...Human Nature Human nature is an intangible idea that no one seems to agree of that which it consists, yet many seem to agree that it does exist. Some philosophers will debate that human nature is inherently good while others will deem human nature as inherently evil. Others think that human nature is to seek the greatest good, happiness, or a moral life. So what makes us human? What separates us as a species yet unites us as well? When searching for universals of humans, many physiological aspects of life can be cited. Human mortality is a largely recognized aspect of being a human. However anything with life, whether it is a plant, animal, man or other, is mortal and has a beginning and an end. So while mortality is something that is found in all humans, it is not exclusively a human quality. We need nourishment to grow and live, but again, so do most other things that have life. We are physically similar, meaning that while there are differences among us, we are all the same species; just as any other species is similar to others in their own species. However, I would consider these qualities as nature, not just human nature. Human nature I believe is something that goes beyond our physiological side. Before I present my argument, I must first define human nature. According to the Oxford Dictionary, human nature is the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. In...
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...“Analyse the current government’s argument that the nature of jobs created within an economy dictate the degree of success rather than the amount of jobs”. 1. Introduction The Irish economy has changed greatly in the last Forty years. An educated workforce and Urbanisation of our towns and cities has seen an industry shift. There are a number of important factors that allowed this to happen so quickly. Ireland’s membership of alliances such as the E.U. and the O.E.C.D and the directives that were incurred as a result of these memberships. More recently in the Nineties the economy had enjoyed a period of prosperity which was generally accredited to the provision of subsidies to knowledge based industries such as I.T., Financial Sectors and Research & Development. This coupled with a desirable location and a new highly educated workforce. As stated in the department of finances report in 2011 the economy experienced imbalances due to bad auditing systems in the banking and building sectors. “The Irish economy was transformed over the past two decades. Per capita income rose strongly, converging towards and subsequently overtaking European average levels. However, from the early part of the last decade, imbalances began to emerge which made the economy increasingly vulnerable. A major property bubble began to unwind from 2007, and the fall-out from this was exacerbated by the major deterioration in the external environment...
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...Develop the argument that certain kinds of cultures, political and economic systems are, by their nature, resistant to economic development through international trade. In this modern age of globalization, where capital can cross the national borders so easily and the investment funds can be pulled from one country to another in order to respond to new business opportunities, economic development is attainable in the most of the countries. However, the economic development depends on the certain kinds of cultures, political and economic systems. In general for any country to reach an economic development there are few conditions to be met such as stable government, no corruption and friendly culture. In other words, economic development is “affected by those intangibles that are collectively known as culture” (Francis & Hezel). Max Weber in the early 20th century offered a different view on how cultural and even religious values impact the economic output. “He argued that the Protestant work ethic, supported by Reformation teachings that the pursuit of wealth was a duty, inculcated the virtues needed for maximum economic productivity. For this reason, Protestants were more productive than Catholics throughout Europe-just think of Germany and Great Britain, for instance, compared to Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy in his day.” (Francis & Hezel). The question is why some countries do very well, while others fail to develop, even when there are help to support their development...
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...Hume defined miracles as a “violation of the laws of nature” and consequently rejected their occurrence as both improbable and impractical. This view has been supported by modern scientists and philosophers such as Atkins, Dawkins and Wiles to a certain extent. However Aquinas, Tillich and Holland and Swinburne to a certain extent reject Hume’s reasons, instead arguing that miracles have a divine cause and that Hume’s arguments are weak. This essay will argue that Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are not valid and in doing so consider his two main arguments; lack of probability and Hume’s practical argument. Hume’s first reason for rejecting miracles was a lack of probability. He argued that evidence from people’s experience of observing the world showed the laws of nature to be fixed and unvarying. However to suggest a miracle occurred was to say that the laws of nature had been violated, hence his definition of miracles being a “violation of the laws of nature.” Miracles were reported has having occurred by eyewitnesses, as is stated in the Bible in the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. However for Hume it was far more likely that the eyewitnesses were mistaken in what they witnessed, than for Jesus to have actually raised Lazarus from the dead and in doing so violated fixed laws of nature. A violation of the laws of nature was therefore an improbable occurrence. Wiles’ agrees with Hume’s point that it is more likely the eyewitness was wrong than a miracle...
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...Phil 110 Heter Lecture Two: The Argument from Design by Paley [1] Overview. William Paley argued that the universe is so complex that it must have been designed by a higher power. Paley compares the natural universe to a watch. The complexity of the watch proves that it must have been designed. Such a meticulous machine could not have arise by chance. Since the natural universe is far more complex than a watch (think of a human heart), the natural universe must have a designer that is very powerful. This designer must be all powerful; thus the designer must be God. Paley’s argument has been revived in the past five years under the name of “Intelligent Design.” The Intelligent Design Argument is exactly the same as Paley’s argument, with only one exception. The Intelligent Design Argument concludes that “a higher power of some sort, that we might call an ‘intelligent designer’ must exist.” But the argument does not call the ‘intelligent designer’ God. [2] Note on terms: “Teleological.” The Argument from Design has two different names. The argument is also called the “Teleological Argument.” The word “teleological” comes from the Greek word “telos” which means “end” or “purpose.” Paley believes that the universe has a purpose (telos) just like a watch has a purpose (to tell time). For example, the purpose of a human heart is to pump blood. [3] The Argument from Design Premise 1.If an object has a design then it must have a designer....
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...The start of this paper I think the best place to look is to the bible for what it says about our human nature as well as how nurturing plays a part inside the life of a person. When we look to the bible for understanding of human nature we are lead to see that our human nature is one of sin and death. Looking at Romans 8:13 for an example of this to quote part of it “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die” this tells us that if we live by our human nature that it will only lead to death. However if we finish reading the verse it also says “but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” this gives us hope that if we live by the Spirit there is hope in life. Furthermore we can see answers for how nurturing plays a key part inside our lives. Inside the bible we can see a lot of examples of what the bible says about nurturing a child to adult to bring them up right and proper. The best example I have found is inside Ephesians 6:4 to quote it says “bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord”. This is a great example of how to raise a kid inside a household. Moving forward to develop an answer to the first question on my opinion on the idea of the whole argument of Nature vs. Nurture took me on a road that really has left me with more questions than answers. What I have to say about this topic is based upon a lot of my personal experiences with addiction as much as with other addicts. To say out...
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...SUMMARY OF PALEY’S EVIDENCES OF THE EXISTENCE Joseph K. Olumullah Ivy Tech Community College PHIL 220-obh-h1-201420 Instructor: Jeff Dodge 09/29/2014 SUMMARY William Paley was born in England in 1743-1805 and was a trained Anglican priest. William wrote several books on both Christianity and philosophy. One of the notable books that he wrote was teleological argument for the existence of God. His argument has gone some changes in the past years, the latest being christened “intelligent design”. This argument is the same as design argument and the only difference being that latter concludes that there is higher power that is called an “intelligent designer while the previous doesn’t called it “intelligent designer. Paley argues that...
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...4a. Explain Paley's argument for the existence of God (25) William Paley's argument for the existence of God is an important aspect of the Design argument, which argues that the universe is being directed towards an end purpose due to the a posteriori (subject to experience) evidence of an intelligent designer, who is God. This is because it is perhaps arguably the most famous version, and the theory which modern-day theories for the Design argument are built upon. The first version of the Design argument came from Plato, a Greek philosopher, who developed it to address the universe's apparent order. Plato proposed in his book Timaeus that a “demiurge”, a divine being of supreme wisdom and intelligence, was the creator of the cosmos. In Roman times, this was built upon by Cicero, a Roman jurist, who put forward an early version of what Paley would use for his design argument. In his book On the Nature of Gods, he put forward an analogy of a sundial being designed to tell the time, and that this could be attributed to nature, so therefore like something must of made the sundial, something must of made nature, and this something is an artificer, or God. These key ideas were later developed in the Dominican priest St.Thomas Aquinas' Five ways in his work the Summa Theologica. Each of his ways were in essence proving the existence of God, but the 5th way in particular, which states that common sense tells us the universe acts in such a way so therefore we conclude an intelligent...
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...better belief system based upon his refutation of the theistic arguments. He argues against the existence of God by attempting to refute the cosmological and teleological arguments; as well he endeavours to discredit a God based upon the presence of evil. In doing this, he extends the boundaries for arguing God, whilst opening the floor to debate free will and the apparent comfort of the atheistic belief system. However, through careful analysis of the arguments for God, and an insight into the mysterious free will that God has given man; we see that a theistic belief is logically more sound and preferred. McCloskey says that the proofs for the argument of God cannot definitively establish a case for the existence of God. Therefore, all those proofs for God cannot be used in the logical argument for a God. However, McCloskey didn’t recognize the three aspects when approaching the question: does God exist. Through these three studies, we are shown that though no one person can empirically prove the existence of God, He in fact still exists (Foreman, Lesson 18). The three aspects to approaching the question of God are: best explanations approach, cumulative case approach, and the minimalistic concept of God. The best explanations aspect refers to the existence of God as the best way of explaining the effects that we can empirically observe within our universe. The cumulative case view tells us that no one argument can get us to the existence of the God of Christianity. Finally...
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...Nicomachean Ethics By: Mikah Friesen In this paper, I will reconstruct Aristotle's arguments in Book 2, chapter 5 of his Nicomachean Ethics. In this chapter, Aristotle tries to determine what a virtue is and continues as follows. He assumes that virtue is something in the soul and that there are only three kinds of things in the soul. He then gives several lesser arguments intended to show that virtue is not equal with the first two of the three kinds of things in the soul. He then concludes that virtue is identical with the third kind of thing in the soul. I will argue that Aristotle's arguments in this chapter are, with only minor changes noted below, effective. Aristotle begins this chapter by saying that "we must inquire into what virtue is" (1105b19) and at its end states that virtue is a state (1106a12). So the summary of the whole theory is: Virtue is a state. In the first paragraph, Aristotle makes the resulting dispute that sets his approach for the rest of the chapter. (1) Things found in the soul are of only three types: emotions, capacities, and characteristics. (Evidence, 1105b19-20) (2) Virtue is a kind of thing found in the soul. (Implied or complete evidence) Therefore, (3) virtue is a passion, a capacity, or a state. (1105b20-21) Aristotle here only obviously declares (1) and (3) (and note that he gestures that (3) is an assumption that he draws ("since" . . . "must be", 1105b19 and 20)). But (2) is a clear...
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...implements an overview of arguments given by the theist, which he introduces as proofs. He claims that the proofs do not create a rationalization to believe that God exists. He provides 3 theist proofs, which are Cosmological argument, teleological argument, and the argument of design. He also mentions the presence of evil in the world. He focuses on the existence of evil to try to support his non belief in God. McCloskey believes that if there is evil, then there cannot be a God. Not one of these arguments can actually reach the point of certainty that God does not exist. First McCloskey argues about the Cosmological argument. McCloskey provides a dispute against the cosmological argument: “The mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in such a being.” The claim of the cosmological argument is only stating that a being exist. In response, Evans and Manis talk about a non-temporal form of the cosmological argument. They break it down into three factors: “Some contingent beings exist. If any contingent beings exist, then a necessary being must exist (because contingent beings require a necessary being as their ultimate cause). Therefore, there exists a necessary being (which is the ultimate cause of the existence of contingent beings).” We all believe things exist. We may not agree on how they exist, but the point that Evans and Manis make is that a being can exist and may have no cause. McCloskey also claims that the cosmological argument “does not entitle...
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...Nicolas Ceccacci March 11, 2016 Philosophy 101 Michael Candelaria Philosophy Midterm Paper What does the allegory of the cave suggest about the nature of education? The allegory of the cave is supposed to be a metaphor for the world we are living in. That finding this truth or overall good is how people will be able to gain the most knowledge. Socrates is explaining to his student, Glaucon, how he believes it’s our own ignorance of goodness and truth that will prevent a man from gaining this nature of education. What Socrates fails to mention in my own opinion is how this allegory supports a role in the nature of education. In my essay I want to go over what my interpretations are of this allegory and how it’s structured to represent our learning throughout our life. This will lead to my argument explaining how irrelevant this metaphor is simply because it is an allegory. For my second argument I will mention how I disagree with Socrates views on the nature of our education. For the last part of my argument, I want to go over what I believe is also involved with the nature of our education, not being just the “Good”. I want to briefly go over what exactly this allegory represents to me. By establishing my understanding towards what the allegory means, I can hopefully strengthen my future points that I am making. It is obvious that Plato structured this allegory to represent the divided line that separates what we know from our senses and our mind. The allegory...
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...relationship between nature and the development of mankind along the Columbia River. The growth of the river and the developments that came with it could not have been done without human ingenuity which White seeks to explain within the book. We’ve seen this in previous lectures where civilizations started along rivers and have developed with the river, and how human history has been shaped towards the interactions between both river and mankind. The Organic Machine brings forth that both natives and foreigners of the land, have continually altered the river to where it seems as though it works as a machine strictly there to create natural energy. White ultimately examines the impact that Pacific Northwesterners’ have on the river’s history with their creation of industries, ranging from power plants to general fishing. The main argument that White makes in The Organic Machine is that the history of humans could not have developed without the manipulation of nature, specifically rivers and in this case the Columbia River, and vice versa. White introduces how the river is very powerful and requires large...
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...“The design argument shows the existence of God is probable.” Comment on this view (9 marks) “All the regularity in nature would be due to the action of a postulated God, making nature, as it were, performing a great symphony” (Swinburne, The Existence of God, 2005). Richard Swinburne approached the argument from the angle of probability suggesting that the evidence of design and order in the universe increases the probability of the existence of God. Swinburne’s argument is based on the remarkable degree and extent of order and regularity in the universe. It is an appealing argument because one cannot deny the apparent evidence – DNA, laws of nature and the complex evolutionary process. On the other hand we could simply accept it as a ‘brute fact’ (Bertrand Russell) and so it is essentially unexplainable. However, this is not ultimately a satisfactory and complete explanation for the apparent order; it does not provide what Leibniz called a ‘principle of sufficient reason’. Like Tennant’s Anthropic Principle, Swinburne presents a cumulative argument observing that the universe is fit for human life and moral choices and he identifies seven features of the universe which he argues increases the probability of the universe being designed e.g. order, miracles and religious experience. However, one could object to some of Swinburne’s seven features, namely religious experience and miracles, because they are subject to the problem of verification. Even Swinburne acknowledges...
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...In the following essay I will examine the arguments for and against the idea that there is such a thing as a fixed and essential human nature. This is a debate which goes back to antiquity, to the time of Socrates and to his idea that a person must endeavor to know oneself. Thus founding the first philosophy, which was the study of man and of human nature. Firstly I will examine the argument for a fixed human nature in the form of the theory of argument from design and also determinism. Then I will proceed to examine the argument against a fixed human nature, in the theory of existentialism. Lastly I intend to show the evidence, as to why I conclude that there is no such thing as a fixed human nature, and that the theory of existentialism is the plausible argument. I will examine now, the idea that all humans have a fixed human nature. Plato and Aristotle were the first to concur on metaphysics as the first point of study. They differed to each other in so far as Plato had a dualistic approach and believed in a world outside of the changeable physical world, that we exist in. He thought this world, was just a world of appearances' another world known as the world of ideals or forms. Plato thought the only way we come to know the world of forms was through the intellect. Aristotle however was concerned only with the material world and what he could learn about through his senses. He rejected Plato's idea of an immaterial reality and was concerned only with this world as the...
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