Why didn't ancient leaders/prophets/general populace begin w/ plain philosophy from the start, instead of?

Question

cladding philosophy in supernatural trappings?

Wasn't the human mind still developed enough (even if the science wasn't yet) to handle pure philosophy without extra packaging?

As far as putting fear into people for misbehaving, there were enough people then to handle that the same way the legal system handles it today -- without divine intervention.

Even with supernatural trappings, we STILL don't have answers to all of life's mysterious (answers being things that don't require "faith"), so what did this ill-conceived addition of mythology to philosophy accomplish?

Answer 1

i think ur correct ... the mind was developed just as much as ours .. so imo it points to maybe there just might be somthing to those supernatural trappings ..

Answer 2

Humans tend to view the world with symbols. That is why art is much older than science.

Sometimes a message can be conveyed more powerfully through a good story where people's emotions get involved, then through outright telling them what is right and wrong--not as memorable.

And we humans have a defiant streak, we don't like being told what to do, stories and supernatural trappings is a convienient back door into our psyche.

This is still true, but we live in a society with many different worldviews which requires a more sophisticated and forceful legal system.

On some level, science is just another one of those worldviews. This is how very religious people see it, anyway. The difference between science and other worldviews is that science is based on the work of countless people using a method ("The Scientific Method") for understanding our world and our role in it. Whereas worldviews based on faith are one or a few people writing down how they feel the world works and how they think a human should act in this world to gain salvation.

Science is more accurate because it's based on facts, but that strength is its weakness (at the moment) when it comes to the mysteries of life, which religion can offer an explanation. Ideally you get to choose your religion based on your satisfaction with that explanation.

Other dogmatic religions have been fighting against the emergence of the scientific worldview (Galileo, for one) because they fear it undermines their beliefs and therefore power over the people. This battle continues today with conservative Christians fighting to have Creationism (how their bible says that the world is created) taught as valid scientific counterpoint to Evolution (Charles Darwin's scientific theory and other scientists' work with the fossil record) in primary schools in the US.

Answer 3

a lot: 'What we as quickly as theory we had we did no longer And what we now have purely isn't an analogous So I call upon the author to describe.' --Nick Cave's 'We call Upon the author' 'in the journey that your lifestyles is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn they're going to bind you with love it somewhat is swish and eco-friendly as a stem' --Leonard Cohen's 'Sisters of Mercy' 'yet I inform you, I inform you, I inform you we could deliver away We could attempt to discover a clean answer rather of a manner' --Jim Morrison (extra from Zarathustra than start of Tragedy) 'some women human beings watch for Jesus, and a few women human beings watch for Cain So I hang upon my altar, and that i hoist my awl back. and that i take the guy who unearths me, back to the place all of it began, whilst Jesus became the honeymoon and Cain became purely the guy.' --Leonard Cohen 'final Years guy' i'm going to offer up now. i think of just about any Leonard Cohen could make this checklist. Dylan and Kobain have some stable ones too.

Answer 4

The oldest and most prevalent language in any culture has been the metaphor. Metaphors work subtly to align the literal physical world with the spiritual. Metaphor engages supernatural concepts because they can trigger imaginative and interpretative answers to the questions that evade us in a literal world.

It isn't so much that the human mind is developed enough, it's the ego that denies what lies outside literality.

Answer 5

Man has been dumbed down,when it comes to meaning and interpretations,we are like sheep's led to slaughter I bet we use less brain cells than we did 2000 yrs ago, look at how the masses never question the fairy tales that are told to them by religious leaders or even published books by so-called theologians.It is a shame we can't get out side the box, we would rather believe in nothing than to use our brains a little more and Question !

Answer 6

From Adam to the Flood was only told to mankind by Noah. Noah knew God very well. Noah spent hundreds of years building the Ark and he was 600 years old when the flood came. The Bible says he lived 350 years after the flood. So Noah was 950 years old when he died. He had 350 years to tell stories of the years before the flood and the Creator of all, his God. You had the truth coming from Noah and from Noah's grandson Nimrod, wife Semiramus and son Tammuz you got your mythology and the spawning of evil from their made up gods and goddesses. Each generation became more wicked and then God chose Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob who became Israel and then Moses to lead Israel out of captivity and build the tabernacle and to whom God delivered the laws for His people who believed in Him. But then God sent Jesus as Savior of the whole world who was sent among His people who knew Him not. To die on the cross of Calvary to take away the sins of the world so mankind could reconnect spiritually with Almighty God.

In the meantime while God was getting His people taught they continually rebelled against Him and went whoring after other gods and goddesses that Nimrod started with Semiramus the old evil queen of heaven. Read the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible. Sin is nothing but disobedience to God. And a curse without a cause does not come upon people.

Answer 7

Tough gig, being an ancient trying to go into the religious business, I'd guess. Unlike ourselves, short on education, special effects, surrounded by other uneducated people.

An aspiring God entrepreneur has to rely on the tools at hand, and philosophy wasn't one of them. Carrot on one stick and whip on the other was tried and true.

Answer 8

We might want to think that man functioned with a rational mind but if we take a close look at what mankind was really like we would be shocked at man's brutality. Only after Christian faith was man's behavior condemned and humanity began to manifest itself.

Even as intelligent as man is today we see mankind killing classmates, mothers murdering children, father's murdering families and to think we've only grown smarter to become ever more brutal.

Answer 9

As usual everything you said is crap. The answer is clear and understandable. It's Creeps like you trying to make mysterys where none exist that cloud the isssue.

Answer 10

Zealots saw a way to make a lot of money.