Descartes’ Philosophy: Substance, Attributes, and the Path to Truth
Descartes’ Core Concepts
Attribute: The essence of each substance (e.g., the attribute of bodies is extension). Idea: Thought. Reason: The power to distinguish the true from the false. Mode: Ways to express a substance (e.g., listed as a way of a body). Nature: (1) Essence. (2) Joint natural beings. Opinion: Knowledge not recognized as formally true. Reality: The reality of things in themselves. Objective Reality: The reality of things as they are represented. Substance: Everything that exists in
Read MoreSaint Augustine and Aristotle: Philosophy of Social Order
Saint Augustine: Religion as the Foundation of Social Order
Author
Saint Augustine was a medieval philosopher who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries AD. Born in Tagaste (North Africa), he was one of the early Church Fathers.
Topic
Religion as a foundation of social order.
Main Ideas
- Human justice is based on divine law.
- In ethics, the soul must also obey God’s commandments.
- Without justice, there is no common interest, i.e., a people, and without it, there is no divine policy (society).
Relationship
Read MorePhilosophical Methods: From Socrates to Modernity
The Maieutic Method
This method involves a dialogue directed wisely, according to the rules of correct knowledge. Created by Socrates but put into practice by his disciple, Plato. Maieutics is related to birth. It argues that truth lies in our reason and that essential questions prompt analysis. Responses must arrive at a definitive answer. Truth is achieved through dialogue based on reasoned arguments.
The Physical Method
Aristotle opposes the maieutic method. He believed one must search for reason
Read MorePhilosophical and Scientific Views on Mind, Body, and Death
Philosophical and Scientific Views on Mind, Body, and Death
Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory
Darwin not only extended the theory of evolution to all living creatures but also substantially changed the way of thinking from one form into two principles: “of each species, more individuals are born than can survive,” and “among them, there is a struggle.” Any modification that occurs in the naturally-selected individual will take the concept of the survival fight from the demographer and economist Malthus,
Read MoreSocrates and Plato: Understanding Virtue and the Good
Why is the Common Good Superior to the Individual One According to Socrates?
For Socrates, the authentic Good encompasses all citizens. It is not centered around evil and personal interest. Therefore, individual good may sometimes clash with the collective good and should be sacrificed for the common good.
Why is Self-Knowledge So Important for Socrates?
The highest good for Socrates was knowing oneself. Through self-knowledge, we can situate ourselves in the civil sphere and determine our commitment
Read MorePlato’s Republic: A Reflection of Ancient Athens’ Crisis
The time in which Plato lived conditioned and justified his philosophy, especially his socio-political thought, namely his masterpiece and examination center, Republic or About Justice. Although not strictly the time in which he lived, Plato was the direct heir of the political, philosophical, and social problems that led to the emergence of democracy in classical Athens at the hands of Pericles after the victory in the Wars and the subsequent Medical anthropological turn that saw the new horizon
Read More