Phenomenalism: Perceptions and the External World
Phenomenalism
Phenomenalism is a philosophical theory according to which knowledge is possible for something different from our own perceptions. Hume believed that this philosophical position is the only reasonable one, but that it contradicts natural or common sense beliefs.
Classical empiricism defended a thesis that inevitably leads to phenomenalism: When we perceive, what we really perceive is not something external to our mind but our own feelings. This point of view was reached in different
Read MoreKant’s Moral Philosophy: Categorical Imperative and Practical Reason
The Practical Reason: Moral Freedom and Autonomy
Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason demonstrates that scientific knowledge is impossible beyond the limits of experience. When reason exceeds those limits, it falls into contradictions. Nevertheless, the main concepts of metaphysics (God, soul, world), although exceeding the limits of sense experience, are an ideal of reason. Reason aspires to summarize knowledge.
Human reason is beset by issues that it cannot escape, as the author tells us, but that it
Read MoreAristotle’s Philosophy: From Experience to Universal Concepts
Aristotle
Stagira
Aristotle was a pupil of Plato in his Academy, so this influenced him enough in his conception of thought at first. However, Aristotle criticized very hard the extremely idealistic perception of his teacher, proposing a diametrically opposite perception.
Aristotle followed Plato in considering abstract knowledge more than anyone else, but he disagreed about the appropriate method to achieve it. Aristotle maintained that almost all knowledge is derived from experience. Knowledge is
Read MoreDavid Hume’s Philosophy: Understanding Human Nature and Knowledge
Hume: An Analysis of Human Knowledge
Foundations in Human Nature
David Hume’s analysis of the principles of human knowledge has its roots in human nature. His study focuses on the logic and psychology of human nature, ultimately the instrument of man’s knowledge. Hume proposes to study the human mind, for it begins with an analysis of the contents of the mind. It is only perception. Perception is everything in our mind. All contents of consciousness come from sensory experience. Hume denies the existence
Read MoreAquinas’ Philosophy: Reality, God, Knowledge, and Ethics
The Problem of Reality: Metaphysics
Aquinas accepted Aristotle’s conception of reality, but several of his theories claim that God is the creator of the universe and is therefore a necessary being, as opposed to beings that are created by him, which are contingent. Contingent beings are those who may or may not exist, while God is necessary, as there cannot be non-existence. In addition, in contingent beings, there is a distinction between their essence (their universal definition) and their existence
Read MoreKarl Marx: Key Influences on His Philosophy
Key Influences on Karl Marx’s Philosophy
Hegel’s Idealism and Dialectic
To discuss the factors that influenced Marx, we must first discuss the first major philosopher who appeared in Europe after Kant’s death. This philosopher was Hegel, born in 1770 in Stuttgart. He knew the philosophy of Rousseau and Kant, and being young, with peers such as Schelling and Hölderlin, who later became great writers, received with great joy the storming of the Bastille. He moved to the German city of Jena, where he
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