...world which he lives. From the origin of man till date, he has substantially brought nature under control and his existence is all about how nature and d universe has influenced man and vice-versa. What is philosophy and why is it necessary that we provide the philosophy account of man? The challenge here and the probable answers to the question raised rest on our ability to understand and correctly define first what philosophy is and from there we proceed to give reasons why it must be built on some foundation of man, in this case a philosophic account (foundation). Philosophy most time deals with the probe into the essential nature of things. Based on approach, philosophy can have different definition. To understand that which is philosophical, we must first appreciate what ‘philosophy’ is before explaining the attitudes that derives from it, which is the ‘philosophical’. The term philosophy is derived from two Greek words, ‘Philo’ which means ‘Love” and ‘Sophia’ which means ‘Wisdom’. Thus, literally, ‘philosophy’ is ‘love of wisdom’. Love is a feeling in the head or in the heart that makes us depending on who we are and who we are relating with. My love feeling for example towards my dog would not be the same love feeling to my siblings neither will it be the same with that for my parents and in particular that for my mother. The point here is that we cannot appreciate that which is philosophical if we only limit ourselves to the etymological definition of the word philosophy...
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...philosophy. This is clearly seen in the modern university where the highest degree granted in all of the science and humanities is the Ph. D. the doctor of philosophy. But the children began to leave home. The first to leave was physics and astronomy. As they begun to develop experimental techniques of their own. This exodus, led by Galileo and Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler created the first of many great family crises. Eventually psychology left home. The divisions that came through the exodus are what are structured as the thematic within the study of philosophy. In this work, I intend to escalate on some of these divisions in the study of philosophy. Philosophy of History Abstract In this discipline of philosophy it uses the philosophical...
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...benefit greatly from it. 2. Explain the Socratic Method of Teaching. Is this a useful way for students to learn? The Socratic Method of Teaching dates back to ancient Athenian times. Socrates was the wisest man states the Oracle. Socrates replied saying “he was wise because he admitted his ignorance.” Sadly Socrates never wrote down any of his thoughts however, Pluto wrote dialogue that reflected his views. His method is a good way for students to learn because it helps them develop critical thinking skills. It helps students improve their skills in analysis and opening up to thoughts and ideas. This method helps provide a foundation for answers we are looking for and puts those answers into perspective. 3. Explain how critical thinking can be used to analyze a philosophical issue. Critical thinking can be used to analyze a philosophical issue because it helps with understanding the issue at hand and comprehending those issues. Being able to think critically means that you are able make rational evaluations to investigate facts and reasons to philosophical issues. Philosophy itself is a thinkers game. It is a way to evaluate arguments in the world and critical thinking is...
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...regarded as the father of philosophy. Thales of Miletus was considered one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece. Thales was the first of the Greek natural philosophers and founder of the Ionian school of ancient Greek thinkers. Works/Writings/Philosophy: His is said to have measured the Egyptian pyramids and to have calculated the distance from shore of ships at sea using his knowledge of geometry. He also predicted an eclipse of the sun. In geometry Thales has been credited with the discovery of five theorems like the one that a triangle inscribed in a semicircle has a right angle. He tried to discover the substance from which everything in nature is made off and suggested water. Thales is important in bridging the worlds of myth and reason. He initiated the revolutionary notion that to understand the world one needed to know its nature and that there was an explanation for all phenomena in natural terms. That was a giant step from the assumptions of the old world that supernatural forces determined almost everything. While considering the effects of magnetism and static electricity, he concluded that the power to move other things without the mover itself changing was a characteristic of "life", so that a magnet and amber must therefore be alive in some way (in that they have animation or the power to act). If so, he argued, there is no difference between the living and the dead. If all things were alive, they must also have souls or divinities (a natural belief of his time)...
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...What Is Hinduism? What is Hinduism? According to Yahoo education.com, the definition of Hinduism is, “A diverse body of religion, philosophy, and cultural practice native to and predominant in India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils.” (2009) The diversity comes from questioning, “what makes up Hinduism?” To understand it you must understand part of the history of the religion. The history of the religion is as diverse as the “body of the religion”. Hinduism is also identified as Sanatana Dharma the “ageless or eternal religion”. The Hindu origin dates back to 8000 BCE, by Indian tradition, when the first Vedas, religious texts, were heard by rishis, ancient philosophical teachers, and passed by word of mouth. To some the birth of Hinduism is dated more around 3000 BCE when the Vedas were put into written form. Even though eighty percent of people from India believe in some form of Hinduism, there is a disputed belief that an Aryan invasion from southern Russia brought the religion to India and did not originate in India. However Hinduism came to the Indian people, it is a strong belief among them. The Hinduism religion has 330 million deities according to Hindu customs and yet there is a focus on Brahman, the ultimate infinite reality. The Brahman has no form or shape, is never-ending, and philosophically...
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...cosmology, and philosophical anthropology lays down the foundation for integration. Both disciplines seek to understand human behavior and both seek to fix what appears to be broken within humanity. Both disciplines seek for truth. Psychology seeks for truth through science and what has been observed, whereas the source for truth for Christianity is found in God through His Words and His Works. The two may not contradict. There are several models of integration and they look to explain what the relationship between psychology and Christianity ought to be. The Allies model, which is discussed in more depth, holds the view that truth is found in God’s Words and Works and that God is sovereign over all things. Integration Paper The integration of psychology and Christianity has been a topic of discussion for many years and will be for many more years to come. It is important that this discussion is not put aside but rather be openly discussed among members from both disciplines. There are many models within integration and they all offer their own perspectives on the relationship between psychology and Christianity. One is not necessarily better than the other because they all present their own advantages and limitations. It is up for an individual to decide which model they will adhere to. Both psychology and theology can only accomplish so much on their own. One must have the other. Integration is important because it presents a more holistic picture of human behavior while...
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...many people have come to think of philosophy as a remote discipline that is far from normal interest and beyond comprehension, nearly all of us have some philosophical view of life. Consciously or unconsciously, whether we accept it or not most of us even as we are vague about what philosophy is, the term usually appear in our conversation.” In this essay review, what is philosophy, by H.S. Staniland, we shall come to discover that philosophy is more practical to life. And that its supposed abstract nature -which may be true due to the engagement of the early Ionian philosophers in cosmological speculation, provides only a distorted image of what professional philosophy really is. In this review, we shall first examine the activities of some people who have since been regarded as philosophers. Next we shall give a definition of philosophy as seen by Staniland. Furthermore we shall highlight, evaluate and elaborate on various arguments in Staniland’s essay. Finally we shall conclude. “At different ages and accross distant places and culture, various people who have been regarded as philosophers, and who have engaged very seriously in philosophizing have had varying aims. Some like Saint Augustine of Hippo have been religious leaders, who have tried in various ways to explain and justify certain religious point of view. Some also have been scientists, like Rene Descartes, who have also attempted and tried to interpret so as to make clear, the meaning and importance of various...
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...conception if space is more true and why? The ontological nature of space is one of the fundamental questions in Kant’s metaphysics and is the foundation around which he constructs his notion of transcendental idealism laid out in his Critique of Pure Reason. Written in response to the previous ‘realist’ conceptions of space Kant challenged strongly the view of its ultimate reality and served to shift the scope of the ontological argument from one of ‘absolutism’ versus ‘relationalism’ to a more developed debate of ‘realism’ against ‘idealism’ as he brought the relationship between space and time, and the mind strongly to the fore. In this essay I am going to contrast this Kantian notion of space as being ‘transcendentally ideal’ against the branded ‘transcendental realism’ of Newton and Clarke. Starting with the latter I’ll go on to bring in the former then proceed to analyse the developments Kant forges past his predecessors. I will then conclude by assessing how and why his view holds more metaphysical depth than that put forward in the Newtonian model by looking at how he accounts for the scope and perspective of human consciousness and the epistemological limits inherent within it. To begin however I will now go to the absolutist models put forward by Newton and Clarke. Prior to Kant, the arguments with regards to spaces ontology were primarily orientated around whether space was absolute (i.e. real in its own nature and independent of objects) or relational (merely relations...
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...the various disciplines, each in its own way, are seen as part of a greater unum. How urgent is the need to rediscover the unity of knowledge and to counter the tendency to fragmentation and lack of communicability that is all too often the case in our schools!”1 This seems to be a challenge for both, Catholic and non-Catholic universities. The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework that helps to conceptualize ethics and to clarify the characteristics and limits of the different ethical theories. In other words, students without philosophical background will find here a synthetic “road map” of ethical approaches. This framework has been previously published in a book in Spain2. In this paper, authors will describe the model and discuss how it has been successfully tested in two different contexts: a University of Catholic Inspiration and a State University. The framework proposed offers sound and solid philosophical foundations, consistent with Catholic social tradition. It allows students to engage with different business ethics traditions, mapping the territory with a critical approach, and showing their limitations. Authors of this paper strongly believe...
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...philosophy is of a holistic nature. In which self-realization and character development is strongly supported. The idealist feelsthat with the growth of a fine moral character as well as personal reflection,wisdom is gained. The holistic approach is supported instead of a specializedconcentration on a specific targeted area. By combining experiences gainedthrough critical thinking and dealing with broader topics, the idealist creates anenvironment in which a learner can rationalize information across curriculum.Idealism as a philosophy had its greatest impact during the nineteenth century.Its influence in today’s world is less important than it has been in the past..Idealism is the conclusion that the universe is expression of intelligence and will,that the enduring substance of the world is the nature of the mind, that thematerial is explained by the mental. Idealism as a philosophy stands in contrastwith all those systems of thought that center in nature (naturalism) or in man(humanism)." According to idealism "to be" means to be experienced by aperson. Idealism holds that the order of the world is due to the manifestation inspace and time of an eternal and spiritual reality. As to knowledge, idealismholds that knowledge is man thinking the thoughts and purposes of this eternaland spiritual reality as they are embodied in our world of fact. As to ethics,idealism holds that the goodness of man's individual and social life is theconformity of the human will with the moral administration...
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...the way that we let external factors affect us that determines who we are. As individuals we all have the freedom to choose our own path and that is what life is all about. Along with the freedom of choice comes the responsibilty of one's actions which can make some people anxious but give others meaning to their lives. To overcome this anxiousness and accept responsibilty is to meet the challenges of life and to truly live it.... [tags: Existentialism, ] 675 words (1.9 pages) $14.95 [preview] Understanding Existentialism - Do we matter. Do we seek personal happiness in life. These are questions from existentialism. The dictionary defines existentialism as an individual’s experience filled with isolation in a hostile universe where a human being attempts to find true self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. Hamlet is an existentialist character who believes that he is forced to avenge his father’s death and the hatred builds in his heart because of the many betrayals which direct him towards a senseless life and constant thoughts about suicide; this ultimately leads to his demise and he is left with naught.... [tags: Existentialism] 872 words (2.5 pages) $14.95 [preview] Life Value vs. Existentialism in Grendel - A main theme in John Gardner’s Grendel, is the constant competition of the ideas of meaning in life versus existentialism. Throughout the novel, Grendel makes a steady spiritual decay to the point of denying any value...
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...Platonic love, one finds a great richness and depth in Plato’s theory of love. In explaining why love is so important to us and yet why it fails us so often, Plato’s view of love seems applicable to our time. It is common knowledge that a very high rate of divorce threatens our marriages. We expect a lot from the sexual passion we call love, but usually end up disappointed when the romance goes away. Yet we keep getting married, thinking that we are going to be the ones that will beat the system. If we fail, we change our partner and try again. We end up our love life as we began it, confused, afraid and as disappointed as we were hopeful. The malaise that characterises our love lives naturally finds its way to the philosophical consulting room. In this paper I shall attempt to show how Plato’s view of love can be helpful both in dispelling our confusion about love and in proposing some solutions to our suffering. A comprehensive account of Plato’s complex theory of love, an exhaustive presentation of the controversies involved in interpreting it or a thorough discussion of the problems it creates, are all beyond the scope of this paper. What one may hope to do is to introduce the reader to some basic characteristics of Plato’s view of love, and then to share some thoughts about its applicability to our contemporary view of the blessings and predicaments involved in what we call love. I shall therefore begin with Plato’s definitions of love (sections 1 and 2), followed by a description...
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...on States and Justice in the thought of Augustine and Rousseau Essay Assignment By: May Ramez Mahrat Supervised by: Dr. Jeremy Kleidosty Arguments and philosophical explanations for what justifies power and states, inspired by the European Enlightenment thought, has headed closer toward reasoning and further from faith. The thought of Rousseau and Saint Augustine is a clear representation of the two poles of reason and faith in political thought. Rousseau, outlining the basis of his social contract on the natural goodness of human beings and putting sovereignty in the hand s of people, differs widely from Augustine who addresses the state as an “essential evil” put to discipline men who are sinners by nature. The political arguments of these two philosophers, who lived in two different ages, represent a different kind of Enlightenment for the both ages that they lived in. This essay will discuss Rousseau’s and Augustine’s regards to state, justice and property and will examine the effects of their thoughts on modern politics. Augustine and Rousseau in Comparison Wrapping his political and social beliefs with virtuous, deist and theological Christian discourse, Augustine, the Christian bishop, presents a leap in the Western thought at a time close to the beginning of the middle ages. His political views in his writings are interpreted differently by various scholars as he rarely expresses direct positions in regards to the political organization of states and the...
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...Philosophical Fields Philosophy is a wide-ranging discipline because it deals with various dimensions of human experience. In order to have a better, complete and deeper understanding of philosophy which is broad in nature we should analyze first its components, parts and fields. We study these parts separately, show there interrelationship as well as their relation as a whole. The two philosophical categories are theoretical and practical philosophy. Theoretical philosophy deals with the acquisition of truth and knowledge while practical aims not only to learn the truth but as well as the application of truth or knowledge to benefit and be useful to mankind. Philosophical fields are classified under theoretical philosophy; epistemology-knowledge, cosmology-physical universe, metaphysics-reality, being and existence, ontology- particular existing things, psychology-mind and consciousness, theodicy- God and Divine doctrine. Therefore theoretical deals with knowing things, aiming knowledge or truth and reflects about nature as well as the relation of things. Under practical philosophy include; semantics- linguistic meanings, logic- thinking and argument, ethics-behavior and good life, aesthetics- art and beauty and the last is axiology-values. This kind of philosophy, concern to the things which perceptible and useful. Its goal is not just finding the truth but applying the knowledge gained for the benefit of the mankind. As life in this world becomes more complicated, it is...
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...Anthony Pulliam Humanities 09/17/2010 Plato's and Aristotle's Views on Knowledge Plato and Aristotle view knowledge and the process whereby it is obtained. They both point out that many epistemological concepts which they believe where knowledge comes from and what it is actually. Most of them have been astonished me in certain ways, but I found that rationalism and "wisdom consists in knowing the cause which made a material thing to be what it is" make the most sense to me regarding the nature of knowledge. As the following, we will discuss about why these two philosophical viewpoints are superior and the others are inferior. Aristotle believes that sensory perception of material objects is knowledge and he says, "Our senses begin the process of finding the answer, because they are physically close to our minds." However, sensations and feelings are very subjective, and the results of sensation vary from person to person and even within the same person, depending on the circumstances. What to one person is cold might be warm to another, one person may be more fatigued in the afternoon than in the morning, so that his or her perceptions may temporarily less accurate. Therefore one cannot claim that sensations provide sure knowledge for human beings. | On the other hand, Aristotle sustains that the perceptions of the senses form the foundation which leads to true knowledge. The senses "give the most authoritative knowledge of particulars" (individual material objects)...
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