Understanding Theoretical and Practical Reason: A Philosophical Analysis
Theoretical and Practical Reason
Theoretical Reason: This approach contemplates the world, seeking to decipher, explain, and understand it without necessarily focusing on practical application or direct knowledge of reality.
Practical Reason: This involves using reason to guide actions, setting aside assumptions and passions to achieve a moral ideal defined by reason itself.
Rationalism vs. Empiricism
| Rationalism | Empiricism | |
|---|---|---|
| Core Belief | Trust in reason as the primary source of knowledge. | Trust in sensory |
Reason and Truth: An Introspective Analysis
Chapter 2: The Truth of Reason
1) What is the question prior to the remaining questions of life?
The question before the other questions of life is, “How do I answer the questions I submit? How do I know what I know?” These questions, although seemingly the simplest, are the hardest to answer. We may never be able to answer them satisfactorily, but at least we know that questions will arise when the information we have about something is insufficient.
2) What do we reason?
We reason in search of arguments
Read MoreAristotle’s Philosophy: Virtue, Intellect, and Politics
Virtue (arete), according to Aristotle, is a kind of second nature, an artful habit that helps humans achieve the various goods and purposes for which they are trained, ultimately leading to happiness and resembling God as much as possible. He distinguishes between dianoetic (intellectual) virtues and practical virtues.
Dianoetic Virtues
Dianoetic or intellectual virtues are those we share with God, because through them we approach divine immobility. Theoretical knowledge (wisdom and understanding)
Read MoreDemocritus and Socrates: Atomism and Intellectualism
Democritus: The Atomist Theory
For Democritus, reality is composed of two fundamental elements: atoms, which are homogeneous and indivisible, and the void, which is the space in which atoms move. The void allows for the plurality of different particles. Democritus posited that atoms are distinguished by their shape, size, order, and position.
Atoms can assemble due to their shape, but they never merge. Bodies are formed by the temporary union of atoms, which separate and later rejoin with others.
Read MoreNietzsche and the Senses: A Philosophical Analysis
Topic 3: Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Neopositivism, and Nietzsche on Sensory Knowledge
Aristotle believed that sensory knowledge provides a starting point for knowledge. He also stated that true knowledge is of the essence of the object, captured through understanding. Here, he agrees with Plato but diverges from Nietzsche. Aristotle thought true knowledge always comes from the form within the substance. To grasp the form, one must first grasp the substance through the senses.
Thomas Aquinas places
Paradoxes, Philosophies, and Human Evolution
Paradoxes and Philosophical Doctrines
A paradox is a statement that leads to conflicting conclusions, such as “This statement is false”. A paradox or antinomy presents a logical difficulty that appears as soon as a certain type of statement is made. From this statement, two possible logical consequences are extracted that contradict each other. The initial claim cannot be rejected or accepted, leading to a kind of impasse. There are two main types of paradoxes: logical and semantic. The former involves