Syncretism and identity: Finding I - Thou in historical dialogue
Dissertation - 12 pages - Philosophy
Identity is fundamental to the distinction between faiths and cultures. Proper respect in dialogue hinges on a relational flow in dialogue. Power struggles and anxiety over engagement with the unknown other has caused dialogue to exist as an I-it relationship where the other becomes objectified....
Number symbolism in the Bible and early Christian works
Dissertation - 6 pages - Philosophy
For those who were trained in the art of interpreting them, the numbers themselves had special meanings. The result was that people in antiquity could talk to each other in a code language, that only those initiated into the symbolism of numbers could understand. Unless we understand this code,...
Religious and personal development in freemasonry - published: 22/06/2009
Dissertation - 6 pages - Philosophy
Freemasonry started in the 16th century as an organization for spiritual and personal development for free thinkers. At a time when whole new conceptions of the world were opening up, some people wanted to explore new realms of personal evolution. Freemasonry provided a place for such people to...
Hobbes's account of religion/nationalism and terror management theory
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
Throughout Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes makes repeated reference to the primacy of human consciousness in provoking individuals to subject themselves to the rule of a sovereign. Specifically, the ability to conceptualize oneself as a discrete entity with a past and (imaginable) future, combined with...
The hobbesian state of nature: A prisoner's dilemma?
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
In his 1651 work Leviathan, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes argues in favor of a societal structure in which individuals must waive a portion of their natural rights to an ?artificial man? in order to avoid battling with each other. Most famously, Hobbes declared that this condition of war was...
Aristotle's teleology and the doctrine of the four causes
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
In Aristotle's Physics, he presents his teleological theory of nature as comprised of changing materials which are to be understood in terms of the factors that brought them about, particularly their final causes (i.e. the function that they ultimately exist to serve). In his view, wisdom is...
The decay of magic: Karen Tei Yamashita's postmodern fable
Dissertation - 6 pages - Philosophy
In her satirical, surreal debut novel Through the Arc of the Rainforest, Karen Tei Yamashita asks us to believe in magic. She puts forth five original miracles at the beginning of the story: a lucky man named Kazumasa who happens to have a sentient ball floating around his head; feathers that can...
Historical analysis of the Shakers
Dissertation - 8 pages - Philosophy
The early Shaker belief system rested on an understanding that Christ's second coming had arrived. The founder of the sect, Mother Ann Lee, experienced a mystic vision of Christ while imprisoned. This vision was of the Christ and his church on earth. The early Shakers believed Ann Lee was the...
Construction and development of anthropology
Dissertation - 10 pages - Philosophy
Often times, especially in ideological disciplines, there is a great gap between theory and practice. Not all theories apply to lived experiences and not all lived experiences can be summarized in theories. Nevertheless, this paper seeks to construct an ideal relationship between anthropological...
The anti-apocalyptic Markan community
Thesis - 7 pages - Philosophy
Apocalyptic literature often is ignored when constructing theology and ethics. Theologians and ethicists ignore scriptural images of otherworldly beasts and supernatural beings. Prophesy of cosmic suffering and references to apocalyptic literature are not calculated in the work of most...
The origins of Freemasonry
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
Freemasons have been a focus of interest for centuries, partly because of their secrecy, and partly because they have been linked to esoteric and secret knowledge. One of the most common questions asked about Freemasonry is, how did it begin? It may surprise some that this question is hotly...
A fractured fluency: Amy hempel's exploration of grief
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
Amy Hempel's story “The Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried” appears to be a bleak depiction of human selfishness and avoidance in the face of death. A woman visits her dying friend in hospital, but instead of staying to offer comfort, she departs abruptly, leaving her friend crying in...
Religious analysis of death
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
Many controversies arise from the interaction between human ideas and religious thought. One of the issues that create much confusion among religious scholars, as well as the average man has been death. Since it is believed that there is no turning back, death raises many questions, and creates...
Critical evaluation of the respective interpretation of cultural relativism as explained by Bernard Williams and Alasdair MacIntyre - publié le 17/05/2009
Dissertation - 3 pages - Philosophy
The moral relativism denies that any moral code has universal validity, and ethical propositions do not reflect absolute and universal moral truths. Morality is relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances. The idea of relativism is not new. Protagoras, a Sophist, claimed...
Robert O.Paxton: The anatomy of fascism - publié le 17/05/2009
Book review - 5 pages - Philosophy
Many authors have proposed definitions for the question “what is Fascism?”, but most of them failed to give a complete definition. The historian Robert O. Paxton answered this question for the first time by focusing on the concrete: what the Fascists did, rather than what they said. To...
Why did Aristotle believe in natural slavery? - publié le 17/05/2009
Dissertation - 3 pages - Philosophy
Aristotle wrote Politics as a criticism of Plato's Republic, after having been his student for 20 years. Aristotle especially disagrees with Plato's view that only knowledge and perfect forms count. He would criticize Plato's view that women and children should be held in the perfect state and...
Are forgiveness and a search for the truth a better solution to heal the minds and bodies of the victims of wars than externally imposed tribunals? - published: 17/05/2009
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
Even after a settlement is reached and a peace agreement is signed, it is by no means the end of the conflict. For a conflict to really end, healing the minds and the bodies of the victims of wars is necessary. Indeed it is the necessary first step to reconciliation to appear and people who have...
The Third Way by Anthony Giddens - published: 17/05/2009
Book review - 7 pages - Philosophy
Anthony Giddens, director of the London School of Economics and Political Science published The Third Way in 1998. What does “Third Way” mean? For The author, the goal is a renewal of the social-democracy. Through this phrase he refers to a framework of thinking and policy-making that...
Violence and expressionism - publié le 11/05/2009
Dissertation - 4 pages - Philosophy
Expressionism is an avant-garde movement in which violence is everywhere in themes, in forms, in the expression of the artist in general. We can define violence by aggressive facts, language immoderation, brutality and provocation. When we talk about violence in art, the violence is not...
Democracy and totalitarism - publié le 11/05/2009
Dissertation - 6 pages - Philosophy
Nowadays the term ‘democracy ‘has become a widespread reality which is practically accepted everywhere. Even China's leaders argue that their country is on the path to democracy but “it needs time” (Wen Jiabao, China's Prime Minister). Nevertheless many dictatorships still...
We would all be idle if we could', Dr. Johnson
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
The relationship between human beings and work or idleness has been widely debated by many philosophers and writers, including the British poet and novelist, Samuel Johnson. The author of the Dictionary of the English language also wrote poems on idleness during the eighteenth century. Advocating...
Essay on the national liberation struggle in mozambique - publié le 07/05/2009
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
Mozambique is, in the early 20th century, a very heterogeneous country. Without any linguistic, cultural or ethnic harmony, the only point that is common all over this southern African country turns out to be the Portuguese colonial power. However, after an intense liberation struggle, Mozambique...
The Jews and the passion
Dissertation - 3 pages - Philosophy
The Passion narratives must be understood through the Jewish historical experience, religious tradition and, above all, holy scripture. It is crucial to remember that the Passion story, considered as the birth of Christianism, is very linked to the Jewish culture and holy scripture since,...
Occidentalism, the redefinition of a concept in the discourse of international culture - publié le 07/05/2009
Dissertation - 6 pages - Philosophy
Occidentalism can exist and develop only in relation to its pre-existing coefficient, orientalism” . Indeed, there exists a dichotomy between these two concepts. It refers to the description of the World and its organization. Therefore, an analysis of the meaningful concept of...
Catholic religious orders in Europe - publié le 07/05/2009
Dissertation - 3 pages - Philosophy
Monarchism started in Egypt during the IInd century and may have its roots in the forms of some Jewish sects. Saint Antony (236-347) created next to Alexandria what we call anachoretism. He organized a hermits' life. These men gather in communities called anchoret. They live alone but meet on...
The universal human rights concept
Essay - 5 pages - Philosophy
The UN was founded immediately after the horrors of the Second World War because of the Nazi-regime and in response to the economic and social difficulties after the Depression. This need of security by law was explained by a particular tradition in Europe where in the seventeenth and the...
A critical comparison of Aristotle's and Augustine's concepts on time
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
Aristotle and Augustine are two men whose intricately crafted ideas have been regarded as some of the most intelligent for thousands of years. Both men came from very different times and many times took very different approaches when explaining their ideas. Aristotle conceptualizes using mostly...
Would I lie to you
Dissertation - 5 pages - Philosophy
What do job interviews, parents, significant others, store managers, telemarketers, homeless people, personal managers, and movie ticket agents have in common? They've all been lied to. At job interviews, applicants may tell a little lie about their qualifications in order to get the job. An...
The mysticism of Teresa of Avila
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was a nun who came forward in the tumultuous years of the Spanish Inquisition to found a new order of nuns, the Carmelites. The new order had stricter rules about poverty and seclusion than other Spanish orders of that time. Teresa was a contemplative who was famous...
The image of the mother in the Tao Te Ching
Dissertation - 7 pages - Philosophy
Western scholarship has traditionally portrayed Chinese cultural as patriarchal and not supportive of women. This perspective often fails to look at ways that the feminine has been acknowledged and honored in major Chinese religious traditions. Kuan Yin, for example, was originally the male...
