Hypatia Of Alexandria example essay topic

Hypatia of Alexandria was born in 370 A.D. (although some discrepancies show that she may have actually been born around 355 A.D. ). What little is known of her life has come from letters and correspondences, since all of her work had been burned shortly after her death. Her father was Theon, a well-known mathematician and philosopher. It is argued that he may be one of the most educated men to come out of Alexandria. he raised Hypatia in an environment of culture and learning. He wanted to raise her as "the perfect human being". Theon formed a strong bond with his daughter at an early age, and taught her all that he knew of religion, philosophy, the maths, and sciences.

He also made a point to keep Hypatia in top Physical shape. Hypatia surpassed her father's knowledge at a very early age, and in 400 A. D, she became the head of the Platonist School of Alexandria. This school she taught mathematics, science, and philosophy. She based most of her teachings on the works of Plotinus, who was the father of Neo-Platonism.

They both believed in the ultimate reality, which states that the true reality of life lies beyond the reach of thought or language. They believed that the object in one's life should be to strive to reach the ultimate reality, even though it was believed that people do not have the mental capacity to fully understand the ultimate reality or the consequences of its existence. Some of Hypatia's Philosophical views also include: 1) All formal Dogma tci Religions are fallacious and must never be accepted by self-respecting person's as final. 2) Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than to not think at all 3) To teach superstitions as truth is the most terrible thing. While she had a definite role among philosophy in Alexandria during her time, she was most known for her work in astronomy. She made many inventions, one of which was the astrolabe.

This was a device used to study astronomy, as it could determine the altitude of the sun and celestials. This device was widely used, even well into medieval years. During a time when Christianity was prominent, Hypatia remained a pagan, which was often frowned upon by many in the town, since she was a prominent figure of society. She created a friendship with Orestes, who was the civil governor of Alexandria, and it is thought that she passed her paganism onto him.

Because f this, Orestes found himself in an ongoing battle with Cyril, who was the archbishop. The battle came to a quick end in 415, when Cyril had a mob drag Hypatia from her classroom and brutally murdered in the street. It is said that she was stabbed to death with broken pieces of pottery and oyster shells, and later her remains were burned. Her death also marked a turning point for Alexandria.

Scholars who had been living here began to take a new look at the city, and within a short time, the great city lost its reputation as a great cultural and learning center.