From the Paper
"Anthony Flew and Paul Tillich have diametrically opposed views about the existence of God. Flew's brand of atheism has been characterized as a prime example of British positivistic naturalism, whereas Tillich's defense of theism can only be considered in the context of existential theology. The premises and structures of their arguments are so divergent that any discussion of them can at best be likened to a comparison of apples and oranges. That, however, will not deter us from attempting to explore the differences between Flew and Tillich, with special attention to the theological, logical, and symbolic aspects of their arguments.

Flew's argument is based on the premise that the universe is all that there is and that everything must therefore be explained by reference to the laws which seem to order it. Naturalism, by ... "

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"Albert Camus' novel The Stranger reflects various ideas which are associated with the philosophy of existentialism. According to existentialism, as developed by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, all of life is absurd. People are born into the world without knowing why. Consequently, they perform actions throughout their lives which appear to be important on a day-to-day level but which have no meaning when viewed in a larger context. Thus, in Sartre's view, "to exist as a human being is inexplicable, and wholly absurd". Existentialism is also characterized by an atheistic perspective which denies the existence of God. Because of this perspective, death is seen as the ultimate absurdity for humankind. In Sartre's point of view: "Death is as absurd as birth--it is no ultimate, authentic moment of my life, it is nothing but the ... "

From the Paper
"This study will defend the philosophy of determinism, which argues that there is no free will or free choice, and that all of a human being's actions are a matter of cause and effect, resulting from previous actions over which the determined individual has no choice of control. The study will present arguments against the philosophy of determinism and will then offer counter-arguments meant to dispel the objections to the philosophy of determinism.

Objections to Determinism
1. Spinoza argues that man is indeed capable of a certain degree of freedom and self-determination. He argues that determinism overlooks the ability of the human being to reason and to thereby make choices: "The human mind is . . . capable of ... "

From the Paper
"This study will examine Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, specifically the objections to the First, Second, and Sixth Meditations.

There are a number of objections to the arguments in the Meditations, some of which are technical and perhaps trivial, some of which are significant and which cut to the very heart of Descartes' arguments on existence.

Descartes argues, for example, "That which we clearly and distinctly understand to belong to the true and immutable nature of anything, its essence or form, can be truly affirmed of that thing. But after we have with sufficient accuracy investigated the nature of God, we clearly and distinctly understand that to exist belongs to his true nature. Therefore we can with truth affirm of God that He exists" . "

From the Paper
"One of the ways to conceive the era of the seventeenth century, or the Age of Enlightenment, is to view it as the philosophical and intellectual struggle between personal freedom and governmental control. While it is certainly true that no one definition embodies the spirit of the time, the name "Enlightenment" clearly conveys the way the age was conceived by those living in it, and later historical evaluations of the era similarly convey this term as being accurate (Cranston 12-13).
In a sense, then, Europeans were sensing that they were living in a new age--an age in which the past was termed a time of barbarism and intellectual and philosophical darkness. There was a new sense of progress, and an idea that all things were discoverable through the intellect using the tools of science and philosophy (Strauss and Cropsey). Similarly, the Enlightenment ..."

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"This study will compare and contrast the philosophies of Plato and Confucius. Included in the study will be the consideration of what each philosopher believed the role of the individual in the world to be, the relationship of one person to another, and what Plato and Confucius saw as the ultimate concern of an individual in the world. The study will also consider the impact of each philosopher on the cultures in which they lived.

... notes the impact of Confucianism on modern-day China, and in doing so brings out important elements of the philosophy of Confucius in terms of his beliefs about the role of the individual in the world, in society, and in the family: "Confucius, the famous sage of twenty-five hundred years ago, taught that political order, the order of national life, began "

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From the Paper
"The death penalty has become a topic of serious controversy in recent years. In particular, debate has been made over whether or not the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for severe crimes such as murder. Although the topic has been the subject of recent debate, it is interesting to note that the basic opinions on both sides of the argument date back to ancient times. The two philosophical theories which support the death penalty are known as the "retribution theory" and the "utilitarian theory." The retribution theory is based on the idea that criminals deserve to be punished in a manner which reflects the severity of their crimes. According to this viewpoint, a person who commits murder deserves to have his or her own life taken in return. The utilitarian view, on the other hand, is based on the idea that punishment should be used as a means for ... "

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"This paper will be concerned with the Roman Catholic perspective on religious issues for the dying. In recent years, a great deal of scientific research has been done in an effort to understand the phenomenon of death. Researchers such as Raymond Moody and Elisabeth Kubler.Ross have determined that an entity (known as the "spirit" or "soul") survives after the human body has died. Because their studies are limited to "near.death" experiences in which the subjects return to life, Moody and the other researchers have not yet determined what happens to the soul after the first few minutes of the experience. Nevertheless, enough is known about "near.death" experiences to show that there are numerous parallels between those experiences and the beliefs that Catholics have long held on the subject. In particular, the Catholic viewpoint agrees that the soul continues ..."

From the Paper
"Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg are both associated with modern naturalism in the theater. In their naturalistic plays, Ibsen and Strindberg were similar in that they both included psychological, symbolic, and subjective elements in their depictions of reality. However, Ibsen and Strindberg were very different in the way they went about expressing naturalism. Ibsen was concerned with ideas of social consciousness, whereas Strindberg expressed a cynical, fatalistic, and individualistic perspective on life. This paper will show how these differences influenced the dramatic elements in the plays of Ibsen and Strindberg.
Naturalism in the theater, like realism, seeks to show life as it really is. This effort can be seen in the sets, dialogue, characterization, and plots of naturalistic plays. However ..."

From the Paper
"Rene Descartes, in the "Second Meditation" from his Meditations on First Philosophy, declares that there is one proposition that he cannot conceivably doubt, namely, "I exist-" Ironically, Descartes settles on this declaration as the foundation for all his beliefs about existence and reality based on doubt itself. What Descartes is most fundamentally declaring is, I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am. His doubt, then, is the cornerstone of all he comes to believe about existence. He begins this meditation where the previous meditation left off --- in utter doubt about everything, accepting nothing as existing, owing to the possibility that he is being deceived by "a deceiver (I know not who he is) powerful and sly in the highest degree, who is always purposely deceiving me" (61). This doubt about everything's existence includes his own body. The..."

From the Paper
" David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion was the philosopher's last work, and while it effectively represents the thinking of the philosopher on the subject of religion and skepticism about religion, it is also a difficult work to read and understand. The work is a dialogue between three characters: Philo is the skeptic; Cleanthes is the theologian; and Demea is the believer in revealed religion. Philo can be considered the main character, since he does most of the talking, and his skepticism thus becomes the central element in the book and the most important argument.

In Parts II through IV, Hume addresses the argument by design that is offered here by Cleanthes, the theologian. This is an argument for the existence of God and was seen as a powerful statement that would devastate the opposition, but that.."

From the Paper
"This study will examine the problem skeptical philosopher David Hume encounters with respect to induction or the induction method, based on his work Enquiries: Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals. That problem, of course, is that Hume's rigorous skepticism effectively makes impossible any induction whatsoever in his philosophical "enquiries."

Hume was a British empiricist who like other empiricists believed that human beings can know nothing beyond what is revealed to them by their experience. Hume also believed that the human mind, human reason, is severely limited in its power to interpret and understand that experience.

Hume took philosophical empiricism and skepticism to its ultimate conclusion, questioning whether it was possible for.."

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" INTRODUCTION
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an important force in the philosophical thought of the eighteenth century. He was an especially powerful influence in the development of educational theory and was one of the primary sources for the political theory that would infuse the age of revolution, notably the American and French Revolutions. After Rousseau and writers such as John Locke, David Hume, and Thomas Hobbes, the sovereign was no longer seen as ruling by divine right. He or she did have to answer to the people, and both the people and the sovereign had to behave in accordance with the law. That law would then be the touchstone for the sovereign to determine how to govern. These are standing laws--they are not developed at the whim of the sovereign to cope with each situation that arises. They are also.."

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"This study will examine the moral theories of John Stuart Mill in Utilitarianism and Immanuel Kant in Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. The study will specifically argue that, although there are similarities in the two philosophers' approaches to morality, Kant's is the superior moral theory in part because it places greater responsibility on the freedom of the individual's will as an expression of God's will, discerned through reason, and in part because Mill ignores God's will and puts all power for defining morality in terms of man's slippery definition of "pleasure" or "happiness."


Both Mill and Kant rightly advocate the freedom of the individual in determining moral behavior, but both also rightly connect the behavior of the individual with the good of other human beings. "

From the Paper
"Ignorance is the enemy of democracy. Unlike autocratic societies, a democratic political order requires a stable political culture of an informed citizenry, capable of freely making intellectual choices, and reared in tolerance for the viewpoints of others. Without such a culture, democracy will eventually collapse. The most important social force contributing to such a stable political culture is education.
The purpose of this research is to examine the importance of quality education to democracy. It is argued here that a welleducated society not only helps a democratic order function more effectively, a well-educated society is a pillar necessary to the very survival of democratic institutions. In order to address this issue, the nature of democracy will first be defined, followed by a discussion of how education is an imperative for..."