Philosophy is a science that studies life, morality, and reasons for existence while religion has always been a part of people’s beliefs, so they are closely connected and have many overlapping topics. The relationship between religion and philosophy is defined by good and evil, people’s ethics, beliefs in higher forces of nature and the search for truth.
The most basic concept that is addressed by both religion and philosophy is the existence of good and evil. Religion states that there are no evil people, that everyone is born equally good and the hardships of life are forces that lead someone astray. Philosophy would say that every person has a choice and what they decide to do in life determines their morality.
Both confirm that environment and the human condthe ition play a great role in a person’s life and the surrounding world is a very strong determinant of how well someone will behave. Education and the upbringing of a child are one of the key effectors on the forces of nature that qualify existence. Religion would advize to rely on God and place all belief and understanding in the hands of a higher being.
Philosophy is a connection between a person’s psychological reasoning and feeling that is deeply internal and would make sure that a person goes through a detailed search of the mind and soul. In the end, both religion and philosophy define morality in the same terms.
Somewhat of a conflict arises when one examines the laws that govern philosophy of reasoning andthe religion. Religion has an incline towards a blind following and unbending trust into the higher forces of nature. Philosophy is a science that bases itself on physical laws and concrete understanding of a person.
It is very much possible to be a philosopher and disbelieve in any higher being or God while being religious determines a person through their belief in a higher entity. It is interesting to see that even though science and religion are sometimes in conflict, the law of treating others as someone would themselves want to be treated stays universal, throughout one’s beliefs and moral thinking.
There is much disagreement on the origins of life, where as religion states that God has created everything and philosophy tries to find logical explanations through evolution or other avenues of natural development. It is somewhat humorous that philosophy is the one trying to be more liberal and understanding, as well as equal, in supposing a possibility that God is a woman and that gender should not define the Great Spirit.
A main difference is that religion has prayer and keeps reminding people that they should ask God for forgiveness and help, while philosophy reinforces the fact that people must rely on themselves, forgive and understand their own mind and soul, and keep developing their abilities and strength (Clack 16).
Very often, philosophy would consider nature as the highest force. There are many theories that suggest how nature transcends everything and a part of the eternal design is in everything. It is referred to as a living organism that houses people and the balance between humanity and mother-Earth should be people’s goal.
Religion says something very similar when describing how God is a part of every human being and all the living and non-living things on the planet. This is where the question of free will comes in. Since the ancient times, people have been wondering about the existence of a soul or some other part of immaterial that is the real basis of an individual. Religion has been an advocate of the soul and that it belongs to God.
It has even been said that it is a part of God and that it will return back to where it came from. But philosophy argues that one possibility is that people are limited in their choices and are mere marionettes, prisoners of their framework and lack of freedom. The second view is that human feelings and thoughts determine all life and that fate or material boundaries are really non-existent.
Determinism suggests that human behavior and attitudes are predetermined and that there is no possibility to avoid what was outlined even before someone was born. This is a rather depressing view on life and people tend to avoid this sort of thinking. It is partly true because a great portion of any person is the genetic information or DNA that has been set in the genes and was passed on from one generation to another.
Of course, some individual characteristics are preset in the genes but at the same time, a person is given logical reasoning to work on their qualities and change anything they think needs changing. Numerous psychological theories have stated that the way a person is raised will be the concrete part of their character throughout life but good and evil will stay the same for all people.
Any adult is able to realize if a certain act is ethical or immoral and thus, they have a choice. There is no denying that some individuals are stronger than others and are able to withstand the desire to commit crimes or evil acts. These concepts are widely known but very little studies have delved into the depths of human psyche, to precisely explain the mechanisms at work.
This aspect is where religion would advize to find strength in faith and steer clear of any evil. Unfortunately, it is sometimes helpless to offer any practical tools in fighting evil urges and bad behavior. There is the comfort of going to church and praying but this is a very small part of what a person must do in order to avoid any negativity and depression.
One thing for certain, is that there are many more unclear and unsupported claims in religion that in philosophy and reasoning. One can deny and question the existence of God or any other higher force or being while it is impossible to deny the presence of reasoning and morals.
Since the ancient times, there have been philosophers, both believers and atheists who spoke on existence of real intellect and life but the common link between all is in the fact that they are real and proven universal laws of nature and reasoning. Morality stays one and the same throughout time and cannot be questioned. For example, a person has to judge the situation they find themselves in, in accordance to the highest laws of goodness.
Immanuel Kant, one of the most famous philosophers, had speculated that every person is responsible to base their principles of life on the highest good, primarily towards others and the greatest amount of positive output. All people have a responsibility to provide help, in case someone needs it and be understanding of other’s weaknesses (Kant 7).
With the constant practice of behavior and attitude by these criteria, a person will develop a part of their character that will be fair and moral. Both philosophy and religion suggest that people are born inherently good and that it takes for the harshest conditions to make someone evil. Even when there are circumstances that make a person resort to selfish acts and egoism, it has happened because they had no other choice in order to survive.
The excessive and comprehensive nature of philosophy has been recognized by many people. It explains and gives practical advices, as to why people are the way they are but also offers other possibilities, as no one can say for sure and offer irrefutable evidence. Religion has given concrete explanations and there is no possible other ways of interpretations.
The laws, rules and qualities given about humanities are set in stone, whereas philosophy, psychology and other interconnected sciences offer deeper insight into why things are bound by laws and rules. For example, the division between people has been often addressed through philosophy and sociology. Religion ignores the problems that the modern society faces and explains things as being natural.
Things like gender division, crime rates and even an extreme issue of slavery are only partly addressed or completely overfed in the religious texts, not to mention confirmed.
The human abilities to test human psychology have provided many tools that can be used to better the human race and evolve into a more intelligent and kind organism. As the knowledge and the amount of information are constantly increasing, so does the comprehension of religious writings and beliefs. It is very common for philosophy to fill in the gaps in religion and vice versa (Harris 25).
It would be close to impossible to say which part of human life developed first, religion or philosophy. In case it is assumed that people developed from primates into Neanderthals, than belief into higher forces and religion would come first. The power of intellect was very insignificant and so, people would have to come up with ways to explain many aspects of nature.
As sciences and technology were far away in the future, early humans would not be able to explain and comprehend the simplest things. It would be very easy to attribute the forces of nature and physical laws to one entity with eternal power who was in control of all that is.
A conflicting view could be developed philosophically, if it is supposed that people have been getting smarter through mating with higher forms of beings or that extraterrestrial help was received. Philosophy could also suggest that human mind was meant to develop into highest intellect naturally but either way, both human ability to reason and highest forms of extraterrestrial intelligence could not be produced by like organisms.
The forces that play a significant role in the regulation of natural laws are so vast, that one gets lost just imagining what possible power could be so great, as to control and determine all the universe has to offer.
Factual reality is that philosophy and religion must go hand in hand for people to reach best results. Religion offers great comfort and consolation of the soul and feelings, as they are primary to people. An individual starts off by feeling something and this is a part of highest and least understood part of the immaterial world.
It could be attributed to either immaterial natural forces or a part of God but either way, religion addresses this division of human character. Philosophy, on the other hand, tends to the mind of the person and the rational thought processes that go on internally. People were provided with an intricate system of thinking, a mind that can be used to figure out the hardest concepts and come up with the most advanced technology.
Both religion and philosophy have been found at fault at a certain time and place in history (Pojman 66). Everyone is familiar with how religion was used to wage wars and condemn people.
This was due to the limitations in reasoning, interpretation and manipulation of the texts, to the liking of powerful and selfish humans. The same can be said about philosophy and sciences, as the skill of abusing theories and others, using intelligence is widely known, even in the modern day and age (Velasquez 10).
The union between two such important parts of life can be seen in several indisputable facts. People are living creatures that are already on the planet. Further existence is guided by both mind and emotions. In order to adhere to the needs and wants of these two sides of individuality, the necessary techniques must be established.
A close cooperation between the two is the optimal choice. Another fact is that religion and philosophy are universal in the world. All societies have a form of religion that supposes an existence of a higher being. This could be either because all people have the need to believe in miracles and a force that watches over humanity or it is possible that people have had definite knowledge of the existence of Gods but the proof was lost in the ages.
Sciences have also shown to be a much needed part of every nation in the world. People are naturally curious organisms and religion provides a direction while philosophy offers the necessary tools to follow the direction and discover many new and interesting things along the way.
No one can deny the unexplainable and intricate nature of planets, stars and galaxies. The grandeur of existence was evident in all historical epochs. The numerous works of philosophers and scientists have addressed this question but through history no one came close to proving or disproving the origin of everything that is.
The end goal of philosophy and religion is the same, it is to find inner peace and adjust to the truth that each person has towards themselves and the surrounding world. The questions are very similar and mostly center on what determines the internal being, what the soul is and what sorts of responsibilities people have in their life.
Often, it is almost impossible to see the division between religion and philosophy but one thing is certain and concrete—they both have the same principals of morality, ethics and understanding of right and wrong. Philosophy has truth as the pinnacle of studies, reasoning and human soul while religion has God and the relationship of an individual with the divine. Neither philosophy nor religion is wrong, as they strive towards eternity and happiness.
Works Cited
Clack, Beverley. Philosophy of Religion. Malden, United States: Polity, 2008. Print.
Harris, James. Analytic Philosophy of Religion. Norwell, United States: Springer, 2002. Print.
Kant, Immanuel. Kant: Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason: And Other Writings. New York, United States: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Print.
Pojman, Louis. Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Boston, United States: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text with Readings. Boston, United States: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.