According to Plato, a famous Greek philosopher, “There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.” Plato clearly places great faith in the abilities of philosophers, but why? Evidence for the beliefs of several philosophers, including Plato, might be found in Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi. The novel begins by describing Piscine Molitor Patel childhood in Pondicherry, India. He grew up at a zoo run by his father (his background in zoology will come in handy later). Pi describes his childhood bullies, his love for swimming, and
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Aquinas was born in approximately 1225, in Italy (Stangroom 24). His main beliefs included proof of God and the relationship of science and religion, both of which are supported in Life of Pi. In his book, James Stangroom tells how Aquinas believed that “Nothing, though, is a cause of itself; rather, causes are causes of other things, their distinct effects.” (Stangroom 26). Therefore, there must have been one cause, uncaused by anything else, that started this domino effect of causes, meaning that God is the beginning of all other chains of events, but was not created, or caused, by anything else. Pi, similarly, believes that God is responsible for the many ordinary miracles of life, especially in the Muslim aspect of his faith. His Muslim teacher, the imam, relays the belief of “the essential miracle of existence. Birds flying, rain falling, crops growing-- these are miracles enough for us.” (Martel 67). Aquinas’s beliefs that God causes everything are similar to the imam's words about the basic miracles that are caused by God. Next, Aquinas’s beliefs on the cooperation of science and religion are similar to those expressed in Life of Pi. According to an article by Ralph McInerny, published in SIRS, "Though Thomas took these traditional academic pursuits very seriously, his intellectual endeavors ranged much further" (McInery). Thomas's acceptance of both science and religion is similar to how Pi respected both his "three wise men" (Martel 64) and "Mr. Kumar... the first avowed atheist [he] ever met." (Martel 25). It is clear that Thomas's "intellectual endeavors" are similar to Pi's respect for Mr. Kumar while both are still very religious. As proved by these similar beliefs, Aquinas’s logic is well represented in Life of
Aquinas was born in approximately 1225, in Italy (Stangroom 24). His main beliefs included proof of God and the relationship of science and religion, both of which are supported in Life of Pi. In his book, James Stangroom tells how Aquinas believed that “Nothing, though, is a cause of itself; rather, causes are causes of other things, their distinct effects.” (Stangroom 26). Therefore, there must have been one cause, uncaused by anything else, that started this domino effect of causes, meaning that God is the beginning of all other chains of events, but was not created, or caused, by anything else. Pi, similarly, believes that God is responsible for the many ordinary miracles of life, especially in the Muslim aspect of his faith. His Muslim teacher, the imam, relays the belief of “the essential miracle of existence. Birds flying, rain falling, crops growing-- these are miracles enough for us.” (Martel 67). Aquinas’s beliefs that God causes everything are similar to the imam's words about the basic miracles that are caused by God. Next, Aquinas’s beliefs on the cooperation of science and religion are similar to those expressed in Life of Pi. According to an article by Ralph McInerny, published in SIRS, "Though Thomas took these traditional academic pursuits very seriously, his intellectual endeavors ranged much further" (McInery). Thomas's acceptance of both science and religion is similar to how Pi respected both his "three wise men" (Martel 64) and "Mr. Kumar... the first avowed atheist [he] ever met." (Martel 25). It is clear that Thomas's "intellectual endeavors" are similar to Pi's respect for Mr. Kumar while both are still very religious. As proved by these similar beliefs, Aquinas’s logic is well represented in Life of