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CHAPTER - 2 THEISM, ATHEISM AND JAINISM 2.1 Theism 2.1.1 God In Theistic Philosophy
Theism, as we have seen basically, means belief in God and where God is believed, it is also believed that upon God everything else depends, and thus without the discussions of God, of world, of soul" theism is not justified. Theism . has been in the light of this broad consideration, approached differently by different thinkers. Amongst the thinkers of the western world Kant proved to be the most significant one. 2.1.2 Kant's Postulates
Kant has swept away the "dogmatic metaphysics" and along with that, by imposing “rational theology”, he swept away the old fashioned theism which was the part of the "dogmatic metaphysics". Kant himself “introduced in his own, more sceptical yet also more moral type of theistic doctrine, a new trichotomy-God, freedom, immortality, the three postulates of the practical reason.''! Almost every theistic system makes provision for Kant's three postulates.
A detailed survey of the history of theism reflects approaches and attitudes towards human freedom. immortality and their conception of God. What is most interesting to note, in the medicval and modern times, is the fact that theism has been much simplified and the attention has been concentrated upon God. Subsequently to this, as second step, the question: Does God exist? has been to theistic proofs replied "yes". Theism deals with “What is God?" for the simplest reason that it believes in the existence of God. What then is God? Let us, sweepingly review at this point the leading types of philosophies in their application to conception of God.
Empiricism beginning with certainties of everyday experience, "reaches theism at last by means of an analogical argument''? Objects in nature seem to resemble the works of human disign', therefore
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica : Vol. XXVI (1910) pp. 746. 2. Ibid., pp. 747
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