Essays on Metaphysics

As humans we naturally believe that the sun will rise tomorrow. But why is it that we believe this? In the following essay I will explore the logic behind this question focusing on Bertrand Russell’s arguments of induction, and the uniformity of nature as presented …

Sigmund Freud was best known, in my opinion, for being the first to use the term psychoanalysis in which he accomplished through his theory of psychological reality: Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id is the unconscious mind. The Id controls basic urges, needs, and desires. …

Deontology Immanuel Kant’s deontological moral theory provides a strong base for making correct decisions and is a better ethics system than Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that is attributed to philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism …

Anselm’s Monologion is at first a detailed expansion of his more famous ontology – the proof of the existence of God – as expressed elsewhere. In this proof God is first equated with the most perfect being, and then it is demonstrated that such a …

Introduction This essay will explain and assess Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), which was originally developed by Haidt, and which he has since worked on with a number of collaborators. The first part of this essay will outline the philosophical background of the theory, especially its …

The dialogues between Hylas and Philonous were written by George Berkeley, who was ordained as a Bishop in Cloyne. He was also a famous idealist and philosopher of the early modern period. His works reflects metaphysical ideas and concepts of idealism. Berkeley had written several …

First, let us examine what it means to act in a deontological manner. Demonology is “the normative ethical position that Judges the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to a rule or rules” (“Ethics-virtue”, Standard Encyclopedia of Philosophy). For someone to act …

Buddhism begins and ends with Buddha’s enlightenment experience, for this the ultimate source of Buddhist teachings and there are a mean towards moral and spititual development culminating in a Buddha like experience. At his enlightenment, the Buddha gained direct knowledge of rebirth, karma, and the …

Prior to Edmund Gettier, philosophers believed that knowledge was equivalent to justified true belief.  Since Plato, it had generally been agreed among philosophers that there are three criteria of propositional knowledge, individually necessary and jointly sufficient (Pryor, 2005; Cushing, 2000).  Before the Gettier philosophy, the …

Criticisms leveled against Ethical Theories Criticisms leveled against Consequentialism Consequentialism is based on the consequences of actions. It is sometimes called a teleological theory, from the Greek word telos, meaning goal. According to consequentialism, actions are right or wrong depending on whether their consequences further …

Outline the Key Concepts of the Design Argument [21 marks] The design argument is also referred to at the Teleological Argument stemmed from the Greek work ‘Telos’ meaning end or purpose. It is an ‘A posterior’ argument (from experience) based on our empirical senses and …

Danielle Butler October 16, 2011 English 101/ O. C #2-Machiavelli Though often presented as two ideological opposites, personally I find there to be a lot more similarities between Plato and Machiavelli than usually acknowledged. Obviously there are some sharp contrasts. If one examines the excerpts …

Explain Bentham’s Utilitarianism: (30 Marks) A man called Jeremy Bentham had a theory called the ‘Utilitarianism theory’. He was born in London at the time of the great scientific and social change and wrote ‘The Principles of Morals and Legislation’ in 1789. Bentham had the …

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe in the mid to late 18th century.  Immanuel Kant advanced the deontological theory with his theory: the categorical imperative.  Deontology is the theory of duty or moral obligation.  Performing that duty is …

Perception – the process of interpreting the messages of our senses to provide order and meaning to the environment people base their actions on the interpretation of reality that their perceptual system provides rather than on reality itself. Components of Perception Their experience, needs and …

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who lived between 384 and 322 BCE. He was deeply interested in the idea of cause and purpose. On the Foundation Paper, you will have explored the ideas of the Four Causes and the Prime Mover. Both of these theories …

Romanticism was a movement of American literature that swept the country throughout the 19th century. Within Romanticism, was the Transcendentalist Era, which began in the early 1800s (Gura 4). Transcendentalism is difficult to define, but its core ideas are embodied in the works of Ralph …

1. Explain how Locke and Hume view personal identity, or the “Self”. How do you see Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” as exemplifying these philosophical themes? You may choose Locke or Hume or both, or argue why you see neither of their theories as showing up in Kafka’s …

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, narrates the story of a group of English boys as they struggle to survive on an uncharted, uninhabited island. The boy’s airplane crashes into the island and kills any adults on board — leaving the boys to fend for …

Chaos/complexity theory can contribute in bringing about self-organisation in the midst of change, turbulence, fluxed environment both inside and outside the modern-day organisation. Loose, disorganised systems can spontaneously acquire organisation, just as a shapeless liquid mass can, upon cooling, solidify into an exquisite crystal. Complexity …

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works “Self-Reliance” and Nature esteem transcendentalism as a romantic, individualistic philosophy of life in hopes of establishing contemporary concepts in society which reject traditional institutions and customs. Emerson’s thoughts are generally based on inward reflection, in which the capabilities of one’s soul …

Behaviorism is one of the most influential schools of psychology, especially American psychology. The development of behaviorism was spurned as a reaction to structuralism and functionalism. Behaviorism was posited as a revolution in the methodology of the science of psychology (Hothersall, 1995), while structuralism and …

1. Explain what is meant by saying that a value is intrinsic? How are instrumental values related to intrinsic values? A value is said to be intrinsic if an object has the value for its own sake or because of its nature. A value is …

Albert Einstein considered the greatest scientist of the 20th century hopes to accurately respond to Phyllis’s letter that asked him whether scientists prayed and if they did what did they pray about. Einstein’s response is rhetorically accurate in the fact that he lets Phyllis know …

Each of the central characters in “Open Secrets” by Alice Munro and “Paradise Lost” by John Milton are driven and sustained by the relationship between the realities of their existence and their personal ideologies. The conflict between ideology and reality is an important theme in …

Attribution theory is concerned with how people interpret events and relate them to their thinking and behavior. It’s a cognitive perception which affects their motivation. This theory was first proposed in a book called, The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations by Fritz Heider in 1958. According …

Human beings have an innate ethical sense that urges them to make predictable choices. Although most people believe their actions are guided by logic and reason, reason often acts only as a way to justify these choices. Ethics is a learned behavior, a behavior that …

1. What are the possible ethical considerations of banning or restricting the developing world’s access to the same cheaper technologies that made the US what it is today? Current news and politics is full of concern about the environment, particularly as it is related to …

Jamshed Masjedi Outline the key principles of Natural Law Let’s start off with a definition of Natural Law: a moral code existing with a purpose of nature, created by God. Aristotle theory of purpose inspired St Thomas Aquinas to develop his idea of Natural Law …

Euthanasia refers to the act of removing support systems for the maintenance of life of a person suffering from a terminal or grave illness. Despite the negative arguments put forward against euthanasia, at least four ethical philosophies support the practice of euthanasia. Among these are …