The Problem with the 'Grue Problem'
Book review - 5 pages - Philosophy
Nelson Goodman, in his book 'Fact, Fiction and Forecast', presents a well known problem he calls “The New Riddle of Induction.” It seeks to criticize a basic kind of inductive reasoning most notably characterized by the phrase “all emeralds are green.” Goodman wants...
The Civic Education of "My Own Life"
Text analysis - 1 pages - Philosophy
Ryan Hanley described the popularization of public moralism by David Hume through Hume's autobiography entitled My Own Life. Like Benjamin Franklin his model, the 18th century philosopher aimed at simultaneously displaying a model of civic education and illustrating himself as such. Hanley,...
Hume, David, "A Character of Sir Robert Walpole"
Text analysis - 1 pages - Philosophy
David Hume portrayed Sir Robert Walpole, a Liberal considered as the first British Prime Minister. In the form of an essay entitled "A Character of Sir Robert Walpole", the 13-line -description was published in January 1742 when Walpole resigned the following month. "A Character of Sir Robert...
""Like Socrates": Pope's Art of Dying"
Text analysis - 1 pages - Philosophy
Morris Brownell explained the nature and significance of Alexander Pope's death in order to exemplify the 18th century art of dying. Pope imitated Socrates's way of dying,[...] sanctioned by Pope's Catholic mentor, Erasmus,and acknowledged by all his friends [...] Pope's act of...
The History of the Decline and Fall of
Text analysis - 1 pages - Philosophy
J.G.A. Pocock analysed The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a six volume work written by the English historian Edward Gibbon, as an echo to the world view of theLate Enlightenment. Pocock, J.G.A., "Gibbon's Decline and Fall and the World View of the Late Enlightenment",...
Rose, Mark, "The Question of Literary Property"
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
In the 18th century, Mark Rose questioned the relationship between origination and ownership of a literary work. He presented the genesis of the legal existence of proprietorship in literature: copyright; and by doing so, he endeavoured to define the constitution of a literary work. "The...
Sample Statement of Purpose - For a Philosopher
Course material - 2 pages - Philosophy
I haven't always wanted to be a philosopher. In fact, I've wanted to be many other things: a writer, a psychologist, an artist, perhaps even a scientist or doctor. As a child, I grew up imagining the things I wanted to be, but never what I wanted to do. "You can be anything you want to...
Women in Ancient Societies
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
The roles and treatment of women in ancient societies varied greatly. Depending on which society is observed, one would have witnessed many different rules for the female population. Some societies were cruel and others were much more lenient and fair. Women in ancient societies sometimes had...
Nietzsche's 'The Birth of Tragedy'
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
In Nietzsche's 'The Birth of Tragedy', he addresses a specific problem: how to establish a German nation-state in the modern social and political environment. Nietzsche begins with the question of how to model a state in the modern period that is not liberal, but, at the same time, is not...
The role of celebrities in fund raising and in non-profit events
Dissertation - 13 pages - Philosophy
Stars have a magical aura in our society and they are prominent in every part of our culture. The concept of celebrities being present in every generation is nothing new. It began with the queen Nefertiti, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, kings and queens, gladiators and army commanders, Olympic...
The Beat generation
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
The “Beatnik” generation, born in the 50s, has contributed in creating historical events such as May 68. It was a movement, which pretended to help people to get out of their cultural narrow-minded vision. “I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but...
Political philosophies of Edmund Burke and Jean Jacques Rousseau
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
Jean Jacques Rousseau and Edmund Burke were great political thinkers with different views on human nature, civil society, government, religion, and the extent of human rights. Rousseau believes that men have inalienable rights and possess the ability to destroy and rebuild the government in...
Self-Love as it connects to the theme of "recognition"
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
There is no concept of more importance to an individual's sense of recognition than the idea of self-love. Self-love helps one to better theorize recognition because it provides necessary contexts, reasoning and often difficulty to measure individuality in the topic of recognition. Self-love...
Montesquieu & the separation of powers
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
Past and future have in common that the latter is as uncertain as the former. Indeed, there is no such thing as malleable as human memory. More than how things really were, one often only retains what he wanted to. The problem is that as a consequence there is sometimes a certain discrepancy...
Marriage is an event, which has lost all it meaning, and above all, it does not last anymore.
Dissertation - 10 pages - Philosophy
“Will you marry me?” Here are some words that we often listen or read, which explains a simple thing, marriage. But what is the real meaning of this word, marriage? Through times, the definition of it has evolved, and it is not possible to give a complete answer to it. Some people...
Hume 'Problem of Induction'
Essay - 3 pages - Philosophy
Hume defines the problem of induction, wondering about the concept of causality, in order to found a Newtonian science of Human being. Hume définit le problème de l'induction, s'interrogeant sur la notion de concept de causalité, afin de fonder une science newtonienne de l'être humain.
Working with spiritual and emotional intelligence
Essay - 10 pages - Philosophy
Life is hard and there is many way to be able to do it more comfortable. Indeed, all of us are different and have different needs. That is why we should share with others we have to live with. But, even if I think it is good in some situation, it is not the case in some others. Because we are too...
The Overman and the Eternal Recurrence
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
In 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', Friedrich Nietzsche concludes that in an infinite universe where there is no God, every finite event recurs eternally. As only the Overman can embrace this concept of eternal recurrence, it is necessary to attain mastery over the will to power. Since...
Market Islam: The other Conservative Revolution' by Patrick Haenni (2005)
Essay - 3 pages - Philosophy
The West, in the post September 11, 2001 days, is characterized by its mistrust of the currents of radical Islam, Islam is considered the new enemy. Among the hawks and those who fuel the enmity towards Islam, the confusion is common, and the lack of reliable information means that any...
"In twenty years' time, nobody will write letters"
Dissertation - 1 pages - Philosophy
The advance of technology is more and more progressing. We use less paper and pen to communicate; these tools have been replaced by new technologies such as SMS or email. We can ask ourselves if in twenty years we will write letters. We'll see in the first part the advanced techniques which...
A new economic model: Development, justice and freedom - Amartya SEN
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
From the beginning of the industrial revolution, development has been seen as the accumulation of capital. Several economists have tried to expand it, considering this definition to be simplistic and harsh. Until the sixties, the "human factor" was included in the concept of productive capital,...
Project of econometrics: Causes of infant mortality in Africa (2006)
Dissertation - 20 pages - Philosophy
My study focuses on child mortality in Africa. According to UNICEF figures, the mortality rate among children under 5 years varies considerably from one country to another, and is amplified in certain countries. For this international organization whose responsibility is the protection of...
"Nagel argues that life is necessarily absurd" - An argument to prove the statement is wrong
Dissertation - 3 pages - Philosophy
Nagel begins his article with a generic claim: “Most people feel on occasion that life is absurd, and some feel it vividly and continually” (Nagel, 1971) and then proceeds to offer standard arguments he feels are inadequate for the justification of such; the basic outlines (and...
If you were given a chance to create an ideal society, what would it be? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 2 pages - Philosophy
It always seems dangerous to talk about an 'ideal society' because this is exactly what all the totalitarian and authoritarian regimes have been looking for. It has also been the ultimate purpose of all politics since Antiquity and one of the biggest dream of humankind. First of all, an...
Hobbes and the question of Legitimate Authority in the Leviathan: liberalism or fascism avant la lettre? - publié le 29/09/2010
Book review - 3 pages - Philosophy
Hobbes contends that the human state of nature exists where every man is at war with every other man and in order to free ourselves from this state, we must relinquish all of our rights to one unified authority. The intention of this sovereign body is supposedly to serve the good of the people,...
Analysis of Socrates' Crito
Book review - 4 pages - Philosophy
The Crito strikes us as an oddly shocking story simply because Socrates, who was once portrayed as a loyalist to the gods, now argues the importance and essentiality of obedience to the laws of the state. It is natural to find The Crito surprising because Plato had described Socrates in The...
Compare and contrast Rousseau's and Tocqueville's accounts of the civil function of religion in a democracy. Consider closely the respective merits of their case before offering your own assessment
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
Rousseau and Tocqueville fundamentally agree that the civil function of religion is to strengthen the bond that exists between the people and the law. However, the two men differ in their views on how this bond should be strengthened. Rousseau argues in favor of a new, civil religion being...
Comparing the ideas of sovereignty of Hobbes and Rousseau
Book review - 4 pages - Philosophy
As the study revolves around the notion of sovereignty, it is important to know what sovereignty is. Presenting the definition given by a dictionary might be of no use, but it could partially enlighten us of what we are discussing. Various dictionaries offer alternative definitions for...
Contemporary theories of Justice- Essay : is the principle of Fair Equality of Opportunity (FEO) defensible? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
The principle of Fair Equality of Opportunity (FEO) is a part of Rawls' theory of justice, detailed in his Theory of Justice (1971) . This principle emerges from Rawl's distinction of the classical liberal of ?careers open to talents' -or "formal equality of opportunity?- from a more...
Race, culture, civilisation - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Philosophy
As we can observe daily uses of concepts like race, culture, or civilization through newspapers, magazines, TV shows, etc. The need of defining them occurs repeatedly. What then are we talking about with respect to the concept of culture? Is it a political, artistic, or even ethnic pattern of...
