Aristotle’s Philosophy: Knowledge, Politics, and Ethics
VII. Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology)
Among Greek philosophers, since the Presocratics, senses and experience were undervalued as sources of knowledge. According to Parmenides, the senses provide misleading knowledge (opinion), and only reason allows us to know the truth reliably. Plato thought true knowledge resided solely in Ideas, for which the senses were a constant distraction. However, Aristotle takes the opposite view, restoring empirical value. His theory of knowledge supports an empiricist
Read MoreHume: Imagination, Representation, and Metaphysics
Hume: Imagination and Representation
For Locke, representations in our minds are caused by material objects. Hume disagrees, arguing that we only know representations, not the external world. The principle of causality applies only between representations; we cannot use it to connect representations with something beyond empirical experience.
Hume’s Criticism of Substance
Empiricists view matter as obscure. Hume argues that substance, the concept of an object’s identity and persistence, is beyond
Freedom in Action: A Philosophical Inquiry
Freedom in Action
The Meaning of Action in the World
Freedom in Action begins with the premise that man lives in the world. This “world” isn’t merely a system of cause and effect, but an “arena full of meaning” where we act. Inhabiting the world means acting, not just responding to stimuli, but also inventing and creating without predetermined instincts.
Humans belong to an “open” and constantly “creating” species, as Pico della Mirandola posited during the Renaissance. The central question becomes:
Read MoreDescartes’ Key Concepts: A Guide to His Philosophy
Terms for Understanding Descartes’ Text
Opinion
Contrary to Platonic ideals, opinion represents uncertain knowledge based on questionable premises. Descartes views opinions as trials lacking proof, relying solely on probable reasons. Methodical doubt challenges pre-existing opinions, aiming to replace them with more valid understandings.
Reason
Reason, synonymous with “good sense” (bona mens), is the innate human faculty enabling sound judgment and discernment between truth and error. It forms the
Read MoreSt. Augustine’s Philosophy and Influence on Christian Thought
St. Augustine’s Life and Works
Early Life and Conversion
Born in Tagaste in 354, St. Augustine’s early life was marked by a quest for truth. At 19, Cicero’s Hortensius ignited his love of philosophy, leading him to explore Manichaeism. He opened rhetoric schools in Carthage and Rome, where he encountered the influential Bishop Ambrose. Neoplatonism played a crucial role in freeing him from Manichaean materialism, paving the way for his conversion to Christianity. Baptized by St. Ambrose, Augustine
Read MoreJurisdiction and Law in the Ancien Régime
ITEM 7. THE JUDICIAL FUNCTION OF POLITICAL POWER
7.1. CORPORATE SOCIETY
For the culture developed by jurists and theologians, order is an original fact. It is assumed that there is an order of natural and social things, and the cosmos responds to a divine plan. The idea that the world is naturally ordered is also expressed in Greek philosophy. For Aristotle, everything that exists is a kind of inscription that marks the place it deserves in the world order. That’s what Thomas Aquinas calls love (affection
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