Abstract The author of this paper presents a personal opinion about destiny and free will. The author asserts that our lives contain a degree of both free will and destiny and then presents arguments to support this assertion.
From the Paper "It is important to point out that a person's occupation is free will, while a person's success and achievement within their field of choice are a person's destiny. One may argue that success can be changed, but it seems that people are hardwired for what ultimately will happen. Free will is anything that can categorize a person generally, without much bias, if at all. Destiny is ultimately what becomes of a person as a person throughout that person's life. I say that only a degree of each exists because although we can rationally identify these ideas, we can never be sure enough of how and to what extent they exist."
Abstract This paper explains, in his "The Birth of Tragedy", Nietzsche focuses on the concept that art is perceived as subjective or objective based on the categories that qualify a work of art as "subjective" or not. The author points out that Nietzsche establishes the argument that literary poems, though works of art that convey intense feelings and profound thought, are not a subjective form of art because they derive from music, an element in human culture derived from a structured system of symbols. The paper counters that the seemingly objective form of Homerian poetry, though epic, is considered more subjective because Homer portrays events in early human civilization through simple language and illustrating images.
From the Paper "To further illustrate and argue his argument that lyric poetry is not a "subjective" art form, Nietzsche uses Homer's epic poetry as a counter-example to lyric poetry. Homerian poetry, according to Nietzsche, is an example of an artwork where the Self and the creation are united; thus, Homer's epic poetry is an example of a subjective artwork. The German philosopher compares lyric poetry with that of epic poetry, which he termed as "Apollinian" poetry?: "But what is the folk song in contrast to the wholly Apollinian epos" What else but the perpetuum vestigium of a union of the Apollinian and the Dionysian? is testimony to the power of this artistic dual impulse of nature?? "
Abstract Although both have present-day renown as ancient apostles of the virtuous life, in truth, the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, and the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, cannot be strictly and coherently contrasted in their points of view on virtue in a traditional sense of comparison. This paper explains that both philosophers have such substantially different definitions of what "virtue" may be defined, as within their respective historical, political, and societal circumstances, one cannot elide "virtue" within the same definitional framework of ancient China and ancient Greece. It shows how both philosophers conceptualized the notion of what constitutes virtue in completely different ways. For Confucius, virtue was a code of conduct, a law or rule of life that ought to be obeyed to create a more harmonious and perfect society. For Aristotle, virtue was a philosophical ideal that attempted to provide human beings with a definition that enabled them to conceive of their lives in a more philosophically efficacious way.
From the Paper "The different definitions of virtue between Confucius and Aristotle arise not simply because of difference of temperament or even translation, but of what both saw as their roles as thinkers. Confucius was primarily preoccupied with improving government and society. He was convinced that the problem with his current government and the current state of Chinese society was what he defined as a lacking of virtue or a lack of obedience to the rule of what was good. A truly good public servant, for instance, ?who on confronting danger is prepared to lay down his life, who on confronting gain concentrates on what is right, who when sacrificing concentrates on reverence, who when mourning concentrates on grief should definitely be all right,? as opposed to a self-interested or non-virtuous public servant, only interested in self-gratification. (19:1, Analects) The absence of good public servants in China had led to an absence of good governance."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of allegory, how Plato employed these techniques to his views, in general, and his "forms", in particular, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
From the Paper "Throughout history, controversies have been created between those who are absolutely sure they know the whole truth and the rest of unenlightened humanity who are forced to flounder through life without knowing the truth. Complicating the picture is the tendency of those who are absolutely convinced that they know the truth to attempt to persuade the rest of us of the fallacy of our ways of thinking and to compel us, sometimes forcefully, to see their version of the ?truth.? Indeed, this phenomenon has been witnessed throughout history and continues to be seen today as some religious fundamentalists who believe they "have seen the light" attempt to impose their will on the rest of poor unenlightened humanity. While allegory easily translates to several aspects of the human condition beyond religion, it is particularly appropriate to recognize the difficulties identified by Plato in trying to communicate what is truth and knowledge while others are drowning in a sea of ignorance. This paper provides an overview of allegory, how Plato employed these techniques to his views in general and his "forms" in particular, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion."
Abstract This paper examines how critical thinking is evident by the very fact that it plays a pivotal role in any process of enquiry that is undertaken to arrive at the truth, a sound argument, or an objective opinion. It discusses three fallacies that belong to the broader category of informal fallacies, which rely on ambiguity and emotional appeal instead of logic and reason and shows how important it is that critical thinkers develop the necessary skills to ensure that reasoning is based on verifiable facts and relevant premises and not on fallacies of logic.
From the Paper "The red herring fallacy, which is also known as ignorance of refutation, shares a great deal of similarity with the two fallacies discussed earlier. This is because all three fallacies attempt to digress from the main argument. However, the red herring fallacy refers to an argument that is based on premises, which are logically irrelevant to its conclusion (Curtis, 2001-2004). For example, if a business that is accused of creating unacceptable levels of pollution argues that it is generating employment for thousands of people and that it pays millions of dollars in taxes, it is using premises that are irrelevant to the conclusion. As such, decisions in such cases must take place only after all such irrelevant reasons are weeded out."
This paper discusses fallacies from a critical thinking standpoint of using "appeal to force", "appeal to pity", and "two wrongs make a right" arguments in the business arena.
Abstract This paper explains that the major problem with "appeal to force", from a critical thinking standpoint, is that "appeal to force" does not rely on any kind of logic; in the workplace, one important example of the "appeal to force" is sexual harassment. The author points out that "appeal to pity" occurs when someone refers to their sad situation as a reason for someone to make a decision, such as an employee asking for a pay rise because her husband has left her with three small children for whom to care. The paper relates that "two wrongs make a right" is a fallacy in which a person argues that a certain action is justified because someone else does it or because a person imagines that somebody else would do it; for example, an employee may decide to start stealing from the company, justifying this action because he believes the company has been underpaying him, and thus, was "stealing" from him for years.
From the Paper "Another example of the appeal to pity can occur in performance reviews. For employees on the lower scale of achieving in the workplace, appeal to pity can sometimes result in them getting a better review than is justified. An employee may describe how they try hard and request that the boss does not make them feel bad by giving them a bad review. This appeal to pity can often work, with managers being more lenient. On the opposite end of the scale, employees that are high achievers can often have more expected of them and this can result in them getting lower reviews that are justified. Kandola and Fullerton note that performance reviews must be done with objectivity and fairness. Appeal to pity can be a reasons that reviews are not as fair as they should be."
Abstract This paper uses both the original Latin and English translation to examine the text of Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica" and how it deals with questions about the existence of God.
From the Paper "The problematic word in this phrase is omnes ("everyone") because it is never defined. What exactly does Aquinas mean by "everyone"? One possible answer to the question, seen for example in Velecky, is that he means "everyone who was anyone" - all well-known, respectable people. However, an alternative take on this word would be to say that Aquinas meant Deum ("God") to be a standard language device, used to refer to the Christian theistic metaphysical being, even if one did not believe. If a non-believer was to talk about Christian belief, they would have to use the word Deus (or its cognates) to refer to their supreme being."
Abstract The paper first defines act- and rule-utilitarianism before discussing their relative merits. It moves through the debate using a series of famous examples and counter-examples designed to highlight the faults of each method. For example, the accusation of "rule-worshipping" is contrasted with the idea that act-utilitarianism allows people to break promises, or is too demanding. The paper ultimately finds that rule-utilitarianism is all too likely to slip into act-utilitarianism if it is to avoid potentially dangerous rule-worship.
From the Paper "The first principle of utilitarianism is acceptable enough, partly because Mill specifically spends much time discussing its proof in Utilitarianism, and partly because happiness as an ultimate end in life seems to the vast majority of people to be reasonable enough. However, there is great controversy between the opposing schools of utilitarianism about how exactly the individual utilitarian should make their moral decisions. The choice is between the principles of act-utilitarianism, which dictates that the rightness or wrongness of a single action is to be judged by the action's consequences, and those of rule-utilitarianism, which dictates that the action should be judged by a set of established rules, which are designed to produce the best consequences. It should also be noted that writers in both sides have cited passages in Mill's text which appear to support their point of view."
Abstract With specific reference to the "Apology" and the "Crito", this paper illustrates how Socrates seems to be committed to an inconsistent position regarding civil disobedience. It looks at how the firm stance he takes against civil disobedience in the "Crito" by refusing to escape his unjust verdict is inconsistent with certain claims he previously makes in the Apology. Although narrow in its objective, ultimately this paper addresses the broader question of whether civil disobedience is justifiable when the laws are unjust.
From the Paper "The Crito is a dialogue between Socrates and his old friend Crito who has come to visit Socrates in jail in a last attempt to persuade him to escape his verdict of death by hemlock. Socrates refuses Crito's help and rationalizes that civil disobedience, in particular escaping one's verdict, is unjust on three different levels. Firstly, Socrates employs the parent-child analogy. Children are not on equal terms with their parents, nor are citizens with the state (Plato, 50e-51a). Thus, as it is wrong to be violent against one's parents it is even more wrong to be violent against one's state. Evading a verdict is harmful to a state because it destroys its credibility and diminishes its authority."
Abstract This paper discusses how historically the concept of the single parent family in the United States has led to the belief that when one individual attempts to raise a child there will be hardships and family failure. This is contended because of the reliance of the family on one income and the dual roles that many single parents are forced to play in raising their children. Single mothers act as caregiver disciplinarian financial head of household and housekeeper. The paper further discusses how in addition to these responsibilities most single moms have full-time jobs, and statistics indicate that the majority of single mothers in the country receive no financial support from fathers. Yet, despite the abundance of negative elements that may be possible in the world of the single parent, there is an absolute possibility of success for the single parent to raise a family in this country.
Abstract This paper examines how, in the introduction to the "History of Sexuality", Foucault argues that in the 17th century the role of sex and sexual activity in the discourse of western society made a fundamental and radical change. It also looks at how, in "Discipline and Punish", Foucault argues that obsessions over sexuality and society's approval or disapproval of specific actions occurs because of the infinite diffusion of power which is found as the basis of western society. In comparison, it looks at how two decades later, Butler employed themes from Foucault's philosophy in order to argue her case for the arbitrariness of anatomical sex, gender identity and gender performance. It shows that through the arguments in her work, "Gender Trouble", Butler concludes that there is no essential relationship between a person's anatomical sex, her self-identified gender and the gender performance she enacts to fulfill society's expectations of the norm.
From the Paper "Foucault's analysis of discourses on sex comes as a reaction to the more commonly-held belief that there was a society-wide discourse of repression in regards to sex. Foucault argues against this; he questions whether or not "sexual repression is truly an established historical fact"; whether "prohibition, censorship, and denial truly the forms through which power is exercised in a general way, if not in every society, most certainly in our own"; and whether "there really was a historical rupture between the age of repression and the critical analysis of repression". Foucault argues that through the evolution of Christian pastoral practices, specifically that of confessions regarding sexual sins, society was compelled to begin an elaborate and never-ceasing discourse on sex. "
Abstract This paper discusses the writer's personal beliefs about teaching, learning and students, as well as her views on knowledge, what is worth knowing and her personal educational philosophy. The writer then discusses how to implement the philosophies into her professional and personal goals and describes how she will use these beliefs as a basis of her instructional practice. The writer also relates her personal educational philosophy to the established educational philosophies and explains how they are connected.
From the Paper "My hope is that I can take a little from each of the philosophies I have learned about and evaluate my students individually to adapt those philosophies into a successful teaching style. My day-to-day classroom will not consist of hours of lecture or mundane busy work that does not engage my students. When I find myself at a loss to how to reach my students, I will communicate with them and incorporate their feedback to the best of my ability to insure they are constantly learning. My ideas may seem unrealistic and my expectations of myself and my students probably come across as arrogant, but if we start out with ideas of failure and low expectations that is exactly what we will get."
Abstract This essay applies the thoughts of critical theorists such as Barthes and Eagleton to the concept of music and it's cultural roots and present day entity.
Abstract This paper is based on Nietzsche's views on he ?will,? ?free will,? ?unfree will,? ?physical body,? ?subservient body,? and "cause and effect" as outlined in his book "Beyond Good & Evil". The author attempts to write the paper in the same style as Nietzsche and builds Nietzsche's definitions of the terms mentioned above and relates them to each other. The paper covers a number of important Nietzsche concepts.
From the Paper "In his Meditations, Descartes puts aside all his present beliefs and, by using skepticism, he attempts to discover a set of basic beliefs whose truth is beyond doubt. Descartes uses his dream argument to explain that our senses are not powerful enough to determine which beliefs are true and which are not. In his Second Meditation, through the use of skepticism, he derives his first basic belief, his own existence. "
