...opinions caused his expulsion from the synagogue. He became associated with the Christian circle after his expulsion though he did not profess Christianity. His whole life was spent in Holland and Hague. He was always poor and withdrawn and he earned his living by polishing lenses. He was still young when he died in 1677. He was a rationalist, determinist and a pantheist. Spinoza’s philosophy was profoundly influenced by Descartes. His writings were mainly in Latin with few in Dutch. The most important of his works include the brief treatise of God, Man and his happiness, the tractacus theologico-politico, the cogitata metaphysica and, above all, his masterwork, published after his death: the ethica ordine geometric demonstrate. In our presentation, we will discuss his metaphysics and on his metaphysics we look at what is substance, substance-monism, God and the world, and communication between substances. We will look at his ethics and on his ethics we will consider his work on Man. We will discuss his epistemology and on his epistemology we will look at levels of knowledge. We will then proceed to criticize his philosophy and finally make our conclusion. METAPHYSICS Spinoza follows in the path established by Descartes. He adopts Descartes’ situation as his starting point. For Descartes, substance was understood as that which has need of nothing else in order to exist; strictly speaking, only God could be substance. Afterward Descartes came across other substances which did not need...
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...Descartes’ Revolution René Descartes was a philosopher that lived from 1596 to 1650. Many philosophers have spent their career trying to either prove that his theories were correct or they have tried to disprove his theories. He spent his time trying to understand knowledge and how humans know what they know with his method of inquiry. He sparked a revolution in philosophy that has remained the standard to this day. Descartes can be classified as a genius, while studying philosophy he realized that Aristotle way of thinking was wrong because he spent his entire life preoccupied with the question; what is reality? Aristotle was not able to fully answer this question and for the 1400 years after Aristotle everyone in Europe focused on; what is reality and what is the mind? Unfortunately over those 1400 years the only thing Europe had to show for these studies was the windmill, ox plow, Alchemy (which proved to not be possible) and the dark ages. When Descartes realized that Aristotle teachings were very flawed he developed his method of inquiry. While doubting Aristotle he was able to figure out that the mind and body are related. He believed that if the mind and body are combined, that is what gives human beings free will. When people stopped focusing on what the earth was they were able to focus on what they were and on ways to improve their lives. When working on improving one’s self it leads to innovation and new inventions. Descartes also focused on truth. ...
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...John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher whose ideas formed the foundation of liberal democracy and greatly influenced both the American and French revolutions. His contributions to philosophy include the theory of knowledge known as empiricism, which addressed the limits of what we can understand about the nature of reality. Locke held that our understanding of reality ultimately derives from what we have experienced through the senses. The political implications of his theories included the notions that all people are born equal and that education can free people from the subjugation of tyranny. Locke also believed that government had a moral obligation to guarantee that individuals always retained sovereignty over their own rights, including ownership of property that resulted from their own labor. We may remark, in passing, that the modern theory of the transmutation of species is nothing but an application of Locke's teaching that species have no objective reality. Let us also note the important fact that this extreme nominalism closely approximates extreme realism. Scholastic nominalism denies the reality of species, and absolutely affirms the reality of individuals to the exclusion of everything else. In this sense Leibniz is a nominalist. English nominalism, from which the theory of transformation takes its rise, denies not only the existence of species, but also the stability of the individuals themselves. All things, says Locke, besides their author, are liable...
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...notion on the concept of right is that first, we must try to understand within ourselves human behavior as to the actions of other people. Individual, for Hegel, are aware of freedom. We express it from our own acts of our will. He said that “only as thinking intelligence, will is free will.” For according to him, there is more to “goodness” than merely obeying the laws of our countries and keeping contracts. Morality for him has to do with those acts for which human beings can be held responsible, for Hegel, the essence of morality is located within a person’s purpose. Moral responsibility, then, begins with the acts that can be designated to a free will, a will that intends the act. Also the stoic philosopher Epictetus said that moral Philosophy was a form of an act, where each person is an actor/ actress in a drama, he means that an actor does not chose a role, it is the author or the director who does the picking. In the drama of the world it is God who is the author or the director, who will pick out whom the person will be portraying and what to portray and or how he or she will be situated in the story, people have no choice because it is God who is responsible for the...
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...THE CONSTITUTION OF REALITY INTRODUCTION Spinoza’s political thought draws from a number of sources, both classical and modern. As one commentator puts it “Spinoza formed new conclusions from facts and concept borrowed from others”. It is worth briefly considering some of the sources of the facts and concepts that he inherits. At some point in the Mid-1650’s (around the time of his cherem, or excommunication) Spinoza began studying Latin with Francisus Van Den Enden. Van Den Enden was an ex–Jesuit and radical egalitarian with revolutionary tendencies. He was out to death in 1674 after Laring izech found guilty of conspiring to depose Louis XIV in order to establish a free republic in Normandy. Van Dan Enden was an anti–clerical democrat with appears to have profoundly influenced Spinoza. One commentators has gone so far as to call Van Dan Enden’s genius behind Spinoza, claiming that Van Den Enden’s writing contain a political theory which is in fact the same as the one worked out by Spinoza. Whether or not this assessment is fair, it is clear that Spinoza’s thinking was nourished through his association with Van Den Enden and the larger radical Cartesian circle in Amsterdam. How can we verify the real possibility of a constitutive praises? Spinoza adversaries (both on the protest anti side and on the catholic side) maintain that the political problem in Spinoza is central and that it’s the substance of the religious problem. Naturally, they have a negative opinion of this inversion...
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...Pre-Socratic Period Thales of Miletus Background: Thales of Miletus (fl. c. 585 BC) is 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...
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...Religious Philosophers and Speculative Atheists Interpretations of Hume's philosophy of religion are often made against the background of more general interpretations of his philosophical intentions. From this perspective, it is not unusual to view Hume's views on religion in terms of the skepticism and naturalism that features prominently in his Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40), his first and most ambitious philosophical work. According to the account that is now widely accepted in the scholarly literature, Hume removed almost all the material in the Treatise that was concerned with religion because he was anxious to avoid causing any “offence” among the orthodox. In his later works, beginning with an Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), Hume began to present his views on this subject in a more substantial and direct manner. This culminates in his Natural History of Religion (1757) and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779; published posthumously) – both of which are entirely taken up with philosophical issues in religion. The linkage between these various works, on this account, is that the later writings on religion are simply an extension and application of the sceptical and naturalistic principles that Hume developed in his earlier writings. While it is certainly true that there is an intimate connection between Hume's scepticism and naturalism and his irreligious objectives and orientation, it is not evident that this relationship should be understood...
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...reporting pratice and ethics paper hcs405 Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper By Ben Parks Introduction Every successful business has considered a role in reporting practices and ethics to be a significant part to their success. For many companies it can be a difficult burden when faced with the ethical compliance and accuracy for financial management. In this paper we can discuss the basic elements of financial management reporting practices and ethical standards in a health care world that is reforming as we speak. With great amount of changes will comes accountability to everyone inner and outer of the organization. This subject will explain the elements of financial management, general financial ethical standards, and will oversee some corporate scandals involving ethics, fraud, and abuse. The way an organization correlates, organizes, and prepares the reports for its financial information is part of its financial practices that it adheres too in order to accomplish the goals for its ethical standards. Today’s health care plans play a very important role in financial management. A company would be unable to operate without proper financial planning. The importance of storing and tracking all accounting records while being up to date will be the main factor as to whether the guidelines are being followed. This also allows the outer management to determine how the company is doing as a whole and also be aware as to where most of the funding is going. With new...
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...HSM 230 Week 7 Appendix D What are some potential legal and ethical issues present in this case study? There many things wrong in this case. The first is fraud. Taking money from possibly government and private funds and not using them for intended purposes. Embezzlement is another because obviously they are using the money saved for private reasons. The total disregard of the people that they are supposed to be helping. He has opened the entire origination to law suits and public scrutiny. How would you characterize the director’s behavior? Criminal, immoral and unethical. Is the director an ethical role model? Why or why not He is not ethical. He went against the subordinates thoughts. He used another employees input that had never been to the facility. He did not care about the residents’ fears or concerns. He did not take the law into concern. Were the director’s messages congruent with the organization’s stated mission? Explain your answer. No. In this mission statement it states to improve the quality of life. He injured people although they were not serious he did not improve it. He went as far as not to take the advice from Ms. Armstrong. What impact did the director’s actions and attitudes have on the Acre Woods culture? There are a few. He could be considered to be a sexist because he overlooked the advice from a female employee and he promoted a male that had no regard for the residents. His actions make Acre Woods appear as though there...
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...P LA T O and a P LAT Y P U S WA L K I N TO A B A R . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes < T H O M A S C AT H C A RT & D A N I E L K L E I N * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * P l at o a n d a P l at y p u s Wa l k i n t o a B a r . . . PLATO and a PLAT Y PUS WA L K I N T O A B A R . . . < Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Th o m as Cat h c a rt & Dan i e l K l e i n A B R A M S I M AG E , N E W YO R K e d i to r : Ann Treistman d e s i g n e r : Brady McNamara pro d u c t i on m anag e r : Jacquie Poirier Cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress. ISBN 13: 978-0-8109-1493-3 ISBN 10: 0-8109-1493-x Text copyright © 2007 Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein Illlustration credits: ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/Bruce Eric Kaplan/ cartoonbank.com: pg 18; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 32; ©Mike Baldwin/www.CartoonStock.com: pgs 89, 103; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Matthew Diffee/cartoonbank.com: pg 122; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Leo Cullum/cartoonbank.com: pg 136; ©Merrily Harpur/Punch ltd: 159; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 174. Published in...
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...iEhics There are a lot of famous person influencing the world just because they created something extraordinary which we utilize it every day. Steve Jobs was one of the greatest people who affect our lives not only because his amazing products, but his creativity has enhanced the current products to follow its style and design. For example, the iPhone have led the chief of cellphone industry; the iPad is leading the android tablet and windows tablets to follow its shape and design. That is only the positive side of him. What about his negative side about the ethics of a successful businessman and inventor can be barely seen? Not everyone is perfect. Steve Jobs was one of the kind. The categorical imperative is the best term that depicts Steve Jobs’ behavior because he broke the contract with the shipper. As the categorical imperative telling us, we should not adopt a principle if we cannot make a promise to others. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple as a CEO, he complained that their shipping company did not do their work fast enough and did not even ship Apple’s spare parts on time (AUSTEN). However, the shipping company said they could not do better anymore and they didn’t want to do. Because the shipper has signed a contract with Apple, Apple would involve lawsuit if they break the contract with the shipper. Without any consideration, Jobs did not want to play game with the shipper any more, then fired the shipper. Then of course the shipper did sue Apple. Consequently,...
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...Explain Plato’s analogy of the cave. (25 marks) The analogy of the cave is written in Plato’s famous book known as Republic. It is one of the three similes he uses to illustrate his theory of Forms. Plato uses analogy to help describe philosophical difference between physical world and the difference of the world of forms. In short the analogy explains to others about the physical world as nothing but full of illusion. He describes the true reality is to be found in the eternal unchanging world of forms. The analogy begins in the cave. The cave represents the visible world or the world of sense experience, where the shadows seem more real than truth itself. It indirectly represents the human body, which imprisons the soul preventing it from seeking the true knowledge. People are chained up in the cave such a way that all prisoners are facing the wall. They are chained up in a way that they can only look ahead of them at the wall of the cave. The only light in the cave comes from the fire. There is a wall behind the prisoners and fire is located behind the wall. Behind the wall other people are walking up and down carrying statues on their heads. The prisoners observe the shadows that flicker before them. The prisoners believe the shadows are reality as that is all they are able to see. If they hear the people behind the wall they associate the sounds made by individuals with the shadows. They think of the shadows as the true reality. Plato represents our condition as human...
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...Every person claims that he knows something. Our whole live is the great source of gaining knowledge: a person reads books, listens to other people’s opinions and his own intuition and looks at his own experience in life. For centuries great philosophers such as Phaedo, Socrates. Plato, and others argued on questions concerning knowledge. Is it possible to have knowledge at all? Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? For every person including myself, gaining knowledge begins with birth. Though some philosophers such as Phaedo say that we had knowledge before that, but we forget it when we are born. And then we just recollect it. Phaedo also discusses perfect justice, beauty, goodness and equality and states that we have never seen these things yet we know they exist. From his point of view knowledge of perfect things must be innate. I cannot agree with this statement. For me your parents, then your teachers and people in your society give you understanding of what is right or wrong, true or false, good or bad. Later you start analyzing everything from your own perspective, deciding what to believe relying on your previous knowledge. This is why I agree to the Socrates point of view. He says that we can distinguish true from false and the standards for that are based on our soul. At the same time Plato was correct when he said that difference between knowledge and opinion must be rationally justified. For years we are chained in our caves interpreting shadows on...
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...Sample Guidelines for Writing Ethical Arguments Your essay should be a position paper, not a report. The paper must make an ethical argument in defense of a thesis. It doesn’t matter what thesis you defend, but the argument must be clear and coherent. Depending on the topic, some outside research may be appropriate, but do not let that obscure the main purpose, which is to make an ethical argument. There are several possible ways to structure the paper, including one (or more) or the following: • Articulating and applying principles (such as love, respect for autonomy, respect for persons, the principle of utility, etc.) to the issue or to cases. • Investigating how one or more ethical sources work to support a particular view: for instance, how biblical principles or a religious tradition or a particular philosopher/philosophical school can be used to support your position on a focused issue. Such an approach should be critical, that is, with an awareness of where the philosophical or religious tradition is unclear or problematic and how others could use the tradition in a different manner. • Contrasting the arguments of two or more authors on an issue. • Developing and contrasting the pro and con arguments for a particular position. • Developing and answering a series of questions from general to particular, or particular to general. • Analyzing a case study. The reader of an ethical argument is looking for three main things in your essay: 1. a clear and interesting...
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...The theory of knowledge, or Epistemology, is an important area in philosophy. Many great philosophical debates have developed because of the different views and principle issues dealing with epistemology. Although there are several principle issues in epistemology, my areas of focus are, empiricism, rationalism, Skepticism, and Justification. Empiricism is the theory that experience is the main focus in giving us knowledge of the world. Empiricists believe that knowledge without personal experience is impossible. Some empiricist believe that a new born baby come into the world knowing nothing and everything that they learn is only by experience. The mind is furnished with information from experience. The concept that all knowledge is arrived from the senses, leads me to believe that empiricist think that it is unreasonable to talk about things we have not experienced. Most radical empiricists believe that religions have no concrete evidence and consequently religious beliefs are insignificant. In essence, empiricism requires solid physical evidence to be considered knowledge. In contrast to empiricism, rationalism is the belief that reasoning is the most important aspect of acquiring knowledge. Rationalists believe that we have some instinctive knowledge. Certain things we just know with having personal experience directly disputes the theory that empiricists believe about newborn babies. Rationalists also believe that some truths can be worked out without having...
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