Philosophers

Alfie Kohn discusses altruism in our modern society in his article entitled, The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing (2015). His main argument is that we basically give a financial incentive to people for helping out others. Because of this incentive, people are less likely to...

Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development applies to me in many ways. The first stage is trust vs. mistrust. As my father was absent from me for much of my life and my mother and I were never close, is likely that this is my sense of mistrust comes from. Evidence...

According, to Paine, what is the difference between society and government? Paine describes society and government as being two very different things despite the fact it has been grossly misunderstood by many writers who have attempted to classify the two. Paine indicates that society is a by-product of its citizen’s...

Hobbes believes that the natural psychological state of humankind is warlike. He believes they will destroy themselves and each other without governance in which all parties agree to keep the peace. For Hobbes, the government restricts humans from doing what they want to do, which is to wage war upon...

Locke’s expansive philosophy on toleration for multiple religions is useful and ethical, especially given the religious upheaval facing Europe during Locke’s time. The battle between Calvinism and Catholicism was threatening the peace of many countries. Locke definitely needed to address the actual religious climate of his time; however, his philosophy...

The series of worldwide revolutions that begun in 1770, included therein the French, American, Haitian and Latin American revolutions, were clearly radical events that changed existing political orders. With these movements, an increasing consciousness was demonstrated towards issues of human rights and freedoms, directed against a hegemonic class that was...

In Plato’s Republic III, Socrates attempts to identify justice in reference to a political system. Socrates believes justice in a political system is perfect and absolute knowledge because of the class system. He believes in this justice because education and virtue are part of the system. Rulers, also referred to...

Plato’s Timaeus is an excellent insight into his musings on the nature of the universe, deities and human nature itself. The writings take the form of an extended dialogue, mostly composed of an extended soliloquy by the titular character. Drawing upon the ancient belief of the four basic elements: earth,...

In his Gorgias, Plato and Callicles argue over the intrinsic value of temperance and whether or not it is conducive to happiness. Callicles believes that to exert control over oneself is a deterrent to happiness and the thesis is that Plato believes happiness is not possible without some restraint. In...

Socrates is one of the most important and famous figures in western philosophy. Although there is little that exists of his actual teaching on its own, it is now known through the dialogues of his student Plato, which have become some of the most famous and influential pieces of philosophy...

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a famous French philosopher and one of the first most prominent people of the modern period when European thinkers began to develop innovative theories in scholastic philosophy. His primary interests were in physics and mathematics with the major concern on “methodology, justification, and certainty” (Wolff 42)....

1. Descartes’ goal in the Meditations is to discover and establish an absolute certain truth that cannot be doubted. By achieving this goal, Descartes would therefore find a clear and indisputable foundation for all human knowledge. However, the problem with this approach is a type of skepticism and a form...

One of the prevailing topics in philosophy has been free will, and few figures have been as important in the study of free will than Thomas Aquinas. The thinker offered a number of explanations about free will, how human beings conceive of it, and whether it is truly free. To...

Plato is one of the greatest and most influential ancient philosophers, the founder of the first higher educational establishment in ancient Greece - the Academy of Athens, and the author of about fifty philosophical works, the most notable of them are “The Apology,” “The Republic,” and “Crito,”. Most of his...

Explain why David Hume believes that the self does not really exist.What is Kant’s reply to Hume? For David Hume, there is no self in the way that we traditionally think of a “self”. What he means is that the self is not separate from when it is perceiving reality....

After extensive examination of the statement, it is crucial to seek answers on whether knowledge would exist devoid of a knower’s perspective. Is it possible? It is evident that knowledge defines an aspect that is known and understood by a particular individual (Heydorn and Jesudason 153). Hence, knowledge must be...

1. For Descartes, “imagination” differs from pure “intellection” in that imagination allows one to form a clear and detailed picture in the mind’s eye. In contrast, “intellection” refers to an intellectual understanding of something that cannot be pictured clearly, because its form is beyond concrete conceptualization. An example might be...

In fact, a Marxist term that used to mark the alienation derives from the German word Entfremdung which carries both social and philosophical connotations in its meaning. In the “Theory of Alienation,” Karl Marx refers to the outcomes of living in the socially stratified society. In that regard, alienation occurs...

Abstract The question of what would happen if people lived without any state of authority over them has been debated for centuries. Since Hobbes and his Leviathan, the philosophers have tried to find explanations to the law of nature and it influences and organizes people. Locke included the notion of...

Karl Marx, born in 1818, was one of the most influential and subsequently, controversial theorists of his time. He was born in Prussia and studied economics and law at the collegiate level; however, he was far more than an economist. Instead, his theories are applicable to the world of philosophy,...