Individual Liberty and Societal Limits: John Stuart Mill’s Principles
Individual Liberty and Societal Limits
1. Source of Non-Contractual Society: The individual benefits from the protection society provides.
2. Individual Obligations: To maintain this protection, the individual must:
- 2.1. Not damage the interests or rights of others.
- 2.2. Cooperate in the defense of society.
3. Limits of Societal Punishment: Society cannot punish harmful acts committed by mature and discerning individuals against themselves or others if these acts do not violate the rights of others,
Read MoreAquinas’ Philosophy: God, Creation, Anthropology, and Ethics
Essence of God
Essence of God. St. Thomas seeks to determine what God is, that is, explain His essence, attributing all the perfections found in creatures with their effects (using the principle of causality) rising to infinity. He also denies that God possesses defects found in creatures. The primary property of God (which makes God to be God) from which all others derive is that God is the only being in whom essence and existence are identified. With this feature, we get the following attributes
Read MoreSociology: Understanding the Individual and Society
Sociology: Individual and Society
Human beings are social beings and need to live in society to develop their intelligence. For that reason, the study of society has been an important topic in philosophy. In recent centuries, it has become independent, constituted as a special science—sociology—mainly from the work of A. Comte and later by M. Weber and Émile Durkheim.
We must harness the skills to analyze sociological concepts, methods, and criteria for philosophical truth.
- For biological determinists,
Socrates’ Defense: Wisdom and the Oracle of Delphi
Part A
Then, some questions that you, oh Socrates, have in mind: Where are these slanders and your reputation now? Tell and teach us.
Well, we do not want to calumniate. Then I want to teach and say that these men slandered me, and from which arose the slander and reputation. Now listen, and know that you do not want to play with me. Then maybe I look to play, however, well they know nothing other than the truth I want to say.
Well, I happen to, men of Athens, for some wisdom, I have this reputation.
Read MoreUnderstanding Morality, Freedom, and Character
Morality is not a science but a dimension of individuals and society. It’s an area where character is forged, from which to devise and plan their own lives. To be moral is to be prepared to respond to the needs of people and the challenges that lie ahead. According to Ortega y Gasset, a good person has high morale and is not demoralized, although a person can be animated but immoral and not make the cut.
Freedom and choice are not exact. Imagine any decision before a world of possibilities (imagination)
Read MoreRousseau: Enlightenment, Social Contract, and General Will
Rousseau and the Enlightenment
The context of Rousseau is the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment spans the eighteenth century, highlighting key dates and events: 1688, with the Glorious Revolution in England, which involved the establishment of an innovative policy framework; and 1789, with the French Revolution, which was the culmination of ideals called ilustrados. This era is characterized by the awareness that a new epoch begins, the reason that illuminates man. It is an era of optimism and the
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