Empiricism: Knowledge Through Experience and Ideas
Empiricism: The Foundation of Knowledge
Empiricism, a philosophical stance, emphasizes that knowledge originates from sensory experience. It critiques doctrines that oppose this view, focusing on the validity of knowledge derived from our senses. If an idea stems from sense experience, it gains credibility, as experience forms the basis of all knowledge. Empiricists reject deductive reasoning and favor inductive methods based on the combination and association of ideas to form general statements.
Read MoreDescartes’ Proof of Material Things and Rules of Method
Existence of Material Things
Once it has been shown that the thinking subject (*res cogitans*) and God (now infinite) exist, we can show the existence of the world (*res extensa*). To prove its existence, Descartes appeals to the existence of God. This reasoning is as follows: Since God has given me a powerful inclination to believe that the ideas I have come from material things, and God would not be God if He were to deceive me, it is therefore clear that there are things that cause within me the
Read MoreSocial State of Law: Impact on Equality and Rights
The social state binds the person to the State and makes them dependent on it. It is a state that provides aid, distributes resources, awards grants, and gives subsidies. The Rule of Law, where the law prevails, is not consistent with a constant content. The same constitutional rights can specify fundamental social rights. This changes the relationship between the legislative and executive branches and the separation of powers. The Rule of Law is a rule of law, and the welfare state is a state administration.
Read MoreDescartes’ Three Substances: God, Thought, and Extension
It is important to mention that applying the first principle of the method has resulted in the first truth. From this, Descartes wants to infer the existence of extra-mental reality, of material things. He does this through his theory of ideas, which are objects of thought, intermediaries between thinking and thought. Descartes discusses the nature of ideas and realizes that some have more reality than others. He distinguishes between adventitious ideas, fictitious ideas, and innate ideas. These
Read MoreEthics and Morality: Understanding Human Behavior
Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Moral Capacity
Moral capacity is the ability to intelligently assess different alternatives and choose the one that feels right for oneself and others. This involves conscience, which is the ability to discern between right and wrong.
Moral or ethical philosophy defines how the world should be, not as it is. From this, we can strive for a good life.
- The word morality comes from the Greek mores, meaning customs.
- The word ethics comes from common sense, ethos.
Sociology and anthropology
Read MoreMoral Action, Character, and Freedom: A Deep Dive
Moral Action
No Legal Person
People inevitably act. We imagine different possibilities among which we are forced to choose, and we justify our choice if we want to behave as rational beings. Imagining possibilities, having to choose between them, and justifying the choice are three aspects of the moral structure of persons. This means that there is no such thing as an amoral being. One acts amorally when acting automatically, therefore, one is not master of their actions nor responsible for them,
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