Human Nature: Self, Society, and the Search for Meaning
Dimensions of the Person
- Interior: Subject of self-conscious activity.
- Sociability: In continuing relationship to other human beings.
- Openness to the World: Located in the world and in touch with it.
- Thirst for Transcendence: Search for a foundation in religion.
- Life Project: Future projects we want to do.
Socialization Process
- Socio-cultural Components: Society, language, customs, mentality, values.
- Sociopolitical Component: Education, political beliefs, ideological identity.
- Moral and Religious Components:
Hume’s Emotivism, Aquinas’ Five Ways, and Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
Hume’s Emotivism
Hume’s ethics, often called emotivism, stems from emotion. Hume argues that reason is not the primary factor in ethical decision-making. Instead, he emphasizes the role of passions or feelings. He defines passion as a natural inclination towards certain feelings or thoughts that we find agreeable or disagreeable. When we encounter an action, our sense of approval or disapproval determines whether we perceive it as good or bad. Hume posits that there is a natural instinct to choose
Read MoreAugustine of Hippo: Faith, Reason, and the Two Cities
Augustine of Hippo
Relationship between Faith and Reason
The wise want to understand to believe. Augustine separates the domains of faith and reason, stating that faith should not interfere with science. However, he argues that reason and faith are complementary, converging on a single truth. In any discrepancy, faith precedes reason. The starting point of all knowledge is self-knowledge, revealing our capabilities and limitations. Faith guides reason and encourages us to overcome our limitations.
Read MoreKant’s Philosophy: Legal Freedom, Copernican Revolution, and Morality
Kant’s Core Philosophical Concepts
Legal Freedom: Kant defines it as “the right not to obey any foreign law but as far as I could give my consent.”
The State must ensure the exercise of freedom through law.
For the law to be sound and agreed upon, members of a state are not subjects but citizens. The law makes free citizens, who are subordinate only to the law and have previously given their consent, and makes them equal before the law.
Finally, the law grants citizens legal personality.
The Copernican
Read MoreUnderstanding Culture, Human Selection, and Adaptation
Culture and Its Impact
In a basic sense, culture encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and inventions of humanity. This includes:
- Tools, techniques, and technological advancements.
- Knowledge, beliefs, and creative expressions, such as language and art.
- Social customs, like greetings, dances, and systems of rewards and punishments.
While biological evolution allows living beings to adapt to their environment, cultural evolution enables humans to modify their environment to suit their needs.
This
Read MoreAristotle’s Philosophy: A Critique of Plato’s Doctrine
Historical Context of Aristotle’s Philosophy
The intellectual work of Aristotle developed in the 4th century BC. Greece had defeated Persia in the Greco-Persian Wars. However, Athens suffered a defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. This was a time of crisis for the Greek ideal of the polis. A new power emerged, governed by Philip, who conquered all of Greece. Philip, aware of Aristotle’s prestige, appointed him as tutor to his son, Alexander the Great. Alexander continued his father’s work,
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