Key Philosophical Concepts: From Aristotle to Modern Thought
Abstraction
Abstraction: The process by which the right ideas are formed from things. An operation that separates or isolates the understanding of reality. In philosophy, it has an Aristotelian sense, according to which abstraction is the process of forming universal intellectual concepts (tree, man, etc.) from individual beings (trees, men, etc.).
Accident
Accident: Literally, what happens. What may or may not occur, inherent in a substance. All non-essential features of a substance. Aristotle defined
Read MoreDescartes’ Cogito: Understanding Innate, Adventitious, and Factitious Ideas
Thoughts and Ideas
Thoughts and ideas, as the cogito deduces, suggest that we always think. Because if you stop thinking, there would stop what we think. Ideas should be the object of our knowledge. There are thousands of different types of ideas. First, there are innate ideas, born with me and coming from the faculty of thinking itself (the lumen naturale rationis). These are known by intellectual intuition, are evident, and therefore true (like mathematical truths). Then there are ideas that seem
Read MoreVirtue and Vice: Understanding Human Nature
The word virtue comes from the Latin vir, meaning strength. In Greek, it is arete, which also signifies excellence. Arete is related to the god Ares, who is the personification of force.
In contrast, the Greek word for vice is kaki, meaning bad or evil. Another Greek word used is lathes, which means disease or passion. These words indicate that the possessor of virtue is strong, while the one with vice is weak and sick. They also suggest that acquiring virtue requires effort, whereas vice is acquired
Read MoreMoral Philosophy and Ethics: A Historical Perspective on Human Dignity
Moral Philosophy, Ethics, and the Evolution of Human Dignity
Moral Philosophy and Ethics: Normative Systems
Anthropology and the history of culture have developed a moral code, which typically includes a model of the human condition and its vicissitudes, a role model, and a model of society. Currently, it is the legitimate reason. Morality serves two universal human needs. Moral standards are useful and advantageous for survival. Custom, morality, and law:
- Customary standards: Going naked or dressed
Justice and Law: From Ancient Greece to Modern Rights
Justice in Classical Greece
In Classical Greece, the concept of justice was heavily debated. The Sophists argued that justice was merely a convention, an agreement reached by the people of a particular state regarding attitudes to be considered just and unjust. They opposed Socrates, who believed in the existence of a natural law or moral justice. For Plato, justice was synonymous with social harmony. He envisioned a just society as one in which each class performs its proper function: the wisest
Read MoreUnderstanding Henotheism and the Nature of God in Hinduism
Henotheism in Hinduism
Hinduism refers to a large number of beliefs and practices, sometimes very different from each other. There are thousands of deities, which we often categorize as an example of polytheism. However, it would be more accurately described as an example of henotheism because although Hindus worship many gods individually, each is considered a window to the One or the Whole. The ultimate reality for Hindus is Brahman, the vital principle of the cosmos whose attributes are the infinity
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