Hume's skepticism
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Hume's skepticism of miracles centered around the use of them to explain things that could not be explained in any other way. Doing so sets a limit on what we can achieve through human understanding. Take for instance intelligent design. Intelligent design states that there are objects...
Berkeley's theory of knowledge
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Berkeley's theory of reality and reality can be considered to be the opposite of Descartes' theory. For Descartes, the one true thing that could not be disproved was that people have their own thoughts and they can perceive themselves as having these thoughts. Even if they cannot prove anything...
Plato's epistemology
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Epistemology deals with what knowledge is, how we acquire knowledge, and how we justify what we believe. Plato's theory of knowledge is generally referred to as “justified true belief.” This epistemological theory basically states that knowledge is gained through an explanation...
Law and violence in Jewish and Islamic perspectives
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
When the above is read at a glance, one would think Jewish Law states that a son who does not obey his parents shall be put to death. However, we do not see this implemented in society today - nor are there notable instances of this occurring in history. Has it been ignored? Does this suggest...
The Church of our holy death, identity and human emission
Thesis - 5 pages - Philosophy
Eros is the sum of life-preserving instincts that manifest as impulses to gratify basic needs like sex, as sublimated impulses motivated by the same basic needs, and as impulses to protect and preserve the body and mind. Thanatos is Greek for death. “Death” is more than the physical...
Education: Where the 2008 Presidential candidates stand
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
There are 76.6 million children under the age of 17 currently enrolled in school in the United States. In 2008, education reform ranked as the third most important issue for voters, behind the war in Iraq and the economy. The No Child Left behind Act, passed in 2001 by President Bush, is an...
Hegemony and dominant ideology
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
The dictionary defines hegemony as the “predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others”. It is the process of turning parts of society into something seeming natural using a dominant ideology. The more specific concept of hegemony was developed by...
The stranger by Albert Camus
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
It is understandable why The Stranger has become so famous and named one of the greatest existentialist novels ever written. I believe this because Albert Camus created a character that has or will never be duplicated. This may seem like a stretch but at the same time it is very true. Authors are...
Meursault: An analysis
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
As humans, we are innately apt to ask ourselves, who we are, and what we are doing on this earth and why. Why, why why. We are obsessed with this question. Yet, when others seem to have it figured out, we look down upon it. In Albert Camus', “The Stranger,” the main character, Mersault,...
The diversity of love
Thesis - 4 pages - Philosophy
The significance of love in regards to modern day society is often widely overlooked. According to one definition from Merriam-Webster, the word, “love,” means: a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion. At the same time, there are eight are listed definitions of the word. Prior to...
Samuel 17:28-37
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
My passage is taken from the first book of Samuel, and it's from the ever-popular story of David and Goliath. It's an epic dialogue between the current king, Saul, and the anointed king, David. The passage begins when David is confused as to why people are afraid of the Goliath. Yes, the Goliath...
Antigone vs. sartre
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
Evil is generally characterized as morally wrong, wicked, or immoral. Jean Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, discussed evil as an absolute evil where a person purposely debases another into an object; Sophocles' and Anouilh's version of Antigone both demonstrated two characters that, at times,...
Christian scriptures
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
The Bible can be called an “artifact of social memory” because first off, an artifact, by definition, is anything made or used by mankind. The Bible is considered by many be produced by the plenary verbal inspiration, which states that the scripture came from the Holy Spirit and that...
Human sacrifice-totally crazy or crazily reasonable?
Thesis - 4 pages - Philosophy
Is there any way of truly justifying whether one society's practice is wrong because our society looks at based on their own “standards”? The human sacrifice was considered a religious act that showed the Aztecs' true affection and admiration for their gods; however, today, our society...
Gospel of Judas
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
I believe the Gospel of Judas should be added to other books in the bible because it contains very important religious information. Even though the plot leading up to Jesus' crucifixion is contradictory to way it was written in the previous books already in the bible, the story behind Jesus'...
The story of Abraham and Isaac
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
God decided to test Abraham's faith in him by telling Abraham to sacrifice his most important possession, his very own son, Isaac. Abraham was basically told to give up his future because he made a promise earlier in the book of Genesis that he would be the father of a great nation, referring to...
Jonah and the Whale
Thesis - 1 pages - Philosophy
The story of Jonah and the “Whale” is one of the most famous and retold stories in the Bible. It tells of the prophet Jonah, a fisherman who gets swallowed whole by a great fish. The story goes that Jonah was fleeing God when God called upon Jonah to proclaim judgment to Ninevah, the...
Interpreting the Bible
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
I believe that calling the Bible an “artifact of social memory” implies that is a creation of collected thoughts and stories over time. As religion became more and more popular, people began hearing stories about God, Jesus, etc. and began to collaborate with others about the works...
Abraham: Genesis 16: 1-12
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
In Genesis 16: 1-12, Abram is worried about carrying on his bloodline. He has no son to speak of and is already around 90 years old. God has promised Abram that he would be the “father of many”. His wife Sarai knows this and also knows that he is not happy and would like a son, but she...
For Plato, knowledge ultimately depends upon the Good
Essay - 2 pages - Philosophy
In The Republic, Plato tries to describe his view of the ideal society, by setting the characteristics of a just state, a just individual, and the notion of justice seems to go along with the notion of goodness. Ultimately, a good or just person has been defined as the one that serves its...
Important people in Taoism: Zhang San Feng
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Taoism, also known as Daoism, is a philosophical religion that is widespread among eastern parts of Asia as well as parts of the western world. Taoism has involved several important people, namely Zhang San Feng. San Feng has also been known as Zhang Sanfeng, Chan San Feng, and Chan Sanfeng....
The rhetorical application of pity in 'We Shall Overcome'
Thesis - 3 pages - Philosophy
Painting an image of the role emotion plays in human cognition, American thinker William James once said, “emotions aren't always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action.” The correlation of emotion and action is applicable to rhetorical...
The significance of Isaiah 45:1-13 for Yahweh and the exiled
Thesis - 7 pages - Philosophy
Isaiah 45:1-13 is, in many ways, a microcosm of Second Isaiah as a whole. Anchored firmly in historical context, this passage portrays people still confined to exile, yet also looking forward to the possibility of future release and redemption. In tone, it is strikingly different from the...
Capitalism and Christianity: Weber's capitalist spirit and potential Christian influences
Essay - 9 pages - Philosophy
The questions of what is capitalism and how did it arise have been of central concern to Western economists and sociologists since the 1840s. At that time, commentators began to recognize that a fundamentally new economic and social order - with the expansion of machines in manufacturing and...
Advertising is good for the 'humanity?
Essay - 2 pages - Philosophy
Advertising executives and branding gurus have perfectly understood the power of a man's beliefs, and to what extent his eyes, misled by persuasive arguments or suggestive images, can alter the perception of what stands in front of him. From a mere plasma screen to a symbol of social...
Fallacies in Descartes' Dream Argument
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Descartes begins his Meditations with a discussion of doubt, believing it to be the tool by which knowledge can be verified. Betrayed by “the large number of falsehoods that I had accepted as true in my childhood (Descartes, 12),” the philosopher seeks a decisive mode of...
Descartes' dream argument and its followed knowledge
Essay - 2 pages - Philosophy
Meditations on first philosophy, a text written by René Descartes, is one of Descartes most recognized works. The book is divided in to 6 meditations in which Descartes helps the meditator cast a series of progressively radical doubts on preconceived notions, and metaphysical beliefs. The...
Defining virtues in Plato's Euthyphro
Essay - 3 pages - Philosophy
In this essay I examine the motivations behind Socrates' pursuit of a precise definition of a virtue. The particular virtue that interests me is piety, examined by Socrates and his interlocutor, Euthyphro, in Plato's Euthyphro. Like many of Plato's early dialogues, Euthyphro features the standard...
The parodic treatment of religion in contemporary culture is just another manifestation of the consumerism of late capitalism
Thesis - 5 pages - Philosophy
During the twentieth century, in the unstable years following the world wars, capitalism proved itself to be a successful and enduring system. This success seems to have come mainly from its, ' ...extraordinary versatility and flexability...' [1]. Despite many threats, such as the rising...
Brave New World: Aldous Huxley
Thesis - 4 pages - Philosophy
Brave New World is a classic novel written by Aldous Huxley. Set in the future, this book portrays a society where each person's life is visibly controlled by the views that they have been taught since they were decanted out of their bottles. This book is set in England, and explains the process...
