...John Perry’s “A Dialogue On Personal Identity And Immorality” discusses how personal identities can be explained by the brain theory, the memory theory, the body theory, or the soul theory. The theories of what and where your personal identity resides develop from the problems with the understanding of what personal identity is and how it relates to the way the word identical is defined. In this paper I will explain three assumptions that are made about identity and how when philosophically thought out can be denied creating problems about personal identity. In response to the problems I will compare all the different theories and defend the memory theory as I state objections made by the brain, body, or soul theories along with evaluating the objections to adequately respond with why the memory theory is superior. The problem with personal identity is derived...
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...Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, he claims that it is not reason, but experience which guides and is the basis for most of our beliefs, or matters of fact. What the cause is for this, is the question he ultimately tackles in order to gain an understanding of the human nature of the connection of experience and existence. When discussing how our mind forms connections between various thought, he states that “method and regularity” act to enforce a regular chain of ideas that also serve to relate to memory and imagination (p.14). When this regular chain is broken in upon by some irregular thought, it is quickly noticed. From this, he gathers that because of the regularity that occurs in the thought process, a universal principle exists to bring together ideas in such a comprehensible fashion. These principles of association, as he calls them, are Resemblance, Contiguity, and Cause and Effect. To prove that these three principles hold to connect all possible forms of ideas, he suggests that if all situations are rendered to as general a form as possible, principles of association will apply alone or in some combination in all cases. For our purposes, cause and effect is the most relevant principle which may cast light on Hume’s statement that “Custom, then, is the great guide of human life. It is that principle alone, which renders our experience useful to us,” (p.29). Before entertaining the suggestion that customs are in fact an important guide to human life, it is important...
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...OVERVIEW OF THEORIES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR & THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT APPLICATIONS TO SOCIAL WORK GENERALIST PRACTICE The following is a very general outline summarizing the theories covered in the NCSSS foundation classes of SSS 571: Human Behavior & the Social Environment. Theory application & integration with practice are demonstrated. This outline is only a summary of highlights; all theorists, ideas, and concepts are not included. Because human behavior is complex and the social work profession is broad, numerous theories are utilized for social work practice at the micro-meso-macro levels. These theories focus on human growth and development, psychological and social functioning, and social service delivery. Some theories emphasize social and economic justice. All theories are value-laden and come out of a socio-historical context. Thus, all theories should be critiqued with attention paid to their cross-cultural applicability. DEFINITIONS: Theory—interrelated sets of concepts and propositions, organized into a deductive system to explain relationships about certain aspects of the world (e.g., the theories listed below). Perspective—an emphasis or point of view; concepts at an earlier level of development (e.g., a “strengths perspective”) or at a broader and higher level of abstraction (ex: a “humanistic perspective” or a “developmental perspective”) Paradigm—an archetype or mode of thought; a general way of seeing the world (e.g., “modernism” or “post-modernism”) Practice...
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...symbols of human unconsciousness. He finds the very intimate relationship between symbol, unconsciousness and dreams. In his essay “ The Importance of Dreams”, Jung describes that man produces symbols unconsciously and spontaneously, in the forms of dreams. He says that dreams are outlet of unconsciousness. He describes that how human incompetence to define and inability to explain certain things which is beyond human reasoning always expressed using different varieties of symbols such as natural symbols, cultural symbols and religious symbols. Jung’s idea is valid because things beyond the range of human understanding stores unconsciously without our conscious knowledge in human psyche which is revealed to us in a dream as a symbolic image. Jung believes that human unconsciousness exists and it expresses itself through our dreams using symbolic language. He asserts that “whoever denies the existence of the unconsciousness is in fact assuming that our present knowledge of the psyche is total. And this belief is clearly just as false as the assumption that we know all there is to be known about the natural universe” (192). Jung is right here because human race doesn’t know all about the natural universe. Human psyche is part of nature and nature is limitless and infinite. Thus defining nature and psyche is just the belief that human describes and explains any psychic events as best as it can be but that is not the whole truth. As it is well known that human minds never...
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...a means of knowing God In the Christian tradition, the via negativa (apophatic theology) refers to a way of speaking about God and his attributes through the way of the negative. Because God is beyond our capacity as human beings to comprehend, anything we can say of him is necessarily limited by our finite human understanding and his reality far surpasses our power of expression through our anthropocentric languages. It suggests that the closest way we can get to describing him is by saying what he is not, rather than what he is. We therefore can come to know God better through meditating on how much greater he is than anything we can conceive for as St. Thomas said: “This is the ultimate in human knowledge of God: to know that we do not know Him”. According to this way, we use words like “infinite,” “incorporeal”, “immutable,” and “ineffable” to describe God. Even to call God “perfect,” says St. Thomas, we do by way of negation, because we understand perfection as “lacking nothing.” Moses Maimonides believed that when it came to directly describing God’s nature, “silence is the best praise” and that even the Torah was an imperfect source for describing God as any descriptions are carried out using human language (“The Torah was written by the sons of men”). However he understood human need to describe and explain the characteristics of God, which he felt was impossible to do in a meaningful way; And so he suggested that we demonstrate the nature of God by saying what he is not...
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...different beliefs.Both trace their roots to Abraham. Both believe in prophecy, God's messengers(apostles), revelation, scripture, the resurrection of dead, and the centrality of religious community. This last element is especially important. Both Christianity and Islam have a communitarian dimension: what the church is to Christianity the"umma" is to Islam. Despite these significant similarities, however, these two world religions have a number of significant differences as well.I would like to comment on these -- not to engage in any kind of polemic (since I consider polemic a sign of religious immaturity)but to foster better understanding. A true dialogue between religions can be built only on nuanced understanding and not caricature. I will discuss these differences under four general headings: I -- The Understanding of God ============================= Muslims and Christians believe there is only one God / Allah. The basic testimony of Islam is called the 'shahada', the first clause of which states that "la ilaha illa Allah" -- "There is no god but God." This is certainly a statement that Christians would affirm. But how Christians and Muslims conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. The emphasis in the Islamic theology of God can be summarized by one word: 'tawhid', which means "absolute unity." Muslims insist that there is no distinction within the Godhead. God is sublimely one...
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...world and what is the importance of it that helps people understand things beyond imagination (Thomas Samuel Kuhn). The scientific ways of expressing the world and how it generates based on its history. The importance of science, the scientific methods, and the scientific expression of how the world generates based on its history are the three major descriptions of science. One of the important facts about science is the start of scientific rules and the way to explain the methods it follows (See Appendix 1). Science is based on the knowledge that humans have to know the mystery behind things that cover the truth behind something. Science has many rules that have been passed on by one of the greatest scientists that discovered the ways of life and things that were not predictable. The scientific method is a procedure of six steps they are stating the problem, collecting information, forming a hypothesis, performing experiments, analyzing the data (Alhazen), and making a conclusion. The first step to the scientific method is to stat the problem in which you wish to Answer. The second step is collecting information on the question answered. Making observations and study the things on the question you have more knowledge on the problem. The scientific ways of expressing things that is beyond the human understandings. The scientific ways of expressing things beyond the human understandings is one of the important facts about science .The scientific method consists...
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...D M A S O N understanding understanding S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2003 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mason, Richard, 1948– Understanding understanding / Richard Mason. p. cm. — (SUNY series in philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5871-7 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5872-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Comprehension (Theory of knowledge) I. Title. II. Series. BD181.5.M27 2003 121—dc21 2003042557 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 for Margie Contents INTRODUCTION, 1 CHAPTER ONE WHAT WE UNDERSTAND, 7 CHAPTER TWO HOW WE UNDERSTAND, 21 CHAPTER THREE UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE, 39 CHAPTER FOUR INTELLIGIBILITY, 51 CHAPTER FIVE FAILURES OF UNDERSTANDING, 67 CHAPTER SIX BEYOND UNDERSTANDING, 89 viii CONTENTS ...
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...problems humans have today. The purpose of the theory of forms is to show how a human sees the world differently when they perceive it from the aspect of their minds. The senses of humans are much different from what the mind of the human believes. People see what they want to see and do not look beyond the physical features. Society has a small understanding of the real world. To find reality, people must look beyond the physical appearances. In the world outside of the physical world, exists a world where everything is perfect. This perfect world contains all the original ideas or forms of an object. A person believes to see new objects in the physical world but all those objects are just copies of the real idea from the outside world. There only is one of everything. Everything else is just a copy that exists in the thoughts of humans. The beginning of every idea or form is always perfect and copy that precedes it is imperfect. Even if something is new in the material world, that new object will continue to change forever. Through the years, a wooden chair becomes wobbly and unstable, an animal becomes weak and unable...
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...relationship to and understanding of the world around us. These processes reconcile the need for creative and critical thinking because both are useful in forming a genuine understanding of the objective world, our relationship to each other and the actual knowledge process used for both. Therefore the question arises for college students which kind of thinking may be prioritized over the other when trying to make sound, valid and “true” claims. As a college learner I understand the process of generating knowledge to occur in both an individual and communal context, therefore different perspectives have to be assessed to arrive at objective truth. When assessing the need for interaction between critical and creative thought in generating knowledge, different perspectives arrive at different answers. For example, one common conception of critical thinking puts it above creative thinking in fundamental ways, asserting that creative thinking is secondary to critical. Another perspective holds that creative thinking sustains any other kind of philosophizing, because this mode of thinking brings into creation the very systems of thought used in the others kinds of philosophizing. I would argue that neither perspective has any monopoly on wisdom on this issue, and that laying down the assumptions needed to make either claim requires a very rigid definition of critical and creative thinking. Once these definitions are opened up, it may be possible to arrive at an understanding of what ways...
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...Flatland this is shown through the sphere who, even as the prophet of the third dimension, cannot comprehend the concept of a fourth dimension. In Slaughterhouse-Five this is shown through the Tralfamadorians who, even as supremely intelligent fourth-dimensional creatures, cannot understand the idea of morality, and are more ignorant than any human being has ever been. By showing how creatures can have such a high level of ignorance and such little morality, the authors are trying to teach a lesson to the human race; ignorance and immorality will never stop occurring, as they are the inevitable fate of mankind. In the novel Flatland, Edwin A. Abbot gives the reader a glimpse into the eyes of a two-dimensional creature who must learn a lesson about the third dimension. A three-dimensional sphere ascends from space and attempts to teach the two-dimensional square the “Gospel of the Third Dimension.” The square does not believe the sphere when he speaks of the third dimension, and even attacks him. It is only when the sphere thrusts the square into the realms of the third dimension that he finally believes in its existence. The square, like many humans, does not believe without seeing. He cannot understand anything that is not blatantly put before him....
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...Genesis chapters 1-11 teaches us life lessons regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization. Genesis is the beginning of all creation. It is God’s story. Understanding Genesis is key to comprehending the rest of the bible. It tells the story of the beginning of the human race in general and the beginning of the Hebrew race in particular. Hindson, Ed, Yates, Gary, The essence of the old testament: A survey, (Nashville, Tennessee: knowing Jesus ministries and Gary Yates,2012.)51. God is introduced as an absolute being who cares about his creation and the human struggle of the fallen world. Ibd,51 In regards to the natural world, Genesis chapters 1-11 teaches what early Hebrews believed about the creation of the world and the origins of mankind. “What does Genesis 1-11 teach regarding the natural world?” Answers. http://wiki answers. Com/a/what_does_Genesis. It teaches that God is separate from nature and that he created everything in the natural world. It teaches that God created the universe. God created the light and dark, separating the light and dark into day and night. Post, Trent “In the beginning and Beyond.” Genesis/Hades solution.” http://hades 1 solution.wordpress.com/tag/Genesis. 5/23/13. God created the vegetation, sky and the land on the second day. On the third day he created the sun, stars, moon and seasons. Then he went on to create the days, years and animals. On the sixth day...
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...Literature goes beyond life "Literature goes beyond life. It is art; it is an imaginative creation that can tell truths gracefully, subtly through narrative, poetry and the movement of characters on a stage. Any imaginative act suggests possibility, and this is another reason to continue studying literature" (Florence Dee Boodakian). Literature has been the most influential art in the history of man. It passes down information from one generation to the next and unites all people from different places with a diverse culture. For examples, in Shakespeare, Walker, and Frost's works, it teaches and inspires us in lots of ways; emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. It also initiates change throughout our lifetime. It affects how people live and see the world in a bigger picture; another example of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" it inspired and touches the hearts of many, that heritage is what binds one’s culture. Literature instills the skills needed by an individual to analyze critical things, to make a significant impact and differences in their lives and future. Literature is not a repository old scrolls and tomes, but great laboratory where the relation between man and the environment has been analyzed, experimented with and redefined over the history of civilization. The act of reading literature can change and shape how we perform and study things. Literature is the expression of oneself and the social life and thoughts through language that resemble one's heritage...
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......the day of the philosopher as isolated thinker--the talented amateur with an idiosyncratic message--is effectively gone. | ” | —Nicholas Rescher, "American Philosophy Today," 'Review of Metaphysics' 46 (4 | It is possible to believe at something which could or couldn’t be true. Atheism is an example of this something. Atheists claim that there is no God because the evidence they experience shows that God is not real; however, to have a static claim as strong as atheism is anti-scientific: because the belief itself lacks foundation associated with our ‘natural laws’ and thus, having a set belief that is static is counter scientific spirit which contradicts that base of atheistic claim. Thus, to be an atheist using scientific claims as basis is illogical; however, this doesn’t mean that a person cant be an atheist; but only that person who claims to be an atheist because of scientific reasoning is wrong in his assumptions. atheists say there is no God, but before you can deny something, you must first affirm its existence, as a rule... in saying there is NO God, you actually affirm there is one. Hence I must conclude that the answer to our openeng question is a simple and flat no. No, it is not necessary for a truly contemporary person to be an atheist or to disbelieve in the existence of God. And I find no arguments, no reasons, no evidence or facts, not in Bishop Robinson's writings, nor in Bishop Pike's, nor in the writings of Tillich, Bultmann, and Bonhoeffer, or in...
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...Skepticism: A Reexamination of Reality When dealing with skepticism, it's imperative to understand why it is being discussed. Seeking the answer to a question that challenges the concept of reality is hardly an undertaking most people would want to attempt. It is far easier for the general population to blissfuly accept the reality that they experience as concrete. However, If our concept of knowledge is bound to what is accessible within our own minds, experiences that we have like taking psychedelics and vividly dreaming only show that the true concept of possessing knowledge is impossible. After all, dreams regularly fool us into believing we are truly experiencing an event; so how do we know there is any difference in what we are experiencing now? In the following paragraphs I will be explaining Descartes reasoning for skepticism, and my subsequent view of why it is important to be a skeptic. At some point in our lives, we all have believed with certainty, something that is a fallacy. However, for us to know that we have believed in a fallacy, we must be certain that our current assertions are correct. This notion is exactly what Rene Descartes started his first meditation on, reflecting on past falsehoods he realizes he must forget everything he knows, and start with a fresh plate. His first realization is that the easiest way to find doubt in his beliefs is not to methodically go through and pick out individual problems with each belief, but instead it is wiser to...
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