Rousseau’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 MoreAristotle’s Philosophy: Metaphysics, Physics, and Ethics
Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)
Born in Macedonia, Greece, into a family with a medical dynasty, Aristotle was educated at Plato’s Academy, where he later taught rhetoric. He was forced to leave Athens during the rise of the anti-Macedonian party and during the political persecution of Aristotle following the Macedonian reaction to the death of Alexander the Great (who was his student and the son of Philip). Later, he founded the Lyceum.
1. Contexts
1.1. Historical
Athens was suffering the consequences of
Read MoreRationalism vs. Empiricism: Locke, Berkeley, and Hume
Similarities and Differences Between Rationalism and Empiricism
Similarities
Both rationalism and empiricism coincide in the conception of representational knowledge. We immediately know not external reality, but our ideas.
Differences
The differences are revealing. Empiricism searches for external knowledge in experience. There are no innate ideas. Consciousness is empty and positive, and it advocates that our representations are the only sensitive element of which we know something of external reality.
Read MoreRené Descartes: Foundations of Rationalism and the Pursuit of Certainty
René Descartes: A Foundation for Modern Philosophy
René Descartes lived during a period marked by uncertainty and confusion. This stemmed from the crisis experienced by individuals of the seventeenth century. The old ways of knowing were no longer valid and were actively debated and questioned by the intellectuals of the time. Two main factors contributed to this sense of unease and confusion: the scientific revolution and the loss of religious unity.
The scientific revolution dismantled theories
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