Philosophy is a compound of the Greek word for love, “phileo”, and the Greek word for wisdom, “sophe”; the term philosophy literally means the “love of wisdom”. Furthermore, philosophy is the study of the nature of knowledge, reality, existence and thinking. Essentially, philosophy is an activity that people undertake when they attempt to understand the truth about themselves and the world in which they live. As students of philosophy, we are seeking the answers to life’s most basic questions. Philosophy can be divided into several major areas of study (i.e. metaphysics, ethics, etc.), and each area of study involves seeking to answer different questions and understanding the truth about different areas of our life and the world we live in. …show more content…
In order to make this point, Kant made a distinction between hypothetical and categorical imperatives. The hypothetical imperative demands the performance of an action as a means to another end (i.e. on the condition that it resulted in a certain desired “end” that would justify the means). In contrast, the categorical imperative, which is one of his main ideas, demands the unconditional performance of an act for its own sake (i.e. as a duty rather than as a means to another end). He argued that the categorical imperative was the voice of our own rational selves/the rule our intelligence gave us. The categorical imperative stated that we should act only according to that maxim by which we can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Basically, in order to test the morality of an action, we have to ask ourselves: What if this act is generally practiced and we were a victim of it? Can we imagine a world where everyone is doing it? Would we want to live in that world? Furthermore, Kant believed that the categorical imperative could also be stated as follows: act so as to treat people as ends, never as means. This shows that Kant, unlike Mill, valued the individual rather than the collective. In fact, he was strictly against harming even the dignity of an individual. Moreover, unlike Mill, Kant believed that the consequences of the action are meaningless because they don’t justify the action (which points us back to the categorical imperative: one should perform an act for its own sake, not as a means to another end). Finally, Kant believed that we were free only when we were acting in out best nature and under moral
Philosophy is one’s oxygen. Its ubiquitous presence is continuously breathed in and vital to survival, yet its existence often goes unnoticed or is completely forgotten. Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant was one of the many trees depositing this indispensable system of beliefs into the air. Philosophy is present in all aspects of society, no matter how prominent it may be. As Kant was a product of the Scientific Revolution in Europe, the use of reason was an underlying component in the entirety of his ideas. One of his main principles was that most human knowledge is derived from experience, but one also may rely on instinct to know about something before experiencing it. He also stated that an action is considered moral based on the motive behind it, not the action itself. Kant strongly believed that reason should dictate goodness and badness (McKay, 537). His philosophies are just as present in works of fiction as they are in reality. This is exemplified by Lord of the Flies, a fiction novel written by William Golding. The novel strongly focuses on the origins of evil, as well as ethics, specifically man’s treatment of animals and those around him. Kant’s philosophy is embedded in the thoughts and actions of Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon throughout the novel. Kant’s beliefs also slither into “Snake,” a poem by D.H. Lawrence, focusing on the tainting of the pure human mind by societal pressures and injustices. Overall, both the poet in “Snake” and Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon in Lord of the Flies showcase Immanuel Kant’s theories on ethics, reasoning, and nature.
If accurate, this is a debilitating criticism of Kant’s moral theory as he had intended it. Mill’s critique instead classifies Kant’s moral theory as a type of rule utilitarianism. Any action under Kant’s theory is tested as a general rule for the public, and if the consequences are undesirable, then the general rule is rejected. “Undesirable consequences” are, according to the more precise language of Mill’s utilitarianism, consequences which are not a result of producing the greatest happiness. Mill’s analysis hinges on the lack of logical contradiction found in Kant’s theory. Without a concrete incongruity, Kant may be no more than a rule utilitarian. However, Mill is mistaken; the Categorical Imperative does produce absolute contradictions, as will be demonstrated through examples.
would be unfair to use the one to the side as a means to save the
...o be an unbearable abuse of supreme authority” or in the face of governmental tyranny. However, Kant also outlines in his other work the importance of moral autonomy, which seems to betray his view of a citizen's duty to obey. As Arntzen states: “by denying a right of resistance even when civil society falls short of the ideal civil society, he maintains that one has a duty to act according to a will that is not one's own, and thereby seems to betray the person's autonomy and dignity he has so strongly asserted in GMS and KpV” (Arntzen: 1996). Arntzen then goes on to state that Kant must allow
Kate Beagle Mr. Ioannidis English 10B 21 May 2024 Eloquent Anthony A common saying goes “Nice guys finish last”. Brutus was seen as respected, caring, and honorable, but after Anthony gives a short speech everyone wants to kill Brutus for being evil and unjust. How did Anthony change the minds of every single person right after Brutus convinced them all that he killed Caesar for the good of Rome and its people? It seems like Shakespeare was being unrealistic with how fast the people changed their minds, but after dissecting Anthony’s speech it is clear that Anthony made the people truly believe that Brutus was in the wrong with the use of many persuasive devices.
The Transcendental Deductions of the pure concept of the understanding in Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, in its most general sense, explains how concepts relate a priori to objects in virtue of the fact that the power of knowing an object through representations is known as understanding. According to Kant, the foundation of all knowledge is the self, our own consciousness because without the self, experience is not possible. The purpose of this essay is to lay out Kant’s deduction of the pure concept of understanding and show how our concepts are not just empirical, but concepts a priori. We will walk through Kant’s argument and reasoning as he uncovers each layer of understanding, eventually leading up to the conclusion mentioned above.
In American society, race, class, and incarceration play a huge role in privatized corporations and in the lives of Americans. Our country has a tendency of using a person’s appearance and class to its own advantage. The U.S claims to incarcerate the vast amounts of inmates it does in order to protect its citizens but there is more that happens inside the doors of prisons. In this essay, I will argue that the United States profiteers within the prisons, selfishly uses the prison industrial complex to their advantage, and lastly, how race and class effect prisons.
I believe that Philosophy is the study of different ways of thinking. In philosophy, you should question everything and never take anything for face value. There are always two sides to every coin as there are different ways of looking at things, is what philosophy teaches us. In philosophy, you must throw off all the limitations you have set on yourself when dealing with how you view things and how things seem to be.
While Kant’s theory may seem “overly optimistic” (Johnson, 2008) now, it was ruled as acceptable and rational behavior then. Kant believed that any moral or ethical decision could be achieved with consistent behavior. While judgment was based on reason, morals were based on rational choices made by human beings (Freeman, 2000). A human’s brain is the most advanced in the animal kingdom. Not only do human beings work on instinct, but they have the ability to sort out situations in order to make a decision. This includes weighing the pros and cons of decisions that could be made and how they affect others either positively or negatively. This is called rational thought. Kant believed that any human being able to rationalize a decision before it was made had the ability to be a morally just person (Freeman, 2000). There were certain things that made the decision moral, and he called it the “Categorical Imperative” (Johnson, 2008). If someone was immoral they violated this CI and were considered irrational. The CI is said to be an automatic response which was part of Kant’s argument that all people were deserving of respect. This automatic response to rational thinking is where he is considered, now, to be “overly optimistic” (Johnson, 2008).
The term “philosophy” means the love of wisdom, and those that study philosophy attempt to gain knowledge through rationality and reason. 1 Socrates, the father of ancient philosophy, once stated “the unexamined life is not worth living”. This is the most important part of life and it is need to find purpose and value in life. If a person chooses to live their life without examination, their life would lack value and they would be unhappy. They would also be ignorant to the effects of their choices on themselves and the people around them.
Philosophy is “The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. Socrates is known as one of the greatest philosophers to ever have lived because he studied knowledge, reality, and existence to the point where he constructed a famous method used to find the answer to any problem, no matter the subject. This famous method is one of his greatest works and is known as the Socratic Method. This method involves breaking a problem into a series of questions, consequently the solution is usually found by answering all of the sub questions. He then used this method to examine moral ideas like justice, and began to question Athenian politics. This method later led to create hypothesis and the Scientific Method, which are widely used in modern scienc...
The word “philosophy” is derived from two roots that are “philo” and “Sophia.” Philo means love whereas Sophia means wisdom. Therefore, philosophy means the love of wisdom. In actual practice, philosophy entails study of, pursuit, and enquiry into wisdom. A good number of great philosophers have referred to philosophy as the art of thinking. Others have only defined it as the systematic study of human feelings and thoughts.
When I think of philosophy I think back to my personal beliefs and experiences. Philosophy for me is a term that goes beyond choosing what's right from wrong, philosophy goes deeper that a decision. Philosophy for me is the roots of my being and what determines the way I live my everyday life. Philosophy refers back to the codes I count on to help me handle situations better and find the right path that will bring me happiness within myself.
Philosophy is, according to the dictionary, “Literally, the love of, including the search after, wisdom”. This applies to my life, when I am in school and when I am out of school. When I am in classes, I use the available knowledge in books, the lovely newspaper articles from English class (hehe), and the brains of teachers, in order to aid in my ‘hunt’. Wisdom is something that interests almost all of us. It provides us with answers to the everyday problems we run into, and curbs our curiosity.
Philosophy can be described as a chance for a person to undertake an opportunity to understand themselves, our world and society, and relations between ourselves and one another. Those who are able to study philosophy can find out what is to be human, what kind of person is it good to be, and especially how are we to live a good life. I, myself, have had an opportunity to take a philosophy class and as my time in philosophy is starting to come to a close, I am suddenly realizing how philosophy has changed the aspects and my outlook upon my life.