Hume’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
Read MoreEthics and Morality: Understanding Moral Action
Unit 4: Practical Rationality: Ethics and Political Philosophy
Ethics
Morality and Ethics
Both terms refer to the character or mode of being that a person acquires throughout their life, through acts, habits, and customs, through which the individual develops their way of being. Moral and ethics are terms with different meanings in philosophy.
Moral refers to a way of behaving, regulated by norms and values present in the relations between individuals and society.
Morality is present at all times and
Read MoreOrtega y Gasset: Life, Reason, and Reality
Ortega: Life and Reason United
Ortega y Gasset’s central idea: Try life and reason together. He positions Realism (emphasizing nature) as subordinate to life, which in turn is subordinate to Idealism (emphasizing thought).
Philosophy vs. Science
Ortega observed that physics often dominates philosophy due to its perceived accuracy, foundation in empirical facts, and practical relevance. However, he defended philosophy, highlighting key differences:
- Philosophy must justify the existence of its own object,