Abstract Socrates, as portrayed by Plato, is significant in philosophical history as one of the greatest of the idealists and the dualists. He taught that the world is to be judged against external ideal "forms", which we access in order to judge and understand the world. This paper shows that, for him, the spirit was a sort of transcendent soul, which came from the ether beyond and returned, therefore, to a world where truth could be both seen and recognized in its purest form. This paper shows that, in the dialogues of "Meno" and "Phaedo", Plato has Socrates propose these radical theories through a form of question and answer.
From the Paper "Of course, Socrates would not greet death with joy if he believed it to be an end to personal existence. On the contrary, he identifies the soul with any reality to be had in personal existence, and claims that the soul is not destroyed by death. His argument proceeds by saying that opposites cannot tolerate or encompass their opposites. When opposed they either flee or are destroyed. Thus elements flee their opposites. The soul, one must understand, is that which carries life in our bodies. So when death comes, it is perceived as the opposite of the soul. The soul cannot tolerate its opposite, and thus must flee from death. Therefore, since the soul flees death, it must be deathless and if it cannot die then it must be immortal and even indestructible."
Abstract This paper explains that there are several ambiguities presented in the metaphysical and the materialist approaches to understanding the universe. The author points out that the basis of Hartshorne's arguments is blind faith, but his presentations are convincing, as he has considered "time" and "necessity" as important factors. The paper states that, through a doctrinal approach, the relation between God and the "Nature of Christ" may be explained through the understanding that Christ is God himself or at least an extension of him in the form of flesh, and this specifically relates to all His (Christ) divine actions while He was on earth.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review
Hartshorne's Argument
Immanuel Kant's Contradiction
Evidence from the Bible
The "Nature of Christ": Old and New Testaments
The Dualist Perspective
Descartes? Opinion
Ryle's Opinion
H.H. Price's Opinion
Hick's Opinion
Statement of the Problem
Thesis
Scope
Key Words
Terms and their Meanings
Perspectives (Philosophical)
Perspectives (Theological)
Proposal
From the Paper "In Descartes dualist concept, the belief in the existence of the mind and body is essential. Based on this concept, Descartes was able to know where he stood; he knew then that he existed because he could think. Hence, he believed in the following that is popular in contemporary times "cogito ergo sum" or "we think, therefore we are". Descartes apparently has had significant impact on concepts of life after death. However, he faced obstacles in certain explanations, and this is because he could not provide convincing explanation for the relationship between body and mind."
Abstract This paper will discuss the book "The Dispossessed" by Ursula Le Guin and seek the principles that make the two planets in the tale represent dualistic natures along the symbolism of Chinese thought. The main objective will be how the planets evolve under these circumstances and the way that the author attempts this. Also, an anarchist point of view will be described about the story and its ramifications on the tale within the scope of the planetary evolutions of the planets involved. By an overall analysis of the good and bad points of both philosophies, a better understanding of the basis of dualistic thought can be brought to the forefront.
Abstract This work provides an outline of behaviorism which is a major system of psychology in the 20th century. It also looks at a substantive treatment of the supportive and critical perspectives associated with the system. It includes the applications of dualistic activity versus monistic passivity, source of knowledge: self-generative versus sensory and mentalism versus materialism.
Statement of Thesis
Introduction
Source of Knowledge: Dualistic Activity versus Monistic Positivity
Mentalism versus Materialism
Source of Knowledge: Self-generative versus Sensory
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "The publication entitled Behavior Analysis in Education written by Sulzer-Azaroff et al, 1998 as well as other subsequent publications in the Journal of Behavioral Education, Journal of Positives Behavioral Interventions and Behavior Modification all offer what is stated to be, "empirical evidence for the effectiveness of behavior analytic technology in dealing with a host of behavioral excesses and deficits commonly exhibited by students in school settings." Functionalism does not agree with understanding behavior based on form or structure, or topography as such behavioral topographies are stated top be, "merely descriptive and, as such, explain nothing about the controlling functions of behavior (Skinner 1953, 1974)" (as cited by Skinner, 2002)"
Abstract The paper reviews the book "The Trouble with Wilderness" by William Cronon. The paper illustrates the cultural biases inherent in the term, "wilderness". The paper illustrates how wilderness was considered a barren and scary place, but by the end of the 19th century, due to shifts in cultural ideology and the effects of industrialism, the American concept of wilderness changed dramatically. The paper further examines how the Bible presents two dualistically opposed views of wilderness: the Garden of Eden and the dangerous wasteland of the desert and how this dualistic worldview is at the root of the conflicts within the environmental movement. The paper concludes with Cronon's wish that all environmentalists pay attention to the cultural and historical context of wilderness.
From the Paper "Cronon's main motive in writing "The Trouble with Wilderness" is not to criticize the environmental or conservation movements but to "abandon the dualism that sees the tree in the garden as artificial," (387). All nature is sacred and sublime, including the grasses on the prairies and the marshlands in Florida. Labeling some parts of the natural world as "wilderness" makes those parts valuable in the public consciousness and consequentially, the public may ignore the beauty outside their bedroom window."
This paper attempts to answer major questions pertaining to minds, bodies and existence from the dualist's standpoint and the eliminative materialist's stand point simultaneously.
1,790 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 3 sources, 2000, $ 57.95
From the Paper "The theory of Eliminative Materialism attempts to prove more about the physical world than dualism, and answers more fully questions of metaphysics concerning the point to human existence. The questions of cognitive sciences are general and particular questions addressing issues such as existence and what sorts of things can exist. Then there are the more particular questions like; Is there a soul?, What is the relationship of the soul and the human body, or the mind to the body? I will go over the major questions pertaining to minds, bodies and existence from the dualist's standpoint and the eliminative materialist's stand point simultaneously."
Abstract A look at the impact of world wars on abstract expressionism, a genre of art. The author examines what paintings under this genre represent and how they come to play significant roles in the expression of historical events.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
A. Brief definition of abstract expressionism
B. Examples of other relationships between artistic movements and political happenings
1. Romantic movement
2. Vietnam
C. Brief description of the effects of World War
1. effects on the U.S. economy/politics
2. effects on the people
D. Thesis as to the relationship of World War II and the rise of Abstract Expressionism
1. Three major influences
a. immigration of European artists, writers, intellectuals, scientists
b. the Surrealist movement
c. ancient influences (art)
II. Body
A. Before World War II
1. Depression
2. Thirty Years War
3. World War I
B. Historical Roots
1. the 1930s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
2. late 1930s early 1940s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
C. Intellectual Roots
1. Themes of Abstract Expressionism
a. the return to origins
b. the human continuum
c. conflict and the dualistic pattern of human life
d. opportunities/new beginnings
2. Heritage (Ancient influences)
3. Nature
4. the subconscious
D. Artists
1. Gesture
a. style
b. specific artists
2. Color Field
a. style
b. specific artists
3. In-between
a. style
b. specific artists
III. Conclusion
A. The evolution of art starting from the period of the 1930s (WWI, Depression, etc.) to
after World War II
1. Content
2. Purpose
3. Style
B. How World War II molded Abstract Expressionism and how the artists drew from World War II
1. the people's responses to the war
2. united aspects of the art that showed a general feeling towards WWII
C. How, by the rising of Abstract Expressionism, modern art was affected, and how it
changed the way that people expressed their sentiments
From the Paper "At first, there was an initial resistance to Abstract Expressionism, but by the 1950s it was recognized as the dominant force in American painting, encouraged by the government while being considered a symbol of American cultural freedom.For the first time ever, American art received widespread and serious attention in Europe. Abstract Expressionism can hardly be characterized as a single movement due to the diversity of the art it encompasses. Despite this variety, Abstract Expressionist paintings share several broad characteristics ? they are basically abstract, emphasizing free, spontaneous, and personal emotional expression, and they exercise considerable freedom of technique in order to attain this goal. The artists of this period manipulate the physical variables of the paint in order to convey expressive qualities, often on large canvases to give the visual effects an engrossing power. Abstract Expressionist artists can be divided into three categories based on style - gesture painting, such as done by Jackson Pollock, color field painting as done by Mark Rothko, or an in-between style as done by Robert Motherwell."
Abstract This essay discusses how humans tend to divide the world into opposing groups in order to create a moral, philosophical and religious world. The writer gives an example of opposing groups such as good and evil, natural and technological. To support his conclusion the writer examines the books "All Quiet on the Western Front","Dulce et decorum est" and "Consciousness as a Biological Problem".
From the Paper "The writers in this selection of papers make one final major point, which is that we must reconsider the ways in which we consider the effect of technological changes on human life. Technology changes everything, as Samuel Lilley argues in Men, Machines and History. We tend to be able to see this more clearly in the major technological revolutions, such as the revolution that occurred when humans shifted from food collection and pastoralism to agriculture (a shift that brought about permanent settlements and so urbanization, specialization of labor, etc.) and the second major shift in human society when we underwent the Industrial Revolution (pp. 138-9). But we are affected in smaller but deeply important ways by shifts in technology all the time; simply because everyday technological changes are smaller does not mean that their cumulative effect is not great. Adams (p. 106) suggests some of the ways in which our general ignorance of the important agents of change throughout human history leads us to discount the importance of various forms of change in both the past and present."
Tags: profane, sacred, patriotism, war, courage, heroism, technology, war, fundamentals, survival
Abstract This paper examines Descartes dualist thesis that mind and body are different things and his "Conceivability Argument" in his Meditations on First Philosophy. The conceivability argument uses one's ability to conceive of a mind without a body as a proof that mind and body are necessarily different things. The writer provides an objection to this argument from the point of view of an Identity Theorist, who believes that mind and body are in fact the exact same thing. The objection takes the meaning-reference distinction approach that states that mind and body essentially refer to the same thing but mean different things.
From the Paper "One of the central pieces of Descartes' dualist thesis is his conceivability argument, which attempts to establish that mind and body are necessarily different types of things. As it provides grounds for substantiating that mind and body are distinct, this argument also serves as the backbone of a prominent objection to the claims proposed by the simple identity theory. The identity theory makes the claim that all types of mental states and experiences are equivalent to types of brain states or other physical states. This clearly conflicts directly with the dualist's view of an independently existing mind that is responsible for the realization of mental states and experiences regardless of the existence of any corresponding physical entity to go with them. As such, the dualist must have significant objections to the identity theory. One such challenge to the identity theory is well summed by a single claim: "I can imagine myself turned to stone, and yet having images, aches, pains and so on." In this paper I will first demonstrate how an objection to the identity theory centered on this claim can be constructed. I will demonstrate how this objection is quite similar in nature to Descartes' conceivability argument, which will necessitate a brief explanation of Descartes' argument. I will then offer a response from the identity theorist to this objection, which will rely on the relationship between "concept" and "meaning" and the distinction between meaning and reference. In presenting this reply, I will show that this response to the dualist's objection also works against Descartes' conceivability argument."
From the Paper "In The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the author uses a double framing device to enhance the meaning of the central story and specifically to develop his idea of colonialism by developing an image of its duality. Colonialism has a dual nature because it has one form in the country in which the colonial power operates and another at home, and there is a clear difference between the reality and the attitude taken by those who remain back home and who have a romantic idea of colonial life. Marlow is the bridge between the two worlds, and he also has a dual reaction to his own experience. On the one hand, he tries to tell the men on the boat some of the truth, but he lies to Kurtz's intended. He has journeyed to the heart of darkness not only in Africa but within himself, and while he has returned a wiser man, he still maintains some of the..."
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to describe some crucial aspects of Hinduism. In particular, it will focus on the way in which Hinduism's "dogmatic" approach understands the history of religion. It will also focus on how Hinduism defines the non-dualistic philosophy which it says will result in harmony. The paper will describe Hinduism, with a particular focus on the way in which it sees itself as a religion without a founder, and will then discuss how the concept of harmony allows the believer to enter more fully into the true spirit of Hinduism.
In general, it is important to point out that Hinduism is one of the major religions in the world today, and has been for centuries. It has helped to shape Indian culture and it has been the basis for much of what is now recognized as the spiritual practices of India throughout the ages. However, the popular ... "
Abstract Examines Superman and Batman. How each superhero represents two different ideals. How each has appeal for different publics. The dualistic way of life of both heroes. The secret identity or alter ego of each. Concept of mythic heroism. Early origins of the two fantasy figures; their back stories. Their interaction with arch-villians.
From the Paper "This research examines the comic-book superheroes Superman and Batman as representative of two different ideals appealing to two different demographic populations. The research will compare attributes of each figure with a view toward identifying discrete meanings of heroism that find resonance in those who valorize one superhero over the other.
To arrive at contrasts between Superman and Batman, it is first necessary to identify what they may have in common. The most obvious attribute that they share is a double existence. They are apart from the common horde of humanity, special in ways that the rest of humankind can only dream of, or more exactly in ways that illustrate the importance of mythic presence in the psyche if not in everyday experience (Campbell 12). To be sure, both Superman and Batman are fantasy figures, but ..."
Abstract The paper discusses Schopenhauer theory that the will reveals itself as the "in-itself" of each person's own phenomenal being and that the awareness we have of ourselves as will, differs greatly from that which we have of ourselves as body. However, he denied that the will's operations and the movements of the body are two distinct series of events. Typically it is thought that operations of the will cause movements of the body. The paper explains that Schopenhauer believed that such dualistic conceptions, deriving largely from Descartes, had wrought havoc in philosophy, and he argued instead that the body is the will as it appears to external perception. The paper also discusses how Schopenhauer's doctrine of the will constituted a reaction against the then dominant eighteenth-century, or ?Enlightenment,? conceptions of human nature.
From the Paper "The primacy of will exhibits itself in a number of other ways. Although we are aware of ourselves as will, our consciously formulated conceptions of our desires or what we intend are unreliable guides when the question is what we will. Sometimes Schopenhauer seems to be claiming that conscious acts of choice never determine behaviour. He suggests in a number of instances that our decisions made intellectually and arrived at after weighing several possible courses of action, do not determine our conduct; the will makes the decision below the level of any rationally reflective consciousness. The sole role of the intellect is to place before the will the possibilities that lie open to the agent and to estimate their consequences. So, we never really form more than a "conjecture" of our future actions, although we often mistake such conjectures for resolves; our decisions only become clear to us a posteriori, through our actions."
Abstract This paper attempts to define the phenomena of consciousness. It studies the claims of scientists like John Searle, that there is a reductive, scientifically explainable process that results in consciousness. It discusses how philosophers like David Chalmers criticize the reductive explanation and how Chalmers argues for a more nuanced, dualistic view, one that recognizes the phenomenon's more subjective and qualitative aspects.
Outline
Definitions of Consciousness
Is Consciousness Scientifically Explainable
The Limits of Scientific Explanation
Chalmers? Naturalist Dualism
Evaluation of the Scientific Model and Chalmers? Critiques
Conclusion
From the Paper "The advent of computer technology and artificial intelligence has led to a refinement of the mind-body problem. A more accurate term would be the mind-brain relationship, as scientists are identifying the mind with the brain. The biochemical and biophysical findings continue to shed more light on mental actions and conscious thought. Many scientists now believe that brain processes are themselves mental processes, and that a scientific understanding of consciousness and other mental phenomenon rests on a greater understanding of the brain itself."
Abstract The discussion of Spinoza's monism and its impact upon our understanding of the autonomous self necessitates - prior to addressing the issue itself - a choice as to whether or not to accept the assumptions upon which is based the "truth of Spinoza's monism". In this context, this paper will take a dualistic approach to this question. First, Spinoza's assumptions and his monistic theory will be examined to demonstrate some of their flaws, and therefore their irrelevance to the issue of the autonomous self. The second approach requires the provisional acceptance of Spinoza's assumptions and his propositions as to the monism of God. It will be argued that, although Spinoza's argument allows a degree of limited autonomy for the self as a causal agent, this freedom is based upon our finite ignorance of the causal relationship between ourselves as finite beings and God as an infinite entity.
