Philosophy Essays

Generally speaking, the ability of people to understand right and wrong is often affected by a series of factors. When having to face the pressure of the social environment, an individual may proceed to false estimations in regard to the measures that need to be developed for handling a complex situation.

The problem of induction as presented by David Hume is strong and is a huge obstacle to positive scientific and philosophical inquiries. When understood fully, the argument seems to undermine any attempt at gaining knowledge or avoiding radical skepticism, which would level any justification for belief. However Hume does not wish to level all knowledge and inquiry.

Some people go through similar stages in life before finding peace in God and religion. God allows his people to experience that kind of life so that later in life they can get control of their lives. After becoming religious and having strong faith in God, it is difficult to turn back to the evil ways presented by stage one.

Coerced acts tend to be strictly voluntary; therefore, they never get automatic disqualification from responsibility (Echenique 14). Thus, responsibility is dependent on facts concerning the situation, for instance the gravity of the threat, along with the temperament of the coerced act.

What is the self and how can we know it, or can we know it at all? The philosophical concept of self is the notable essential qualities and attributes making an individual person different from any other person. It can also be asserted that the individual self is mainly the source of consciousness responsible to what a person thinks as well as the decisions made when ascribing to it (Mitchell 25).

Similarly, it will be somewhat more difficult with respect to Karl Marx, not due to the fact that Marx had no opinion on the issue (quite the opposite in fact), but rather due to the fact that Marx himself never specifically sought to engage on the topic. Rather, Marx would periodically discuss tangential manifestations of human nature with respect to “essence” and “biological definitions of man” within his works.

Singer argues that we should extend to the sentient beings an equal moral consideration that we extend to human beings. By his argument, Singer implies that we might consider sentience by the ability of a being to experience effects like pleasure and pain as a reasonable enough principle of moral importance. He gives his view for this in two different ways.

This paper further identifies specific desires that human beings have, and the view of Epicurus concerning these desires. It also identifies the virtues that Epicurus thought an individual needs in order to live a good life and his religious views. This paper has a conclusion which is a summary of the major points found in the text.

People in other countries desire to go and live in the United States because they believe in the idea of an American Dream - a secure and comfortable life with a job that can feed their families. This is one of the main reasons why one can find a significant number of African Americans, Hispanics, Chinese, Filipino, Koreans, etc.

But death is the deprivation of sensation. This therefore means that death is nothing, since it is neither good nor evil because it takes human sensations which are the determinants of good and evil. Epicurus went on to argue that we should never fear death because in life death is not with us, and when we die we will be no more.

I decided to take this program so that I could get some enlightenment in matters environmental conservation and the role of moral ethics in ensuring that the objective of environmental sustainability comes to fruition. In this essay, I reflect on my overall experience as far as sustainable works program is concerned.

The term epistemology was first introduced in philosophy by a Scottish philosopher, James Frederick Ferrier. Philosophers, through epistemology attempt to answer the philosophical question “How do I know what I know?” by examining the various ways through which knowledge can be acquired and the extent to which human beings can know about certain entities or subjects.

To conduct professional research in the domain of social science, the relevance of the issue is necessarily required to be addressed in philosophical terms. Regarding this, the core purpose of this paper is to evaluate and understand the philosophical underpinning of different perspectives concerning knowledge and theory.

The two contemporary schools of thought are from ancient India where Jainism is based on the principle of soul liberation in conquering all forms of desires and senses whereas Carvaka is a sceptical school of thought that is based on a joyful living. The paper will first discuss the facts and underpinnings in each philosophical approach and then give an analysis and comparison to see whether the two schools of thought are compatible in any way.

The duality argument rests solidly on the premise that the essence of the mind is thought while the essence of the body is an extension; in this respect, the duality of essences implies the corresponding substances can exist separately and independently from each other. Since the mind is not physical, it cannot be bound by physical laws that govern the body.

It means being gentle, respectful, considerate, and kind towards oneself and to other people; being moderate in one’s behavior. Stating something non-harming is similar to stating and outlining what is believed to be good conduct. A good moral and conduct are believed to be conduct that do not harm any living thing whatsoever.

One of the most imperative reasons behind making an investigation into the topic afore-mentioned includes the evaluation of the political ideology articulated by Marxist perspective while seeking its association with Marx’s viewpoint on historical developments man has observed since the primitive times till the Marx’s era of Industrial Revolution.

There, he developed an interest in the idea of peacefulness, as enshrined in the Hindu sacred writings, and Christian teachings in the Bible (Sudhir, 2012). Gandhi returned to his home country three years later, having received his certification in the discipline, but was not successful in his attempts to establish a career in law in India. He then went to South Africa to help with a court case.

The film “Dead Man Walking” depicts the appeal process faced by a convicted murderer, and how his crime, trial and acts on death row affect himself, a nun who is working with him on his appeal, and the families of the victims. It invokes some of the hardest and most troubling questions facing society today such as: does the state have the right to kill its own citizens?

Kuhn’s philosophical underpinnings had a direct impact on the pedagogical sphere and directly influence research on the area of “conceptual change in children” (Matthews, 2003, p. 96).  Kuhn’s contribution to research on the conceptual change in children arose out of his focus on scientific learning.

Various studies have been conducted over the ages to understand, evaluate and thus reconstruct the false perceptions within human society. These studies are principally included in the dimension of philosophy which seeks to discover the basic value of life unveiling the nature of truth and establishing the relationship of nature with humanity.

On the other hand, opponents of Abortion claim that this act is equivalent to killing of a human being an assertion, which the proponents claim is not justifiable. One of the major justifications of the proponents of the act rests in the case of a fetus with a health condition.

The final form of the never-ending need to understand is a form of knowledge in the world of forms introduced by Plato. In the world of forms, the philosopher is known to have attained the highest form of knowledge available, and can, therefore, be able to see the world of ideas in the world immediately.

According to Locke’s theory of identity, people cannot be resurrected after death with numerically the same bodies they had in life. The consciousness of a resurrected person will be extended, regardless of whether it remained as the same thinking agent. Locke shows it with the example of the soul of a prince in the body of a cobbler. 

Some individuals have constantly asked themselves where the world, which they live in, came from or rather how the world is linked to the human race. This paper seeks to raise questions and discuss the ethics that are always involved in a dialogue. Ethics is another word for moral philosophy.

Biomedical ethics refers to the principles that govern the morals, judgment, and values in medicine. There are many principles that govern the behavior and action of doctors and other medical staff in the profession. Ethical issues will always be prevalent as long as the medical practice continues. Different ethical principles apply to a single case and yield different results.

In this regard, the paper will base itself on the two cosmological arguments (Thomistic and the Kalam cosmological arguments) to support the existence of the uncaused cause (God). The Thomistic argument will basically be argument from motion and from the nature of efficient cause and there after the conclusion will be drawn.

While the logical fallacies may hold rhetorical appeal for an audience, as they seem to rely on strong knowledge, upon further investigation they frequently demonstrate the propensity to which society is willing to accept erroneous assumptions. In investigating such forms of argument, this essay examines the implementation of five logical fallacies in the popular media.

Psychological egoism is different from ethical egoism which postulates that people should seek to maximize their advantage (Pojman, 2011, p87). In this regard, unlike ethical egoism, psychological egoism is descriptive of how issues are rather than what things are supposed to be. According to LaFave (2011) if the psychological egoism is true, then ethics are in trouble. 

An ethical dilemma is also termed a moral dilemma. Philosophers have discussed an ethical dilemma as a situation/condition in which a victim faces a conflict and all possible solutions for the conflict seem morally intolerable. The concept of ethical dilemma has been further elaborated as a dilemma (condition).

According to Nietzsche, the current education on history teaches the youth many concepts that are unrelated to the modern perception of life. Additionally, he emphasized that the condition of being both upper historical and unhistorical usually allows the youth to develop a stable character in terms of religion and art.

Free Will. Free will is a necessary requirement for moral responsibility. A morally responsible individual is a person who does not only do the right thing but also is accountable for his or her moral conduct. Thus, free will is the ability of persons to exercise control over their conduct in a manner necessary for moral responsibility.

Effect of Color on Culture. A given color can carry diverse meanings in different cultures. For example, orange color is a positive, life affirming and spiritual enlightening color in some cultures. However, in the United States, the same color is associated with road hazards, fast food restaurants and delay of traffics.

Understanding ten debates between the Epicureans and the Stoics and determine which of the two arguments is plausible in the understating philosophy of life, it is vital the each of these philosophical aspects are understood well and their applications determined.

With this paper I wish to share my experience of having been at the receiving end of a similar experience. While the incident left me scarred, it also made me realize different techniques that can be used to counsel other women going through a tough phase in their marital life.

The researcher would like to assert that it is theoretically possible that the Universalizability test can produce a reliable moral test based on a true maxim and not an observed maxim. However, on a practical basis, there is a high likelihood of the test producing invalid results due to the possibility of having false positives and false negatives.

In the era of African American Civil Rights movement, America was at the peak of its prosperity and enjoyed unsurpassed power on the world stage. However, the human rights record of America was greatly objectionable. The author of the paper argues in a well-organized manner that there was wide-scale discrimination against blacks.

This self-realization or the revelation of the secret of life forced him view death as a dilemmatic situation in life. On the other side, the movie Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa deals with the passionate life and enlightenment of Kanji Watanabe, the protagonist.

Accordingly, utilitarian approach therefore does not take into account the consequences of the action if the same action results into greater good for the greatest number of people. Utilitarian approach is significant in the sense that it provides an ethical outline of justice and how it could be achieved.

The principle of the elenchus is based on the premise that the truth cannot be taught and can only be recollected. The elenchus is a form of “refutation” and, based on its trial-and-error nature, possesses a “negative function” akin to clearing out mental clutter in order to recognize the truth.1 This is basically the same as asking one logical questions until he is able to realize the truth of the matter, which he previously has not realized.

A Critique of Taylor's concept of Multiculturalism in Relation to Nation Building Introduction Culture is defined as the way a group of people live and it encompasses the norms, values and distinct social features1. To Taylor, culture is the standards of authentic individual and collective self expression amongst a group of people2.

He had read about the creation of this country and American regime and their religious believes. But as soon as he came here he saw a changed scenario. The industrial revolution had bought changes in the country affecting the mind of each individual. Things had changed from mysticism to materialism.

Gilles Deleuze (2001) has elaborated the Leibniz’s doctrine in his famous fold theory where he defines the Baroque as an operative function that is endlessly producing folds. The operative function, according to him, takes place on two scales, i.e. the pleats of matter and the folds of the soul. The author finds strong relationship between the two.

The theories of just war are relevant in today’s society as well. War forms an integral, if undesirable, part of modern society. Every nation has an arsenal stocked with the deadliest of weapons, many of which may be able to wipe off mankind from the very face of the earth. It is widely agreed upon that a nuclear war if it happens, would produce this result.

With its many subsidiaries, the company endeavors to be a leader in the telecommunication business by offering efficient, effective and high quality wireless services and products to its customers. The wireless services of the company majorly include provision of fast and reliable internet for its customers.

 The development of modern economics, sociology, and journalism have been instigated by various philosophers from developed and developing countries. One of the notable philosophers who has significantly contributed in the three fields is Karl Marx. Being a German philosopher, Karl Marx established Marxism theory which argues.

Skinner’s belief is definitely empirical in nature and that it specifies we can only know about what we can observe. So Skinner suggests that it is better for us to understand trends in order to predict things especially on the context of predicting human behavior.

The definitions of love for Beauvoir, Freud, Goldman, and Morgan are shaped by the attitude of these authors to the questions of family, as well as individual and social benefit. All these of writers are not satisfied with the state of affairs; they believe that love is not merely an ideal or a construct, but a working behavioral model.

It is hard to believe the sheer number of technological advances as the human race has made within the past few decades. However, like any type of advancement, the price of this technological advancement has been an explosion of comfort and consumption oriented industries; not the least of which is that of “fast food”.

shores. Since then, tobacco smoking has remained a big issue all over the world as one rarely finds a house not afflicted by smoking in the modern times (McVeigh and Wolfer, 2004). There has been a growing concern regarding the addictive nature of smoking prompting some people to argue that smoking should be prohibited in public places.