Philosophical Critical Thinkings Samples For Students

Wittgenstein believed that flaws in philosophical reasoning would be exposed by understanding the hidden flaws in language. To that end he wrote extensively on the topic of understanding linguistics in order to clarify the language flaws. He asserted that while good for day to day conversation, but unsuitable for defining complex philosophical arguments. This is in part because when people are talking the subject is taken in context and defined by the parameters of the conversation. However, philosophical matters are taken beyond everyday experience and need more specific terms in order to be discussed and understood. The words knowing ...

Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge.

Philosophy
Philosophical assumptions relating the theory of knowledge aspire towards an understanding of and differentiating among belief, truth and justification. Over the ages since Immanuel Khant’s propositions regarding enlightenment philosophers are still struggling to define and conceptualize the term in relation to knowledge acquisition, revision and validation. As such, in perceiving that ‘knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organization of facts’ it would become necessary to define knowledge and facts. Subsequently, a detailed differentiation between the two will be embraced and thereafter conclusions derived from the exposition in relation to two are of knowledge namely religion and ...

When it comes to measuring the intellectual capability and the level of human relationships, the young people are the best instruments. This can never be achieved better by looking at any other place rather than the American society. The American youth and what they display is a fundamental measure of how environment affects behaviour. The ever changing behaviour of the society is so alarming which has prompted literature writers and other scholars to condemn the act. Technology not only promises people an easy life but also providing measures through which people can leave a life free of stress despite it being ...

Epistemological view on knowledge

Introduction
The definition of knowledge cuts across many spectrums. Philosophical constructions by both Plato and Socrates have been launched by various scholars in the explanation of what knowledge is. However the constructions, one evident outcome is a dilemmatic hold on the different propositions that are held by the different scholars. The argumentative assertions have often been countered by questionings in relation to what is exactly known when one says that they have knowledge. This paper attempts to explain what knowledge is following a philosophical inclination and also investigate the reactions that epistemological theorists would have on the same. The paper ...

1. Introduction
This thesis shall be limited to a critical analysis of Alain de Botton’s book, The Consolations of Philosophy; of the year 2000 which introduced a new perspective not only to the study of philosophy but also its application in our day to day lives. It is significant to point out that this book was a follow-up of the original Consolation of Philosophy that was written by Boethius in 524 A.D. basically, Boethius personified philosophy as a woman whereby he asserted paradoxical relationship between fortune and misfortune especially in relation to the phenomenon of human happiness. Therefore whilst the latter ...

PHILOSOPHY, HEALTHCARE ETHICS, AND RELIGION: DECISION MAKING

- Introductory Summary
There are a wide array of choices that individuals must make in their lives, and it is important to have guiding principles when it comes to making hard choices. The Bible and relevant philosophical texts give good guidance; even so, difficult decisions must be made frequently, especially in the medical profession. This discussion will focus on individual absolutes and the Biblical basis for those absolutes, especially in the context of difficult decisions that will be made daily. In addition, decision-making strategy will be introduced, including the question of what to do when one’s absolutes are ...

English: Critical Thinking

The first reproach is an invitation to the people to dwell in quietism of despair as if all solutions to a problems are barred, all actions in this world would be declared ineffective. This is a lead to the contemplative philosophy and as the contemplative philosophy is a luxury, this is another bourgeois philosophy and the reproach made by the communist. Another reproach that is ignominious in the human situation for neglecting things that possess charm and beauty and belongs to the brighter side of human nature. A man is considered in isolation in both the reproaches and the reason as per ...

Introduction:

Viktor Frankl’s seminal book was written in 1946 and draws on his experiences in four different concentration camps but particularly during his time in Auschwitz, that great factory of mass murder where over 1.5 million Jews and other political prisoners were exterminated. Frankl had to suffer several of his family’s deaths including his pregnant wife while he had to continue labouring and blocking out the suffering from his mind.
The philosophical content of the book is rather deep and centres mainly on the reflection of certain situations. I found it very disturbing in some places but ...

Several centuries ago, St. Anselm wrote a prayer titled Proslogion. One of the key and thought-provoking aspects of this prayer is St. Anselm’s attempt to prove that God exists. Indeed, the prayer is comparable to Descartes’ argument because it results from an understanding of God’s perfection. Descartes maintained that God must certainly exist due to the fact that he could clearly perceive God and His perfection is such that Descartes could not have devised it on his own. St. Anselm’s argument is similar to that of Descartes because it has the properties of a priori argument. ...

In the history of philosophy, the problem of determinism and free will has always sparked a debate between philosophers who take opposing views on the issue. Determinism is a philosophical belief and thinking that assumes that all things which include human behavior are causally determined. On the other hand, free will is a philosophical idea that views things such as human will and behavior as free from causal determination. This topic in itself creates other issues that relate to morality and religion. On one hand, to believe in free simply does not in itself mean that human conduct is ...

How are Cartesian foundationalism and dualism found in Descartes’ Mediations?

Central to Descartes’ philosophy is the establishment of the philosophical view of foundationalism and dualism. Foundationalism is based on the philosophy that in investigating any ideas or thoughts, one has to go back to the fundamental principles. Descartes believe that in order to test the validity of ideas, one has to start from scratch and work his way up. As stated in Descartes in his ‘Meditations’, “And thus I realized that once in my life I had to raze everything to the ground and begin again from the original foundations, if I wanted to establish anything firm and lasting ...

Analysis of Selections from Nagel, What Does It All Mean?

Thomas Nagel’s 1987 book, What’s It All Mean?, offers an introduction to philosophical thought. He directs this book toward a person who has never studied philosophy before. He bases his introduction not in the writings of the great philosophers or great thinkers, but instead he offers nine categories of questions for his reader to think about. As he puts it, “The main concern of philosophy is to question and understand very common ideas that all of us use every day without thinking about them” (Nagel 5). By laying out these problems and his ideas about them, Nagel encourages ...

The aim of this essay is to present you with a definition on a concept which has been flirting with the human nature ever since the dawn of prehistoric times. If each word is to depict a notion widely accepted and shared within the borders of a speaking community, then the word ‘success’ has spread its meaning throughout centuries, changing meaning according to the ideals of each era and civilization. Success has been an ideal that has always been flirting with its being considered equal to happiness. People have always believed that a successful person is usually a happy person. But philosophy, psychology and social ...

Socrates was an orator and philosopher whose primary interests were logic, ethics and epistemology. In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Plato recounts the speech that Socrates gave shortly before his death, during the trial in 399 BC in which he was charged with "corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel" (24b). The name of the work itself is a bit of a misnomer; here, Socrates is not apologizing, but merely speaking in defense of his beliefs and actions – the word apology is used in the context ...

Introduction

Metatheatre is a word that was first used by Lionel Abel in 1963; he introduced a new way of and look at post modern-drama, which at the very least adds more language to the to the ones that are usually spoken in theatres. The description of Meta itself constitutes a meaning describing above or after and about or upon. On the other hand, Samuel Beckett, an Irish Dramatist changed the traditional drama as shown in his work in “Waiting for Godot”. The change in his style was due to his dissatisfaction of the earlier dramatist. Beckett’s work featuring the characters Vladimir ...

Born from an ever-changing culmination of practice and philosophical theory, education continues to exist as product of both application and constantly shifting theoretical debate that changes along with each generation. Throughout different cultures and applications in which the process of education must change it is seen more often that ideology must conform to generational differences that render some ideas obsolete and confirm other, newer methods that are either revolutionary or are new approaches to old problems. In this vein it is quite easy to lose a great deal of what is applicable to the philosophy of ...

Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge.

Two areas of knowledge discussed in this essay relate to religion and ethics. However, a sound definition of concepts must be advanced before profound discussions on the subjects religion and ethics are embraced. Religion was considered the opium of the people by the Philosopher Karl Marx (1818 – 1883). Marx perceived the facts embodied in religion as well as rituals and beliefs to be nothing more than systems used to subjugate people. Precisely, it was exploitation of man by man, the powerful exploiting the powerless; rich by poor; owners of the means of production by those who work for them (Bulbulia. ...

Introduction

The proper execution of Advanced Nursing Practice is very much reliant on theory analysis and evaluation. Analysis refers to the objective and nonjudgmental description of a nursing theory while evaluation involves the judgments about the extent to which a nursing theory satisfies certain criteria (Fawcett, 2000). Theory analysis and evaluation entails the systematic and detailed review of all available primary sources such as publications and presentations by theorists (Fawcett, 2000). Theory Analysis and Evaluation are done in order to determine the exact assertions and practicality of a theory instead of relying on inferences from other authors on that theory.
The relevance ...

Summary:

In Chapter 6 of his book, Tim Keller addresses the presumption that some people hold that the belief in God has become antiquated and needless as a result of evolutionary science. According to Keller, traditional religion has been disproved by science because of belief in miracles. A majority of the scientific community believes that the modern, rational world cannot accommodate miracles. However, Keller points out that scientific discovery can also not prove that natural phenomenon cannot occur as a result of a supernatural cause, it is merely a philosophical presupposition. Moreover, the scientific community refutes the existence of a God who performs miracles and ...

Death Penalty

Before Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, justice existed. Before 2500 BC when the first ruler of the Babylonian Empire Hammurabi gave his people the first written law, justice existed. Fairness and justice are an inherent human quality. Therefore, swift and fair justice must always exist.
Punishment is the cornerstone of justice in society. A crime should fit the punishment in an ideal society. The death penalty has existed for thousands of years. In the 21st century, emphasis was laid more on the question of humanity. Amnesty International believes "the death penalty is the ultimate ...

The argument on whether God does exist is one that has been debated by many people for a long time; philosophers on their part have based their assertions on theistic proof on rationality and logic. Some religious groups argue that this debate cannot be decided by logic alone but rather some faith is needed to understand God’s existence. However, that is not always the case; philosophers like Descartes, who is considered the father of modern day philosophy, were able to give theistic proof using valid philosophical arguments. It is hence interesting to try and answer the question of whether ...

Famous Thinkers

Aristotle
Aristotle was one of the greatest thinkers in the field of philosophy and he was the first philosopher to write on systems, which he well comprehended and he could critic anything from pure judgment to literature, societal politics, and even science. He proposed that there are four basic “causes” of reality of existence: the effective cause, which is the initiator of the object; the final cause, which is the role for which an object exists; the structure of the object; and material cause, which is the composition of the object. His work was influenced by the urge ...

In his professional autobiography, Boring discusses the journey in the field of psychology from early years and draws conclusions from personal experience and formal schooling. Boring lists his encounters with professionals in the area of engineering, psychology, and administration in different universities and times, and also elucidated his personal conflicts from the self, family, and professional life. The most striking aspect of the work are the psychological perspectives such as motivation and ego, determinism and free will, and the relationship between philosophy and psychology and how he championed for the separation of the two disciplines at Harvard.
Boring noted ...

Since the beginning of time people used to have various views and standards for the way that everything around them should be. Throughout the history there existed many examples of the expression of ideas contradictory to the norm and all terrible consequences of such actions. Thomas Kuhn in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, made an attempt to describe the possible apprehension to change. It was mainly focused on the scientific world and the historic nature of the educational research. Any research was considered to be grounded upon one or more scientific achievements that had to be certainly ...

Citizens, by definition, are the participatory members of a particular nation who enjoy some rights by adhering to set standards and laws of the government. They must be 'willfully' concerned to defend the State and make it better in all possible ways. Taking a cue from that, the idea of global citizenship must entail roles and responsibilities for global issues as terrorism, global warming, trafficking, civil war, genocide, and the like. As far as the definition of global citizenship is concerned, it must include the rights and responsibilities of people towards the environment, society, and the world as a ...

In ancient societies, people believed that the hierarchy of human society was based on the divine right of certain people to lead and the divine permission to keep others as lower class members of society. This shamed the parameters of social order until the Age of Enlightenment and Reformation in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The American and French Revolutions laid the foundation for the creation of a system of civil liberties and human rights which required some basic rights to be accorded to all human beings without exception. Human rights is defined as “a set of freedoms guaranteed ...

Introduction

Karen Warren coined the term “Ecofeminism” in explaining the logic of domination where the notion of people’s control over nature as a whole is wrong and for the same reason that the subordination of women to the will of men is also wrong. According to argument, feminists should object to the idea domination because subordination of women and domination over nature both represents the logic of domination. On the other hand, the asserted claim of twin domination encompasses several issues. In this discussion, Warren’s logic of domination and the concept of ecofeminism will be examined by explaining ...

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual as well as the sequential leader of Tibet. He has had to face numerous challenges since his accent to the leadership mantle, being sent to exile in 1959 at a time when the Chinese occupied Tibet. Since then, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been vigorously advocating for non-violence in his home country. As a result, the Dalai Lama has travelled the world over in a bid to give lectures on Buddhism teachings. This is in an attempt to make the teachings readily accessible to all nations worldwide. During his worldwide lecture tours, the Dalai Lama ...

Introduction

Realism is a unique philosophical belief that suggests that a person’s reality (which can be characterized by his perception of life, including the things a person has and the experiences he has encountered), or a certain aspect of such reality is dependent on subjective factors and is ontologically independent from standard conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, perceptions, and other established system . Realism is generally the view that entities, which in this are humans, have an objective reality, a reality that is completely and ontologically independent of those entities’ conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, and etc. Thus, entities including abstract concepts and universals as ...

Philosophy is an interesting discipline as it tries to find answers to several challenging aspects of man and the processes of nature. Since time immemorial, man has been in a quest to find the self and understand the surrounding in which they reside. In the West, realism and romanticism were two competing cultural thoughts and artistic styles aimed at communicating the interactions/relationships between mankind and nature. Romantics associated with Plato emphasized on individual heroic achievement, power of emotions and mysticism dominating the European intellectual life while realists associated with Aristotle focused art and literature to more tangible matters with the ...

Part One: Area of Philosophy

The philosophical area in which this problem falls is the metaphysics because it raises the fundamental question of reality. The person who is existing after the accident has two personalities of a man and woman. They have mixed hormones and cannot be assumed to be male or female, me or my friend. It is against this backdrop that the question posed falls in the realms of metaphysics as it explains the nature of being, now that the personality is both male and female.

Part Two: Argument Analysis

According to Descartes, the mind and body are two separate identities. They do not need each other ...

Dixon and Wilkinson’s article “An Alternative Paradigm for Marketing Theory” advances the idea that marketing, as all the sciences, is in a continuous change and transformation, based on older paradigms inserted in new research models for developing an emerging functionalism. The article explain that when “normal science”, enrooted in the accepted paradigms that serve as theories, is challenged, because paradigms that support it are no longer adequate, scientific revolution occurs and older paradigms are updated, and this is how the Kuhn’s Paradigm is described.
Further the article explores Alderson’s General Living System Theory, which supports that ...

Effect on Reducing Deficits and Stabilizing Prices

In a recent opinion editorial, American literary theorist, legal scholar, and public intellectual Stanley Fish decided to use a definition for neoliberalism provided by political thinker and writer Paul Treanor (2009). Fish stated that Treanor holds that neoliberalism is a philosophy where the existence and operation the market are valued separate from the production of goods and services, to the point of deliberately not justifying the market by its goods and services production. This creates an ethic based on the operation the market alone, and this resulting ethic is asserted as being capable of acting as a guide for all human action, substituting ...

Film Studies

He again goes back to discuss certain academic writings by film scholars like Murray Smith, Richard Allen, Noel Carroll and David Bordwell. He maintains that these scholars do not find theory to be scientific (Turvey, 110). ‘Analytic philosophy wants to redeem “theory” for film by placing it in the context of a philosophy of science. At the same time, this implies that the epistemologies that were characteristic of the humanities for a number of decades are neither philosophically nor scientifically legitimate. And so the contestation of theory becomes a de facto epistemological dismissal of the humanities’.
The philosopher, Wittgenstein, wanted to ...

Does Descartes prove it rationally?

Does Descartes prove it rationally?

Introduction

The famous philosophical discourse by Rene Descartes which comprises six mediations gives a deep insight into nature of human mind, difference between truth and false and perceptions of reality and doubts (Skirry, 2008). Defining the basics of doubt and reality to steadily move towards the rational proof of existence of God, Descartes has elucidated an in-depth analysis of how man perceives the world around and how he should perceive it for better. The six meditations are worth a detailed analysis to comprehend the question of existence of God and nature of human mind. However, this short ...

Almost all religions of the world have some form of meditation which only reflects the importance of meditation in religions, particularly considering the diversity of religions, encompassing varied cultures and their inception. Meditation has also been an integral aspect of western religious practices (Digsby), although it is more associated with eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. Today there are several types of meditation by almost all religions including Hinduism, Jews, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Taoism. There is however no clear universal system of meditation shared by monotheistic believers, nor is there a common understanding or explanation for exceptional experiences ...

Arguably, issues surrounding human freedom have been debated for many decades. Most philosophies have tried to interpret the concept of freedom and the self, each one giving a complex explanation. One of philosophical statement made by Sartre has led to many arguments, critics, and many explanations. Sartre stated that a man is condemned to be free, which became one of his key philosophical work. Many explanations on what Sartre meant has been developed, but it is crucial to understand that the only correct meaning of the statement is known to Sartre.
In my views, condemned to be free could mean ...

Interreligious dialogue involves the exchange of religious ideas between people who professes different religions. Some people argue that dialogues should not be allowed. This is according to the bible that says that Christians should not be yoked with people from other religions who are thought to be non believers. However, interactions between Jesus and non believers show that He supported interreligious dialogue. Dialogues are important in that they help near the non believers so that preaching to them becomes easy. The dialogues help understand the religious beliefs of other people. People get to appreciate and respect the beliefs of ...

Mind and Body Debate

Renowned philosophers Rene Descartes and John Searle are having a cup of tea in Descartes’ living room. As expected, their discussion turns philosophical. Each of the two presents their arguments on the mind and body problem.

Descartes: I believe the mind and body are two distinct and separate substances.

Searle: Every time you postulate an opinion I know we are about to start a long argument. I heard you say the mind is independent of the body. How true is that? I applaud many of your opinions and theories in philosophy. However, I beg to differ on this one.
Descartes: My friend, I will take you systematically through my quest for certainty. I ...

2001: A Space Odyssey is a Stanley Kubrick movie that came out in 1968. The movie is widely regarded as one of the best science fiction movies of all times. The movie is much more than just science fiction story with breathtaking visuals (for its time) and action sequences that are now so commonly associated with such cinema. Since its release, 2001 has been a subject for forum discussion of many thinkers and philosophers, talking about the hidden meaning and message imparted by the movie. Kubrick had also famously said “You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and ...

In “Euthyphro,” one of Plato’s early dialogues, Plato describes the meeting between Euthyphro and Socrates near the king-archon’s court and proceeds to record their conversation about piety. Piety is a virtue that is often interpreted as religious devotion or spirituality. While piety in contemporary society usually means devoting God to gain good graces or seek forgiveness, piety was considered in a wider context by Greek philosophers, so it was a virtue that allowed a person to respect social order, religious order, and display devotion to others. Piety is directly influenced by the development of practical wisdom because practical wisdom was considered ...

Emmanuel cant. The categorical imperative

1. Good will according t is the only thing that is perceived as good without qualification and thus it is good because of what is good to itself and not what it performs and suitability for the accomplishment of some anticipated end.
2. Imperatives expresses what one is suppose to do. Categorical imperatives are the moral conducts that relate to performance of once duty in the context of good will whereas hypothetical imperatives gives the test that is used to determine whether one is willing to take an action.
3. A universal law dictates that one should ...

Soul theory and personal identity: A critical analysis

Of body, memory and soul, personal identity is largely dependent on the individual himself. But as change is a process that is constant with time, there is always the philosophical question that what actually remains constant in a human or any living being throughout. The knowledge of this constant should be enough for a person to identify with over any amount of time. In this essay, the soul theory is considered as the basis for personal identity and the problems that exist with it are discussed.
The concept of personal identity is illusory even to self and it is but, natural ...

The movement of existentialism and the revival of religion were carried out following the collapse of civil values in the twentieth century in several ways. Different philosophers came up with different views towards extentialism. The aspect of extentialism became associated with the cultural movement. Formerly, people used to perceive extentialism as a term used to describe existence. However, following the postwar era, there was extensive dissemination of the philosophical and literary postwar output. This lead to exchange of ideas among the philosophers and the academic elites. As a result, there was development of new theories that could justify the aspect of ...

In Bourdieu’s “The Myth of Globalization and the European Welfare State,” Bourdieu creates a strong ethical argument for the tearing down of the globalization myth, which can bring about a welfare state in Europe due to foreign competition. Bourdieu argues for a fight against this outlook in order to account for the “social costs” of economic theory, most certainly a move toward ethics over sheer economic success (p. 39). It is ethically sound to follow Bourdieu’s suggestions, as the long-term effects of economic decisions on a society are often not as fully explored as they should be.

Bourdieu argues that ‘To fight against ...