John Stuart Mill on Liberty: Thought, Individuality, and Society
John Stuart Mill’s Concept of Social and Civil Freedom
The study is not of free will but of social and civil freedom, namely, the nature and limits of power that society can legitimately exercise over the individual. Mill denounces the dangers of a democratic society: public opinion and the tyranny of the majority. Social relations should be governed by a simple principle that justifies the intervention of society in their own freedom of protection and prevents harm to others. Each person is sovereign
Read MorePre-Socratic Philosophers: Shaping Western Thought
Thales of Miletus
Thales of Miletus is not known through preserved fragments of his original writings. His profile suggests he was a great observer of nature, and he is held to have given ideas to his fellow citizens that served to interpret natural phenomena. His activities can be described as scientific rather than philosophical. He made a series of statements that were regarded as philosophical. According to his theory, water is the principle of everything. He stated that water is the source of
Read MoreImmanuel Kant’s Philosophy and the Age of Enlightenment
Immanuel Kant’s Life and the Dawn of Enlightenment
**Immanuel Kant** was born in 1724 in Prussia. He died in 1804. Coming from a modest family of pietistic confession, Kant began teaching in 1775. He had a strong conception of duty and a pedagogical sense that led him not to teach thoughts but to teach *how* to think. After years of teaching, he showed interest in the search for a new foundation for metaphysics, based on experience. This reading gave direction to a change in his investigations. In
Read MoreLaw as a Social Construct: Insights into Legal Theory
Unit 7: Law as a Social Fact
A) Law and Social Behavior Motivation
Motivational techniques include social morality and religion. However, law, unlike them, is an indirect motivational technique. It outlines sanctions rather than a list of duties.
Instead of directly promoting desired conduct, it discourages contrary conduct by imposing penalties. The specific aspect of this method is to sanction a coercive act contrary to the desired behavior. The author of the legal rule intends for individuals, whose
Read MoreThomas Aquinas: Philosophy, Theology, and Scholasticism
Thomas Aquinas: Philosopher and Theologian
Life and Education
Thomas Aquinas was a philosopher and theologian in the scholastic tradition, known as the “Angelic Doctor” and the “Universal Doctor.” He is considered one of the most important figures in Christian theology and is likely the most representative figure of medieval scholasticism. Born in 1225 at the Chateau of Roccasecca in Naples, he was the fourth son of the Counts of Aquino. Destined for the Church, he entered the Montecassino Abbey at
Read MoreAquinas’ Philosophy: Reason, Faith, and the Existence of God
The Philosophical System of Saint Thomas Aquinas
The philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas was heavily influenced by Aristotle. He concluded that the proper object of our knowledge capabilities are sensible objects.
To reach the knowledge of God, one must begin with sensitive objects. From this knowledge, Aquinas derived ethical and political proposals.
Saint Thomas had to achieve three objectives:
- Establish a clear distinction between philosophy and theology. Only then may it be noted that mutual aid