Social Contract Theories: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau & Aristotle
Social Contract Theories
Modern theories of contract all share the idea that the origin of society and the foundation of political power is a social contract or cohabitation agreement. Let’s examine the nuances.
Absolutist Theory: Thomas Hobbes
Man is evil by nature, a wolf to man. Every man, driven by selfishness, has interests that may lead to social conflict or a war of all against all. Therefore, man gives up part of their freedom to a superior body capable of ensuring order and social harmony.
Read MoreHegel and Marx: Dialectics and Dialectical Materialism
Dialectics: Hegel / Marx
Dialectics is a method of reasoning, questioning, and interpretation that has received several meanings throughout the history of philosophy. Some of these meanings are: the art of dialogue and discussion; a technique of reasoning that proceeds through the deployment of a thesis and antithesis, resolving the contradiction through the formulation of a final synthesis, and the struggle of opposites by which progress arises.
History (Hegel and Marx)
Hegel’s Dialectic
The German
Read MoreAncient Greek Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and the Sophists
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Philosophy was born in Greece as an attempt to explain reality through reason. Later, philosophy focused more on human problems, especially ethics and politics. This reflection occurred alongside changing circumstances affecting the Greek cities, particularly Athens.
The Sophists
In the 5th century BC, at the height of Athenian democracy, teachers called Sophists offered lessons about topics closest to humans: anthropology, law, and politics. According to Protagoras, it makes
Read MoreHume’s Empiricism: Impressions, Ideas, and Skepticism
Hume’s Empiricism: A Science of Human Nature
David Hume, a Scottish author born in the eighteenth century, sought to build a science of human nature akin to Newton’s science of the natural world. He is a central figure in the school of empiricism, which posits that all knowledge originates from experience. Hume rejects the existence of innate ideas, arguing that the mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa) at birth. As an empiricist, he asserts that all mental content derives from sensory experience.
Impressions
Read MoreUnderstanding Cartesian Rationalism and the Search for Truth
The Search for Truth in Learning
The search for truth, which has always been the goal of learning, whether in science or philosophy, requires a criterion of certainty.
The Shift in Criteria
In the twelfth century, authority is no longer accepted as the criterion, and subjectivity becomes the only acceptable alternative. Descartes intends to “build on land that is entirely mine.” One must not doubt what is accepted as valid, and it must become part of a set of knowledge that constitutes the understanding
Read MoreAristotle’s Philosophy: Reality, Ethics, and Society
Reality
Aristotle believed that only Physis (nature) exists, opposing Plato’s theory of Ideas. He posited that Physis is studied by both physics and metaphysics. Physics, according to Aristotle, is based on hylomorphism: beings are composed of matter and form, complementing each other for their existence. These beings change, seeking to perfect themselves. This change is the actualization of potential. The change is a shift from potentiality to actuality, guided by essence.
To explain the nature
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