Philosophy Essays

Some of the bad apples come to our notice and hence we end up removing them. On the other hand, a few infected ones might have stayed back to infect the rest of the fruits in the basket. Thus he contemplates the best method would be to remove all the apples or empty the basket totally and then carefully put back the good ones only.

In other words, why should we say our normal moral attitude toward charity is wrong? Why shouldn't we instead say we say our negative reaction to the guy who lets the child drown to save his suit - that the reaction is confused and misguided?

The Four Noble Truths refer to essential realizations Siddhartha Guatama is believed to have attained on his path towards spiritual enlightenment. They demonstrate a spiritual concern with the resistance of material longing, the cessation of suffering, and how to apply Siddhartha’s teachings to help achieve Nirvana.

There is the faculty of self-assertion in the individual driven by his autonomous nature which, along with rationalism, has brought about the breakthroughs that would foster modernity. Individualism is almost analogous to the way a society then distinguished itself from others through the boundaries, recognition, inclusion or exclusion, that rested to some extent between it and others and not on some intrinsic quality possessed by their members.

In the context of increasing freedoms for individuals that are being implemented through international treaties and conventions, the moot question that he poses is, where should the borders of societal restraints mandated within the law be drawn, in order that they do not constitute an interference with individual morality and freedom.  

In this connection, ecocommunalism is a generic term that covers a diverse range of utopian, visionary and essentially anarchist Green theories that seek the development of human-scale, cooperative communities, that enable the whole and mutualistic development of humans, while at the same time respecting the integrity of the non-human world.

It is a question that has troubled millions of people since the dawn of time: how should a person lead a good, meaningful life? There are as many theories as there are grains of sand on the beach, but some ideas over the years have been more popular than others. Some people are born into religions where these questions are largely answered for them 

Descartes felt the only way to obtain true knowledge was to rely solely upon human reason while ignoring the senses. “His philosophy refused to accept the Aristotelian and Scholastic traditions that had dominated philosophical thought throughout the Medieval period; it attempted to fully integrate philosophy with the ‘new sciences’; and Descartes changed the relationship between philosophy and theology. 

Looking critically at the statement, “After Auschwitz (and in this respect, Auschwitz is a prototype of something which has been repeated incessantly in the world since then) our interest is in ensuring that this should never happen again,” Adorno uses this phrase at the end of ‘Lecture II’ (1968) in “Introduction to Sociology". 

One area of knowledge that has particularly controversial developments is biology and medicine, which has led to the development of a field known as bioethics. One area which is currently being researched but raises many issues is that of human enhancement. In general terms, this is any form of scientific advancement that is used to improve upon the human body as it is naturally

Positive thinking heals the mind and body, thereby leading one to the inner world. Positive thinking is one of the elements of metaphysics that enables the mind to create the life one wants. To undertake this study, literature from renowned authors on the subject would be reviewed and then the findings assimilated.

Human beings have no right to think or even to evaluate the position of the animals because of whatever opinion they form of animals, they form it with a human’s point of view. Moreover, the fact is that the only reason behind human beings killing the animals is the innate desire of superiority over others. Acquiring and demonstrating power over other beings is an inbuilt tendency of the man since the primitive time.

In the middle of Elizabeth Costello’s speech, in Chapter 3 of J.M. Coetzee’s novel, Costello’s daughter-in-law Norma remarks, “’ She is rambling’’ (Pg. 73). Indeed when taken for its exactly scientific or consistent philosophical prescriptions, Costello’s speech is logically inconsistent and slightly rambling.

Even Aristotle, the great philosopher of antiquity defined the meaning of the word "ethos" as a character or temperament and put it on the basis of the adjective "ethicos", the meaning of which is gaining new one - "ethical", defining the goodness of human character, i.e., wisdom, justice and other.

The philosopher Immanuel Kant would eventually emerge and try to fuse together Spinoza’s rationalism with Hume’s empiricism. While these criticisms constitute the most overarching critiques, there is additionally the recognition that philosophers have taken issue with specific ideas in Spinoza’s doctrines. 

To explain this argument in detail, we are given an example; it is the function of lyre-players to play the lyre. In chapter nineteen of Aristotle, a good lyre player must perform and deliver the best.

Kierkegaard did propose some significant theories to explain the development of personality, and also suggested that humans can, by looking inward and evaluating their own lives and thoughts, live full and valuable lives. Certainly, he also provides some valuable food for thought to improve the current state of the world and the choices facing humanity.

When reading both Doyle and Dillard, the understanding of realities becomes apparent.  In one, the definition of reality is one that is defined by the dreams that turn into reality, similar to the burning of a moth in the light.  In Doyle, the reality is defined by understanding the true and deeper meanings of words and creating memories and associations with this while living life. 

By questioning the sufferings of those who have done absolutely nothing, who have no idea about good and evil, who are helpless, Dostoevsky aptly questions the edifice of right and wrong. Also, Swinburne does not account for the evil done by people to meet their own demands. Neither does he talk about people who do it for their whims and fantasies.

With the digital revolution, for example, it is possible for more people to know more information than ever before in human history, opening up new questions for morality. Additionally, science (particularly biology) has moved to such levels that it is impossible to read a newspaper article about an important discovery which does not raise an ethical question

It is a guideline that directs me in the right direction at any time. It shields me from the temptations of desiring to divert from the right path by continually reminding me of the repercussions.

A number of clients seeking therapy have done so because they feel they could not make it on their own that the existential approach may be inadequate in this respect. How the therapist intends to allow the client to see meaning in his life is not explicitly explained and there seems to be no specific strategy on how to help him find this meaning.

It is all about ideas and how one perceives them. Imagination leads us into a philosophical class where many students are sitting on benches and a lecturer is giving some age-old explanation of a theory devised by an epoch turned scientist, sociologist, or theorist. 

Some ordinances also pertain to the supernatural order of grace, which are thus inaccessible to natural reason. However, the natural law theory is not at all different from the divine law theory because of the source of the standards of doing what is moral and avoiding what is immoral.

Rousseau attributed sovereign power to the state and in a similar attempt to bring about a classless society; Marx resorted to the idea of totalitarianism by making the state the supreme authority. Even though democratic ideas of equality resound in their theories, they never were thoroughly democratic but were totalitarian in their outlooks.    

One important notion to be realized in the contrarieties and differences possessed by King and Malcolm is that no matter how different King’s views were to Malcolm, and Malcolm’s were to King, there still exists a sense of solidarity within them; two individuals of the same race. The issue is not on identifying who should be believed in, but on realizing how important values of unity and solidarity could flourish amid a certain disparity.

The extent of truth in mathematics, arts and ethics vary according to their functions. It is difficult to prove that one is closer than the others to the truth. The functions of these three issues vary. Mathematics is reason-based, art is based on emotions and ethics is a combination of reason and feelings. Each is related as closely or as far from the truth as the others.

The different ways of knowing that help us distinguish the truth from what we believe is true.  Even though there are certain questions that we cannot answer through our present knowledge, however, laying aside matters of sacred belief, there is enough knowledge for us to be able to distinguish between the truth and what we believe to be true by utilizing the ways of knowledge available to us.

Although William of Ockham greatly differed from the Catholic Church on a number of significant issues, he nevertheless embraced the understanding of faith that underlined the Christian religion. While contemporary Christian thought embraces the faith as this central concern, during Ockham’s time it was still a relatively marginal concept.

My worldview includes my beliefs regarding the nature and sources of knowledge (my epistemology), my beliefs about the nature of Reality (my metaphysics), my beliefs about the beginning and nature of the universe (my cosmology), my beliefs about the gist and purpose of the universe and its inhabitants (my teleology), my beliefs about the existence of God (my theology), etc.

In defiance of parental rules and surveillance, both Jess and Pinky are expressing typical teenage rebellion. In this, they are each peculiar from the society in which they live as Pinky meets with her boyfriend at the airport and as Jess sneaks out to the football field, yet they are the same in that both are protesting against the rules.

I do not feel comfortable with my jaded perception because deep inside I would really want to believe that such an approach is truly successful.  However, my doubts that there is a human therapist with such immense patience and understanding while maintaining professional judgment impair my full confidence in the approach.

At the same time, the thoughts we have regarding the nature of reality on an internal level can manifest themselves externally as we begin to sensitize ourselves to that impression. It’s a complicated circle that contains no definite points of departure or intersection that have remained the basis of philosophic thought for generations. 

It is rightly said," Child is the father of man". What this means, in essence, is that whatever we experience in our childhood, makes us what we are after we filter out the elements from our experiences that don't agree with our belief system. We do this with the use of perception in our thought processes. Our belief system develops during our growing up years, when we interact with our parents and with the society at large. 

Aristotle envisioned happiness as being attained only when we are able to live our lives according to our individual understanding of moral virtues which would lead to the use of practical wisdom.  In making his case, Aristotle illustrates how there are actually several virtues, which he calls by the names of courage, temperance, magnanimity, pride, gentleness, truthfulness and wit.

The work of Friedrich Nietzsche is valuable to society today because it holds a great deal of thought-provoking material that can be analyzed, but this information is also quite dangerous to the safety of human beings in general. For this reason, Nietzsche’s work should not be followed, as it would lead to a chaotic society where everyone simply does whatever he or she desires at all times.

When people are unable to have many of their set basic psychological requirements like ‘safety, competence, connectedness, and autonomy’, the problem of insecurity moves in (Kasser et al, 2004). The psychological insecurity and the efforts to cope with the insecurity both can be termed materialistic (Kasser and Sheldon, 2000).

At first, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) in the 19th century and Emma Goldman at the beginning of the 20th century raised her voice in the United States for women rights. Other feminist theorists including Patricia Hill Collins and others launched a campaign for their rights in the latter half of the 20th century and demanded that women too should have been the same rights as had been delegated to men.

The analysis demonstrates that whilst Dr. King, Gandhi and Chavez had different objectives and different leadership styles, their adherence to non-violent protests highlights the universality of Thoreau’s philosophies regarding civil disobedience, particularly as the three leaders utilized civil disobedience to trigger radical social change.

She would like to live on her own, so her being should be the behavioral lesson.

Freedom of speech considered in this manner then turns out to be that an individual is free to express what he likes, but the authorities and society have the capability to make this expression of freedom a costly endeavor. Thus freedom of speech is impacted by the perceptions of the authorities and the society in which the individual lives.

John Stuart Mill is the torch-bearer of the liberty of speech and writing. He was the pioneer to demand the freedom of the press. He states this freedom a tool to combat the tyranny of a government. He strictly condemns restrictions on journalism and compares silencing the expression of an opinion equal to robbing the human race.

Eventually, the researcher will develop an argument based on the different opinions of the past and current philosophers with regards to the ways on how standpoint epistemology should be developed. At the end of the study, the researcher will make a conclusion by expressing her own point-of-view related to the arguments of several philosophers.

Do you plan to learn a new language? Most Korean employers ask this question, among others.

Human rights law has revolutionized the field Of international law. In the nineteenth century, human beings were not recognized under international law; their rights were derived from the rights of states. What the state did to its own citizens within its own territory was a matter of "domestic jurisdiction," a private law concept.

There are many different things that we can conclude, several of particular importance, and one specific point would be that critical thinking and reflective practice are both issues which are incredibly essential and significant in regards to many different forms of life, and in particular in the subject field of human thought.

It is easy to see Melissus and Anaximander as monists in their own right but there are subtle differences between the two as there are differences between the approaches taken to the idea of monism. In my own opinion, between the two, the approach taken by Anaximander is closer to a logical notion since Melissus denies the presence of a void.

Love and aggressiveness are very closely related to Freud’s conception of a person’s social interactions. Both allow the individual to satisfy the desires of his ego: love-relationships provide the satisfaction of desires either through sexual satisfaction, or (in friendships) through aid to achieve the individual’s aims.

It was in the Republic that we see different classes coming into action whereby there were producers, guardians, and rulers nonetheless and it was the meaning that held emphasis for their own whims that they were given motivations in terms of their respective souls and the manner in which the same ruled over these people, divided by distinct classes.

As the man begins to live with other men and begins to compare himself to others; when he lives in communities with the division of labor resulting in exploitation of the weaker by the stronger, then man’s natural goodness and compassion are compromised and lead to a different kind of inequality – moral inequality, which can be prevented.