Study Like a Boss
Aristotle, Carl Jung, Immanuel Kant, John Locke, Plato, Friedrich Nietzsche, Pythagoras, Rene Descartes, Socrates, Thomas Hobbes, Machiavelli, John Stuart Mill, Rousseau, Albert Camus, Hannah Arendt, Jacques Derrida, Jeremy Bentham, John Dewey, Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegge, Michel Foucault, Bertrand Russell, Thomas More, Peter Abelard.
Translations of Sophocles’ play are generally interpreted in one of two ways, ‘Oedipus Rex’, meaning Oedipus the King, or ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’, meaning Oedipus the Tyrant. The exact distinction between the two titles is undefined, though through the lens of Socrates’ five characterizations of the soul, the readers can identify what type of man he is. … Read more
Prelude Allama Mohammad Iqbal was born on 9th November 1877 in Sialkot. After seeking early education, he was admitted to Government College Lahore, where he obtained M.A. degree in Philosophy. He left for England for higher studies in 1905. In 1907, he obtained the Degree of Doctorate (Ph.D.) from Munich University. Iqbal’s Role in Pakistan … Read more
In today’s modern age originally, Aristotle defined rhetoric by any way of persuasion while appealing to emotion. Aristotle defines rhetoric as the counterpart of dialectic. A more definitive description of rhetoric is using symbolisms as a method of persuasion to clarify or an understanding. How Aristotle defines rhetoric leaves many ways to find possibilities to … Read more
According to Plato, true knowledge originates in the realm of the Forms, or universal, eternal, constant, and absolute truths that only the mind can access, such as the Form of the Good or the Form of the Just. Forms are not part of the visible world, they are abstract, non-material ideas that are responsible for … Read more
In the Apology and in Clouds, we are shown two very different depictions of Socrates’ beliefs on the gods of Athens. In the Apology, we see a version of Socrates that is fairly unconcerned with the discussion of the gods, and more interested in the discussion of the public good. In contrast, the Clouds shows … Read more
Pythagorean Brotherhood Pythagoras of Samos is the founder of a religion called Pyhagoreanism where he developed the Pythagorean brotherhood (Pythagoras). It is known that Pythagoras made traveled a lot during his life, but he eventually settled down in Croton, Italy (Pythagoras). Throughout his life Pythagoras made discoveries in many fields, including math and medicine. The … Read more
Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro occurs outside the court of Athens, after running into Euthyphro and knowing about why Euthyphro is there, Socrates is not convinced that Euthyphro prosecuting his father for murder is the just or pious thing to do. He asks Euthyphro to educate him about what piety and impiety are, so that he can … Read more
The concept of virtu is central to Machiavellian political theory in The Prince. The problematic nature of this term makes a concise definition difficult to formulate. Varying definitions often lead to different interpretations of Machiavelli. In order to understand the implications of Machiavelli’s writing it is important to explore this concept and how it shapes … Read more
Jean Jacques Rousseau Although most famously known for his work in philosophy, Jean Jacques Rousseau contributed to many other areas during his lifetime. He not only built upon contemporary moral, political, and educational thought, but also developed the subjects of musical composition and writing. His ideas and accomplishments preceded many historical and modern thinkers, who … Read more
How can you classify forms according to Plato? According to Plato’s Theory of Forms, the physical world isn’t necessarily the real world, rather reality exists beyond the physical world. There are two realms; the physical realm and the Realm of Forms. The physical realm consists of material things we come into contact with in our … Read more
Throughout his tumultuous career, Peter Abelard faced a series of vehement backlashes against his theological work as well as the manner in which he conducted his personal life; indeed, his affair and secret marriage to Heloise famously culminated in a physical castration, and his conflicts with Bernard and William of St. Thierry, a theological one. … Read more
Utilitarianism theory was spread by Jeremy Bentham in 18th century and was clarified by his student John Stuart Mill in 19th century. Utilitarians is something that thinks morality is to give high level of happiness and pleasure and decrease bad things such as pain and unhappiness. Goodness is relating to human well-being. Whatever makes life … Read more
The Noble Macbeth: An Aristotelian Tragedy Tragedy is a serious play in which the main character is characterized to have some psychological weakness, thereby going through a series of misfortunes that lead to his destructive end. Aristotle in his Poetics posited that catharsis is the defining feature and definitive end of any tragedy; to quote … Read more
David Hume, a Scottish philosopher and historian, thrived during the Enlightenment era. In this segment of history, which is also known as the Age of Reason, European scholars attempted to find the root of knowledge, often by working through one of two prevalent schools of thought, empiricism and rationalism. Hume, an empiricist, suggested that knowledge … Read more
In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato asks us to consider that the world we are living is the equivalent of a cave; in order for us to enter into this “sensible realm” of truth and knowledge we must actively pursue these values. In his First Meditation, Rene Descartes asks us to abandon all preexisting … Read more
As we get older, we realize that not many things in life are timeless, but rather fads. That shirt that was trendy in high school, or that band that was always on the radio. Trends come and go, but ethos pathos logos is here to stay. Aristotle’s three artistic proofs are what many like to … Read more
John Locke proves that mathematical knowledge is not innate in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by contrasting Plato’s theory to learning through sensation and perception, thus curating the theory of empiricism. Through his arguments, Locke proves mathematical knowledge is not something that you are born with, clarifying that Plato’s universal consent proves nothing. Knowledge is … Read more
When Evan Vokes, a trained engineer, started working for TransCanada in 2007, he realized that there were some issues in his employer’s work ethics and quickly found himself in a moral struggle. TransCanada is one of the largest companies focusing on oil and gas infrastructure in North America. There are federal regulations on the welding … Read more
For Once, Then, Something by Robert Frost Deconstruction is a technique of literary criticism which seeks to analyze a work as thoroughly as possible as it pertains to other works. It provides a way of playing with language and meaning that teases and delights (Dobie, 2002, p. 138). In other words, according to creator Jacques … Read more
Amid the feverish horror of rampant sickness and death, The Plague is a parable of human remoteness and the struggle to share existence. In studying the relationships which Camus sets forth, the relationship between man and lover, mother and son, healer and diseased, it can be seen that the only relationship Camus describes is that … Read more
Socrates’ Argument That Virtue Cannot Be Taught In the latter half of Plato’s Meno, Socrates doubts whether virtue is a type of teachable knowledge and instead argues that it is a result of “true opinion” (97b). In reading Socrates’ argument, I find that, while his doubt that virtue is teachable knowledge is justified, the evidence … Read more
Not all are equal in Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and Politics. Plato and Aristotle argue that people possess a certain natural ability that determines their role in society. The fundamental character of one’s soul, in part, determines this natural ability. As not all humans have the same capabilities, Plato and Aristotle are proposing … Read more
Confucius (551 – 479 BCE), was a thinker, political figure, educator and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought. Confucius was born at Shang-ping, in the country of Lu. His given name was Kong, but his disciples called him Kong-fu-tse, (i.e. Kong the Master, or Teacher.) His father passed away when he was only … Read more
From historical sources it is known that Socrates was Plato’s teacher and that Socrates was Plato’s elder by at least a few decades. Other than this, things become far less clear when examining the relationship between these two founders of western philosophy. Since Socrates never wrote down anything, scholars have become totally reliant on the … Read more
Aristotle’s favorite tragedy was Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The play begins with the Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. Upon the birth of their son, Oedipus, an oracle proclaims that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Petrified the king and queen abandon their son to die in the … Read more
According to Aristotle in his book Poetics, the cathartic effects of a tragedy are its purpose, which is mediated through its form. An examination of Shakespeare’s King Lear in relation to the Aristotelian elements of tragedy – focusing on his compliance with Plot and inversion of Thought – will demonstrate how the playwright preserves the … Read more
How would Rousseau’s General Will eliminate the tendency of individuals to distinguish themselves from each other which he had identified in the Discourse on Inequality? In the Discourse on Inequality Rousseau identifies that individuals developed a need to distinguish themselves from others in an unequal manner by the very act of living together. For a … Read more
In response to Crito’s arguments Socrates thinks about/believes first, why the opinion of the majority is not the most important opinion, second, what the results of escaping would be for the city of Athens, and third whether escaping is an unfair action such that it would harm Socrates” soul. Many of Crito’s arguments concern the … Read more
History of Humanistic Psychology Two of the many major contributors to humanistic psychology are Carl Jung and Rollo May. Carl Jung is definitely one of the most important, yet controversial, figures in psychology. Many see him as more than just a historical curiosity. He began working alongside Sigmund Freud during the founding of psychoanalysis, however … Read more
Socrates found Euthyphro in the agora and after very brief rapport launched straight into asking the question of what is virtue; in the case of Euthyphro, the specific virtue being discussed is piety. Socrates was able to look at his subjects, including Euthyphro, in such a critical light which stems back to his statement that … Read more
You will find in Plato’s Phaedrus a story about Thamus, the king of a great city of Upper Egypt. For people such as ourselves, who are inclined (in Thoreau’s phrase) to be tools of our tools, few legends are more instructive than his. The story, as Socrates tells it to his friend Phaedrus, unfolds in … Read more
The conflict between the ideal and the reality has long been the center of the debate in the history of political philosophy. Many famous philosophers have constructed an imaginary world upon which their entire theories are based. They believe an ideal model of the state, which serves as the final goal of human society, can … Read more
In The Plague itself, Albert Camus uses the concept of a plague to allegorically represent the wartime occupation of France during World War II and symbolize the absurdity of nature. The coastal town of Oran, located in Northern Africa, is burdened by this unstoppable pestilence that threatens the townspeople’s humanity. Camus’ “symbolic plague represents a … Read more
“ Similarities between Martin Luther King and Socrates Throughout history the greatest thinkers were not those who followed the crowd, they challenged why one must follow the crowd? Who decides whether they should follow the crowd? What happens when one doesn’t follow the crowd? These thoughts, challenging the status quo, made them infamous to some, … Read more
Plato battles that the spirit contains three fragments especially sensible, appetitive, and the vivacious. These parts also sort out the three spots of a fair framework. Solitary esteem consolidates keeping up the three zones in the correct change, where reason rules while hunger comes. As appeared by Plato, the appetitive piece of the spirit is … Read more
In their article entitled “Me,” Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royale assert that “Literature, like art more generally, has always been concerned with aspects of what can be called the… ‘not me’ or other,” (Bennett 129-130). Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Confessions and William Wordsworth in his The Two-Part Prelude expound upon this issue of isolation from … Read more
Michel Foucault begins his essay “We ‘Other’ Victorians” with a description of what he calls the “repressive hypothesis” (Foucault 10). This hypothesis holds that openly expressing sexuality at the beginning of the seventeenth century was considered shameless. Transitioning into the Victorian era and with the development of the Victorian bourgeoisie, sexuality began to take on … Read more
In Plato’s Symposium, Socrates’ eulogy, though delivered with the stated intent of praising love, is not truly about love at all. Instead, Socrates claims that the typical definition of love does not exist and instead praises wisdom. In saying that love is desire, and that you cannot want what you already have, Socrates asserts that … Read more
The ideal of a complex nation state, one that possesses a central power and does not operate in a feudal manner or under the control of the Church, came into being during a rather turbulent period of political transition. The political realities of this era provided the gateway for thinkers to advocate change in how … Read more
Within his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke picks up where his predecessors in epistemological theorizing left off and proceeds to shift the study towards a more empiricist approach. Amongst the complexities of his theory, the notions of ‘substance’, ‘nominal essence’ and ‘real essence’ are fundamental and relate, in Locke’s view, to explain the nature of … Read more
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both author two separate Psychodynamic Theories of Personality. While former colleagues and even close friends at one time, differences related to their studies led to a falling out. After Jung and Freud’s split, Jung spoke about being in a suffocating atmosphere when it came to working with Freud (Williams, 1963). … Read more
Aristotle’s definition of the virtue of high-mindedness in Nichomachean Ethics, and of what constitutes the excess and deficiency of this virtue, poses a problem when applied to Socrates’ in Plato’s Apology. On one hand, Socrates is high-minded when he accepts his death sentence, despite believing that he is serving an important function in Athens, and … Read more
Francis Bacon was born into a prominent wealthy family in London, England, on January 2, 1561. He was the family’s youngest son. Bacon’s father was Sir Nicholas Bacon, who held the powerful government position of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. His mother was Anne Cooke, a scholar, translator, and holder of strong Puritan beliefs. … Read more
The kind of reasoning utilized by Descartes in order to arrive at his conclusion of the cogito has been questioned since its initial publication in The Discourse on the Method. The conjunction ‘ergo’ suggests the formula of an inference, that Descartes has concluded his existence from a premise. Yet, Descartes himself seems to deny the … Read more
Of the many topics in the philosophy of sex is permissible sexuality. Philosophy however sometimes tends to overintellectualize the discussion. What makes sex permissible may not be so strict. Drawing from Immanuel Kant’s humanity formulation, I argue that permissible sex requires only informed and voluntary consent, but under two conditions, which Thomas Mappes mostly gets … Read more
A seemingly excited lad initiates Plato’s Meno. Meno appears to have learned what virtue is and is eager to share this knowledge with the renowned Socrates. Thus, Meno tactically lays out calculated questions to Socrates: “…is virtue something that can be taught? Or does it come by practice? Or is it neither teaching nor practice … Read more
Descartes’ Proof for the Existence of God and its Importance In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes describes his philosophical quest to find absolute, certain knowledge. His method for finding this knowledge is to start from the most basic truths, systematically working through them and trying to establish some sort of doubt about them. If he … Read more
Aristotle and the Philosophy of Logic Among the first of the great philosophers to study the philosophy of logic was Aristotle. Aristotle used logic as a way to discover meaning, through his work he developed a system of logic that when followed would lead an individual to the truth. Aristotle’s work is not only significant … Read more
Intro to Philosophy How did Plato use the sun to explain the good? In the Allegory of the cave, there are four main stages of enlightenment. The four steps cover all aspects of enlightenment, from knowing absolutely nothing and perceiving reality only through your sensory organs to reaching full knowledge and having the capacity to … Read more
Students and scholars alike are often deceived by the association between Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau as founders of the social contract. Grouping these authors together often causes people to forget the essential variations presented by each man. The issue of liberty, for example, takes on an entirely different meaning when viewed from the eyes of … Read more
