Eastern and Western Philosophers Comparison

When comparing Eastern and Western Philosophers it is evident that these individuals

had different ideas as related to religion, beliefs and God or the lack of God. Western

Philosophers gave personal ideas and proven revelations of the existence of God, truth

and reason. Eastern philosophers gave reason to accept the truth and live to the fullest

with and without.

St. Thomas Aquinas who believed God existed and gave five ways in which it could

be proven. First was the way of motion, according to Aquinas “As we look around the

world and survey moving things, it becomes clear that they did not put themselves into

motion. But if every moving thing were moved by another moving thing, then there

would be no first mover; if no first mover existed, there would be no other mover, and

nothing would be in motion. Because things are in motion, first mover must therefore

exist that is moved by no other, and this, of course, is God”(Moore-Bruder, 2008). This

first idea gives an adequate account of the existence of God. In reference to motion,

moving was not necessarily literal moving but life in general. If nothing changed or

evolved or grew motion would cease. This is not the case everything changes, therefore,

are in motion. No known thing evolved from self, so there has to have been something or

someone to start this process,. This entity is God. The second way states that nothing

causes itself and if all was caused by effects of something else the first cause was caused

by God. These two ways are sufficient proof for most but Aquinas goes on to give three

additional ways to prove his idea of the truth of life and how things came to be.

Eastern philosophers are not trying to prove or find the truth. They are willing to

accept things and seek cause and reason to accept things by finding a way to live in

harmony. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, though born son of a wealthy king, choose...