Philosophy Essays

He said that the essence of body is extension & the essence of mind is thought. He says that the mind thinks about every other thing in the universe & everything which is into being proves its existence. He said that our mind is not a material object but an intellectual thinking thing & our body is material & behaves like an ordinary matter which occupies space & has weight.

The poems like ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Intimations of Immortality’ explains his philosophical ideas. (Keywords: experiences, philosophy) Well known poet and laureate belonged to the 19th century, Wordsworh brings before us marvelous verse which proclaims his thoughts and attitude.

This essay analyzes Asymmetrical Freedom of Susan Wolf. He must be an ethical agent, one to whom the moral claims relate, since his actions can be neither wrong nor right, and then there is no reason to credit or discredit him for. Wolf refers to the first condition as the condition of freedom, while the second one as the condition of value.

Euthanasia can be defined as the bringing about the death of a being for humane reasons, or as the killing of a person with the intent of ending his or her suffering. There are two main types of euthanasia: passive euthanasia, which is legal in the US, and active euthanasia, which is considered illegal but is still practiced by some physicians.

Most hospitals want to hire employees with the highest ethical standards for the good of all affected by their beliefs and conduct. We shall seek to look at the rules of a good doctor. Ethics concerns correct conduct within society. Ethics in this field are called medical ethics. A doctor’s career is one of the most challenging professions.

In the face of death, a person will do whatever it takes to stay alive. Between two dilemmas that would avoid death, most human beings would choose either the simplistic solution or the one that can be negotiated. However, this attachment to life hides one of the strongest natural fears of any sentient living organism, which is the fear of death.

Views on Education by Washington and Du Bois Education is considered as a medium in forming a person’s character, intelligence, and vocational development (Ravi 245). In relation to this, the achievement of education has been considered as one of the essential results of the abolishment of slavery of the African American people.

Plato is presumably one of the most astounding writers in the history of Western literacy and one of the most incisive, extensive and influential authors in the history of philosophy. Plato was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, student of Socrates and founder of the Academy in Athens.

The learning experiences of the module also made me to evaluate such controversial issues as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, homosexuality and environmental ethics from various ethical perspectives such as deontological teleological, aretological, utilitarian, retributive, abolitionist and egoist approaches.

Anselm’s ontological approach supports the concept that there is a perfect being i.e. God. However, criticisms have arose against Anselm’s approach, the prominent being Gaunilo of Marmoutiers’ Perfect-Island Concept. This paper discusses the logic that God does exist through focusing on the criticisms that Gaunilo, Kant, and Hume’s criticisms to Anselm’s theory.

If Starson was considered incapable of making a sound choice as informed by past events or the current mental state, then it would be both plausible and ethical to seek a petition to have the treatment decision transferred to a surrogate. It would have been ethical for the physicians, irrespective of their personal beliefs and values.

Democracy is a form of government that has come a long way to serve the people.  The great US president Abraham Lincoln popularized the definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.  It was a form of government formed in the reaction and in resistance to abusive rulers who grabbed power for their own interests.

When someone enters a Gothic cathedral the things which immediately strike them are the vastness and symmetry of the solids materials and how these interact with the play of light, especially if the building is seen at different times of day and the shadows climb and fall, revealing and concealing as they travel. 

It involves weighing the various motives that press alternatively on one's will. In Determinism, one will get suspended between two objects or ideas which move us alternately (Tully174). Before acting, one has to wait until he has contemplated on the objects and ideas that call for different actions.

Chinese philosophy led to the growth of ancient beliefs in divine practice. This has led china’s philosophy to uphold philosophical conclusions that are drawn from divine notations as ascribed to Confucius by traditional writers (Chan, 1969). However, this philosophy has been dynamic from century to century, as scholars from different backgrounds tackle the philosophical commentaries in other rational approaches.

Something that is beyond doubt is therefore assumed to be true. This was the first of its kind in philosophy, instead of sticking to the common paradigms that were the norms among his contemporaries and those who were there before him like Aristotle. Although he decided to doubt everything, at some point the Cartesian method hit a brick wall.

‘The Earth Charter’ puts forward the significance of unity, especially the kind of unity that may help to sustain life on Earth. A very notable fact that throws light to this can be seen in the preamble which writes thus, ‘...we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny’ (Preamble).

In some cases, people make decisions about their lives that may pose many controversies, which would not be easy to determine from any perspective of justification. In this regard, these issues become a great cause of dilemmas, which prevail for long without getting a simple answer to the course of action that people can take.

The fallacy that the speaker commits here is the oversimplified cause fallacy. First, the speaker believes that since the relationship went downhill at the same time that Lindsey went to university, then the university thing must have been the reason behind the failure of the relationship. These may have only been a coincidence, and that nobody could say that two events happening together in close succession would be both a cause and an effect.

In chapter 1 of this book, she says that girls are often taught to be “women” and their feminine destiny is imposed on them by the society and their teachers. She contrasts the girl’s upbringing with the boy’s upbringing who is at age three or four who is told by the society and parents that he is a “little man”.

This bill that was to passed into law had a number of implication. The law attracted many ethical questions as to whether is right to send one into prision due to their health status; though this is not the major concern. The law is intended to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Six Principles of Political Realism' by Hans Morgenthau. Hans Morgenthau’s six principles of political realism comprise of the most significant statements of contemporary realism. Many generations of political scholars, practitioners of international relations and philosophers have nourished their concepts and opinions by these principles.

Conscious Performance Analysis or CPA enables some people to live a more purposeful life by being able to intellectually, spiritually and artistically examine the approach and reactions they have to the events of their lives. I say “some people” because it is impossible to know if all people actually invest much time into their inner life—their intellect or to greater understanding.

How does it differ from other fields especially religion? Generally though, philosophy seeks answers to questions, but mostly about origin. About how humans started and stuff like that. Usually though, those questions are rooted in the religious or mythological framework.

Our idea of causality arises from our impressions of three kinds of relations between objects: the relation of contiguity or contact, such as when billiard balls collide, and second, temporal priority, the idea that the effect should immediately follow the cause. These two, when taken together, is what Hume calls the conjunction.

The ethos appeal in this article is hardly present. This is not an ethos-driven document since Burkeman is not a scientist and does not possess the qualifications to be a believable writer on the topic. He lacks the credibility since he is not an expert in the topic which he is writing about.

The media should therefore have the capacity to present accurate and dependable information without bias whatsoever. However, there is the debate on how news should be disseminated and whether journalists present scientific findings appropriately. When reporting, the media usually assume a general audience.

Therefore the rise and fall of a society is directly linked to barbarism. The principles of civilization and the principle of barbarism evolves and develops at the same time. The initial period of civilization arises from the core of humanity and it is usually through a method of violence.

States have a responsibility to promote culture through preservation of heritage sites and promoting positive ethnicity for example by including vernacular languages in school curriculums (Silverman 21). This is important as it would help to ensure that culture is preserved especially by avoiding extinction of languages spoken by minority groups.

The paper entails the analysis of how freedom of speech as an absolute right can be defended on the utilitarian ground. The last part deals with the critical evaluation of how the famous liberal scholar, Ronald Dworkin, defended the freedom of speech as a fundamental human right and how far he is able to achieve his goal.

Martin Luther King's Views on Nonviolence VS Mahatma Gandhi's Views on Nonviolence. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi have been two of the most renowned leaders in the history of the world. Born in two different places, and exposed to entirely different kinds of challenges in life, the views of the two leaders regarding nonviolence are totally different from each other.

It is hoped that in understanding these various details, we can most definitely learn more about how Socrates had trained his mind. II. How the Concept of Holiness Emerges and Why It’s Important The concept of holiness (another word for “piety”) arose because of an incident that was happening in Euthyphro’s life.

This idea is argued by Josef Pieper, who says that as a result of people working too hard the importance of leisure, which allows people to reflect on what is important in life, is lost. This is the cause of unhappiness in people’s lives due to lack of setting time aside to relax and experience freedom.

In these great works that have transpired over time, the presence of man as the core does not very much according to the current literature. We have seen how far the focus on men and their importance as an entity. A man and a man Homeric Virgiliano, that despite representing different cultures and different literary styles, show us man as "Man".

The starting point of discussion about climate change is the consequences caused by the negative impacts of global warming. The results of such discussion always lead to the belief that high emitters of greenhouse gases are morally wrong and should be replaced by low emitters of greenhouse gases.

Considerably, ethos means common attitude, characteristics of a time period or group, and beliefs, which brings about believability in the writer (Zhang, and Ryden 24). Here, it is worth noting that if the above is brought out clearly, then the writer will be perceived as a trustworthy person who is concerned with the interest of the reader. 

In the book The Road to Serfdom, the author points out at pertinent issues which need to be addressed as far as acquisition of happiness and humankind peace are concerned. To make the issues come out clearly, he examines certain attitudes as usually displayed by man regarding man’s efforts to have peace and live in happiness.in regard to this, he points out that “Planning is the grand panacea of our age.

The theme of his theory was to explore ways in which men should best live based on their virtues. His philosophy contemplated on contemplation about good living and how to create good living (Aristotle 18). Ethics by Aristotle was more practical rather than theoretical.

It is clear from the above theories that at some time, they all attest to the fact that there is some existence and that those existences are real. From these believes people can draw a line between what is a fact and what is just mere speculation or an illusion. Therefore, the question remains, can there be multiple realities?  

The core element of this discussion centralises whether there can ever exist a right to die. Dare we answer this in the affirmative? Dare our fear of death fade so that we may one day have the option to take our own life? Should society defend the possession of the individual’s right to die (Mill 142)?

While some like Karl Marx believe that morality is a product of capitalism, Stankov contends that man’s nature acquired a moral sense in pre-historic times. Debates and discussions continue with the proponents and opponents presenting their arguments. Different religious groups also have their stand on the origins of human morals.

Rene Descartes was one of the great French philosophers and thinkers of the seventeenth century. Known for his philosophy of “I think, therefore, I am,” Descartes introduces to us one of the important philosophical principles, which is that of skepticism and uncertainty.  

Mercy death is therefore assisted murder. Terminally ill patients are usually unable to commit suicide and therefore ask someone to ‘put them out of their misery’ (Padilla, 218). Such patients not only give their permission to end their lives but also in most cases request and even demand that their lives be terminated.

The online dictionary definition of honesty implies "fairness and straightforwardness of conduct". The second definition is keeping to the facts: sincere (Merriam-Webster). Fairness and sincerity are a contradiction. If an older child beat up his brother because his brother broke one of his games, the parent would admonish the violent reaction.

For example, the rules that have been laid down, punishments for going against outlined laws and the reasons why these punishments are there must be considered for laws to be effective. There are different theories that help to approach the concept of obedience to the law and reasons for punishment.

Justice or Moral Uprightness of Human Rights. Plato’s Republic is one of the foremost philosophical texts of the ancient world. While the text examines a broad array of philosophical issues, one of its primary considerations is the nature of morality. In the second book of the Republic, Glaucon argues that morality is only a socially constructed concept that individuals follow because it is to their advantage to do so.

Moses demonstrated that both men’s lives were completely dependent upon God for their success; both knew that without God’s wisdom leading them, they would be powerless and defeated. A common biblical theme that resonates throughout Genesis is, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” (The NIV Study Bible, Prov.

With this in mind, no one can disagree with the philosopher because it is pretty obvious that no matter reasons a person or a country has, bombs are used by so-called human beings to do an inhumane act, taking lives. Expanding the idea to other matters, the truth of it could abundantly be seen if an individual critically observes other circumstances.

The discussion of forms sparks more controversy as the relationship among soul, death and life are drawn. With Aristotle, belief of acquisition of knowledge of things that could not be otherwise is essential. Aristotle believes that one always gains knowledge of what he or she earlier did not know.

Functionalists are usually preoccupied with the individuation of mental states, partly on the basis of causal relations to other mental states. As Shoemaker explains, in the 1975 work, functionalism, from the philosophy of mind view is the conviction that psychological or mental terms can be done away with to a certain extent.