Aristotle’s Philosophy: A New Approach to Reality and Nature
Aristotle vs. Platonism
Aristotle spent 17 years at Plato’s Academy, where he spent nearly 20 years learning the doctrines of Plato. These doctrines were purely theoretical and used mathematics as a model of knowledge. In fact, Plato’s theory of knowledge excludes experience. Plato distinguished between science and opinion, that is, between intellectual understanding and the sensitive, rejecting the value of experience for knowledge.
It is clear that Aristotle adopted many of Plato’s views, but he
Read MoreTheoretical and Practical Rationality: Understanding Knowledge
Theoretical and Practical Rationality
Reason can be understood as the power to argue about something or justify it. Generally, theoretical reason is directed towards the contemplation of this world; it is knowledge of reality (unravel, explain, and understand). Practical reason is the use of reason to guide action, by which it is imposed to guide us towards a moral ideal.
Philosophical knowledge, in its theoretical dimension, configures the call to theoretical philosophy, which aims at creatures whose
Read MoreAristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics: Happiness and Virtue
Nicomachean Ethics, a work written by Aristotle in the fourth century BC, is one of the first treatises on ethics and morals preserved in Western philosophy. It is certainly the most comprehensive of Aristotelian ethics. It consists of ten books that are based on notes from his keynote presentations in the Lyceum. The work includes an analysis of the relationship between character, intelligence, and happiness. Along with the Judeo-Christian biblical message, it is one of the fundamental pillars
Read MoreRousseau’s Philosophy: Reason, Faith, and the Human Condition
Country Cluster 1: Rousseau and the Practical Orientation of Philosophy: The Critique of the Enlightenment – Concepts of Reason and Progress
Rousseau’s philosophy is characterized by the practical turn he gave to philosophy. Unlike Descartes, Rousseau departs from theoretical rationalism, betting on a practical philosophy closer to life, morality, and politics.
Rousseau’s philosophy is fundamentally that of the Enlightenment and its blind faith in reason, inherited from Descartes. This blind faith
Read MoreKey Philosophers: Ockham, Machiavelli, and Descartes
Text of Ockham
Author: William of Ockham lived in the 13th-14th century and is the highest representative of the nominalist movement, which denies the extra-mental reality of universals. He was also associated with the Spiritual Franciscans, who claimed that Jesus and his apostles lived in poverty and that the Church should live similarly. He belongs to Christian thought, and the time of medieval philosophy ends with him, as he advocated for the separation of church and state (faith and reason).
Topic:
Read MoreMoral Action and Ethics: Understanding Values and Responsibility
Item 7: Moral and Ethical Considerations
1. Are Morality and Ethics the Same?
Moral norms, values, and customs govern the conduct of human beings, individually and collectively. There isn’t only one set of norms and values, a single moral code. Morality varies with the times and places. Ethics is the reflection on morality. When we talk about the diversity of moral codes, we do so from an ethical standpoint, turning morality into a subject of reflection. Ethics also operates in a practical sense,
Read More