...Philosophy Paper The Challenges of Philosophical Writing The aim of the assignments in your philosophy classes is to get you doing philosophy. But what is philosophy, and how is it to be done? The answer is complicated. Philosophers are often motivated by one or more of what we might call the “Big Questions,” such as: How should we live? Is there free will? How do we know anything? or, What is truth? While philosophers do not agree among themselves on either the range of proper philosophical questions or the proper methods of answering them, they do agree that merely expressing one’s personal opinions on controversial topics like these is not doing philosophy. Rather, philosophers insist on the method of first attaining clarity about the exact question being asked, and then providing answers supported by clear, logically structured arguments. An ideal philosophical argument should lead the reader in undeniable logical steps from obviously true premises to an unobvious conclusion. A negative argument is an objection that tries to show that a claim, theory, or argument is mistaken; if it does so successfully, we say that it refutes it. A positive argument tries to support a claim or theory, for example, the view that there is genuine free will, or the view that we should never eat animals. Positive philosophical arguments about the Big Questions that are ideal are extremely hard to construct, and philosophers interested in formulating or criticizing such arguments usually end up discussing...
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...reasons why it is important for all persons to adopt the philosophic mindset. We will end by providing an overview of the different branches of philosophy. Tasks Read and take notes from chapter 2 of Philosophy: Critically Thinking about Foundational Beliefs, “Why is Philosophy Important?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: * What is meant by the philosophical mindset? A philosophical mindset is an attitude or approach to life that involves regularly examining beliefs to ascertain what they mean, if they are true and what value they have. A philosophical mindset approaches new information critically. It involves questioning, reflecting and considering the meaning, value and truthfulness of what one sees, reads or hears. (Mark W. Foreman. Prelude to Philosophy: Thinking Critically About Foundational Beliefs. 2012) * How does the job/vocation analogy apply to adopting the philosophical mindset? A job is a task performed in order to receive compensation. It is not something individuals are tied to in any personal way and it usually does not affect persons in any deep manner. In contrast a vocation is a way of life to which one is called. While one may be compensated for performing his vocation, she is not in it for the money. It is part of who she is; it forms an important...
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...world has gone through a lot of changes before getting to this stage. It can be seen in the historical perspective and also the topical perspective. The historical or chronological is when we look at the ideas of some philosophers in the past how they influence society with their way of thinking and the motive behind them. In these chronological system is the ancient era, the medieval era, the modern era and presently the contemporary era. In the beginning all systematic search for knowledge was 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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...Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper Author: Jim Pryor, Princeton University [pic] Philosophical writing is different from the writing you'll be asked to do in other courses. Most of the strategies described below will also serve you well when writing for other courses, but don't automatically assume that they all will. Nor should you assume that every writing guideline you've been given by other teachers is important when you're writing a philosophy paper. Some of those guidelines are routinely violated in good philosophical prose (e.g., see the guidelines on grammar, below). Contents • What Does One Do in a Philosophy Paper? • Three Stages of Writing o Early Stages o Write a Draft o Rewrite, and Keep Rewriting • Minor Points • How You'll Be Graded What Does One Do in a Philosophy Paper? 1. A philosophy paper consists of the reasoned defense of some claim Your paper must offer an argument. It can't consist in the mere report of your opinions, nor in a mere report of the opinions of the philosophers we discuss. You have to defend the claims you make. You have to offer reasons to believe them. So you can't just say: My view is that P. You must say something like: My view is that P. I believe this because... or: I find that the following considerations...provide a convincing argument for P. Similarly, don't just say: Descartes says that Q. Instead...
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...fields he inquired using a similar method for it. However it would be foolish to use other methods to try and disapprove the existence of God, for God must not be used for an experiment, however he is considered the first cause of all things. When demonstrating God’s existence there are two things there are needed in Philosophical and empirical methods. Having those two methods and combining faith and philosophical reason one can penetrate everything into the Revelation of God. Theology, is a simple science which is based on the Revelation of God, which uses reason to know what exactly God’s revealed. Empirical science and philosophy are both a different method of theology. In today’s society there are Christians and non-Christians that think theology is only used for rigorous or demonstrative arguments this is not due to the Philosophical reasoning, but to the Revelation and Scripture: Christians would simply call this “fideism” and separate sharply real, of faith from the realm of reason. (Albl 40) However the Catholic’s have made it clear that fideism is certainly an error. Since God created himself this shall never be contradicted. Generally there are arguments based on...
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...prospect of having to write one quite intimidating. Any attempt to explain the nature of philosophical writing in the abstract, however, merely serves to deepen the mystery. All one can say is that once you have started to grapple with various actual examples of such writing, you will begin to form an idea of the type of approach that is needed. Then, all you can do is have a go yourself. In short, like the very first things we were taught as infants, one learns by imitation and by trial and error. But why is it necessary to write philosophy anyway? Isn't it enough just to study the works of philosophers? Writing — whether in the form of books, articles, essays, or dialogues — is, quite simply, the way one works at philosophy. Reading, thinking, talking philosophy are all parts of the process. But none of these is a satisfactory substitute for the discipline of expressing your thoughts on paper. (The lone figure of Socrates is perhaps the only recorded exception to this statement.) A student who has not yet produced his or her first piece of written work has simply not reached first base. — That is why at Pathways we encourage our students to get into the practice of writing from the start. By 'writing' one does not mean simply jotting down thoughts as they come into your head, though this too can be an initial part of the process. Philosophical writing involves constructing an argument. It is reflective and self-critical. Even when the writing flows, the words form an organised...
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...Slice of Life A Synthesis Paper on Philosophy and Logic Jonn Denzel V. Ramos BSGE-1E Does God exist? How to build an attractive city? Does life is real or just an imagination? An average person fails to answer these questions objectively, but philosophers have this will on solving these problems. Philosophy and logic are the fundamentals in search for meaning. Philosophers have these skill set which makes them think different from others, which leads and guides them to real and unbiased answer, it is a slice of life where they embrace every single moment they put up time and effort in their search for answer. Long time ago, Ancient Greeks invented philosophy as the way of thinking and asking questions about all things through its ultimate causes. Pre-Socratic Pythagoras coined the word philosophia which means “love of wisdom” or people who are faithful to wisdom as St. Thomas Aquinas called as wise man. Philosophy began to spread throughout the rest of the world, as the knowledge and discipline that engages and sharpens our reasons. There are three components of philosophy, the material object, formal object and natural scope. The material object refers to the subject being observed and finding the root cause on how it exist is its formal object. The natural scope is simply defined as natural reason which philosophers use in search for explanations. Ordinary and profound are two types of knowledge in philosophy. Ordinary knowledge is the foundation or the simplest form...
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...One of the many philosophical arguments in the book is the Ontological Argument. Ontological Argument is highly recognized as one of the most remarkable arguments ever set forth not just an argument for God’s existence but a purely analytic argument. Ontological argument was regarded as the most intriguing of all arguments for theism. It also regarded as family of arguments. This particular argument is also called “a priori” argument. This does not rely mainly on the facts on observable world. But , it tries to show that the existence of God comes from the very definition of God itself as the most perfect being without using facts. An “a priori” argument about God’s existence depends on how we define God. The point of this argument is very crucial because, if the Ontological Argument proves to be valid, it is not just the mere existence of God is established, but more significantly, also traditional attributes that theists believe God to have. Nonetheless, the Ontological argument has been influential that it has both earned numerous passionate critics and defender of various philosophical learning from the time it was advocated until today. One of them is Immanuel Kant who is believed to have delivered a fatal blow to the this argument by pointing out that “existence” is not the real predicate. The problem to say “God exists” does not tell us anything about God. The use of the word exist does not add anything new to our understanding of God. Another argument is also the Cosmological...
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...experience, more to the point, does it even exist? In this paper I will mention the standard view about consciousness and the nature of conscious experiences that I can summate from Nagel’s “What it is like to be bat?” argument and Jackson’s knowledge argument in “Epiphenomenal Qualia.” The local worldview interprets that consciousness is basically a state of awareness of a person’s surroundings and sensations. Rather one’s own existence. Howbeit, if we adhere to this definition, all life could be contemplated as conscious. Plants are ‘aware’ of the direction of the sun, animals are ‘aware’ if they’re hungry or if a predator’s on their trail and so on. Either this state of being aware is a mere biological or chemical reaction to particular situations, smell, soil ingredients or awareness of we call consciousness is simply not relevant to such a simple definition. While naturally there is no one philosophical opinion on this matter, this is where Nagel’s argument comes into play. In “What is it like to be a bat” argument Nagel (1974, p. 436) believes that many different forms of animal life do have conscious experiences. Nevertheless, he also states the fact that if conscious experience exists in an organism at all, means that “there is something it is like to be that organism” (1974, p. 436) supporting the “subjective character of experience” (1974, p. 436). Over the years the basic theorists reduces all possible philosophical cognitions to some amalgamation...
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...Good writing is the product of proper training, much practice, and hard work. The following remarks, though they will not guarantee a top quality paper, should help you determine where best to direct your efforts. I offer first some general comments on philosophical writing, and then some specific "do"s and "don't"s. One of the first points to be clear about is that a philosophical essay is quite different from an essay in most other subjects. That is because it is neither a research paper nor an exercise in literary self-expression. It is not a report of what various scholars have had to say on a particular topic. It does not present the latest findings of tests or experiments. And it does not present your personal feelings or impressions. Instead, it is a reasoned defense of a thesis. What does that mean? Above all, it means that there must be a specific point that you are trying to establish - something that you are trying to convince the reader to accept - together with grounds or justification for its acceptance. Before you start to write your paper, you should be able to state exactly what it is that you are trying to show. This is harder than it sounds. It simply will not do to have a rough idea of what you want to establish. A rough idea is usually one that is not well worked out, not clearly expressed, and as a result, not likely to be understood. Whether you actually do it in your paper or not, you should be able to state in a single short sentence precisely...
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...psychological egoism, how arguments can be justifiably presented and why this theory is commonly appealing to philosophers. Often supporters of psychological egoism will present arguments through theories such as Darwinism and Desire Satisfaction. This essay essentially aims to critically assess the substantiality of these arguments. In order to correctly assess the arguments in favour of psychological egoism, firstly it must be stated what is implied by these arguments. Psychological egoism has many differences to other egoist theories such as ethical egoism, which state we should be selfish. Psychological egoism however states that all human actions are uncontrollably selfish, and that this is part of our human nature. It should be noted before continuing that this essay will be assessing this more radical form of psychological egoism , which identifies that ‘selfishness is’ the only way one can possibly performs actions, disregarding any consideration of others unless this aids their selfish action in some way. Psychological egoism can seem plausible to its supporters for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common include the concept that desires are entirely our own and therefore pursuing any desire or action is selfish, which supports the idea that we pursue desires for our own satisfaction. A state of self- deception of our motives is also recognized as a major appeal of egoism. Finally the concept of morality is also used within psychological egoism arguments, maintaining...
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...also the Russian society at that time. While reading this book I realized that several of the philosophical topics present could be simply the author´s themes, or in other words, the author´s message to the readers. Upon beginning it you can realize that there will be a clash of philosophical topics, the majority of which are portrayed through the characters present in this story. After concluding with the required reading, I began to comprehend that several topics here are still present in modern day society. The conflict between faith and doubt is a topic, which currently rages several debates between us humans. While some of us have faith, be it in religion or personal subjects, others have doubts regarding topics that involve faith. Therefore, upon finalizing The Brothers Karamazov I can state that this book has several philosophical topics, which are depicted throughout the complete book. Even though there are a broad variety of philosophical topics in this book, they will be arranged the order of importance, according to which topics I believe have more explanation and material to cover. The ones with fewer material and of less importance will be placed at the beginning, while the ones with more material and importance will follow the previous ones. Since most topics are found throughout the whole book, they will not be arranged in chronological order. The first philosophical topic found...
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...Does God Exist “You can’t prove God exists and you can’t prove God doesn’t exist”. This is the response one often hears when the question of God’s existence is raised. If God is not material, but spiritual, then science can’t prove that he exists, because he can’t be measured. Also, science can’t disprove, because it can’t give a definite answer. In this paper, I will present both sides of the argument and conclude that God must exist. First, I will begin by examining Augustine’s evidence supporting God’s existence. Then, I will lay out the opposing viewpoints. While I present Augustine’s evidence, I will give special attention to his primary argument which is based on the fact that if there is something superior to reason, then it must be God. We are not asked to believe in God on the basis of faith alone, without any evidence, but we can indeed prove the existence of God to a reasonable degree of certainty. Even though we can prove that God exists with a reasonable amount of certainty, I ponder whether or not there is a sound argument for the nonexistence of God. I order to prove anything; we must first start with a foundation that must be accepted as truth. Augustine begins with the platform that we exist. Augustine makes this clear to Evodius by saying “It is obvious that you exist, and this could not be obvious unless you were alive, therefore it is also obvious that you are alive” (33). The mere fact that we can argue is a proof of our existence. Next he asks whether...
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...Descartes as the father of modern philosopher. His famous statement "Cogito ero sum" is widely known and studied. He contributed much to mathematics as well as philosophy. What does my philosopher believe is real? One thing my philosopher believes is real is the certainty of the existence of god. René Descartes has an awareness about god. And acknowledges the existence of god. One of Descartes metaphysics is his certainty about god which is examined in his Fifth Mediations “Descartes holds that the idea of God is a true and immutable nature and hence it is not something that can be rejected at all in so far as it is ultimately an innate idea”. His view is similar like mine regarding the belief of god. Though his process for believing in god is quite different then of mine, we both have a strong belief in god. My View on Rene Descartes metaphysics regarding the existence of god is disagreement. Descartes argues that god exists beyond any doubt, but I disagree. My view is not like his because, I believe his proof of good relies mostly on false premises. Descartes argues that god exists but what is the actuality of god he does not answer. An example of this can be illustrated by a student doubting whether or not they will make a good grade on the test, because it cannot be guaranteed. The truth is doubt does not grant certainty. If you have to doubt something till you make it certain it was not certain to begin with. Another thing believed by Rene Descartes is the certainty about...
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...between expressivism and subjectivism. According to the former, an ethical sentence like ' Euthanasia is wrong' expresses a non-cognitive attitude toward euthanasia, but does not say that the speaker has it. The latter, on the contrary, says that that sentence reports the speaker's non-cognitive attitude toward euthanasia, which implies that euthanasia is the object of some attitude of the speaker's .As Ayer put it this way: " The orthodox subjectivist....his own view is that they express propositions about the speaker's feelings....
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