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Materialism is a philosophy that holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that there is no such thing as a soul or spirit. Proponents of materialism believe that everything can be explained in terms of physical causes and effects. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this way of thinking. On the plus … Read more
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that has been asked throughout history, and one that still plagues us today. There are many different philosophies out there about what the meaning of life is, and what our purpose is. But I believe that each person’s philosophy is unique to them. We all … Read more
Education is a fundamental human right. It is the key to unlocking one’s potential and achieving success in life. My philosophy of teaching is based on the belief that all students have the ability to learn and achieve their goals. I am committed to providing a safe, supportive, and stimulating learning environment for all students. … Read more
Did you know that renowned short story author Flannery O’Connor loved peacocks? Shortly before her early death at the age of 39, O’Connor owned around 40 birds (Eby 2013). This fact will not come as surprising to those who have read O’Connor’s work, as the peacock is often found in her stories, many times being … Read more
The subject of death and dying is one that philosophers have talked and wrote about for many years. It’s impossible for anyone to know what truly happens after death, and many people have different and unique opinions regarding what happens after death, whether it be more of a religious or scientific view. Death is an … Read more
Kant believed strictly in moral rules. He prohibited anything that did not follow moral law, even in the cases where the action would bring about more happiness than the alternative. Kant believes that there are two moral questions that we must ask ourselves every time we perform an act. The first being, “Can I rationally … Read more
Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We can’t develop toward more prominent comprehension of our actual nature unless we take an ideal opportunity to analyze and reflect upon our life. . The importance of the quote is good for nothing because the significance of the word unexamined is … Read more
1 INTRODUCTION As a first world nation, it is a surprised that Senator Brandis said that Australia is the worst offender of any country in the world when it comes to online piracy. So what drives Australia to have such a large number of pirates committing the act of software and media piracy? This report … Read more
How Did Martin Luther Influence John Calvin’s Philosophy On October 31, A nervous young man named Martin Luther climbed up the cathedral’s stairs and nailed his ninety-five grievances against a corrupt church. Martin Luther’s defiance sparked off the Protestant Reformation, an event that forever turned the world upside down and changed the landscape of religion. … Read more
In the reading CRITO the verdict of execution has already been given and now Socrates and colleagues must make the decision to flee the city of Athens or stay and face his fate. In this conversation you have Critos point of view and Socrates. Based on Critos reasoning he states three reasons why Socrates should … Read more
Ethical Issues Throughout Frankenstein Frankenstein is a book written in the early 1800’s that references technology that is just now being created. These technologies present the human race with a multitude of ethical issues that would not even have been thought of when this book was written. However, most are brought up throughout this book. … Read more
The artistic display at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery of Hanne Darboven titled, “Clockwise from right”, proves to bring light upon the thoughts of Friedrich Nietzshe. One of Nietzsche’s important topics includes the idea of a rational and intuitive man. This essay will explore the question of whether Nietzshe was right when he said that rationality … Read more
The progress of anything is due to the generation of new ideas pertaining to it and the introduction of new perspectives on that topic. This idea of how progress comes about can be applied to anything, but is most aptly applied to society and its constant innovation. One of the oldest examples of someone questioning … Read more
The allegory of the cave in Plato’s Republic is a metaphor meant to illustrate Plato’s views on knowledge but also strengthens his perception of the noble lie in society, an idea that is still very relevant today. It is designed to ask the fundamental question of: “What is the truth? ” This is a clear … Read more
Socrates proposes a “myth of the metals” the ideal city’s citizens must acknowledge. These citizens accept their respective positions so as to maintain the social and political order, or, as Socrates articulates, to prevent revolution (422a). The “myth of the metals”, or the “noble lie”, emphasizes the importance of each individual fulfilling a specific function, … Read more
The Enlightenment period was a time of new ideas and philosophies. One of the philosophies to emerge from this period was Philosophical optimism. The theory revolved around causes and effects and the belief that we live in the “best of all possible worlds” and that everything happens for the best (Voltaire). Voltaire was an enlightenment … Read more
Plato’s “Republic” is a seminal text, that explores; the definition of justice, the character and order of a just city and the minutiae of human experience. Specifically in Book IV, Republic examines the four main virtues of life; Justice, wisdom, courage and moderation. Through this chapter one can postulate that for the harmony of the … Read more
Is skepticism self-refuting? Immanuel Kant argued that although human knowledge comes from experience, nonetheless knowledge must be grounded in some necessary truths. It is hard to see how the existence of logically and metaphysically necessary truths is enough to ground human knowledge. Following Kant’s reasoning, there are certain types of knowledge we have no access … Read more
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead on the tracks there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are some distance off the tracks on a footbridge standing next to a very large or fat man; we will call him the … Read more
Plato was a famous Greek philosopher and mathematician from Athens that is now well known throughout the world. He lived from 427 B. C. E. to 347 B. C. E. He’s famously known for being Socrates’ student and the teacher of Aristotle. He has many writings that explored justice, beauty, and equality as well as … Read more
Facts can be found in the details. Within every detail perhaps, there holds a shred of untold truth. There is a sense of objectiveness in regards to these small pieces of truth and their very real, factual nature. Paired with survival of the fittest, the truthful details manifest themselves in the form of American naturalism. … Read more
We have been studying in the course of the class the evolution of thought in the Western Civilization. This study has of course started with the Greek thinkers and philosophers. Their way of thought has had a great effect on the way the whole western civilization approached life, and the fundamental concepts behind it. Plato … Read more
The philosophy of Tae Kwon Do is to build a more peaceful world. To accomplish this goal Tae Kwon Do begins with the foundation, the individual. The Art strives to develop the character, personality, and positive moral and ethical traits in each practitioner. It is upon this “foundation” of individuals possessing positive attitudes and characteristics … Read more
Deweys original philosophy, called Instrumentalism, bears a relationship to the utilitarian and pragmatic schools of thought. Instrumentalism holds that the various modes and forms of human activity are instruments developed by human beings to solve multiple individual and social problems. Since the problems are constantly changing, the instruments for dealing with them must also change. … Read more
As philosopher and poet Nietzsche’s work is not easily conformable to the traditional schools of thought within philosophy. However, an unmistakable concern with the role of religion and values penetrates much of his work. Contrary to the tradition before him, Nietzsche launches vicious diatribes against Christianity and the dualistic philosophies he finds essentially life denying. … Read more
Emerson’s “transcendentalism” is essentially a romantic individualism, a philosophy of life for a new people who had overthrown their colonial governors and set about conquering a new continent by their own lights. Though Emerson is not a technical philosopher, the tendency of his thought is toward idealist metaphysics in which soul and intuition, or inspiration, … Read more
The “Enlightenment” or the “Age of Realization” was an age of great advancement and reform for all of Europe and beyond. Great advancements were being made in the fields of science, philosophy, mathematics, and logic. Most people attribute these achievements to the social critics of that time, also known as the philosophes. These philosophes were … Read more
Anarchy is a political philosophy shrouded in misconception. This misconception is caused by the diversity of the subject of anarchism itself, which cannot be characterized by simple slogans or television plugs. In theory, anarchy provides the most personal freedom for the individual. Anarchy is more than just politics; it is a way of life encompassing … Read more
Confucianism is a time enduring philosophy that has stood up to invading clans, war, resentment, enforcement and infringement of new philosophies, and eventually, revival. For almost 80years, up until the late 1970’s, Confucianism and its ideas and values have been all but wiped away from China. Though effort was made to remove Confucianism for good … Read more
“Anarchism, then really stands for the liberation of human mind from the domination of religion, The liberation of the human body from the domination of property, Liberation from the shackles and restraints of government”#-Emma Golman. During the late 1800’s urbanization began to inflict the cities and the industrial revolution began resulting in governments gaining more … Read more
The doctrine of Karma is a spiritual doctrine based on the theory of cause and effect. Although Karma does not exactly fit the definition of supernatural phenomenon it is a spiritual doctrine based on the philosophy that God is not responsible for the happiness or failure of an individual, rather, we as individuals are solely … Read more
Positivism is a trend in bourgeois philosophy, which acknowledges the orthodoxy towards empirical knowledge of natural phenomena where metaphysics and theology are regarded as inadequate and imperfect systems of knowledge. Positivism, began to rise as the main intellectual movement during the second half of the 19th century in response to the inability of speculative philosophy, … Read more
I cannot forgive Descartes. In all his philosophy he would have been quite willing to dispense with God. But he had to make Him give a fillip to set the world in motion; beyond this, he has no further need of God. Blaise Pascal, Penses, number 77 Cosmology itself speaks to us of the origins … Read more
Anarchism, then really stands for the liberation of human mind from the domination of religion, The liberation of the human body from the domination of property, Liberation from the shackles and restraints of government#-Emma Golman. During the late 1800s urbanization began to inflict the cities and the industrial revolution began resulting in governments gaining more … Read more
Enlightenment began with an unparalleled confidence in human reason. The new science’s success in making clear the natural world through Locke, Berkeley, and Hume affected the efforts of philosophy in two ways. The first is by locating the basis of human knowledge in the human mind and its encounter with the physical world. Second is … Read more
Despised by academics, passionately loved by her followers, Ayn Rand, the novelist-philosopher, has evicted the whole gambit of emotions and responses. Her work has been ridiculed and praised. Her followers’ devotion has produced outcries of cultism, allowing one author to write a stirring critique[1] and another a book. [2] Despite this, Ayn Rand remains, one … Read more
Saint Anselm of Aosta, Bec, and Canterbury, perhaps during a moment of enlightenment or starvation-induced hallucination, succeeded in formulating an argument for God’s existence which has been debated for almost a thousand years. It shows no sign of going away soon. It is an argument based solely on reason, distinguishing it from other arguments for … Read more
In explaining Humes critique of the belief in miracles, we must first understand the definition of a miracle. The Webster Dictionary defines a miracle as: a supernatural event regarded as to define action, one of the acts worked by Christ which revealed his divinity an extremely remarkable achievement or event, an unexpected piece of luck. … Read more
The Enlightenment is a name given by historians to an intellectual movement that was predominant in the Western world during the 18th century. Strongly influenced by the rise of modern science and by the aftermath of the long religious conflict that followed the Reformation, the thinkers of the Enlightenment (called philosophes in France) were committed … Read more
In order to help us understand the meaning of Philosophy we must first understand the long debates regarding what it means to be human, and how “being” differs from “to be”. Does an individual become human or is “that” individual only “that” individual? How does being differ from to be? The fundamental capacity to understand … Read more
The late 1800’s was a time period where new ideas, theories, and philosophies ran through the minds of many young people. Amongst them was a man be the name of Karl Marx who stood out in the crowd. Known as a man of great integrity and intelligence, Marx was thought to be one of the … Read more
Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, the term is impossible to define precisely. Certain themes common to virtually all existentialist writers can, however, be identified. The term itself suggests one major theme: the stress on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Moral Individualism Most philosophers since Plato … Read more
Throughout history it has been the individualists, like Henry Ford and Rosa Parks, who have led nations, formed common groups, and made the greatest impact. However, people, such as the author, Michael Walzer, of Multiculturalism and Individualism, condemn the independent person as an unreliable footloose and empty creature (533). This denouncement of the socially unrestrained … Read more
No bubble is so iridescent or floats longer than that blown by the successful teacher. Sir William Osler (1849-1919), 4 Oct. 1911, Glasgow (quoted in: Harvey Cushing, Life of Sir William Osler, vol. 2, ch. 31, 1925). Mitch Albom wrote Tuesdays with Morrie as a final tribute to his old college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who … Read more
Existentialism is the title of the set of philosophical ideals that emphasizes the existence of the human being, the lack of meaning and purpose in life, and the solitude of human existence. Existentialism maintains existence precedes essence: This implies that the human being has no essence, no essential self, and is no more that what … Read more
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” Such was the beginning of creation. Creation … Read more
Philosophy started when human beings started to ask questions, about how and what things are actually, due to curiosity. The things that caused these questions to come about were the people started to realize that everything isnt exactly what it appears to be. Philosophy started in the town of Miletus, many early philosophers came from … Read more
Like many of the 17th Century philosophers such as Descartes, and Leibniz, Locke’s work on Substance and Essence were very much a reaction against Aristotelian Scholasticism and the idea of substantial forms. The mould in which something was created is its substantial form, according to Aristotle, and it owes its characteristics to it. A stone … Read more
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that developed during the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the first things one may notice about existentialism is the confusion and disagreement of what it actually is. Dissertations have been written on the expanse of the topic, but I shall only give an overview of the philosophy. Walter Kaufmann, … Read more
It is my understanding that there are three main branches of philosophy. These three branches include Metaphysics, Ethics and Epistemology. Metaphysics finds its focus through questions on reality. These questions include: What is real? What is mind and what is matter? What kind of reality do we have? Epistemology deals with truth versus opinion. Questions … Read more
