Understanding Cultural Diversity and Human Evolution
Fixity, Creationism, and Naturalism
Fixity: A position taken by some theories that species are immutable.
Creationism: A doctrine that species are immutable because they have been created by a superior being.
Naturalism: The belief that nature, through natural processes, would have produced the various species.
Culture and Society
Enculturation: The social process through which culture is learned and transmitted from generation to generation.
Culture: The set of knowledge, skills, tools, ideas, beliefs,
Read MoreNietzsche’s Superman: Political Theory, Ethics, and Freedom
The Nietzschean Superman
Nietzsche’s philosophy explores the path from myth to reason. He describes Socrates and Plato as marking the victory of the Apollonian over the Dionysian. For Nietzsche, Greek tragedy achieved a balance between these opposing forces. After the ‘death of God,’ Nietzsche introduces the concept of the superman, free from the constraints of God and science, as a successor. This ‘superman’ is presented as a creator of new values, favorable to life.
Political Ideals in Ancient Greece
In
Read MoreKant’s Practical Reason: Principles and Postulates
Principles of Pure Practical Reason
At the beginning of the Critique of Practical Reason, Kant synthesizes its contents with a definition, four theorems, and a fundamental law:
Definition: “Practical principles are propositions that contain a universal determination of the will, which are subordinated to several rules of thumb. They are subjective, or maxims, when the condition is considered by the subject as valid only for his will. They are objective, or practical laws, when the condition is valid
Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage: Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development – Piaget: The sensory stadium speaks of intelligence. It utilizes DLS to capture information through the senses and acts on it with motor skills. Up to 2 years, it’s the only known reality. It is divided into 6 substages:
Substages of the Sensorimotor Stage
- Substage 1 (Birth – 1 month): Neurons constitute intelligence. A way of interacting with the external world is the fundamental characteristic of exercising innate schemes. The infant uses them unconsciously, exhibiting the
Philosophy’s Emergence: Breaking Myths
The Rise of Philosophy and the Break with Myth
The emergence of Greek philosophy represents a break with myth. Myth, based on the narratives of poets, is a total explanation of reality where natural forces are personified and deified. Natural events and human behavior itself depend on the whim of the gods and cannot express any regularity. In any case, the myth also includes the idea of destiny, a dark, imprecise force that weighs on men and on the gods themselves.
Philosophy is an approach that appeals
Read MoreKant’s Philosophy: Metaphysics, Experience, and A Priori Knowledge
Science
Kant set out to discover if metaphysics was possible as a science. He had already discovered it as a science. Kant himself could not doubt that this was reliable knowledge, but he was trying to save it because he knew what it was. He intended to identify elements to compare scientific knowledge with metaphysics, in such a way that if it was fulfilled, it would be considered as such. According to Kant, the basic element that makes knowledge scientific is a priori: necessity and universality.
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