...philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga and Descartes, defines God as “a being that which nothing greater can be conceived”. In my opinion the argument does not only fail to go beyond this definition, but we cannot be sure than it defines God correctly either. Firstly we cannot argue that the argument goes beyond the definition of God because as Kant points out the argument has a major flaw, the ontological argument is based on an assumption that to exist is a property of perfection. He uses the analogy of money saying that 100___ that existed in reality were no different in value to 100___ that existed hypothetically as both, in theory were worth the same and therefore equal. Bertrand Russell makes a similar point, he claims that the ontological argument uses the word ‘exists’ incorrectly and that existence is not a property of things, but of the idea of those things. Russell uses the example of dragons, saying that if someone says a dragon does not exist what they mean is of all the things that exist the word dragon refers to none of them, however this fact is not part of the definition itself and changes nothing about the description of the features of a dragon, therefore existence is an extension of an intention and not a definition. Alvin Plantinga attempts to redeem the ontological argument with his possible world’s theory, planting argues that if it is coherent to believe that in a possible world a maximally great being could exist then in order for him to have maximal greatness he...
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...earlier stage should be aborted. It results that the existence of one person should counted as overpopulation, and it is good for human to extinct. In the introduction, Benatar first claims that his argument can be applied to all sentient beings, but his focus will be on humans. In the part subtitled “Who is so lucky”, Freud's claim that there is no good or best for the non-existent people elicits the 'non-identity' problem, which will later be solved. By speaking about the 'never-existent' which refers to nothing, Benatar is using this expression as a convenient term to mean those possible but non-actual beings. In Chapter 2, Benatar firstly claims that the expression 'a life worth living' should be specified as either 'a life worth starting' or 'a life worth continuing'. Then he tries to explain why coming into existence is always a harm by the asymmetry of pleasure and pain: (1) the presence of pain is bad, (2) the presence of pleasure is good, (3) the absence of pain is good, (4) the absence of pleasure is not bad unless it implies a deprivation. The first two points are evident, but (3) and (4) are controversial. The 'non-identity' problem can be raised against (3), since (3) can be interpreted as the absence of pain is good for the nonexistent being. Benatar replies that (3) claims that “this absence is good when judged in terms of the interests of the person who would otherwise have existed” (2006: 31). However, this reply is still problematic since it implies a...
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...God—proofs that were dependent on reason and observation, not the revealed word of God. 1. Aquinas recognized that for motion to take place, there had to be something that interacts with it to cause it to move. This, in turn must be an infinite being outside of creation and hence is God. 2. Every effect must have a cause, if you eliminate the cause you eliminate the effect. It only posits that a God exists who is the cause of all things and who is the effect of nothing. 3. Aquinas argued that from observation, the things around him had the possibility of being (or existing) or not being. Yet, if that first being exists, he must necessarily not have the possibility of not being. In other words, as non-existence cannot bring about existence, the first being necessarily has to have always existed. And this entity that necessarily exists and cannot not-exist, is God. 4. Note that this is not the suggestion that we get the idea of goodness or hotness from God, but simply that there must always be something that is more good or more hot than that which we are viewing and since there is a gradation, there must always be a top to the gradation that can never be surpassed. Such a top or asymptote, by definition, requires an infinite being, hence it must be God. 5. Fifthly, Aquinas points out that there are entities in creation that have no consciousness at all, yet still act in a regular fashion and in such a way that it is beneficial to their continued existence. Trees, for example...
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...horses did not exist, there would be no such thing as the form horse. Is this correct? * I believe Aristotle was incorrect by saying there could be no form of a horse if there were no actual physical particular horse with which to base the form on. I justify this based on my understanding of the notion of a form, namely – the form of the object is purely human convention that assigns words to concepts and then judges wheter particular objects conform to our definition. We could conceive if something that we would call a horse even if there was never an object that we could find which conformed to our conception. 4. Can there be essence without existence? * Everything has two principles that explain its being, essence and existence. In all beings except for God, these principles are both required in order for the actually existing individual thing to be. Each is distinct from the other, yet this distinction is a real, not merely logical. 5. What are the two kinds of substance * For Aristotle two kinds of substance is from and essence. The kind of essence or form that Aristotle counts as primary substance is one that is not in any way universal; a form that is as individual as the compound whose form it is. The “individual forms” solution is not to be found in Aristotle, and is unavailable to him. On their view, the primary substance of the Metaphysics is species form - something that is common to different members of the same species, but is still, in some...
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...expected and required. * These policies should include conflict of interest and code of ethics section. * Procedures should be updated every year * It is important that employees are taught and trained in the policies so that they learned of their existence and they get a sense of what is expected of them. * It is also important to exercise segregation of duties in the workplace. This means require different parties to perform key parts of the transaction. Specifically, separate the authorization, custody, record keeping and reconciliation duties. In the case, not only is Jessica in charge of the custody and record keeping duty, but there also seems that there isn’t any supervising bank reconciliation activity being performed. There are different controls that this entity could have used to avoid segregation of duties problems experienced that led to the burglary of funds by Jessica. Some of these are: * Implement a bank lockbox system that receives the entity payments. These system would have avoided Jessica or any employee to have to deal with cash by just getting bank notifications of the daily deposits for recording. * If a lockbox system is unavailable/undesirable, two entity’s employees should receive payments, list the payments and generate deposits. * This control could be circumvented by collusion of employees. * Additionally, periodic reconciliations of cash receipts for entities books should be performed...
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...TRANSCENDENTAL PROPERTIES OF BEING By: MBAKWE NICHOLAS CHUKWUNWEIKE Introduction Metaphysics is not just a science in Aristotle’s conception of it, but one that distinguishes itself from all the particular sciences by firstly raising the question of the first and most universal causes and secondly by taking as its subject of consideration ‘being’ simply as ‘being’ in its most universal and in its most concrete sense as present in experience. Implicitly, being must be taken as analogous from the very beginning of the investigation, not in the sense that it would diffuse the unity of this science into a mere difference of differences, but in the sense that it would raise this science to a higher kind of unity according to an order of different degrees of being as they relate to a primary analogate as the one to which all relate more or less distantly. To delve more deeply into this analogous subject of consideration one must further distinguish transcendental properties that follow being in its analogous and transcendental sense. In the end, when the question of a first, universal cause of being as being, or of a summit of being that would be totally transcendent, is finally raised, all of this a priori conception of being as analogous according to different degrees with its corresponding degrees of oneness, activity, truth and goodness must be brought into play in relation to things as they come under sense experience as moved, caused, contingent and exhibiting different degrees...
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...having a hidden meaning, and as I have quickly learned, philosophy is a very mystifying subject and is open to a wide variety of interpretation. Due to this obscurity, each person will have a different view on philosophy and will likely have changing opinions and views as they continue on their path. Heidegger describes this path as one of responding to life. More specifically, “responding to the voice of Logos which he defines as the Being of all beings, One, One which is all, Life.” As previously stated, this is a very cryptic definition that takes much deeper thought than simply reading off the page. Despite being cryptic, this vague definition gives a strong guideline to the basic idea of philosophy while still giving the reader an opportunity to interpret the definition in their own way. This definition shines light on both the basic idea of philosophy while also showing that everyone will interpret philosophy in their own way. By saying that philosophy is the One which is all, it shows that each individual person makes up a greater being which is Life. Each individual person provides their own interpretation based on their own lifestyle and past. Therefore, philosophy is the sum of all lives that can only be defined with the sum of everybody’s views and opinions. With this is mind, philosophy will be ever changing as people grow older and more people are brought into the world. What is most important about this definition is that it is timeless. This definition can...
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...Transcendental Attributes of Being A research paper submitted to [Professor Name] In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For The course [Course Name] [Seminary Name] By [Student Name] Place Date Introduction While Plato had also covered the notions surrounding the properties of being, Aristotle was the first to bring the term transcendental to the context of the attributes of being. Plato offered valuable insight regarding the four transcendental attributes of being. [1] Aristotle shaped the transcendentals in a specific manner and refined his own perspective. Later philosophers also expanded the discussion surrounding the transcendental attributes of being. These transcendentals become significant in the context of theology because they possess a link with Christian theology and unfold in the form of what man desires. For explicating the four transcendental attributes of being, it becomes significant to first explore the definition of an attribute. An attribute falls under the category of that aspect which does not exist in the form of the embodiment but originates from the same. As regards ‘being’, it can only give rise to what is also being and thus, a ‘being’ cannot spawn attributes or properties while discussing these terminologies in a firm manner. Nevertheless, while approaching the subject in a broader manner, an attribute can be defined for a specific perspective on being as long as it applies to each instance of being and overall entities that fall...
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...religious thinking. It is important to point out that Heidegger’s philosophy is extremely complex and he never completed his second half of his endeavour, hence a brief explication will not do his thinking justice but a complete explanation is outside the scope of this essay. Therefore, in this essay I will primarily focus on Heidegger’s five key concepts; i) the transience of reality, ii) human existence, iii) Being-in-the world, iv) objects and things and v) metaphysics and Being. The transience of reality This ‘transience of reality’ according to Heidegger reflects the idea that everything is “temporary and changeable” (RST3708 Study Guide 2008:59). Whereas modern subjectivism refers to the “attitude in terms of which the whole of reality is traced back to the subject” (RST3708 Study Guide 2008:58), Heidegger contends that reality exists before the subject can be identified, as written in the Study Guide (RST3708 Study Guide 2008:58), “reality as a mystery has already happened”. Heidegger claims that only once a comprehensive examination is made into Being, will there be space for a new revelation, a “postsubjectivist experience – of reality”...
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...In my Sociology Life Course class I found many things that were discussed throughout the semester very interesting. A discussion we had close to the beginning of the semester about Children of the Land. In particular I found it interesting that Dr. Glenn Elders research tied the youth to the land academically and socially. As I stated in class that I was raised on a ranch in a small town myself so I could relate this lecture to my childhood growing up. My family was very close in fact the majority of my cousins; aunts and uncles all lived in the same small town. My family and myself were all largely involved with the church, festivals, small town get togethers and school. Another lecture I found interesting was he focus on sex, gender and sexuality. As discussed in class about the differences in gender and the view that Men are much more expressive about his bodily functions, sex life and the language he chooses to use to describe “things” was discussed as much more different than that of girls. I completely disagree with that view that the majority of the class had. I think when a group of girls are brought together yes they are viewed as a “lady” by men but what goes on behind closed doors with girls and their girlfriends, men seem to be oblivious to. Lastly a lecture that I was very interested in is when we discussed the model of couple problem solving. I found this interesting because I have a past relationship that went down quickly and I compared my past relationship to...
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...1. How should the Company determine whether an inventory impairment exists at September 30, 2002? More specifically, how should management evaluate impairment? The company should not try to evaluate impairment under the lower of cost or market method on a total inventory basis. PIGS must focus on trying to give an understandable and complete view of the company. As there are different category of inventory with different market prices and different cost, PIGS should first determine if there is inventory impairments at September 30, 2002 under lower of cost or market method inventory categories. Farmer Joe could separate its production into two categories: internally developed categories and hogs produced and sold to third parties. In case of a material effect where costs would be unable to recover, investors would like to have the possibility to find impairments. Therefore lower of cost or market method should be applied to individual category as they will be more significant for investors. Given the fact that PIGS has both internal and external production, grouping the category into one inventory could be misleading to investors analyzing financial statement. 2. If the company determines that an impairment of inventory is necessary, should the impairment be recognized in an interim period if prices are expected to recover before year-end? As Farmer Joe believes that the fall in price is due to seasonal fluctuation, he as to report the impairment at an interim period...
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...Pleasure Reading Topic. Book: “Theatre” (W. S. Maugham). “Theatre” is the most famous novel of English writer William Somerset Maugham. This novel was written in 1937. It`s a thin, ironic story about a brilliant, intelligent actress, and her romance with a handsome young man. The main character of the novel was Julia Lambert. She was 46 years old and she was the most famous theater actress in England. Julia had a successful husband Michael, the owner and director of the theatre «Siddons, where she played, and adult educated son Roger. She showed her feelings only on the stage. Her husband Michael was restrained and practical person; his love for Julia faded. And Julia decided to have a secret love affair. She met a young accountant Thomas Fenelon, who was younger her on 25 years. Julia fell in love; she began to present different things to him, brought him closer to her family and sometimes forgot about decency ['diːs(ə)n(t)sɪ]. Soon she realized, that Thomas didn`t love her. Then Julia learnt that Tom betrayed her. He liked the young actress Avis Crichton, and with the help of Julia Avis found the job in the theatre. After surviving a storm of emotions, Julia coped with feelings to Thomas. Julia masterfully «killed» a debut of Avis. To my mind, the main idea of this book is that the whole world is a theatre! Life is not distinguishable from the scene. My most favorite character was Julia Lambert. She was smart and shrewd [ʃruːd], slightly sarcastic and very susceptible...
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...his Being and Nothingness Sartre explores this uniqueness through a series of exercises that, he hopes, will bring forward new ideas of our existence and the meaning of nothingness. His chapter on ‘The origin of negation’ explores the existence of the non-being, a concept that he explains is unique to the human condition. In comparing the natural world with the human; we see that Sartre’s argument can make a clear distinction between the two, presenting a convincing argument that places humanity above anything else in this world. Sartre uses allegories to make a case Humanity is unique in that we ask questions and have expectations of answers. Even the most seemingly simple of questions such as ‘what is that?’ is the sign of a higher level of thinking than had ever occurred before humanity. It is our questioning and expectation, according to Sartre, is our link between our being and non-being. Sartre starts off by stating the everyday experience “does not seem to reveal non-being to us” (Sartre, p.5), that if we take the world on face value non-being shall never be shown. Yet, he goes on to explore how our questioning of the world acknowledges that the world is made up of is and is nots. That objects have perceived essence and qualities, that is; a tree is a tree and is not a car because it shares simular qualities with other trees. When we question and expect an answer, we are forcing anything that is not that within that essence of expectation into the realm of non-being. Using...
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...metaphysical meaning and origin. But to look closely in it superficial level, one audience or viewer would conclude that the movie, Transcendence, is about technology and how devastating it would be to human race if not regulate its usage and functions. On the other hand, looking in its deeper level, we can say that the movie is about finding treatment to all the sickness, diseases and problems in the world. The flow of my paper would be First, using the lens of Heidegger in discussing the film and some scenes in it. Second, using the ideas of Sartre, particularly facticity, transcendence and bad faith, in analyzing the movie and lastly, combining the thoughts of Heidegger and Sartre. I. Heidegger A. “The being of Dasein means ahead-of-itself-already-in (the-world) as being-alongside (entities encountered within-the-world)” This notion of Heidegger is clearly seen in the first part of movie. As we can see, the pattern of the movie is that Max, from the present state, somewhat rekindle everything (and the story starts) from the start until the couple died, back to the present again and somewhat gives a glimpse of the future. Although the pattern use by Heidegger is ordered as future, past and present, the pattern in the movie is present, past, present and future. This would be the plot of the movie as the director and the writers intended to do; yet in a deeper analysis, we can see also the care structure of Heidegger. In the middle of the story, Max has his “projection”, to...
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...The movie Being John Malkovich, revolves around the dysfunctional life of an unhappy married couple and the absurd changes that take place in their lives, upon the discovery of a portal leading into John Malkovich’s subconscious mind. It follows an unemployed puppeteer, Craig Schwartz, on his quest to gain the recognition he desires. Craig Schwartz acquires a job as a file clerk for Lester Corp, located on the 7-1/2th floor. It is there that he discovers a secret door with a portal behind a filing cabinet. This portal transports whoever enters it into John Malkovich's head, enabling one to experience Malkovich's life through his eyes, or as Schwartz likes to put it, “in his shoes”(literally). Schwartz and his co-worker, who he's very fond of, exploit this by selling passes to the portal. The individual experiences and feelings that the characters had in the portal, raise existential questions. We are left questioning the idea of our minds and bodies being separate entities. Could we somehow transcend from our physical state? Are our bodies merely vessels that can be disposed of? Are we truly happy in our own shoes? And what lengths are we prepared to go to in order to survive? The movie begins with curtains opening, exemplifying a stage performance. And for a split second, between the opening of the curtains, and the puppet appearing for the first time; the viewer is tricked into thinking that they're watching a real performance. The puppet's exceptional portrayal of human...
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