Plato’s Philosophy: Soul, Ideas, and the Cosmos
Plato’s Theory of Forms and the Soul
Sensitive things: Nature received senses, which are and are not changed. Not the true self becomes the senses.
Ideas: Immaterial realities, eternal and immutable, are the true self. They are archetypes or models, are universal, separate, and transcendent from the sensible world. They are actually available. The forms are the essence of material things.
The Soul
- The soul is what makes us live and what lets us know. It is ‘inspiration’ both to get air to live and what
Understanding Human Rights: Principles and Protections
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights serves as a model of ethical conduct because it establishes clear values, outlines rules that must be fulfilled, emphasizes the importance of respecting rights, and advocates for the protection of freedoms.
Generations of Human Rights
- First Generation Rights: Focus on freedom.
- Right to life.
- Rights to freedom of conscience, thought, opinion, and movement.
- Second Generation Rights: Defend equality.
- Right to work.
- Right to healthcare.
- Right to culture and education.
Understanding Truth: Theories and Criteria
Is Knowledge Possible?
The most radical problem presented is whether knowledge is possible.
- Dogmatism: Dogmatists are confident in their ability to describe what we think naively and believe they have reason.
- Skepticism: Skeptics consider it impossible to obtain reliable knowledge.
- Empiricist Subjectivism and Realism: Both deny the possibility of universal knowledge. Subjectivism depends on the individual, and realism depends on culture, age, or social group.
- Pragmatism: Pragmatists identify the true
Saint Thomas Aquinas: Philosophy and Key Concepts
Saint Thomas Aquinas: A Philosophical Journey
Knowledge
Knowledge aims to discover what is true, necessary, and universal. However, we only have the ability to discover content through our senses and reason. The origin of knowledge lies in the senses, while truth is found in reason. To know is to separate the universal things through the process of abstraction. The steps of knowledge are: senses, imagination, intellect, and understanding, as patient as possible. Our faculty of knowledge comes into
Read MoreUnderstanding Human Rights: Democracy, Ethics, and Social Movements
There Is No Democracy Without Freedom
Rights of the Person
- Freedom of opinion and ideas
- Collective freedoms of assembly, association, advocacy of political ideas, and religion
- Freedom of education
- Freedom of enterprise
Rights of Persons
The right to life, integrity, and security is the foundation of all other rights. Specific duties:
- Legal rights
- Civil rights
- Economic and labor rights
- Cultural rights
- Right to health and to have an adequate environment
- Right to protection of children, the elderly, etc.
All rights
Read MoreEconomic Liberalism: From Feudalism to Free Markets
Economic Liberalism
From Feudal Constraints to the Rise of Free Markets
In the economic core of liberal theory, as in the moral and political sphere, liberalism broke with earlier views. A significant change of perspective occurred here. The feudal order imposed limits on economic organization, and the Christian worldview had considerable influence on economic motivations. The medieval producer was subjected to a series of ethical constraints that influenced their ability to carry out their activities.
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