Human Rights and Social Issues: Definitions and Context
Death Penalty
Attempt on the life of a convicted person by the state as punishment for an offense specified in the legislation.
Article 15 (above): In Spain, the death penalty is abolished, except as may be provided by military criminal law during wartime.
Abortion
An attempt on the life of the unborn; it is to kill the fetus in the mother’s body.
Article 15 (earlier): All persons have the right to life, and depending on the beliefs of each individual, that may or may not include fetuses.
Arbitrary Detention
Carried
Read MoreJean-Jacques Rousseau: Philosophy, Society, and Politics
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Historical and Sociocultural Framework
The 18th century saw the maintenance of old economic, political, and social structures, but these structures would suffer progressive damage, culminating in the American and French Revolutions. Resistance to servitude persisted in largely peasant Europe, but new agricultural and industrial techniques brought socioeconomic changes. Artisan workshops and guilds also persisted. This was the century of Enlightened Despotism, where absolute
Read MoreRational Soul, Faith, and Reason: Aquinas and Descartes
Rational Soul and the Limits of Knowledge
According to St. Thomas, the rational soul of man is limited because it must consider the senses of the body. It must start from the concrete particular to reach the abstract universal. These limits are evident when considering God; our knowledge is imperfect and analogical. Where reason fails, faith begins. Each has complementary truths and they do not have to conflict. The knowledge of faith, revealed by God in scripture, expands our knowledge gained by
Read MoreDescartes and Hume: Foundations of Modern Philosophy
Descartes’s Philosophy
René Descartes’s philosophy emerged during the scientific revolution of the sixteenth century, a period marked by conflicts between geocentric Aristotelian views and the heliocentric Copernican model. The Protestant Reformation also contributed to a climate of doubt, affecting both science and religion. In this context, Descartes sought a philosophy free from error, aiming for certainty. His method, inspired by the resolution-composition approach of the school of Padua, was
Read MoreHume’s Philosophy: Causality, Empiricism, and Skepticism
Hume’s Thought
Hume’s primary aim was to establish a science of man. He sought to understand human nature, analyze the principle of causality, and explore the foundations of human moral action.
Core of Empiricism
Hume posited that the mind receives sensitive impressions (sensory experiences) and impressions of reflection (recollections of those experiences). He rejected innate ideas, asserting that all knowledge stems from experience, specifically from sensory perceptions. Events are explained through
Read MoreNature, Essence, and Principles: A Philosophical Inquiry
The Concept of Physis
The word ‘physis’ originates from the Greek term φύσις, which translates to ‘natura’ in Latin and ‘naturaleza’ in Spanish. It refers to nature as we understand it, the reality of things.
a) Physis signifies the manifest existence of things, appearing in their multiplicity and specificity, constantly changing. It contrasts with fiction.
b) It also denotes the specific mode of being or the essence of something. The essence is expressed through a definition, answering the question
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