Philosophical terminology

Austin Briffa Professor Lund Honors Philosophy of Science 12-04-16 Miracles: A Scientific and Religious Analysis The concept of a miracle has been etched into our society for centuries. It’s a word that is used quite often in colloquial language, such as when one hears good news. To many, they are attributed to supernatural entities, saints, and prophets, such as those found in Judeo-Christian scripture. From parting the Red Sea to turning water into wine, these mystical events have captured…

Is the evil in this world justified? Richard Swinburne argues that, the existence of evil, positive bad states like suffering, is a necessary condition for the existence of a deep good then the existence of evil is justified. But others like Ivan Karamozov believe that the evil in this world is not justified because if evil is justified then it has to be a positive consequence, everyone deserves to experience the evil they experience, or the evil is a result of carelessness that can be…

In Plato’s Republic, Socrates rejects Polemarchus’s definition of justice – doing good to friends and harming enemies – because one cannot know good from evil unless they have knowledge of the nature of the good. Mistakes can be made in choosing good from evil if knowledge of the good is not obtained. In Mill’s Utilitarianism, Mill sees that actions are good if they tend to promote happiness (pleasure and the absence of pain) and bad if they tend to promote the opposite. This principle is what…

It is known that human beings are not, and will never be, perfect. It is unrealistic to expect a person to be composed and act ideally one hundred percent of the time- people will inevitably make mistakes. However, making mistakes does not make a person bad, or evil, or beyond redemption. What really determines if a person is fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, is how they respond, what effect these mistakes have on them, and how they proceed. Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows the horrific sin…

We all have those voices in our heads that help to make decisions, like the devil and angel that sit on our shoulders, disputing desperately to persuade us to hear their case. They can both make valid points, but whom should we trust? Both traits of good and evil exist in us all, but our instincts must tell us which one to use. In William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth, the protagonist is portrayed as a noble and loyal person, but once he is given the prophecies, he is driven by a strong…

Perfection is unrealistic. In society, people face hardships, internal struggles, and temptations. However, those who overcome these obstacles are society’s heroes. Heroes suffer from guilt and sin, but their courage and strength outweigh their flaws. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck reveals the characteristics of a flawed hero as his characters face the treacherous journey to California. Throughout the novel, characters’ strengths are tested to portray the realistic qualities of a modern…

In the past, present and future, it has always been about choices in society nothing different, but the same choices being made in society-no matter what the century, tradition and culture was. There is a choice that is involved in different situations in life- like what the person should do best. What is the individual options and how to proceed it the correct way in any situation they are in, what will him or her benefit from it. Choices can come from laws that the government functions, jobs…

The Good and Evil in Our Life People can identity the difference between good and evil based on their nature. According to Samuel Johnson, education gives us the power to discern or see the good from the bad, and to “prefer” the good. We can see that a good person would volunteer with nonprofit organizations, donate money to charity, stand up for others, and help people without expectations. While an evil person would murder people for their possessions, hurt people, tell lies, take…

The relation between human dignity and practical reason is the justification of practically rational viewpoint which argues for the rationality normative status of the concept of human dignity in the action. The stand of this relation argues for how all human agents must necessarily accept that they are committed and obligated to respecting the dignity of others and that this is a practically rational point of view without rejecting the substantive nature of human dignity as value and the prior…

The problem of evil has been a debated topic for many years. The question of, “why does God let bad things happen in the world” has intrigued many theologians and non-religious persons alike. To answer this question, I asked myself a few other questions. What are the assumptions, interpretation and inferences on the topic? How does point of view or perception effect this subject? Finally, what is the purpose of good and evil? What is good and what is evil? Throughout this paper I will discuss my…