Descartes’ Method: Philosophy in 17th-Century Europe
Descartes’ Method: A Response to the Crisis of 17th-Century Europe
Historical and Philosophical Context
With the Discourse on Method, published in 1637, René Descartes sought a reliable path to truth in science. This work emerged during a period of profound crisis, as the structures of medieval Europe crumbled, paving the way for the construction of modern Europe. It was a turbulent transition between old medieval patterns and the birth of a new era. Descartes’ philosophy is key to understanding
Read MoreThomas Aquinas: Philosophy, Theology, and Political Thought
Thomas Aquinas: Proof of God’s Existence
To prove the existence of God, Thomas Aquinas proposed several demonstrations, which he called “tracks.” Some of these are:
- The Argument from Motion: Things are in motion, and everything that moves requires a mover to initiate it. This first unmoved mover is God.
- The Argument from Efficient Cause: All existing beings have an efficient cause that created them. This uncaused cause is God.
- The Argument from Necessity: Since everything around us exists and then ceases
Welfare State Models: Mediterranean, Arguments For and Against
Mediterranean Model: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain
Pensions and Social Assistance Costs
This model applies to countries that developed a welfare state later (1970s and 1980s). This social model is the least expensive and is strongly based on very low pension and social assistance costs. These countries exhibit greater segmentation of the rights and status of people receiving benefits, reflected in very conditional access to benefits.
Strong Employment Protection
The main feature of the labor market
Read MoreMoral Philosophy, Ethics, and Political Philosophy
Read MoreItem 4.1.1: Morals and Ethics
Punto etymologically: There is no difference between morality and ethics. Moral comes from the Latin mos moris. Etica comes from the Greek ethos. Both refer to the character (so that a person acquires throughout their life, actions, habits, and customs through which the human being develops an original way to be). However, for moral philosophy, ethics are totally different.
We call moral a concrete human behavior, a set of values and norms present in individuals who
Plato’s Philosophy: Idealism and the Pursuit of True Knowledge
Plato’s Myth of the Cave
In Plato’s myth of the cave, shadows are cast by reality, but it seems the image is only what is. He failed to tackle real life, thought-life. Life pursuing shadows looks absolutely beautiful, but is beyond the world (lost time). Education is needed to shape a character and face reality, eliminating demands, as impurities are in the life of man but not his.
Levels of Reality and Knowledge
Levels of the real correspond to levels of knowledge:
- Opinion: Guided by sensitivity and
Kantian Ethics vs. Utilitarianism: Justice and Happiness
Kantian Formalism
Kantian formalism, as opposed to Aristotelian thought, posits that moral action is an end in itself, not a means to an end. It is a deontological rather than teleological approach, meaning an action is considered good based on its adherence to duty, not its consequences. Kant explores these concepts in his works, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and Critique of Practical Reason. Kant’s aim was to identify the essence of morality, that which makes an action moral.