Defining Truth: Facts, Propositions, and Philosophical Criteria
Truth and Reality
The nature of truth, its relationship with reality, its types, and how to identify it have been fundamental problems in theoretical reasoning and, therefore, in philosophy. We consider facts and items to be true or authentic. However, we also believe our statements or propositions can be true.
Truth of Facts: Reality vs. Appearance
The distinction between reality and appearance has been a subject of controversy throughout the history of philosophy. However, a prevailing conception
Read MoreImmanuel Kant: Philosophy, Critiques, and Influence
Immanuel Kant: Life and Key Writings
Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1724 and died in the same city in 1804. He studied theology and science and devoted himself to teaching. A lifelong scholar, he lived for books, writing on topics ranging from cosmology to treatises on customs, yet he famously never left his hometown.
His most important works include:
- Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
- Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785)
- Critique of Practical Reason
Understanding Ethics: Key Theories and Modern Challenges
What is Ethics?
Ethics is a branch of philosophy reflecting on what is considered morally good and trying to develop a rationally universal morality valid for all cultures.
Major Ethical Theories
Ethical theories represent different ways of thinking about the best way to live and behave. They are often grouped into categories:
Material Ethics Explained
Material ethics affirm a supreme good or ultimate goal that guides our moral behavior and establishes a set of rules or moral standards to achieve it.
Read MoreEngineering Ethics: Theories, Evolution & Professional Codes
Engineering Ethics: Evolution and Theories
Evolution of Ethics
- Early Ethics: Rooted in religion and divine commands (e.g., Ten Commandments).
- Philosophical Ethics: Shift to reason and rationality in ancient Greek philosophy (e.g., Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Plato’s theory of the ideal state).
- Modern Ethics: Emergence of autonomous ethics in the Enlightenment (e.g., Kant’s deontological ethics).
- Postmodern Ethics: Ethics become relativized, where moral values depend on culture, context, and individual
Marx’s Dialectical Materialism: Reality and Alienation
Marx’s Dual Philosophical Aims
Marx aimed to transform philosophy into a science capable of explaining all reality. Simultaneously, he intended his theory to critique the historical reality of his time and thereby help transform it. For this reason, Marx’s philosophy had two dimensions:
- Theoretical: A scientific explanation of reality, seeking to understand human reality, society, and history to develop a theory of consciousness that illuminates ideological and alienated existence.
- Practical: Aimed
Pre-Socratic Concepts of Reality: The Arche
The Arche in Pre-Socratic Philosophy
The arche represents the basic reality, the fundamental principle or substance from which everything originates and is composed. It is the beginning foundation, the element or substance underlying all things.
Milesian School: Material Monism
- Thales of Miletus: Considered the first philosopher, Thales believed the arche is water, observing its necessity for all living organisms. He also held that everything possesses a soul (hylozoism), implying universal life.
- Anaximander: