Understanding Obedience: Miller, Huemer, and Political Authority
Understanding Obedience: Miller and Huemer’s Perspectives
While Miller focuses on why the state is necessary for society to function well, Huemer is more interested in understanding why people actually obey political authority in the first place. He argues that our obedience often comes from psychological and social habits rather than clear, rational thinking. Through things like national symbols, voting rituals, and public ceremonies, people are raised to see the state as something natural and trustworthy.
Read MoreDavid Hume: Empiricism, Knowledge, and Causality
Hume’s Theory of Perceptions: Impressions and Ideas
David Hume categorizes perceptions (any mental content) into two types. Firstly, impressions are the direct feelings or sensations that occur because of a phenomenon; they come from our external senses. Secondly, we find ideas, which are internal representations within our mind, essentially thoughts. The primary difference between them lies in their degree of force and vivacity; impressions are stronger and more vivid than ideas.
According to Hume,
Read MoreHume’s Empiricist Philosophy: Knowledge and Morality
Hume’s Philosophy: Pragmatism and Morality
Hume’s philosophy represents a double inversion concerning traditional views: To verify theory, we need practice (accepting beliefs vital for human life), which foreshadowed twentieth-century pragmatism. By basing knowledge solely on impressions, he completely denies religion as a foundation for morality, anticipating one of the main themes of Enlightenment thinking.
Compare:
- Objectivism: Socrates, Plato
- Relativism: Sophists (e.g., Protagoras)
In principle,
Read MoreUnderstanding Social Facts: Definition and Examples
What are Social Facts?
The term “social facts” is often used to describe almost all phenomena within society, even those with limited collective interest. However, if all facts were social, sociology would lose its distinct focus and overlap with biology and psychology.
Social facts are defined as ways to act, to think, and to feel that exist outside of individual consciences. These behaviors and thoughts are not only external to the individual but also possess an imperative and coercive power, imposing
Read MoreNietzsche: Biography, Works, and Vitalism
Nietzsche: Biography and Works
Initially a supporter of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche radically changed his views on this 19th-century author throughout his life. Born in Röcken, Germany, in 1844, he died in 1900. He was raised in a religious environment, as his father and grandfather were Protestant pastors. He received a humanistic and musical education. He first attended university in Bonn and then Leipzig, where he studied theology and classical philology. His training was so brilliant that he became
Read MoreThe Hominization Process: Evolution to Modern Humans
The Hominization Process
Hominization is the evolutionary process that led from animal species to the first humans, defined by their ability to guide their activity through language. The human being is the result of heredity, evolution, necessity, and chance. The stability that inheritance parameters provided in various species became less meaningful when studying fossils. Scientists introduced a new factor to explain the world: chance.
The species present in our world must be based on inheritance
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