13th Century Philosophy and Aquinas
Historical and Sociocultural Context
13th Century Europe
The 13th century witnessed the peak of medieval Europe’s flourishing, with France as its political and cultural center. A stable, trade-driven prosperity fueled economic growth, supported by a strong currency, increased circulation of precious metals, and the consolidation of craft guilds. This led to the enrichment of many peasants and members of the bourgeoisie, while the nobility experienced a decline in wealth. Politically, the foundations
Read MoreHume’s Empiricism: Knowledge, Causality, and Ethics
Connection to Hume’s Empiricism
Core Tenet: All knowledge derives from experience.
- Knowledge originates in experience.
- Knowledge is confirmed through experience.
- Propositions lacking experiential confirmation are meaningless.
- There are no innate ideas.
Influenced by Newton, Hume grounded his philosophy on observation and experience. He believed all knowledge stems from perceptions, the contents of the mind. These perceptions are categorized into:
Impressions and Ideas
Impressions are vivid and more intense
Read MorePre-Socratic Philosophers: Heraclitus & Parmenides
Heraclitus (c. 6th-5th Century BC)
The Doctrine of Heraclitus
, who first addressed the very problem of the investigation and the man who undertakes. Heraclitus of Ephesus belonged to a noble family from his city, was a contemporary of Parmenides and, like him, flourished towards the 504-01 BC is the author of a prose work that was later known to the customary title About nature consists of aphorisms and short sentences and blunt, not always clear, which earned him the nickname dark. The starting
Read MoreEvolution of Scientific Thought & Concepts of Truth
Paradigm Shifts in Scientific Thought
Copernicus
Transitioned from a geocentric to a heliocentric model of the universe, proposing that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Maintained the principle of circular and uniform motion of celestial bodies.
Kepler
Challenged the Aristotelian view of unchanging celestial spheres. Abandoned the principle of circularity, paving the way for a more dynamic understanding of planetary motion.
Einstein’s Relativistic Quantum Physics
- Established the speed of light as a
Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason: Bridging Science and Philosophy
Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
The Bridge Between Science and Philosophy
Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason stands as a pivotal work connecting science and philosophy. Writing during the 18th-century Enlightenment, Kant was heavily influenced by the scientific advancements of figures like Newton, Galileo, and Copernicus. This era, marked by a burgeoning understanding of physics, set the stage for Kant’s exploration of metaphysics.
The Problem of Metaphysics
Kant grappled with the problem of metaphysics—the
Introduction to Ethics and Morality
1. The Problem of Freedom
Freedom is the right of every person to choose. However, are people born with total freedom? The answer is no. A person born in Africa does not have the same opportunities as a person born in Europe. A child whose parents are poor does not have the same opportunities as a child whose parents are rich. Furthermore, from birth, we are guided by laws we cannot break. Therefore, we do not have total freedom.
1.1 Determinism
Determinism argues that humans are not free, but determined
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