" This could not even be termed a desire to do good, as then it would be fulfilling someone's desire to do a good deed, and would therefore have a selfish motive. Kant is one of the very few that attempted to divorce happiness from morality; even tho Continue Reading...
If the account does this it has exhausted what matters to the person in constructing the agent's well-being. Thus a person could not care about anything beyond the extent to which it serves her interests. Self-sacrifice would be impossible." (Sobel, Continue Reading...
As advanced by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, it is a system built entirely on the effects or consequences of an action, regardless of the intentions. This makes it quite clearly the opposite of deontology; according to deontological ethics, t Continue Reading...
As the roles and functions of religions and their leaders changed according to the changing needs of the communities they served, they provided both stability in times of change as well as the leadership to effect changes as necessary. Of the thre Continue Reading...
In contrast, the stoic philosopher Epictetus focused upon changing one's mindset to accept the ways of the world, rather than striving to change the world to achieve happiness. Epictetus' tone is far different than Plato's. Rather than focusing upo Continue Reading...
Happiness" and "The Experience Machine" Harvard philosopher Rober Nozick made an interesting observation about happiness. Suppose one was to reflect on two different lives that contain the same amount of happiness. One life begins at a low point, a Continue Reading...
philosophy of life can be thought of as an attitude or theory that helps to define our actions. A number of factors influence individual philosophies, with gender being one of the most important. In particular, common stereotypes of gender result in Continue Reading...
philosophy of Seneca and Nietzsche In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's the challenge. From the birth of humankind, the individual's propensity to suffering has caused great turmoil, both on the individual level, and in societal discourse. Two of the grea Continue Reading...
Ultimately, his system seems to the best for a number of reasons, including ease of understanding. Aristotle is clearly trying to define happiness while still noting how to live happily, while Epicurus is simply giving advice on how to live a happy Continue Reading...
Philosophy and Modern Business Philosophical concepts apply to contemporary business issues, especially with respect to the ethical rightness or wrongness of the growing dominance of local markets by mega-conglomerates such as Wal-Mart and Costco. Continue Reading...
In terms of ethics, I believe we feel happiest when we are acting and behaving in ways that will promote our survival and the survival of our offspring. This does not mean we feel best when we act selfishly, because I believe there is a universal sp Continue Reading...
Aristotle's elements of honor state: "The elements of honour are: sacrifices, memorials both in verse and without metre, rewards, sanctuaries, precedence, tombs, statutes, public maintenance, barbarian practices, such as genuflection and standing b Continue Reading...
happiness that goes beyond the mere absence of pain and suffering. People feel joy and happiness for things both minor and major. I would describe the absence of pain and suffering as contentment perhaps. The Buddhist would argue that the absence of Continue Reading...
Mind-body debate is central to the philosophy of consciousness. Two of the most significant philosophers to specialize in the analysis of the mind-body relationship are Nicolas Malebranche, a French Cartesian dualist, and Gottfried Liebniz, a German Continue Reading...
The morality of the act can be defended by the Utilitarian principle that the number of deaths (250,000+) caused by dropping the weapons of mass destruction over Hiroshima and Nagasaki was less than the deaths that would have been caused by a land i Continue Reading...
Progressivism has been used instead, and many think that this has been a serious problem for education. Bagley is one of those who holds that opinion (Essentialism, n.d.). He believes that not using essentialism in schools has contributed to childre Continue Reading...
Art Philosophy Tragedy in Art The newspapers are forever mentioning the word, 'tragedy'. It usually means that there has been a death or deaths associated with a catastrophic event. Surprisingly, this is in keeping with the use of tragedy as descri Continue Reading...
philosophical approaches to the study of equality presume that equality is an ideal, and suggest methods by which to achieve maximum equality. However, some philosophical approaches deny the inherent value of equality or an egalitarian society. All Continue Reading...
When I see inequality in the world, I am visibly moved and affected. The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that in America, we do value equality and many groups have been able to attain equality under the law on a collective level as w Continue Reading...
Philosophy The Greek philosopher Plato's concept of justice in "The Republic" demonstrates his belief in the path towards rationality of the individual and society. In his discourse, he talks about the rational individual as a just individual and is Continue Reading...
Philosophy Field Trip Realism: A flower is a flower. Idealism: A flower is an ultimate idea. Pragmatism: A flower is what I take it to be. Existentialism: A flower exists for me Rationalism: A flower is this way for now. Realism is a developmen Continue Reading...
Philosophy and Justice Social Philosophies A Theory of Justice by John Rawls Quite a number of books and articles were published by John Rawls, a philosopher that held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University. He is, Continue Reading...
Moral Philosophy Can desires and feelings be in accordance with or contrary to reason? Are they under the control of, or guided by, reason? Compare, contrast, and critically evaluate the answers of Aristotle and Hume to these questions and their arg Continue Reading...
Reason in Promoting Happiness John Kekes and Plato have argued the involvement of reasoning when it comes to the pursuit of a "true happiness." While both are proponents of elements of reason regarding the state of happiness, Kekes focuses on a much Continue Reading...
Wulf, S.J. (2000). "The skeptical life in Hume's political thought. Polity, 33(1), 77. Wulf uses David Hume's well-known skepticism to advance his concerning the extreme degrees to which philosophy had been taken before returning to less radical m Continue Reading...
Thus, according to Mill, a state of thriving morality would be that in which each individual constantly pursues his own happiness and at the same time that of the others, through all his actions. Mills uses as a central argument for his theory of mo Continue Reading...
Psychology of Happiness Analysis of "Flow: The psychology of optimal experience" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi In the book, "Flow: the psychology of optimal experience," author Mihaly Cszikszentmihalyi offers an alternative perspective in which to vie Continue Reading...
Marx's Philosophy On Labor And Alienation Marxist philosophy against capitalism and its proponent variables towards communism is faulted in its inherent arguments regarding labor, the worker, and society. In this argument, a worker's humanity gradua Continue Reading...
However, Gilbert fails to adequately demonstrate this trait as universal. His other postulations are better-grounded than the concept of presentism for this reason. On page 123 in his Jetsons-like vision of the future, he mentions FedEx. This is an Continue Reading...
Hellenistic Philosophy The Skeptics view anxiety as arising from the inability to ascertain right or wrong through the use of reason. Anxiety also arises through an immoderation in affect in the apprehension of the reality of evident things. Freedom Continue Reading...
Personal Philosophy - Tourism Which philosophical school of thought (Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Naturalism, Existentialism, Humanism) best presents your own set of beliefs at this time of your professional preparation and why? I consider myself Continue Reading...
Prejudice Against Philosophy Plato (427-347 BCE) is often termed as the greatest Western philosopher. Historians like A.N. Whitehead like to quote: "The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a Continue Reading...
Philosophy Nietzsche often identified life itself with "will to power," that is, with an instinct for growth and durability. This concept provides yet another way of interpreting the ascetic ideal, since it is Nietzsche's contention "that all the s Continue Reading...
Moreover, how does he justify saying one would rather be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool who is satisfied? His point is obvious - it is better to have brains and not achieve happiness than be dumb and be contented. But Socrates, brilliant as he wa Continue Reading...
Aristotle and Happiness What is the point of life? Happiness? Virtue? Power? All of these? The ancient Greek philosophers would have pushed us gently in the direction of virtue, although they would also have argued that both happiness and power deri Continue Reading...
Wisdom? The study of philosophy in general is often thought of as the gaining of knowledge. At least, so it is for many philosophy students embarking upon a college course that attempts to introduce them to the cannon of Western thought and to give Continue Reading...
The items are coded form 1= not at all to 7= a great deal. Two of the questions are: In general, I consider myself not a very happy person (running the gamut to) a very happy person. Compared to most of my peers, I consider myself: less happy (run Continue Reading...
Furthermore, his choice to relate to his audience with humor and situations that they can understand allows him to tailor his argument to this audience. For example, Lewis sets out to show that the "right to happiness" is not considered a right in a Continue Reading...
