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...
Living spaces : Social construction of habitat: the anthropological and social-historical origins of the house and home from the point of view of its fundamental and continuing significance to civilization
Essay - 6 pages - Philosophy
What could possibly be the common features amongst Inuit Igloos, Native American tepees and Swiss chalets? At face value, there is not much of a similarity as they belong to three very unique cultures. Nevertheless in this situation, it is relevant enough to draw a comparison amongst all these...
Does Rawl's account of the original position imply any theory of the person, or of personal identity? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Philosophy
Rawls account of the 'original position' is subject to many criticisms from communitarian philosophers. While this account constitutes the very basis from which he derives his theory of justice, it is regarded as being flawed and thus compromises the validity of his whole theory. The...
What are the differences between Locke's and Hobbes' notions of the "state of nature"? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 6 pages - Philosophy
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are probably the most famous political thinkers of the 17th century. The generally accepted view asserts that these authors were poles apart, the first one advocating an absolutist regime and the latter recommending a stable civil society where powers are separated....
"The French lost the language war", argues John Kay. Do you agree? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 1 pages - Philosophy
Language has become an important issue due to globalization. Previously if a person spoke only one language it did not matter much. However the situation is completely different in the modern world. Learning English has become mandatory for every individual to surive in the globalized world. John...
Is Rawls' version of "Reflective Equilibrium" a defensible method of theorizing about social justice? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 6 pages - Philosophy
When John Rawls publishes his Theory of Justice in 1971, he was the first to use the expression "reflective equilibrium" (RE). Even if this kind of idea had been employed before by Nelson Goodman (Goodman, 1955), Rawls employs it as his method, to build a complete theory of justice and sort out...
Swinging London - 1963-1967 - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
The sixties were usually referred to as a period of joy and optimism, especially in England, as it was a span of time between two tougher periods in British history. Socially and economically speaking, the fifties was characterized as a period of severe struggle in the United Kingdom. The...
Does multiculturalism undermine the universal conceptions of justice? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
The Greek philosopher Plato believed in the existence of a parallel world which he called the world of Ideas. This world represented true knowledge with the help of concepts called ?the Ideas'. Each Idea corresponded to something that existed in the world that we experienced, also called ?the...
Assess the claim that Utilitarianism fails to take sufficient account of the moral significance of our relations to others - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
A comparison of how people used to live when they were still cave-inhabitants, with current living conditions that provide an organized society, with concepts such as justice, respect, tolerance and morality, we can feel justifiably proud of the progress we have made. Mankind has progressed so...
John Rawls' Theory of Justice - published: 29/09/2010
Book review - 5 pages - Philosophy
In the Theory of Justice (1971), Rawls offered an alternative to utilitarianism that led to different conclusions about justice. He asserted that if people had to choose principles of justice from behind a "veil of ignorance" that restricted their understanding of their own position in the...
Adaptation of Henry V - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Philosophy
By analyzing and studying the main themes (war, leadership, relationships between human being) developed in both the films (and the interpretation made by the two directors), we will see that, although adapted from the same play, the potrayal of Henry is quite different. In both versions of the...
The criticism of religion: Marx
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818. Both his uncle and grandfather were famous rabbis in their city. But in 1817, Marx's father converted to Protestantism. The reason behind this conversion was that there was actually a series of laws unveiled by the new King of Prussia (1816) which made the...
Amish culture: Life, practices and religious beliefs
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
Among the various minority religious groups in the world, the Amish society is a unique sect. The Amish group of people are widely prevalent in North America and specifically in the United States. They are spread over states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. This group is categorized as a...
Origin and spread of Christianity
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
This document outlines the history of Christianity and how it was linked with Judaism in its early years and evolved subsequently as an independent religion. Although religious practice has tended to decline today, Christianity, as a religion came into existence in Palestine 2000 years ago and...
The types of domination (Weber)
Thesis - 4 pages - Philosophy
The German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920), was the founder of "comprehensive" and explanatory sociology , which takes as its starting point, the social actions of individuals, in an attempt to elucidate the reasons. His study of Western society focuses on the rationalization of human...
The city, by Max Weber
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
Max Weber was a German sociologist, philosopher and economist. He was born in 1864 in Erfurt and died in 1920. His research focuses on the process of rationalization of modern societies in the Western world. In this context, he became interested in the development of capitalism (The Protestant...
Islamism in the Middle East: The new face of nationalism
Thesis - 4 pages - Philosophy
Islamism and nationalism are apparently contradictory terms. One suggests the existence of solidarity is based on religion and faith. In case of Islam it is the "community of believers," the "ummah" which refers to another part of the nation state. This is a recent concept which presupposes the...
The investigation of human intention and mortal acquisition as related to virtue (Meno 77b3-78c)
Book review - 2 pages - Philosophy
A simple question posed by Meno to Socrates about virtue—“can virtue be taught”? (70a)—started an intense conversation about the definition of virtue and consequently, virtue's attributes. After concluding that the teachability of virtue would indeed be a characteristic, and...
Islam in Morocco
Thesis - 8 pages - Philosophy
This religion arose in Arabia in the seventh century. They say that God revealed himself to Muhammad and inspired him to begin a new religion. His followers are called Muslims, that is to say "those who are obedient to God". Islam is also a community of believers who have tapped into this...
The end of political Islam
Thesis - 5 pages - Philosophy
The twentieth century marked a turning point in the organization of Muslim societies. After the independence that marked the last century (Middle East, Central Asia), a revolutionary stream of Islam came into existence in Egypt and Pakistan leading to the development of utopian Islamism....
Religion in the United States
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
In ‘The Will to Power', Nietzsche presents religion as an illusion which creates a psychological confusion. The religious man is viewed as a sick man who invents a personal explanation of the world around him. In the Critique of Hegel's philosophy of law Marx, opines that religion is a...
Law, morality and religion
Thesis - 8 pages - Philosophy
On June 26, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the law prohibiting the practice of sodomy "with a person of the same sex" unconstitutional, in the State of Texas. This called into question the laws that ban hanging in 13 U.S. states and homosexual practices, even in a private setting. This...
Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah by Oliver Roy
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
This document presents a review of the book Globalized Islam. The Search for a New Ummah written by Oliver Roy. With this book, Olivier Roy sums up the logical consequence of a long consideration of Islam and political modernity that had begun in 1985 in Afghanistan and continued with the...
Postmodern perspective on Marlow
Thesis - 2 pages - Philosophy
In the world of postmodernism, absolute truths such as grand theories and master narratives are non-existent (Irvine 03). Rather, the emphasis in postmodern literature is on the “spectacle of the brain and its workings” (Baudrillard 01), where reality is shaped indefinitely by the...
