Verified Document

Personal Philosophy Essay

Personal Philosophy - Tourism Which philosophical school of thought (Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Naturalism, Existentialism, Humanism) best presents your own set of beliefs at this time of your professional preparation and why?

I consider myself to be predominantly a humanist. I am interested in helping people use their personal agency for the best overall outcomes. My knowledge of history is limited but it does include some exposure to the major religions in the world. I am mostly discouraged by what I have learned. Empowered by their religious beliefs, people engage in horrific acts against one another and assert that they are compelled and even sanctified by their religions to behave in those ways. Humanism is based on reason, ethics, and justice that do not originate from religious doctrine. But it seems to me that as the various religions were formed, that faith was developed from logical human reasoning as much as from supernatural events. The basic tenets of the main religions are logical and based in earthly reality. Take, for instance, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This is a reasoned directive that has clear implications for civic order and the public good. There is nothing supernatural about it -- rather the directive is based in independent human agency. Say that one person does not follow this "golden" rule. Simple reasoning would establish a chain of stimulus -- response. Undesirable stimulus behavior triggers an undesirable response. Now, religion would interrupt that behavior chain by suggesting the person "wronged" turn the other cheek. But, here again, is evidence of human agency. A person is free to respond to the undesirable behavior or not. It is the individual freedom and...

Too many really terrible things have been done to people in the name of religion. Without the influence of religion, would these same horrible things have happened? The universality of human values suggests that they would not -- at least not on a normative basis. The human need to belong is so strong that it may cause them to conform even when it is not reasonable to do so -- and when it does not contribute to their welfare or the welfare of others. I believe that people are basically good, and they may be characterized by an innate need to make the world a better place.
2. How was your philosophical approach to Hospitality changed since you entered the major?

I have leaned more toward existentialism in the past. Yet, now I realize that existentialism and humanism are not so very far apart. If, in existentialism, a person is free to create his or her own meaning, this implies personal agency -- a humanist attribute. So I have moved in my philosophical thinking to considering that a person is neither wholly good nor wholly bad, since they can change their orientation completely, as they choose, to orient to the positive, as all good humanists believe people do. With respect to hospitality, I recognize that the influence I can have over the experiences of guests, clients, and customers in industry is really quite broad and deep. I have moved from a focus on getting the details right to looking at the big picture, which ultimately has a more robust influence on the lives of people. This perspective has enabled me to examine my skill set and determine whether they are a good…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Personal Philosophy of Education
Words: 1882 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Personal Philosophy of Education My Personal Philosophy of Education My educational philosophy is dynamic. It has been evolving over time. In my opinion, the educational needs of learners keep changing in our ever-changing world. In that regard, a teacher's approach to education must not be rigid. My educational philosophy is largely centered on a number of issues. These include education and its key purpose, the role played by not only the teacher

Personal Philosophy What Is Nursing to Me
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Personal Philosophy What is nursing to me? Nursing is all about caring for and knowing how to take care of patients in illness to help them heal and take care of patients in birth and death. This is just a brief introduction of nursing where we further illustrate that nursing is much more than only caring for patients. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, nursing was attributed with values like benevolence,

Personal Philosophy Society Tells Us What Is
Words: 1468 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Personal Philosophy Society tells us what is right and what is wrong. In America, there are laws that make things legal or illegal. In addition to this, there are social regulations which determine what, though not illegal, is immoral and thus equally inappropriate behavior. Besides these two factors, there are the peer pressures of our individual dialogue groups which have influence on society as well. For example, religious groups determine what

Personal Philosophy of Knowledge if
Words: 2601 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Proposal

Drucker (1999) states that organizations should also learn to treat knowledge workers as assets rather than costs, as those workers who are knowledge workers will want to work at the organization "in preference to all other opportunities" (p. 84). In addition to employees, knowledge can also be useful in many other variables that constitute organizations. Knowledge can allow for positive change in development, in customer relations, and in organizational

Personal Philosophy of Education Describe the Resulting
Words: 666 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Personal Philosophy of Education Describe the resulting curriculum planning process. My philosophy as a realist / experimentalist (leaning more towards experimentalist) is that students need to critically examine historical events in context (why did certain important events happen and was the result what was expected?); they need to understand (although they don't have to agree with) contemporary social values (some of which are not rational) and how to reconcile their future place

Philosophy Personal Philosophy: The Benefits in Life
Words: 788 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Philosophy Personal Philosophy: The Benefits in Life and in Education It is necessity for an educator to possess a clear understanding of their personal visions, ethics, and ways in which they wish to conduct the environment of their classroom. Without this strength, the teacher will morph to the limitless quantity of critiques they may receive from employers, peers, students, and parents. Though critique could be in good taste or with the aim to

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now