...! Cirillo - Thinking about Philosophy ! The word philosophy refers to both a discipline and a mindset. At its essence, philosophy implies the mindset of critical thinking, a quest to find out the truth and the discipline to have a good argument. Derived from the Greek words Philos - loving and Sophia - meaning wisdom and the the love of wisdom. Philosophy can be broken down into many categories. Included in theses subsets are metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, aesthetics and logic. Metaphysics encompasses the why and how of reality and being. Ethics incorporates morality moral systems. Epistemology explains ways of individual knowing. Aesthetics lends elements of beauty and the arts. Lastly, logic contributes the attributes of logic and reasoning. Philosophers pursue fundamental questions - questions that make sense but cannot be answered by relying on common sense or scientific procedures. Pythagoras defines philosophy as “too modest to wish to be called wise, he said he was not a wise man, but only a lover of wisdom”. According to Descartes, philosophy is the highest wisdom that could be achieved by logic; it taught the reason how to set about obtaining knowledge of as yet unknown truths. Frances Bacon described philosophy as the universal science, from which all other sciences grew like branches of a tree. Philosophers do not do experiments, they use priori - truths derived from a direct intuitive understanding of the truth. Many people misuse the word Philosophy...
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...He was born in 1711 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and died in 1776 * Was born in upper middle class family, his father died when David still a child, his mother, Katherine Falconer, who was from a family of lawyers, David never married * Main interests: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Ethics, Politics, Aesthetics, Religion * Hume as the third and most radical of the British Empiricists, after the English John Locke and the Arish George Berkeley. * 1723 (age of 12) After an early education at home enters Edinburg University where he begins the study of law, three years later turns from the study of law to pursue an intense independent study of his own devising. * In 1752 was employment as librarian of the Advocate’s Library in Edinburgh * n 1763, Hume accepted as a private secretary for Lord Hertford, the Ambassador to France, * He thought this science should be based on “experience and observation”. (Spiegel 206) * Between (1744-1745), Hume was a candidate for the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, but was rejected mostly due to the protest concerning his anti-religious writings * He wrote profoundly influential works on epistemology, ethics, and the philosophy of religion, and was also published on politics, economics and history. * Hume also spent considerable time in his final years revising his works for new editions of his Essays and Treatises, Works * A Treatise of Human Nature in (1739) * Being an Attempt...
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...harness maker. Kant's family was never destitute, but his father's trade was in decline during Kant's youth and his parents at times had to rely on extended family for financial support. In his youth, Kant was a solid, albeit unspectacular, student. He was brought up in a Pietistic household that emphasized intense religious devotion, personal humility, and interpretation of the Bible. Kant received a stern education that preferred Latin and religious instruction over mathematics and science. Kant attended college at the University of Königsberg, where his early interest in classics was quickly overtaken by philosophy, which all first year students studied and which encompassed mathematics and physics as well as logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural law. Kant's philosophy professors exposed him to the approach of Christian Wolff. But Kant was also exposed to a range of German and British critics of Wolff, and there were threads of Aristotelian and Pietism represented in the philosophy faculty as well. Kant's favorite teacher was Martin Knutzen, a Pietistic follower who was influenced by Christian Wolff and the British philosopher John Locke. Kant released his first work, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces in 1747, which was a critical attempt to mediate a dispute in natural philosophy between Lebinizians and Newtonians over the proper measurement of force. After college Kant spent six years as a private tutor to young children outside Königsberg. By this...
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...Summary of Chapter II: The Basics of Philosophy Everything we learn in life is related to philosophy. According to Weiner Heisenberg and Karl Popper, philosophy and knowledge are dependent on each other. The question here of course is, why? What is philosophy? Is it important? Chapter 2 discusses the basics of philosophy. Specifically on the definition of what philosophy actually is, the branches of philosophy, as well as the schools of philosophy. That is what this summary will focus on. First of all, what is philosophy? The word philosophy was derived from the Greek word philosophos. Philos means wisdom, while sophos means love. So philosophy basically means the love for wisdom. Philosophers observed the nature of objects and sought the truth. The study of philosophy is a never-ending process that keeps on developing until this very day. Philosophers try to understand the existence of everything there is thus making the study of philosophy limitless. However, the study of philosophy is more than just understanding things, it isn’t as simple as that. It’s a long process and takes effort to understand things critically, radically and systematically. The study of philosophy is divided into three general areas/branches of study, which are ontology, epistemology, and axiology. Ontology is then divided into two smaller groups; ontology (a more specific definition) and metaphysics. Ontology is the study of everything that exists and can be seen and/or perceived by the...
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...PHILOSOPHY SHERWIN S. ALAR, MAEd WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? What is the meaning and purpose of life? How do we know what we know? Does God exist? What does it mean to possess consciousness? What is the value of morals? DEFINITION Etymologically, Philosophy is derived from the Greek words philo (friend, love) and sophia (wisdom), combined to form the terminology. DEFINITION Philosophy literally means “love for wisdom”. The word philosophia was coined by the Greek thinker Phytagoras (c. 580 – 497 BC) who formulated a practical, ethical and religious philosophy which placed supreme value on intellectual activity (Bauzon, 1994:10). TYPES OF PHILOSOPHY Pure Philosophy (Speculative Philosophy) Cosmology is the philosophical study of being as being while taking into consideration that essence and existence are constitutes of being. A philosophical treatise of the physical universe in its final analysis. Theodicy is the philosophical study of the material world with regards to its order in the universe. Also called Natural Theology, is a study of a Supreme Being and his relation to his creatures. Anthropology is the philosophical study of man with regard to the union between body and soul. PURE PHILOSOPHY Rational Psychology is the philosophical study of the immaterial soul and its faculties with consideration to it as the life principle of every living being. Logic is the science and art of correct thinking. It is the study of the principles...
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...1 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? The word philosophy is derive from the compilation of two Greek word which are the word Philo which means love and the word Sophia that represent wisdom. So, philosophy is refer to “the love of wisdom”. (Sejarah Falsafah, Edisi Kedua, pg.9, para.1) Pythagoras was the first man who call himself a philosopher which means one who is attempting to find out. According to him, men and women of the world could be classified into three groups which are; [1] those that love pleasure [2] those that love activity [3] those that love wisdom. (Sejarah Falsafah, Edisi Kedua, pg.10, para.2, 3) Basically, philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language. (Sejarah Falsafah, Edisi Kedua, pg.25, para.2) Chambers Concise Dictionary Philosophy is the rational attempt to formulate, understand and answer fundamental questions. It also search for truth and knowledge concerning the universe, human existence, perception and behaviour, pursued by means of reflection, reasoning and argument. On the other hand, philosophy is a set of principles that serves as a basis for making judgements and decisions. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Philosophy in its shortest meaning is thinking about thinking. Philosophy itself, is a rationally...
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...THE ALLIGATOR RIVER STORY As most stories begin: Once upon a time, there was a river that was practically overflowing with alligators. As you may have guessed, it was called the Alligator River. A girl named Aurora lived on the bank of this river, and on the opposite bank lived Greg. Aurora and Greg were much in love with each other, and wanted very much to see each other. But there was one slight complication: No boat, and an alligator-filled river stood between them. Aurora decided to seek help so that she could see her friend Greg. So she approached Bong, who owned a boat. Now this was very fortunate for Aurora, because Bong’s boat was what exactly she needed to get across the river. She explained her situation to Bong, who then replied: “Sure you can borrow my boat, but only under one condition. The condition is that you sleep with me tonight. Now this startled Aurora, because she didn’t want to sleep with Bong. She just wanted to borrow his boat so she could see Greg. After Aurora had told Bong “Nothing doing”, she wandered down the road until she came upon Henry. Aurora explained her predicament (her desire to see Greg and Bong’s response) to Henry. He replied: “That’s not my concern I’ve got other things to do. Leave me alone”. A despondent Aurora, her options exhausted, finally decided to go back to Bong. She slept with him that night. The next morning, Bong, true to his word, loaned his boat to...
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...1. Your take on your discussion on Philo of Ed. What is so significant about understanding Philo of CE? Include new insights. Professor Alex Holazo’s lesson on the “Philosophy of Christian Education” is a mind opener. A. Philosophy as “trying to answer the Big questions of life. Philosophy is complex and it is a big word for me and others, I suppose. The differing views of these well known philosophers have both affected human’s perspective and judgment of the truth and reality. On the positive side, their philosophies are educational and revealing; but on the negative point of view, they are sort of discouraging, confusing and divisive due to the fact that a number of their theories in answering the Big questions of life are quite inconclusive...
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...SIX BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY Adrienne Byrd AIU Introduction to Philosophy: PHIL201 - 1404A – 12 Jerry Nwonye February 21, 2015 Abstract The term Logic begins from two Greek words Philos and Sophia which means Adoration for Knowledge or Quest for Learning. Theory is deciphered in a wide range of routes by various savants. Plato is a widely acclaimed scholar known for his numerous philosophical studies says that, "reasoning is the securing of learning." While an alternate celebrated logician by the name of Karl Marx's states that, "logic is an understanding of the world to change." In fundamental terms rationality is the investigation of information and it is separated into six limbs known as transcendentalism, epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics, political theory, and social theory. These extensions solicit the confusing inquiries from the world. Today we will talk about these distinctive limbs and what they intend to the world. SIX BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY Metaphysics is the investigation of what's genuine and it doubts our presence and reason in life. It is thought to be the establishment of logic and without it we would be left with no clarification in respect to how we ought to manage reality. Metaphysics ask the "What is" inquiries of the world. Case in point: "Do you have a spirit?" or "Do you trust in God?" It is my conviction that we live in both a physical and otherworldly world and I say...
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...Time to Die Janet Dansbury PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor: David Pinkowski April 20, 2015 While ending a human life is a permanent solution to what may be a temporary problem and is ethically unacceptable, a person suffering from long term and unbearable pain, from which there is no relief in the foreseeable future, should be permitted to choose to the right to die, because the choice to discontinue a life of misery, should be something a person is allowed to decide without it being a legal issue. A constant battle with pain does not provide a high quality of life so this choice provides an outcome that would cease the suffering of a terminally ill individual. A person who is in unbearable pain should not be forced to continue a life of misery if there is no chance of their condition improving or if they are in the final stages of a life threatening or debilitating disease for which there is no cure or comfort available. “A person who is virtually certain to die within a given amount of time and is experiencing or will experience a lot of pain before he or she dies should be able to choose an earlier, less painful death”(Mosser, 2013). A person in this position should have the right to choose to be allowed to die if they so desire. Utilitarianism denotes that an action that causes the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people would make it the correct or acceptable action. The utilitarian takes into consideration the...
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...Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Robert Thierfelder Grand Canyon University Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes The notion of an online community for learning is a relatively new concept. Understanding of this phenomenon is the essence of this article. The exploration of the interaction between the students has an interesting conclusion. According to Nagel, L.; Blignaut, A. S.; Cronje, J. C. (2006) Beaudoin 2006 says, “The establishment of an online community is widely held as the most important prerequisite for successful course completion and depends on an interaction between a peer group and a facilitator. Online students sometimes engage and learn even when not taking part in online discussions.” (p. 15) It shows that quality interaction between individuals is essential to the success of the student. The article Nagel, L.; Blignaut, A. S.; Cronje, J. C. (2006) concluded that, “Read-only participants disrupt the formation of a virtual community of learners and compromise learning.” (P. 15) this, is an intriguing conclusion. One can now conclude that somewhat absente students, who are not real contributors, interrupt the student body. It can be therefore concluded that student participation by all students within the community, is essential. It would seem that even though the community is on-line and there is no physical interaction, a community developed. In...
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...of education and other educational researchers. The argument begins with an investigation of different ways of understanding philosophy and philosophy of education in relation to education and educational policy. It then examines first the current policy context and secondly some evidence about the practices of policy makers in relation to ideas and to research. It goes on to present some of the findings from the conversational evidence. The paper is drawn together in the penultimate section where I make some suggestions about possible fruitful relationships between philosophy and policy making. Finally, in the concluding section, I point out some further – thorny – questions that are raised by my analysis, especially in relationship to ethics and social justice. I Introduction: Questions and themes in the paper Philosophers of education rightly want to influence educational policy makers (among others). But are they doing so? And, if so, how? The overall question addressed in the paper considers what kind of ‘philosophy of...
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...Business Ethics: A Discourse on Rights: Moral, Legal, and Human Myriad optimistic forecasts, of what comprises the core of business ethics, have permeated numerous discussions on management and commerce practices in the marketplace today. Global economics and trading across borders nearly demands it. In fact, ‘ethics’ in business has come to represent one of the key buzzwords of our decade, along with ‘sustainability’ and the ideological concept of global warming – seemingly shoved down the throats of people. But what is business ethics anyway, and why does it matter? The discourse herein hopefully highlights a cogent and logically based compilation of answers as required from the rubric of Assignments Four. While this paper is written in essay format, for the sake of clarity and precision for the reader, each section shall appropriately and clearly display the topical area or question being addressed. (1) – Define a right, a legal right, a moral right, and a human right explaining how they are related. The philosophical idea of what constitutes a ‘right’ is an age-old concept that many men of God and theorists have confronted from ancient times. One things seems clear. A ‘right’ cannot be discussed without dividing the premise from a ‘privilege.’ According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a right is simply defined as “being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper” as in conduct (“Right,” 2015). Judge Napolitano defined a right as “a gift from God that extends...
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...The dominant artistic movement from about 1900 to 1940, modernism was characterized by the reexamination of existence from every possible angle. Modernist writers sought to leave the traditions of nineteenth-century literature behind in terms of form, content, and expression. They realized that a new industrial age—full of machines, buildings, and technology—had ushered out rural living forever, and the result was often a pessimistic view of what lay before humankind. Frequent themes in modernist works are loneliness and isolation (even in cities teeming with people), and a significant number of writers tried to capture that sense of solitude by engaging in stream-of-consciousness writing, which captures the thought process of a single character as it happens without interruption. Some of the most famous modernist authors include Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce. 1. Open form and free verse are distinguishing characteristics of modernist poetry. Though commonplace now, this style was quite a break from nineteenth-century rules about meter and rhyme. 2. The moniker “The Lost Generation” was coined by Gertrude Stein and refers to those artists of the 1920s who had become disillusioned with America and found themselves living as ex-patriots in Europe, chiefly in France. 3. An example of stream-of-consciousness (also called “interior monologue”) from Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway: “She felt somehow very like him—the young man who...
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...Ethical Theories In today’s society, especially in business the question of what is ethical is a dilemma that a great deal of individuals is faced with every day. Ethics vary from person to person and culture to culture. What is unethical in the United States of America may be completely ethical in China. Dictionary.com defines ethics as the moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behavior. There are many different theories of ethics, and which one a person chooses to live by, depends on which theorist the individual believes to be more in line with their own personal moral beliefs. When business ethics is discussed it is hard to speak about it without mentioning the name of Milton Friedman. Milton Friedman was an economist that theorized business ethics as monetarism. He is essentially responsible for promoting the economic growth of a company and the benefits to their shareholders. The primary goal and motivating force in business is to make a profit, and try to maintain efficiency while making a profit. Friedman’s theory is in correlation with the philosophy of corporate law. In corporate law the shareholders own the company, and they vote on the Board of Directors. The greatest duty is owed to the shareholders as owners of the business. Typically the Board of Directors makes the important decisions because they ensure the company is running efficiency while making a profit at the same time. Making a profit is the primary reason any company is in business...
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