Philosophy
Analyzing Rembrandt

The following paper is a response to questions regarding the painting, "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer." The painting was painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1653. It is oil on canvas and access to the painting is gained by the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, physically located in New York City.

The paper will first contextualize the painting, trying to situated in history and establish a historical perspective by which further interpretation of the painting. Rembrandt completed this painting at the approximate midpoint of the 17th century. As in many centuries in history, the 17th century was a century full of achievement, development, and conflict. Rembrandt is a European artist, so the paper will summarize some of the developments in Europe during this period. Culturally, Europe entered the Early Modern period as well as the Baroque period. There was a huge surge in culture with respect to…...

Philosophy Matrix II
Ancient Quest for Truth

Philosophy Matrix II: Ancient Quest for Truth

Use the matrix to analyze Plato and Aristotle's theory of knowledge and apply both to current day practices.

In the first column, using the readings about Plato's search for truth and his theories of knowledge, discuss how contemporary people may be living in a cave and which steps, based on Plato's model of the Divided Line, will be necessary for their enlightenment.

In the next column, based on Aristotle's science of the first philosophy, analyze how Aristotle's metaphysics may guide contemporary people to knowledge about the world.

In the final fields, evaluate how you use either or both of the methods in your own life and explain how Plato and Aristotle used pre-Socratic philosophy.

Cite your sources consistent with APA guidelines.

Plato

Aristotle

In 250 to 500 words, using the readings about Plato's search for truth, and his theories of knowledge, discuss how contemporary people may…...

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Works Cited

Aristotle. (2002). Metaphysics. Santa Fe, NM: Green Lion Press.

Copleston, F. (1993). A history of Philosophy, Vol. 1: Greece and Rome: From the Pre-Socratics to Plotinus. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Cornford, F.M. (1945). The Republic of Plato. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Plato. (2012). The Republic. New York, NY: Simon & Brown.

Berkley stated that because the senses were potentially faulty, everyone's sense perceptions and thus everyone's 'truth' was unique and variable. However, most empiricists like Locke believed that some (few) things could be known with certainty, like shape and color, even if other properties of things could not be known. The empiricists come from the Aristotelian rather than the Platonic tradition of philosophy, and had rigorous standards of truth based upon sensory experience rather than reason alone. Another way of phrasing the debate between empiricism and rationalism is that it is an essential conflict between the superiority of a posteriori reasoning vs. A priori reasoning.

A posteriori reasoning depends upon what we know about past events and information to make inferences, in short, observations and experience. A priori reasoning suggests just the opposite, suggesting that everything is there, if only we can learn to think correctly in a deductive manner. Thus geometry…...

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Works Cited

Stumpf, Samuel Enoch & James Fieser Socrates to Sartre and Beyond: A History of Philosophy. 7th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003.

Samuel Enoch Stumpf & James Fieser, Socrates to Sartre and Beyond: A History of Philosophy, 7th edition, (New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003), p.80.

Stumpf & Fieser, p.93.

Stumpf & Fieser, p.91

On the other hand, Schopenchauer argues that because happiness is fundamentally unobtainable, humans are faced with a life of disappointment, which thus leads to the disconnect that causes suicide.
However, if both of these philosophers' theories on the cause of suicide were taken at face value, it would be surmised that every human would commit suicide and thus the extinction of the human race would be inevitable. Yet, this is obviously not the case, and both philosopher's explain why. According to both Camus and Schopenchauer, this absurdity and disconnect that we face is exactly what gives our lives meaning. In other words, the human existence means a commitment to a struggle in the face of the absurd in order to survive. The majority of humans are able to embrace this meaning, some are incapable of coping. As Schopenchauer points out, it is more often the intellectual beings that are the…...

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Bibliography

Camus, Albert. (1991): The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. New York: Knopf Publishing Group.

Flynn, Thomas. (2006): Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Guignon, Charles B. (2001): Existentialism: Basic Writings. New York: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Schopenhauer, Arthur. (1966): The World as Will and Representation. Dover Publications.

However, when looking more closely at the specific philosophy suggested by Socrates, a more specific view appears to suggest itself. Socrates appears to favor the view that true knowledge is only possible once the soul separates itself from the body.
For Socrates, the sense, i.e. touch, hearing, sight, taste, and smell only distract what he refers to as the "soul" from truly experiencing the nature of the external world. According to this philosophy, in other words, an external world does exist, but the individual can only truly access it at the end of life, when there are no longer senses to distort the impression of the external world.

According to this philosophy, therefore, there does exist an external world that can be perceived. This perception, however, is only possible once the human "filters" provided by the senses are allowed to die. The senses only die at death, which means that any…...

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References

Aristotle. Metaphysics. The Internet Classics Archive. Retrieved from:  http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/metaphysics.1.i.html 

Nagel, T. (1987) What does it All Mean? New York: Oxford University Press.

Plato. Phaedo the Internet Classics Archive. Retrieved from:  http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html

Philosophy Today
The final chapter of Soccio's Archetypes of Wisdom brings philosophy into the present day, by discussing several current practioners of philosophy and hinting at applications that can be made of their ideas. I would like to discuss three problem areas in human life -- poverty, gender difference, and sexual ethics -- to look at how contemporary philosophy seems to be approaching the subject.

The issue of poverty is raised interestingly in Soccio's account by Princeton ethics professor Peter Singer. Soccio describes Singer as "controversial" and marks his philosophical affiliation as the "relentless application of utilitarian principles" (Soccio 532). Yet the example that Soccio gives of Singer's argument for eliminating world poverty just shows to me the limitations of a certain form of utilitarian philosophy. Singer shows that it would be an ethical necessity for Bob, conveniently located next to a lever that will change the track of a runaway train,…...

Philosophy
It has been know that coalitions, task force or work groups are a part of public health practice in order to help stop violence and drug abuse. I feel they are an important part of the community because they can help to change the environment to better by fighting for our rights to be safe. "Consistency can be particularly important in addressing a community issue, especially if there are already a number of organizations or individuals working on it. If their approaches all differ significantly, and they're not cooperating or collaborating, it can lead to a chaotic situation where very little is accomplished. If, on the other hand, they can work together and agree on a common way to deal with the issue and on common goals, they're much more likely to make headway" (Coalition uilding I: Starting a Coalition, 22012).

These groups help us to build a stronger and safer…...

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Bibliography

Coalition Building I: Starting a Coalition. (22012). Retrieved June 12, 2012, from  http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1057.aspx 

Foster, T.W. (1993). Building Coalitions That Work. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from wch.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/PDF-Pubs/coalitions_that_work.pdf

Tapper, S.M. (2011). Benefits of Collaborative Philosophical Inquiry in School. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from pactiss.org/.../Millett-and-Tapper-2011-Benefits-of-Collaborative

Philosophy
Don't Dream it, Be it:

the value of the "unexamined" life.

In the story of the Apology, Socrates is put on trial for corrupting the young, something which (according to his testimony) he does by convincing them to examine their life closely and learn to question all their assumptions. In the course of his defense, he makes the oft-repeated claim "...the unexamined life is not worth living..." (Apology) He supports this opinion with numerous theories regarding the value of truth and the relationship between morality and philosophy. Socrates and most intellectuals since his time, have been of the firm opinion that "higher" pursuits such as self-examination and philosophy make for a better life. However, the actual value of living the heavily-examined life could be open to debate. In fact, it is the opinion of this writer that the examined life may indeed be inferior to the unexamined life: examination may lead to…...

Philosophy Structures
Structure One:

In The Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, page 66, Charles Darwin argues that organisms which have favorable traits are more likely to reproduce than members of the population with less favorable traits.

Reasons:

"Seeing that individual differences of the same kind perpetually recur, this can hardly be considered as an unwarrantable assumption" (Darwin 66).

"The ordinary belief that the amount of possible variation is a strictly limited quantity is likewise a simple assumption" (Darwin 66).

"As we see that those variations which, under domestication appear at any particular period of life, tend to reappear in the offspring at the same period; - for instance, in the shape, size, and flavor of the seeds of the many varieties of our culinary and agricultural plants…so in a state of nature, natural selection will be enabled to act on and modify organic beings at any age, by the accumulation of variations…...

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Works Cited

Darwin, Charles. "Natural Selection; or the Survival of the Fittest." The Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection. Cambridge: Cambridge Library Collection. 62-105. Print.

Kant, Immanuel. "What is Enlightenment?" 1784. 1-8. Print.

Yet rather than understand this revelation as something which is freeing, Sartre experienced it as something fearful. He speaks of this freedom as being a form of damnation:
Man is condemned to be free... condemned because he has not created himself - and is nevertheless free. Because having once been hurled into the world, he is responsible for everything he does..." (Gaarder, 379-380)

If one is free, then one has not way of knowing what to do -- and worse, if one is free then one has no one but one's self to blame for one's perceived failures. (Taking the further step to realize that if one is free that there is no standard to fail except those set by one's self is something undertaken more by the next philosopher I mean to discuss than by Sartre) can actually sympathize with this sense of terror in the face of one's own…...

This tends to create a negative view of the oppressed and increases the resistance to their cause.
If I were to personally create a philosophy of nonviolence, I would also, like King, focus on the positive effects of such a form of resistance. The basis for my philosophy would be the qualities that make us human. Most importantly, we are human and as such we are able to reason and think rationally. Because we are more than barbarians, we are to handle our conflict situations by thinking of ways to reach the optimal outcome for all parties. If we let our emotions override our reason, chaos results. In matters of conflict, which can be highly emotional, it is therefore of utter importance to use our rationality. This is what distinguishes us from the animal world. We do not need to fight and kill to reach our goals and obtain our…...

Philosophy Take Home Exam
Selection: Spinoza, Rousseau, and Sartre

Philosophy and Biography in Spinoza

According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Benedict de Spinoza was among one of the most important of the post-Cartesian philosophers "who flourished in the second half of the 17th century" and dealt with the implications of free will, mathematics, and science in answering questions about the mind body problem first posed by Descartes. (Dutton, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2004) The Jewish Spinoza took up the originally Christian Cartesian notion of the body/mind duality and placed them in a deterministic theological context, freed of some of Descartes' concerns about proving the existence of God.

Spinoza, however, like Descartes, also stressed that the body and mind were of fundamentally different substances, that the latter essence of the mind was 'alien' somehow, or rather possessed elements that the body did not, because of the nature of cognition or thought. Spinoza also stated…...

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Works Cited

Dutton, Blake. "Spinoza: Life & Works." Last updated 2003.

  and Workshttp://www.iep.utm.edu/s/spinoza.htm#Life 

Rousseau. "The Social Contract." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Sartre, Jean-Paul. "Freedom." The Western Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Philosophy Final
Soccio's Archetypes of Wisdom gives a relatively thorough survey of philosophy from ancient "wise men" like Socrates down to present-day university professors like Martha Nussbaum. It gives a sense of philosophy as not only applicable to serious questions in our daily life, but also. I think the three biggest areas in which I learned from Soccio's survey of philosophy relate to religion, utilitarianism, and something I would like to term "intellectual modesty." This necessarily represents a personal response to Soccio's presentation of the great philosophers, but I have never taken a philosophy course before this. To some extent, I am most fascinated by the applicability Soccio emphasizes, especially with intellectual questions which can be more broadly applied within anyone's life (including my own).

The chief personal feeling that I got from Soccio's survey of philosophy is an increased intellectual respect for religion. This is purely a personal reaction, based on…...

Philosophy Concept: Veil of Maya
Concepts and ideologies, such as the "Veil of Maya," have tried to declare the philosophical interpretation of the "reality' of the world. These conceptions are helpful in analyzing the importance of our senses and to assess the belief that whatever we observe is not all reality but there is something beyond that apparent reality. Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle have developed their own theories relating to the reality of the world and which gives us the necessary knowledge to judge our senses as a means to observe the outer world. Plato has defined the objective world as an illusion and relates to objective appearances, which we call objects, things etc., as illusionary objects. His classical example of slaves staring at shadows can best define his conception of objects and things. According to him, the real world objects that we term as things or physical body are…...

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References

Steven Kaufman: Unified Reality Theory: The Evolution of Existence into Experience: Destiny Toad Press: 2001

Jerry Davidson Wheatley: The Nature of Consciousness: The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed: Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is: Research Scientific Press: 2001

As what Falzon postulated in his article on Descartes and Dualism, the author states that 'the dualist view of human beings means that it is possible for the mind to exist separately from the body (2002, p. 62)' but the persona is still that same person despite residing in another physical being. Thus, John Malkovich's mind may be transferred to Craig's body but then it is the personality of Malkovich that now resides in a different physical form. Schwartz used the memory of Malkovich to live a life he never had -- or even wanted as his old self and finds fulfillment in being John Malkovich.
Although Descartes postulated that 'we had "clear and distinct" perception that the self was distinct from the body (lackburn 1999, p. 122),' several arguments still come to mind and various philosophers and thinkers throughout the ages have endeavored to answer the dualist concept --…...

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Bibliography:

Jonze, S (dir) 1999, Being John Malkovich (film), Malkovich Films, United States.

Blackburn, S 1999. 'The Self' in Think, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 120 -- 148.

Falzon, C 2002, 'Descartes and Dualism' in Philosophy goes to the movies, Routledge, London, pp. 60 -- 68.

Kerruish, E 2011, SOC10399: Philosophy on screen: Film and television, Southern Cross University, East Lismore.

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Choosing how to start your essay on deviance depends on the type of essay you are writing and the type of coursework you are trying to complete.  Deviance is a broad topic that is covered in many of the soft sciences, including (but not limited to) sociology, psychology, and criminology.  It is also discussed in the humanities, particularly philosophy and history.  Therefore, we would probably begin the essay with two things: a definition of deviance and an explanation of how that definition fits into the context of the essay we are writing. 

Generally, deviance is a sociological concept....

Strategic human resource management refers to a specific approach that must human resource (HR) practitioners take to handling a company’s employees (human resources).  Strategic human resource management is a philosophy of management, not a defined approach, so it is possible for different HR professionals to take varied approaches and still fit under the umbrella of strategic human resource management.  In fact, it is not only possible, but probably necessary, given that HR needs do differ according to the type of profession, the working environment, the size of an organization, and the demographics of the workforce.  Generally, strategic....