David Hume was the son of a minor Scottish landowner. His family wanted him to become a lawyer‚ but he felt an "insurmountable resistance to everything but philosophy and learning". Mr. Hume attended Edinburgh University‚ and in 1734 he moved to a French town called La Fleche to pursue philosophy. He later returned to Britain and began his literary career. As Hume built up his reputation‚ he gained more and more political power. Hume’s Philosophy HUME’S WRITINGS In 1742‚ Hume wrote Essays Moral
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Knowledge vs. True Belief The discussion of true belief and knowledge in the Meno develops in the analogy of the traveling men; one who knows the correct path to Larissa and the other who has a true belief of the correct path to Larissa (Meno 97a-c). Socrates tells Meno that if both men led to the same result‚ then true belief is no more useful than knowledge and both beneficial (Meno 97c). This comparison changes in book five of the Republic when Socrates says an ideal state must have a philosopher-king
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Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was born March 31‚ 1596 in La Haye‚ Touraine. Descartes was the son of a minor nobleman and belonged to a family that had produced a number of learned men. At the age of eight‚ he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou‚ where he remained for eight years. Besides the usual classical studies‚ he received instruction in math and in Scholastic philosophy. Roman Catholicism exerted a strong influence on Descartes throughout his life. Upon graduation
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Intellectual Reasoning vs. Instinct It has been said from Plato onward that man’s reasoning is his highest faculty and makes him superior to animals. In the short story "To Build a Fire‚" by Jack London‚ man’s intellectual reasoning ability is regarded as “second class” to that of the survival mechanism that is embedded within humans and animals alike. This survival mechanism is sometimes referred to as instinct. If solely depended on‚ man’s intellectual reasoning may be clouded‚ imprudent and
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Confucius and Plato Editor Ken Wolf‚ at the beginning of the essay Confucius and Plato: A Few Really Good People‚ poses the question: “What is the best way to create a strong society?” (Wolf 25) It was surprising to a novice student of philosophy how similar the ideas of the ancient Chinese sage Confucius and famous Greek philosopher Plato were. Although‚ Confucius and Plato both made major contributions to the development of society‚ they showed both similarities and differences in these
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This paper focuses on the ideas of David Hume and his work concerning cause and effect. Firstly‚ I am going to explain impressions and ideas and how Hume concludes that we cannot have the idea of power. Secondly‚ I am going to explain why Hume declares that there is a perception necessary connection between events. Thirdly‚ I will explain Hume’s definitions of causation and the conclusion he cones up with that states that cause is the conjunction that reinforces our ideas. Lastly‚ I will raise two
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reason. In this one brief text‚ Descartes turns many of the old doctrines‚ created by Aristotle‚ upside down and frames many of the questions that are still being debated in philosophy today. Among other things‚ Descartes breaks down Aristotle’s notion that all knowledge comes via the senses and that mental states must in some way resemble what they are about. In so doing‚ he develops an entirely new conception of mind‚ matter‚ ideas‚ and much more. Rene Descartes explains that in order to even begin
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Nosich’s “The Elements of Reasoning” and Elder’s “The Standards for Thinking” both focus on various techniques people can adopt to become better critical thinkers. According to Nosich‚ two conditions must exist to be considered critical thinking: the thinking must be reflective and it must meet high standards. These two conditions lead us into the eights elements of reasoning presented in the readings. The first element focused on is “Purpose‚” which includes objectives‚ goals‚ your desired outcome
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Nietzsche‚ Birth of Tragedy In Friedrich Nietzsche’s work The Birth of Tragedy‚ he argues that during the times of the ancient Greeks the artistic fusion between the Apollonian way of thinking and the Dionysian way of thinking lead to the creation of the greatest works of tragic art and music. Nietzsche believes that society needs to develop a new art form that recognizes the balance between the apollonian and Dionysian influence to reaffirm human existence. Nietzsche uses the Greek Gods‚ Apollo
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According to Hume‚ there are two types of beliefs‚ relations of ideas and matters of facts. Relations of ideas are indisputable. Such as a widow is a woman whose husband died. Such thoughts are usually definitions. Since it is impossible for a Widow to be anything other then the definition‚ these ideas are indisputable. Matters of facts claim that if the opposite is imaginable‚ then it is possible. Matters of fact are debatable‚ such as the belief in a God or that the world will end. While it is
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