Leviathan: Hobbes’s Theory of Man and the Social Contract
Hobbes’s Leviathan: A Philosophical Inquiry
Theory of Man
Hobbes’s philosophy centers on the individual and the principles governing human behavior. He believed that human life is driven by a constant pursuit of desires and an aversion to unpleasant stimuli. Happiness, according to Hobbes, is the continuous satisfaction of these desires. The most powerful desire is self-preservation, fueled by the fear of death, a universal human experience. Power, in this context, becomes a means to quell the
Read MoreParts of Speech in Spanish Grammar: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives & More
Parts of Speech in Spanish Grammar
Nouns
Nouns are words used to designate all people or entities: people, animals, and things, whether concrete, abstract, or imaginary.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify nouns to identify or characterize them; they express characteristics or properties of the noun.
Types of Adjectives:
- Qualitative Adjectives: These adjectives add a qualitative attribute (e.g., good, nice, big, old, new, boring).
- Determinative Adjectives: These adjectives restrict or specify the
Argumentative and Expository Texts
Argumentative Texts
Arguments
Thesis: Author’s Opinion
Arguments:
- Data: We provide figures or factual information.
- Facts: Events that are cited as evidence. Maintain a cause or effect with the statement that they hold.
- Examples: These are individual cases and some evidence presented as to conform or deny it.
- Arguments of Authority: Appointments are direct or indirect, of statements of persons or institutions of excellence.
Structures
- Analysis: The thesis is made at the beginning followed by the arguments.
Inquiry into Reality and Cartesian Doubt
Reality as Inquiry
The phenomena of nature, such as lightning, eclipses, and fire, have been a great source of questions for human beings. Throughout history, humankind has proposed numerous answers and explanations for these phenomena, which can be categorized into three classes: mythical explanations, scientific explanations, and philosophical reasoning.
The Mythic Story
A myth is a narrative featuring extraordinary beings that explains the creation of some element of nature or of nature as a whole.
Read MoreKant’s Transcendental Idealism and Practical Reason
Kant’s Transcendental Idealism
Metaphysics as a Problem
Kant aimed to establish a critical philosophy, with reason as its focus. This critique, driven by practical rather than theoretical interest, sought to promote human freedom and progress. Philosophy, according to Kant, must address four fundamental questions: What can I know? What ought I do? What may I hope? What is man?
Metaphysics, unlike science, struggles with progress. It grapples with problems inherent to human nature. To become scientific,
Read MoreLife, Reality, and the Self: A Perspective on Ortega’s Philosophy
Read MoreCategories of Life
1. To Live Is to Know and Understand
To live is to know and understand. “All life is lived, to feel alive, known to exist.” Life is found, a self-learning. Physical objects do not feel or know of their being, not for themselves, but we do. Although, of course, we must not identify this characteristic known to live with the knowledge that we find in science, the intellectual knowledge. The “knowledge” characteristic of life is related to a presence, an immediate awareness of what