Natural Rights vs. Positive Law: Three Legal Perspectives
Legal Iusnaturalism
Iusnaturalism, as we saw, defends the existence of natural rights of the individual that are universal and inalienable. Therefore, for iusnaturalist thinkers, the main function of the State is to protect and ensure that individuals can enjoy these natural rights. From that perspective, the positive recognition of these fundamental natural rights in the laws is interpreted as a formal recognition by the State of a series of previous ethical principles, which are inalienable and
Pre-Socratic Philosophers: From Sophists to Atomists
The Sophists
The Sophists instigated a philosophical revolution, shifting the focus of reflection from Physis (nature) to man. With them begins the humanist period of ancient philosophy, which displays these features:
- The problem of political virtue acquired primary importance.
- The Sophists demonstrated a great spirit of freedom regarding tradition, norms, and codified behaviors.
- They became educators and teachers of society, receiving compensation for it (teaching oratory, dialectic, etc.).
- The aristocracy
Immanuel Kant’s Philosophy of Reason
Kant’s Synthesis of Rationalism and Empiricism
Introduction
Immanuel Kant’s philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting views of rationalism and empiricism. Rationalism, with its emphasis on innate ideas and reason, claimed self-sufficiency in interpreting reality. Empiricism, conversely, prioritized experience as the source of all knowledge. Kant’s work offered a critique of reason itself, aiming to establish its ultimate principles and goals. His philosophy addressed fundamental questions: What
Read MoreKant’s Critique of Pure Reason: A Study of Scientific Knowledge
1. Analysis of Scientific Knowledge: Transcendental Terms of Scientific Knowledge
In the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant is concerned with identifying the problem of knowledge and analysis of the possibility of metaphysics as a science, with the same rigor and accuracy that at that time had reached mathematics and physics. Kant meant by metaphysical discipline philosophical traditions inherited from above (as the medieval scholastic school or rationalist) that was seen as the foundation and basis not
Read MoreVirtue, Happiness, and Faith in Platonic Philosophy
Virtue and Happiness in Plato
The true good of mankind, happiness, must be attained through the practice of virtue. But what is virtue? Plato fundamentally agrees with the Socratic identification of virtue and knowledge. The lack of virtue is not a perversion of human nature. By its very nature, man seeks the good for themselves. But if you know the good, you can take as good, wrong, anything and, therefore, act inappropriately. Lack of virtue is equivalent, then, to ignorance. Only those who know
Read MoreImmanuel Kant: Life, Philosophy, and Enlightenment Influence
Immanuel Kant: Life and Works
Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Kant was the fourth of nine children. In 1770, he obtained the professorship of logic and metaphysics at the University of Königsberg. He died on February 12, 1804. Kant’s work is generally divided into three periods. The first period is dominated by works devoted to the scientific study of nature. The second, called the pre-critical period, culminates in 1781 with the publication
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