  You just can't over do it.

[Xavier]

"Philo" means Love and "Sophy" comes from an ancient Greek Word meaning Sophia or Wisdom; in the Wisdom Books of the OT, Wisdom speaks in the First Person, often understood as Christ, the Incarnate Logos, the Word and Wisdom of God, speaking; or the reference is to the Holy Spirit or to Mary, the Seat of Wisdom, as many Church Doctors and Liturgical texts interpret them.

So, basically, the purpose of Philosophy, or Love of Sophia-Wisdom, is to grow in the Love of Jesus and Mary. We learn more about God and His Creation so that we can love Jesus and Mary more and thus store up a treasury of merits in Heaven, as the Lord told us to do; so it is definitely a worthwhile pursuit, in other words. It also helps in Apologetics and Evangelism.

What St. Bonaventure is saying is that one doesn't need to be a Theologian, Philosopher, Bishop or Doctor to love God, save one's soul, go to Heaven, gain merits etc. But that doesn't mean Philosophy, which St. Bonaventure himself made of, isn't useful.

God Bless.

[Edit: Sir 24 is one such Wisdom text which the Church applies to the Blessed Mother as Seat of Wisdom:

[24] I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. [25] In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

[26] Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. [27] For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. [28] My memory is unto everlasting generations. [29] They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. [30] He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.

[31] They that explain me shall have life everlasting. [32] All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth. [33] Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel. [34] He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever. [35] Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits."

[james03]

Continuing with absurdity, what if even fundamental laws of metaphysics are also absurd apart from God?  Nothing precedes God or stands above Him, therefore even things like the Law of Identity and the Law of Non-contradiction must be absurd apart from God.

I suspect this is the case because when the West jettisoned God and transformed into the Former West, all sorts of bizarre philosophies became accepted culminating in the utter insanity we see today.

The Greeks certainly observed this.  "You can not cross the same river twice.".  That's a challenge to the Law of Identity, you can't say A is A because there is no A to start with.  Any attempt to solve this will have a hidden premise that God exists.

I haven't given this a lot of thought, but I suspect it is true.

Without I Am, everything is absurd.

[AlNg]

The philosophy of Quantum mechanics has introduced a kind of uncertainty into the discussion so that many of the Newtonian clear cut theories are replaced by theories which reflect  quantum fuzziness.

[Frank]

The philosophy of Quantum mechanics has introduced a kind of uncertainty into the discussion so that many of the Newtonian clear cut theories are replaced by theories which reflect  quantum fuzziness.

I don't believe in quantum mechanics. Atheistic scientists have tried to put boundaries on God's universe in the form of the quantum of energy and the velocity of light. They don't want to face up to the fact that the physical universe is beyond their capacity to comprehend.

[AlNg]

I don't believe in quantum mechanics.

Appropriate calculations made according the quantum theory have been shown to be quite accurate. However, the interpretation of QM or of Quantum field theory is subject to further investigation. The standard Copenhagen interpretation of QM is widely accepted, but there are those who reject this interpretation and propose alternatives.

[Polymath]

Continuing with absurdity, what if even fundamental laws of metaphysics are also absurd apart from God?  Nothing precedes God or stands above Him, therefore even things like the Law of Identity and the Law of Non-contradiction must be absurd apart from God.

I suspect this is the case because when the West jettisoned God and transformed into the Former West, all sorts of bizarre philosophies became accepted culminating in the utter insanity we see today.

The Greeks certainly observed this.  "You can not cross the same river twice.".  That's a challenge to the Law of Identity, you can't say A is A because there is no A to start with.  Any attempt to solve this will have a hidden premise that God exists.

I haven't given this a lot of thought, but I suspect it is true.

Without I Am, everything is absurd.

Dostoyevsky was right: Without God, ANYTHING is permissible.