Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of people's belief or non-belief in God. The author attempts to show some of the areas of conflict between believers and non-believers, including does God exist, do we have to believe in God to live a full life, and exactly how important is God in our every day life. The author looks at how different religions, authors, philosophers and theorists have attempted to answer these questions since the beginning of time.
From the Paper "The Intelligent Designer theory has gotten more sophisticated. Some of its proponents are Dr. Michael Behe- who proposed ordered creationism at the molecular level, and Philip E. Johnson, the self-styled leader of the Intelligence Designer movement. These theorists aver that the complexities of living beings, the mechanisms within even a single living cell, the balance of everything in nature, are unfathomable when looked at from a perspectives of evolutionists?the number of random permutations that had to occur before it all fell into place. In other words, the natural order of things we see around and within us had to have been pre-designed. The Intelligent Designer theory from a standpoint of astronomy is known as the ?anthropic principle.? Astronomer Sir Edward Hoyle and Mathematician Chandra Singh, both avowed atheists, calculated the odds that the world as we see it occurring by chance are 1 in 1040,000"truly, a number unfathomable even by astronomical standards. South African Astronomer David Block has observed that the Universe is expanding at the right rate and balance that sustains life on planet. There is an inbuilt design factor that cares for the universe"God the Intelligent Designer."
Abstract Socrates' views are analyzed by studying a conversation between Socrates, Cephalus, his son Polemarchus and his followers. The author explains how Socrates enters into a philosophical dialogue with several different individuals who attempt to set down a firm definition of justice. Socrates then sets out to test and challenge their definitions"through his method of questioning and counter-examples"in an attempt to arrive at a more secure definition of justice, that which cannot be refuted.
From the Paper "Cephalus first raises the idea of justice with Socrates and then passes the debate on to his son, Polemarchus, to carry forward. In line with his father's arguments, Polemarchus develops the most basic definition of justice suggested in the Republic. He makes the claim that justice means simply to speak the truth and to give people their proper due; for example, old debts should be repaid. Justice also means treating people in accordance with their essential character. For example, Polemarchus concludes that if a certain individual is considered an enemy, that individual should meet with "something harmful" (26); if another individual is considered a friend, that individual should be treated well."
Abstract A look at these philosopher's views on the nature of human relationships, how it is that we join together to form societies, what the best form of human society might be, and the ways in which what is natural in human nature can be overcome by the goodness that lies in collective action ? or exacerbated by the concatenation of so many humans working in concert with each other.
From the Paper "While both of these philosophers will reject the idealized image of "imagined republics" ? both as ideals and as possible realities ? Machiavelli proves himself in the end to be more of an heir to their writings than does Hobbes ? which is hardly surprising, given that Machiavelli, as a writer of the Italian Renaissance is much more clearly an historical heir to the classical thinkers."
Tags: human, nature, relationship, philosopher, society
An analysis and critique of the first argument Descartes presents to prove God's existence in the Third Meditation of his "Meditations on First Philosophy".
2,415 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 73.95
Abstract This paper critically analyzes Descartes attempt at proving God exists in the Third Meditation of his "Meditations on First Philosophy". After thoroughly explaining how the argument unfolds in the original text, the writer offers two lines of objections that undercut his proof which focus on his claim that he has a "clear and distinct" idea of God and the relationship Descartes claims exists between the objective reality of an idea and the formal reality of the thing represented by that idea. (It also clearly defines all of these terms.)
From the Paper "In the Third Meditation of his Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes presents his first proof of God's existence by characterizing the nature of ideas, examining the relationship between causes and effects, and defining the relationships between ideas and the things or concepts they represent. He then applies these results to the clear and distinct idea of God he claims to have. Descartes systematically defines each of these components to build the premises for his argument in such a way that the conclusion that God exists immediately and obviously follows. As such, if one is going to deny that Descartes has irrefutably proved God's existence, one must find fault in at least one of these premises. This will be the strategy that I will employ in this paper. After laying out the premises of Descartes' first proof of God's existence and the justification he employs for each one, I will argue that his argument ultimately fails because he does not sufficient justify two of the most important premises. First, I will argue that he does not - and perhaps cannot - sufficiently prove that he really has a "clear and distinct" idea of a perfect God. Second, I will argue that he does not properly justify his claim that there is a direct relationship between the objective reality of an idea and the formal reality of the thing that causes the idea."
The concept of "planning and forecasting" from the basics are explained in this paper including the meaning of forecasting, planning and forecasting, methods of forecasting and techniques of forecasting.
Abstract The term forecasting can be defined as the process of estimating the reverent event of future based on the analysis of their past & present behavior. This definition of forecasting gives rise to three essential characteristics of forecasting. Firstly, forecasting relates to future events. It is the estimation of what will happen in future secondly,forces are made by analyzing the past & present events which are relevant. Anything predicted of the future can't be termed as forecasting. It requires proper analyzing of past & present event requires certain statistical & mathematical tools. Relating the business to forecasting, it may be defined as management tool which provides the necessary raw material for budgeting.
From the Paper "Ever since the man has developed the understanding to find out the concepts behind the phenomena's of nature, further prediction & forecasting has been the main tool in the hand of the person who starts up the experiments projects or any systematic activity to come to the required conclusion. Every individual every institution has to forecast some thing or the other in the daily sphere of life. All of us are interested in forecasting of some type or the other it could be the forecasting of daily experience in a day to day life or it could be related to the respective work, job or any activity. Forecasting is gradually becoming a must for all spheres of human activity may it be house politics or business. Needless to say it has a lot of importance in any of the respective spheres."
A study into how the beliefs and actions of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler influenced the world during the early part of the twentieth century.
Abstract The paper shows that not only did the ideas and policies of Marx, Lenin, Stalin Mussolini and Hitler have significant effects within their own countries during their lifetimes, but became so widespread that their influence was felt throughout the world. The author of the paper shows that the ideas and actions of these five men are now of such importance to the study of history, politics and sociology, that their influence will be taught to, and discussed by, students for many generations to come.
From the Paper "In his desire to restore Italy to greatness, Mussolini was responsible for introducing the images that are now commonly associated with the word 'fascism', such as military rallies, emotional speeches and slogans, and a patriotic leader with great personal charisma (Griffin 1995). These ideas and images were soon adopted and developed by the leader of the country with which Italy would form a close alliance with during World War II, a man who saw Mussolini as a role model, but who would take the ideas of Mussolini and Fascism to such an extreme that he would become, arguably, the most notorious and despised man in history - Adolf Hitler."
Abstract This paper analyzes the meaning of life. The writer gives a personal and brief account about what he considers to be the most important aspects of life and the reasons for living.
From the Paper "It seems as though everyone is looking for something - objective answers to subjective questions. That is philosophy. One of those philosophized questions is to the meaning of life. The word "meaning" can be defined as "to give purpose". I believe this purpose of life is the act of LIVING. Life is a journey through a time of many physical experiences and cognitive development. It is this constant evolution of each thought and experience building upon the previous ones that is known as living. In living life, one considers from which he came, the variety of emotions and feelings, and the awareness of living."
Abstract The author of this paper analyzes the argument on force vs. persuasion between Thrasymachus and Socrates in Book I of Plato's "The Republic". The author shows that as their arguments escalate and change focus, Socrates ends up the victor. However his victory is somewhat marred by the very tool he uses to secure it "persuasion."
From the Paper "The evaluation of force or persuasion as a more successful means of achieving one's objectives is manifested in the intense discussions between Thrasymachus and Socrates. Thrasymachus believes that "justice is nothing else than the interest of the stronger." (202) He attempts to impress this upon the group. Socrates wishes to prove his statement wrong but knows that making a blatant statement to the contrary would provoke Thrasymachus' ire rather than prove his point so Socrates decides to employ the art of persuasion in refuting Thrasymachus' statement."
Abstract The writer of this paper shows how Anselm (1033-1109), philosopher, theologian and church leader presented an argument for the existence of God that has been debated by philosophers and academicians for centuries. The paper shows that from the beginning, Anselm's argument has been met with criticism, appreciation and interest by philosophers such as Kant, Descartes and Spinoza. The writer is of the opinion that, after studying the argument, although interesting, it has certain basic flaws, which he attempts to bring out in this paper.
From the Paper "While analyzing Anselm's argument and focusing on its weaknesses, the obvious question arises: Why has the argument fascinated so many philosophers over the years, if it was such a weak argument? The answer probably is that it is difficult to prove Anselm's argument wrong logically. Even Kant's argument that ? existence is not a predicate? has been challenged by others who have argued that there are senses in which existence is a predicate. So the controversy of and fascination with Anselm's argument is far from over and is likely to continue."
Tags: Book, on, Behalf, of, the, Fool, Lost, Island, Proslogium, Gaunilo, Liebniz, RAA
Abstract The following paper discusses the distinction between faith and reason and questions whether it is possible to live with both of them at the same time. The writer contends that the path of reason requires that there be a rational explanation to everything, and any lack of human understanding along this path is a sign of ignorance only, an ignorance that can be erased by further knowledge. The paper contends that the path of faith demands that one believe in forces and entities unseen, and that one believes that human understanding is incomplete not only now but for always. This paper examines how these paths are so far distant from each other that there is no possible way for a person to travel both for the course of an entire life. The philosophies of Aristotle, Kant and Plato are used as references in this paper.
From the Paper "We are not angels domiciled in heaven, and if faith promises us a place after death amongst such exalted creatures, then it does little to explain our experiences in our physical bodies on earth. To understand hunger, pleasure, cold, pain ? all the sensations of our body, we must turn to reason and rational explanations. And having turned to reason to explain the particulars of daily experience, we are necessarily confronted with a contradiction if we then try to rely upon faith in other areas of our lives, for faith ? that belief in things unseen ? asks us to abandon the evidence and witness of our own senses.\"
Abstract This paper begins with a brief discussion of Camus' childhood and young adult life. It examines his early political involvements - fighting for the rights of the native Algerian population. It shows how his interests became more focused once he moved to France and fought in the French Resistance during WWII. The paper presents some of his writings and examines their connection to his philosophy of society and life.
From the Paper "Albert Camus was born in Algeria, in the town of Mondovi, in 1913. His father was killed the following year, early in World War I, at the Battle of the Marne. His mother was severely deaf and had a speech impediment, and they lived in marked poverty. He and his brother both received scholarships that allowed them to attend school past the elementary level. Camus entered a lycee in Algiers, majoring in philosophy. ). He formed a theater group for laborers, ?L'Equipe.? (Nobel, 2001)"
Abstract The following paper examines how throughout time there have been, and still are, important similarities among many of the world's religions. The writer seeks to find in this paper any one aspect of religion that transcends every different sect. This paper argues that, with the presence of atheists in the world and their lack of belief in any god at all, be a single, divine source of all knowledge and understanding is difficult to create.
From the Paper "Certainly, it is possible that one of these is the true faith ? if by "true" we mean that there is a high correlation between the tenets of that religion and what anyone of us may find after death. But this seems unlikely for one simple reason: Surely if there were a single faith that was the true one than there would be far less disagreement about religion. If there were indeed only one true god (or goddess or pantheon), then it seems that this would have become apparent over the long course of human history. There might have been some disagreement over which faith was the real one, but over time it seems to me that whatever divine force was at the center of that religion would manifest itself to more and more people, who would adopt or convert to that faith."
Abstract This paper examines the philosophies of Plato, Nietzsche and Marx, with respect to the relationship between power and knowledge. It discusses the question of who should control knowledge and disseminate it in society, the faculty of reason and justifications for certain concepts of power.
From the Paper "The relation between 'Power' and 'Knowledge' is indispensable, it is very often that Knowledge is had by some and others do action. Knowledge without action makes things static, it becomes of no use and action without knowledge leads to nowhere. Action is the way, in which knowledge progresses, to the good or to the detriment of people, societies and the future. These actions have always given way to some sort of power structure. What is in our power to do, is to analyze the social practices' in operation within our society. The more we gain knowledge of things the more powerful we become. As the human beings gained knowledge of things in the course of history, about the world and about themselves, they gradually gained control of things. But generally knowledge of certain things has always resulted in using that knowledge to gain power and control our others. This can be seen in religion, the knowledge about god, and other doctrines of religion has been used by people who claim to have knowledge of the absolute to oppress and gain control over the masses in the history of human civilization. Where ever there is knowledge there has to have power.
In this paper I will examine the issues which arise as a result of the relationship between knowledge and power and specifically to the aspect as to who should control knowledge and disseminate it in society. Of course power has always been exercised in different political and social practices, to analyze the operations of social practices in our society, the relationship between the faculty of reason and the justification of certain concepts that work within our society. The fact that the faculty of reason is also a social practices and has been used to justify many power relationships. In our society the thirst for abstract knowledge first began with the ancient Greeks, the first philosophers who were the lovers of wisdom or knowledge and knowledge for them was the search for truth."
Abstract This paper studies the connection between the arts and humanities. It addresses the question of how the arts inform the way we act towards others. It looks at interpretation of literature and how both individual and collective struggles are portrayed in literature. The paper presents an panoramic history of the world and the way that artists of the time have tried to represent the events. At the end, conclusions are made about the proposed relationship between the arts and humanities.
From the Paper "The most exquisite expression of the self is through art, be it literature, history theatre, painting, sculptor and so on. From the wondrous Egyptian pyramids to the majestic statue of liberty, from eloquent Greek writer Homer ? who produced masterpieces like the Odyssey ? to 20th century literati like Palestinian journalist Edward Said ? who so brilliantly portrays the lives of the wretched and woebegone Palestinians ? to Latin American writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, every piece of art, all artistes depict one philosophy and that is Art for Life, representing Man's struggle and how this endeavor has led to his evolution."
Abstract The paper shows that by utilizing philosopher David Hume's theory that everyone has free will, regardless of the previous circumstances, and is accountable for their behavior, we could produce a more responsible and civil society and reduce much of the immoral, unethical and criminal behavior.
From the Paper "?In the hospital, a woman does not give birth to a doctor, lawyer, ballerina, policeman, or athlete it is always, without exception, a boy or a girl "(Zigler, See you at the Top). It is the choices that are made from free will that decides who the person is that will derive from birth. Teachers and parents, along with other leaders, have a responsibility to give the child the fundamentals to live as productively as possible. The correct mentality, and guidance can produce miracles in helping the child become an adult who accomplishes great things. This applies to adults as well. Psychology, properly used, will teach one that the decisions made now will reflect what behavior one will choose, out of free will."
