Approaching the subject of death with a definition of what death is and assuming that identity is necessary to survive death, this essay demonstrates that survival of death is impossible.
2,135 words (approx. 8.5 pages), 5 sources, 2000, $ 66.95
From the Paper "Throughout history, one of the most pondered questions is "what is the meaning of life"? Some religions use the notion of an afterlife as a means to obtaining some higher meaning of life. Whether or not this afterlife exists has also been a topic of debate and ponderance for centuries. Some have believed that religion is the opiate of the masses, "created" solely to keep hope that the post-mortem experience is more fulfilling than earthly existence. It is generally regarded that in order to survive death one must remain them self, in other words, they must retain their identity. But what dictates your identity? Is it your soul? Is it your psychology? Could it be the continued existence of your body? All three of these accounts of identity are popular and offer different explanations for the continuation of self after death. "
Tags: death, heaven, identity, immortality, life, personal
From the Paper "Formerly Saul of Tarsus, a well-educated Pharisaic Jew who persecuted the early Christian churches, which he considered blasphemous, Paul the Apostle converted to Christianity after direct divine intervention. Having seen and heard the arisen Jesus, Paul rejected his former views to become among the most significant proselytizers of the early Christian church. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, created several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Greece. Paul's letters, canonical writings of the New Testament, demonstrate his commitment to permanently influencing the communities so that the new converts would adopt practices that Paul considered correct. Of course, Paul's need to exert influence against competing Christian practices demonstrates that early Christian practice was neither well defined nor monolithic. Paul's writings substantively influenced these early Christian communities, and his theology, which preaches Christ crucified, facilitated the growth of Christianity as a religion. Paul is best understood, therefore, as a missionary who advanced Christians? understanding of the significance of Jesus, and not as the founder of a new "Paulist" version of Christianity."
An argument which asserts that the golden rule of Jesus "in everything do to others as you would have them do to you" is too narrow to sum up morality.
975 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 34.95
From the Paper "In Matthew 7:12, Jesus famously promotes the Golden Rule, saying, ?In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.? The Golden Rule defines morality as just this: one should treat others as one wishes to be treated. Because the Golden Rule purports to summarize the whole of morality, a person acts morally if and only if he treats others the way he wants to be treated. By its nature as a moral theory, The Golden Rule must intend to yield the good, and is therefore invalid insofar as its dictums do not, in fact, yield the good. "
From the Paper "This world is full of men and women who have the same dreams. They all fought and died for human rights, freedom of equality. One such man who dreamed of this freedom was a South African man who not only lived and fought for what he believed in, but also died for it. This man was Steven Biko, who was a primary leader in the Black Consciousness Movement against apartheid (Jackson, 1999). "
Abstract A critical examination of Descarte's method of systematic doubt, especially with reference to St. Augustine and other philosophers of antiquity.
From the Paper "One of Descartes? most famous and influential philosophical writings is his Meditations on First Philosophy. In this work, Descartes attempted to apply the rational inductive methods of science, and particularly of mathematics, to philosophy. Before his time, philosophy had been dominated by the method of Scholasticism, which was entirely based on comparing and contrasting the views of established authorities. Rejecting this method, Descartes determined to hold nothing true until he had first established secure grounds for believing it to be true."
Abstract This paper gives an overview of "The German Ideology", written by Marx and Engels. The paper discusses Marx's reaction to Hegel's theory and the foundation for his material conception of the proper human orientation. There is a questions and discussion section at the end of the paper which raises points to further explore or to stimulate conversation of Marx and his work.
From the Paper "Marx and Engels wrote The German Ideology in 1845-45 in response to the Hegelian (and like-minded) philosophy prevalent in the writings of Bruno Bauer, Max Stirner, Karl Grun, as well as the intellectual fervent of the Young-Hegelians. Marx felt that such reliance on "pure thought" and "absolute spirit" fell within the realm of religion more so than a concrete theory of history. His conception, ?[i]n direct contrast to the German philosophy which descends from heaven to earth,?ascend[s] from earth to heaven,? wherein ?[l]ife is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life? (Marx 1972: 154-155). Within The German Ideology Marx elucidates perhaps the most comprehensive statement of his theory of history in what he refers to as the ?materialist conception of history;? yet, one can only accurately represent people as a function of the context in which they live. For Marx, production is the critical context of human activity and existence."
Abstract This paper answers the question of how knowledge is described as a social phenomena by Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and Boas. It looks into their research programs and theories.
From the Paper "Not only does Durkheim pose knowledge in new terms, but Weber, Boas, and Marx also situate their conceptions of knowledge within different theoretical and practical frameworks. Each claims descendancy or affiliation with particular theorists or schools of thought, yet all deny absolute confinement and strict categorization. As well, knowledge as a social phenomenon, both in the creation and use, takes various forms. In this essay I describe separately the Weberian, Durkheimian, Boasian, and Marxist theories, research methods and goals, historical/theoretical locations, and social circumstances in relation to their different ideas of knowledge."
Abstract This paper tracks Comte's progress from the theoretical basis of his positive philosophy to the final practical outcome of social reformation. The initial step on his road of human evolution toward a complete social harmony (including unparalleled acceptance of a new genius of poetry and fine art) begins with the development of a strict ordering of the fundamental sciences.
Abstract This paper looks at the beneficial facets of the placebo effect, and presents the placebo effect as an effective, ethical treatment. It maintains that the placebo effect is an effective and safe therapeutic practice for ailing patients, rather than a deceiving scheme of doctors. The term 'placebo' is defined and the ethical dilemma of using the placebo effect is discussed. Results of studies that show the effectiveness of the placebo effect are examined and the writer offers a personal opinion on the matter.
From the Paper "The philosophy of the mind continues to attract fans in this modern age of psycho-enlightenment. Alternative medicine, including Western medicine, has slowly permeated into the vessel of the United States Health Care System (USHCS). New treatments for diseases are constantly being tested in clinical trials, and a lot of patients pay close attention to their results, hoping to learn about the latest medication that will change their lives. Moreover, the data from these trials is easy to misinterpret, and it can lead to unnecessary fears or false hopes. The manifestations of therapeutic placebos and its? ethical infringements are of no strangers to the antagonistic views of its skeptics. The skeptics, essentially patients and opponents of the USHCS, feel that it is a doctor's moral commitment to inform to them whether the medication administered is simply that a placebo or else wise. It is quintessential not to generalize that all patients are skeptics to the placebo effect."
Literary analysis and criticism of the movie "Fight Club" and a comparison of the leading character to the character of Zarathustra in Friedrich Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra".
1,270 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 43.95
Abstract A literary analysis and criticism of the movie "Fight Club". The author compares the leading character, Jack to the leading character in Friedrich Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", Zarathustra. The author discusses their similarities how they both overcome themselves, they both develop a following, and how they both progress through the metamorphoses of the spirit. "Jack" is the modern day embodiment of the Zarathustria.
From the Paper "In Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Zarathustra is presented as a wise prophet, a knowledgeable philosopher, and a man who continually overcomes himself. He abandons popular beliefs and dogmas and makes no apologies about doing so. He is his own person, not the person that the "herd" wants him to be. In David Fincher's Fight Club, "Jack" embodies Zarathustra's progression from a member of the herd to an independent, confident, individual. Like Zarathustra, Jack evolves into the person that he wants to be, not the person he should be according to society."
Abstract Massachusetts and Virginia were both strongly affected by strong religious customs in the mid seventeenth century. The author provides an in depth look at the impact of religious development on the cultures and society of the people of Massachusetts and Virginia.
From the Paper "In the mid seventeenth century, when the English migrated to the New World, there were strong religious beliefs and customs which they brought and soon developed. These religious ways had an enormous impact on the people from both colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia.As these colonies evolved independently of each other, their secular values especially those of religion began to take different directions. So let us now analyze how these two regions progressed separately in terms of religion and how this shaped the character of these two cultures. "
Abstract This paper details in great length the reasons why the author has abandoned Christianity. The argument includes principles of Christianity concerning the character of Jesus, fallacies in the Bible and the prophecies as reasons for the author's decision.
From the Paper "There are many reasons why I am not a Christian. In this paper I am going to present my case for not being a Christian and argue for my beliefs. I am sure that I will sound harsh and cruel in parts of this paper, but I ask that you, the reader, do not take it personally and that you understand that I am being so in order to get my point across.For the first eighteen and a half years of my life I was a Christian. I was brought up in a Southern Baptist Church, but I did not consider myself to be a Baptist. I considered myself a Christian. I was never one to like denominations that claimed to worship the same thing, each of course claiming that they where the ones that were correct. So I simply called myself a Christian and let other people bicker and argue about the petty things. But I did consider myself a good Christian, as nearly all Christians believe the same about themselves, I simply was not worried about whether someone should be sprinkled with water or dunked during baptism. I mean do you really think that God would care that much about you being soaked or lightly sprayed? I didn?t think so. To me it was the spiritual aspect that was important. But I think that my dissatisfaction with the factions within Christianity itself, Catholic or Protestant (and if Protestant what denomination), made it easier for me to let go of the religion altogether."
Abstract A look at the revolutionary changes during the Victorian period. The author examines changes in religion, poetry and views of love and faith. The author discusses the change of love to a form of faith in Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" and Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "The Blessed Damozel".
From the Paper "In a time when Darwinian ideas and new technological breakthroughs were reinventing the concepts of reality, faith itself was sometimes hard to find in the Victorian Period. Poets of the time rejected the previous era of peace in nature and unquestioning praise of God, and the Victorian poetry gave images and concepts that were more troubling than the idealized ballads of the Romantic Period. As Tennyson wrote, ?Byron is dead,? and so, too, was the romanticized view of life that accompanied the poet. The age was saturated in questions of religion and the whereabouts of God, and many poets used this religious skepticism as a springboard for numerous celebrated poems. The Victorian Period was a time of creating poetry as means of redefining the human soul, and many efforts were made to redefine one's faith as well. To many poets of the Victorian Period, religious faith was all but dead, and love had emerged as the new faith."
Tags: arnold, beach, blessed, damozel, dover, romantic, rosetti
Abstract A look at Immanuel Velikovsky's theories of the justification of 'miraculous' events which he claimed had been caused by major astronomical event. The author focuses mainly on the claims outlined in his popular book, "Worlds in Collision".
From the Paper "Immanuel Velikovsky, author of Worlds in Collision, was very well read when it came to the texts of ancient cultures. In his book he argues that our solar system has changed dramatically within the last few millennia, impacting considerably on the course of history on Earth. I will attempt to show that his statement, based on these ancient writings, is flawed. He does not question the veracity of the texts and takes everything said as literal, leaving them greatly open to interpretation. I will also illustrate how Velikovsky's theory is disproved by geographic evidence, which he fails to investigate."
Abstract This paper deals with what Aristotle termed as man's "highest good"--happiness--and to what extent happiness depends on material factors like fame and fortune.
From the Paper "In book one of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle muses over what he terms as ?The Highest Good,? happiness. He wonders about what it means to be happy and to what extent happiness is dependent on factors such as fate and fortune. One of the questions he raises along this line of inquiry has to do with the Greek saying, ?Count no man happy until he [is] dead.? He begins to deal with this question in section 1.82 of Irwin's translation. He first takes the Greek saying quite seriously, asking the reader if it is possible for someone to be happy after they die. Quickly, he points out that this interpretation is absurd?after all, if happiness is an activity, how can someone who is dead take part in it (1100a14)"
