Essays on Philosophy

William James is considered as being one of the American pioneers in the field of philosophy and psychology. His works covered a wide range of areas including educational psychology, mysticism and psychology of religion. Two of his writings which gave him a great recognition are the Principles of Psychology and Psychology: The Briefer Course. He was part of the proponents of pragmatism philosophy and functionalism in psychology. This paper aims at analyzing the contribution of William James in epistemology. Many prominent views in the modern epistemology and pragmatist approaches to epistemology are reflected in most of the writings of Continue reading...

Politics is one of the building blocks of any society in the world and no one can dispute its contributions to the health and competitive development of a society. In an ordinary context, politics can be defined a process by which people organize themselves through social relations with an aim to gain authority and is characterized by ideologies leading to collective decision-making. Politics are swayed around through philosophical influence usually controlled by a politician or politicians if they more than one. Like, politician is defined as an individual who actively participates in politics and administration and is usually engaged Continue reading...

Introduction
Utilitarianism is a principle that the moral worth of an action is determined by its usefulness in maximizing utility and minimizing negative utility. Utility is the pleasure, preference satisfaction and knowledge. The moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome. In this study we are going to compare Mill, John Stuart’s work 'Utilitarianism’ and Kant, Immanuel’s work 'Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.' The study will also come up with findings based on the comparisons if the end justifies the means.
John Mill’s account on Utilitarianism is primarily influenced by Jeremy Bentham Continue reading...

It is hard to imagine that in our modern society, which is so materialistic, down-to-earth and at times does not trust even proved facts, a lot of philosophical ideas procreated in ancient times still remain very important and influential. Most of them are based on the substances that cannot be touched, heard or even seen, nevertheless, more and more people are involved in solving philosophical issues.
Metaphysics is one of the most disputable branches of philosophy that bothers people all over the world, apart from their social status, gender or age. As the matter of fact, many of those Continue reading...

Alfred North Whitehead

Alfred North Whitehead was born in 1861 and died in 1947. He is well acknowledged as one of British academic developers of the twentieth century. Basically, he was a logician, mathematician and philosopher and is greatly known for his work in philosophy of science and logic in mathematics (Victor, 1985). He contributed and pioneered in reasoning different logics through demonstrating how mathematics may be derivative from few Continue reading...

Transcendentalism has been regarded as an American philosophy and idea that states that both women and men have knowledge about their existence and are conscious of the world around them, in a manner that transcends their senses. According to Brodrick (2010), the knowledge of self and the environment is realized through either imagination or intuition and not through the senses or logic. Reuben (2011) regards transcendentalism as a spirituality and state of mind that prompts the person to go outside his/her senses, shun corruption, and materialism, and gets united with nature.
This ideology started in the 19th century. Some Continue reading...

5.0 Methodology
5.1 Research Philosophy
“As suggested by Remenyi et al. (1998), there are several major questions that require significant consideration by researchers such as „How to research?‟ and „What to research?‟ But central to the researcher‟s answers is their perspective on „Why research?‟
This refers to the systematic search for knowledge, existence, and reasoning. It involves an establishment of facts to both new and existing knowledge and behaviour. Research philosophies are aimed at addressing the objectives of a study rather than the research methodology itself. Whatever research philosophy you select, it will begin with certain assumptions. These Continue reading...

Not many thinkers in the history of the western civilization have been more cited than Plato. For the most part of the middle ages, the majority of lines of thought were developed around his philosophical arguments. Either to defend him or to contradict him, the new ideas could not get rid of his influence. Christianity was almost uniquely influenced by the works of Plato until at least the thirteenth century .
One of the most important parts of Plato´s works is his theory of Ideas. This was an attempt to make a distinction between two things that were his Continue reading...

Photography embraces various aspects of Art, which affirms that it is a form of Art. Artworks virtually develop their ideas through photography. It is apparent that photography employs high levels of Artistic elements and expertise. Furthermore, photograph conforms to the philosophical definitions of the art proposed by popular philosophers such as Socrates, Tolstoy, Wilde and Plato among others. The paper analyzes the concept of photography in line with the argument that photography is an Art.
The philosophical beliefs argued by popular philosophers such as Socrates, Tolstoy and Wilde firm that photography is an Art. Socrates argued that Art is Continue reading...

Gottlob Frege was a German philosopher born in Wismar, Pomerania. He made a significant contribution in logic and philosophy that was later noticed by other philosophers like Bertrand among others. The basic discussion of the meaning of the Frege’s aspects is the distinction between the reference and the sense of a certain expression (Carl, 1995, p. 56). Frege came up with distinctions as ways to solve puzzles concerning empty names and statements. For instance, ‘the morning star is the morning star’ can be said to be uninformative and compared to ‘the morning star is the evening star,’ which Continue reading...

One of the central questions of philosophy has always been a debate as to whether or not humans are free to make their own choices, or whether or not the causality of the external world affects are ability to make choices. This question is important because it underlies the centrality of what it means to be human and how culture is constructed. If freedom to make choices exists, then institutions such as prisons are just, because they punish on the basis of the assumption that someone who has committed a crime was acting freely and of his own violation. Continue reading...

Spellbound (2002 film)

Spellbound is a 2002 film that focuses on the efforts of eight teenagers to win a spelling competition. The movie centres on how culture plays an important role in shaping language skills of the children as well as their parents and teachers. All the children that participated in the competition came from different backgrounds and school and received varying training. The determination they had as well the support they received from their parents, siblings, other relatives and teachers. Apart from the simple fact that the movie is entertaining, it has more of an academic touch whose audience are the Continue reading...

In order to get a clear picture of how Plato would respond to this dilemma, it is important to establish the facts about this case. A woman named Lisa Krawchuk qualified for welfare assistance because of her low income. The welfare authorities required her to report any changes in her income for the period that she received the benefits. She agreed to that condition, reported an increase in her income after her husband got a part-time job and the welfare office reduced her payments accordingly. Lisa failed to report that she was benefiting from a student loan and the Continue reading...

St. Augustine Confessions

The confessions of Saint Augustine take us through the life of transformation for a Christian. The time comes in the life of an individual to make crucial decisions for his or her life, which maybe contrary to their previous believes. As a child grows, they learn a lot from their parents and more especially the mother, who happens to be close most of the times. However, as the child brows, he/she is exposed to a different environment with more compounded influences. For instance, Augustine grew up in a Christian background with his mother imparting Christian values into his life. Continue reading...

Throughout the history of Western civilization, people have asked themselves questions about how to lead their lives and achieve happiness. Major philosophers have debated this idea, arguing for different ways of orienting their lives, commenting and criticizing their precursors in the process. Two of the most important of these thinkers were Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, who both drafted different ethical theories, while staying within the boundaries of what is considered standard in the Western philosophical tradition. Specific differences in their contexts lead to major dissimilarities in their theories. However, both theories have aspects which may be considered correct, and Continue reading...

A person needs to remember President G. Bush world economic speech when he said, and I quote” Competitiveness does not mean protectionism. However trying to improve quality and productivity at home” to understand the scope of Deming’s philosophy in the success of cooperate life. Traditionally, most companies used to apply performance appraisal practices in order to archive their goals. Thanks to Deming the founder of the current management elements who sometimes is fondly referred as, and I quote the “Messiah of Management”. According to the global economic research studies that have been conducted in the recent years, most Continue reading...

Both the theologian James Cone and the existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre looked at the world and were unsatisfied with the status quo they experienced around them. This dissatisfaction led them to know ideas and perspectives with which to see the world. These ideas resonated with others, which gained them the notoriety they have today as important philosophical/theological figures. The Public Broadcasting service (PBS) did a profile of James Cone in its series “This far by faith” which explains how the social and political tides at the time shaped his view of the world and his ideas for how he Continue reading...

The Allegory of the Cave describes the shadows on the cave wall, which was taught to the prisoners as he reality since birth. It also depicts humans as prisoners of their own body.
Plato wants to tell us that the prisoners who were inside the cave believed that what they see on the cave wall is the reality that in fact, it was just the reflection coming from the fire and objects behind them. When one of the prisoners was released and witnessed what the reality looks outside the cave, he realized that shadows were just illusions.
Plato plays Continue reading...

The civilization of ancient Greece centered on the Aegean Sea, the region that today includes Greece and the western part of Turkey. Ancient Greece was not a single country ruled by one person. Ancient Greece consists of numerous city-states that share a common language and culture. About 800 B.C. Greeks began to form ‘polis’ or city-states throughout the country. Each polis has its own government. Some city-states had a few thousand inhabitants, but some city-states such as Athens have a total population of 250,000. City-states were set up as far from Greece as France and Spain. There were Continue reading...

Research and nursing are inseparable. Different health issues will arise from time to time leading to confusion among practitioners. Some conditions will only be understood through execution of ample research. Research is mainly carried out when the professionals in a given field are not aware of a given element that arises. Nursing research is usually sensitive, and it requires consideration of unique procedures known as paradigms and methodologies. The paradigms must be defined in line with the cultural safety of the chosen methods. The paradigms address cultural safety in different ways through excellent consideration of philosophical, ethical, and cultural Continue reading...

Philosophy

Plato has provided several arguments on immortality. He has described the immortality of soul. Most of his arguments are, however present in Phaeodo-Socratic dialogue, The Meno and The Republic. Regarding immortality of souls, there are four arguments in Phaedo. The arguments are known as the Cyclical Argument, the Recollection Argument, the Affinity Argument and the Final Argument. According to the Cyclical Argument, all the things arise from their opposite, as the opposite of life is death so life has must come from the death. Moreover, Plato has explained that this should be the case and anything else would finish Continue reading...

Many philosophers have come up with different definitions of tragedy. However, the definition by Aristotle remains the most comprehensive definition of the term. In his definition, Aristotle lays major emphasis on the terms pity and fear. According to him, these are the two main elements of tragedy. Absence of them means there is no tragedy. In plain words, Aristotle’s definition of tragedy was: “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of Continue reading...

PART A

1 a)
Wittgenstein employs the picture theory of meaning effectively to explain many important things in philosophy. In essence, the picture theory of meaning by Wittgenstein is a theory in which he argued that the state of things or the atomic facts could b pictured by a meaningful proposition. Using this theory, Wittgenstein managed to compare spatial pictures with the concept of pictures. In essence, the picture theory is seen as a correspondence to the truth theory. Wittgenstein’s arguments were to the effect that statements can only be meaningful in the event that they can be easily pictured Continue reading...

Abstract

This paper presents theory and practice of French sociology in practice after Pierre Bourdieu and the impacts that his work had to sociologist and the society at large, as a preparation for a journal article. It had started by analyzing the life of Bourdieu when young who hardly known in the society who advocated for purely scientific view of sociology and was against sociologically oriented journalism developed by his mentor Raymond Aron. Bourdieu was not known unlike other intellectuals in society of the time. However, him together with his co-writer Jean-Claude Passeron gained instant fame after they wrote two Continue reading...

Following a philosophy of life is not only a matter of choice, but also a matter of personal conviction. Not uncommonly, a person might be following a certain system of beliefs without knowing it has a name or that it is even regarded as a philosophy in its own right. However, it is still a matter of principles and choices made through life, and one can live under them and learn that said set of principles had a certain name years after one learns it.
It never occurred to me that the set of principles I have always followed Continue reading...

Book review (The Quiet American Dream)

Ethnic Stereotypes: Americans vs. Europeans.
Greene in his Quiet American Dream is vivid about the disparity between the Americans and the British in terms of their conduct. In this case, Pyle is one character that is used by Greene to establish the unruly conduct of the Americans. They are expressed to be untimely. That is; they are not time observant. On the other hand, they are different from the British people who are stern and concerned about what they do. For instance, Fowler, who represents the British, states that he, is not willing to wait upon a policeman to Continue reading...

Religious studies

A PHILOSOPHICAL DEBATE
Ever since the beginning of time, Man has strived to discover the secrets of the Universe. From Aristotle to Socrates to the modern philosophers, every curious mind has tried to divulge answers from Mother Earth in order to satiate their burning thirst for the knowledge. Philosophy has solely existed to answer questions related to reality, existence, values, reason and mind. Philosophy has been divided into many subcategories. They include metaphysics, ethics, logic, aesthetics and epistemology. Whereas logic is connected with reasoning, epistemology attempts to garner the nature and scope of knowledge. Ethics refers to the philosophy Continue reading...

TWO PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS OF HUMOR

Aristotle’s Mean and Addison’s Extreme:
Two Philosophical Views of Humor
Humor is one of the fundamental aspects of human experiences; as such, it has been studied by many great philosophers. The use of language to produce a humorous effect is somewhat of a mystery, and its particularities could be thought of as unique to the human species. Thus, the definition and characterization of humor is not unequivocal, with different thinkers conceptualizing it in different manners. Aristotle and Joseph Addison are only two of the most remarkable philosophers to study this philosophical problem. Through the analysis of the Continue reading...

Rabbi Maimonides is a medieval Jewish philosopher who wields considerable influence on Jewish thought and on philosophy in general. He also contributed significantly to the codification of the Jewish law. His writings and views hold a prominent place in Jewish intellectual history. In the Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides explores the concept of God and explains the plausible description of God according to Torah. Maimonides also spends significant amount of time in trying to understand the structure and characteristics of the universe. To this point, it becomes important that Maimonides wrote the book before scientific discoveries, so he draws Continue reading...

Opposing view: Aristotle versus Plato in Ancient Greece

Aristotle has made more lasting contribution to philosophy as compared to Plato. This statement can be justified on the basis of facts that Plato has envisioned the concept of just society as consisting of three classes, which are the producers i.e., craftsmen and farmers, the military i.e., warriors, and the rulers i.e., philosophers and kings. According to him, each class maintains justice and every class performs its proposed function (Santas, 2010). Such as the the it is compulsory for the king to rule, the producer should produce obediently and perform all the skills he possessed and the military should Continue reading...

English

The book written by Waller focuses on ethics and its relation to other subjects such as emotions and reasoning, the importance and advantages of observing ethics. The writer’s primary source of information on ethics is from different philosophers such as Susan Wolf and Catherine Wilson whose argument on morals is the main point of focus.
Wolf discusses that there are two types of saints: loving saints who care about others more than themselves and selfless and rational saints who retain some selfishness and some non-moral values. Other philosophers such as Aristole and Plato suggest that true happiness entails Continue reading...

The Meno, one of Plato’s dialogue, is one of the most studied Meno describes the excellence of humans as he answers Socrates with a list of virtues of a man. Socrates is looking an answer of the definition, but Meno is giving examples of virtue. Many Greek philosophers gave theories about the virtues of human beings; what comprises human excellence, in terms of virtues, of people. They believed that these theories were related to the final objective of human beings on this earth, as well as their intention and what incorporates the great life that everybody wants to Continue reading...

Introduction

The rule of law (normocracy) is primarily alluded to as the influence and authority of law around a community specifically as a bottleneck upon behavior including behavior of state officials. The origin of the phrase can be traced back to around 16th century where it was familiar to ancient philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Lockes. Definitions of the rule of law fall into two classes: (1) those that underscore the closures that the rule of law is proposed to serve inside social order, (for example, maintaining law and order, or giving foreseeable and efficient judgments), Continue reading...

Introduction

The purpose of the following essay is to research one of the central ideas of the Heraclites philosophy – the doctrine of flux, and to argue whether that doctrine undermines the possibility of knowledge. The particular attention is paid to the ideas of the Heraclites` follower, Cratylus, which form the main opposition to the doctrine. The theory is also evaluated through its relation with other ideas and doctrines of Heraclites, like the idea of singularity and the unity of the opposites.
“Everything flows” is one of the most famous sayings of Heraclitus which serves as the basis for a so-called Continue reading...

1. Descartes famously begins his Meditations on First Philosophy by considering so-called “radical doubt.” What is radical doubt, and what are the three phases in the argument that lead him to it? What does he believe is the idea that is fundamentally resistant even to the deepest of doubts? And why does Descartes begin his epistemology like this, anyway?
Rene Descartes propounded his theory of radical doubt where he insisted on the systematic process of doubting one’s beliefs in a bid to determine or ascertain that which is indeed true. Descartes, in his radical doubt, advocated for doubting Continue reading...

Induction

Induction
The problem facing induction has been a great challenge presented by epistemology to various philosophers, among them David Hume. Since the 18th century, he has raised the induction concern to various philosophers with the aim of finding a solution to the dilemma. Karl Popper, Chalmers among others philosophers played an imperative role in identifying a considerable solution to the induction problem. In philosophy, induction is defined as a form of reasoning that is derived from a particular observation of a phenomenon and draws conclusions from the phenomenon. For instance, it is certain that the sun will rise tomorrow Continue reading...

Worldview

Worldview refers to a set of suggestions and proposals that a person holds and deeply influences the life of people with similar believes.
- The followers of Christian religion commonly regard their religion as a collection of ideas that may change their life and follow Christianity as a guideline to interact with society. Followers hardly comprehend their religion as a whole conceptual framework.
- Following are the few examples of worldview narrated by different authors.
- According to James Sire, the concept of worldview is just a conventional set of suppositions that one may hold of this world and Continue reading...

The philosophy of the Medieval ages was closely interfaced to theology, and the perspective was based on the relation God - person. However, thus the philosophy had, unlike religions, the functions related to its main property - doubt (in the validity of religious doctrines).
In medieval philosophy, it is possible to allocate two stages of its formation – patristic views (2-8 centuries) and scholasticism (11-14 centuries), so to draw a clear line between them is quite difficult.
Patristic views are a set of theology-philosophical views of the "fathers of the church" who undertook Christianity justification, relying on the ancient philosophy Continue reading...

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE OF PLATO’S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is drawn from his tremendous works on the Republic. It is literally a conversation that takes place between Socrates and Gaucon. The conversation is categorized into three parts. The first section is the scene within the cave. According to Kernan, the second part of the discourse deliberates on the three stages of liberation and the third creates a picture of the prisoner returning to the same cave.
The scene in the cave is one of gloom and darkness, with prisoner chained and unable to move around, even their heads could only face one Continue reading...

In his relationship with Socrates, has Alcibiades been made into a true lover; that is, is Alcibiades now a philosopher. To answer this, love must be defined philosophically or otherwise.
Socrates, in his speech, says that love is a feeling for some object. Love is a desire for an object. Eros is the Greek god of love. The Roman god of love is called Cupid. In his speech, Cupid says that love is a feeling for beautiful things. Socrates philosophically says ‘love’ is not good or beautiful’. He goes on and says that if it were the contrary, then Continue reading...