Metaphysics

The Problems with the Argument from Design The global argument from design is an analogy created by William Paley in which he attempted to formulate a cogent argument for the existence of God by drawing a connection between the order found in man-made objects and the order found in nature. The main issue regarding this topic is whether or not nature was created by an intelligent designer simply because a man-made object was. My position on the main issue is that I don’t believe you can make an…

Philosophy – Connor Oulton Describe and illustrate two of Locke’s reasons for believing there are no such things as innate ideas. The definition of innate ideas are ideas that are present in the mind since birth, that are neither formed through knowledge or pulled from within our mind by experience. Therefore, it cannot be posteriori (knowledge derived from experience) but must be priori knowledge. Locke argued three parts to an idea to make it innate instead of produced from experience of the…

Assessing Foster's Substance Dualist Interactionism One of the main topics discussed in philosophy involves the mind-body problem. Simply stated, this topic deals with the nature of the relationship between the body and the mind, and seeks to figure out whether the two are related. Philosopher John Foster advocates in favor of a substance dualist interactionism. This is the idea that although the body and the mind represent different entities, a material and immaterial substance respectively…

Though prophecy plays a large role in religions across the globe, its mechanisms and professors remain shrouded in mystery. Two philosophers who have attempted to explain the phenomenon are Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) and Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677). The most prominent source for Maimonides ideas about prophecy is his work The Guide of the Perplexed . Though not a true Aristotelian, Maimonides adheres to concepts derivative of classical philosophical ideas far more than his contemporary…

The following is an explanation and exposure of two flaws within Al Ghazali’s argument for mind and body independence. Ghazali’s argument is that one can be aware of oneself, yet not be aware of their physical body because the mind/spirit is independent of one’s physical being. By closing one’s eyes and shutting out the physical existence from the mind, one is still able to think and be aware of onself’s existence. Since one’s mind/spirit is able to have awareness without knowing a physical…

In the free will vs. determinism debate, hard determinism seems to be a dominant belief. Hard determinism is the belief that free will and determinism are incompatible ideas, and that it is not possible to truly believe in both without being logically inconsistent. Under hard determinism, there is a view called hard incompatibilism which Smilansky subscribes to. Hard incompatibilism is the belief that determinism is incompatible with both human freedom and moral responsibility. Saul Smilansky…

Aristotle’s Teleology The world teleology has two parts: telos, meaning end or goal, and logos, meaning a reason. For Aristotle, this “teleological” view on nature played an important part in understanding why objects in nature behave a certain way or possess certain characteristics. In this essay, I will discuss the characteristics of Aristotle’s teleological view and its relevance to modern science and understanding. I will also argue that while his emphasis on the importance of function, or…

The Skepticism to Descartes Arguments for God's Existence One would sometime question the existence of god just like how René Descartes questions and argues about god’s existence. In Descartes “meditation on first philosophy,” he talks about reality and as well his existence. But he also talks about the existence of God, in how god could be a deceiver and yet still believing that God is not a deceiver as he said “I have no reason to think that God is such a deceiver. In fact, I don’t even know…

Aristotle, like many other classic philosophers, emphasized the vitality and viability of reason, one can conclude that this exposure played an important role in Aquinas’s belief of human reason. Consequently, Aquinas rejected Augustine’s view of human reason and argued that God himself granted people this virtue as a way of engaging them to participate in his “eternal plan” (Aquinas 18). To present his argument, St. Augustine defined two kinds of laws: eternal law and natural law. Eternal law…

Augustine of Hippo and Pico della Mirandola hold opposing positions on what they believe the human potential is. Augustine believes a human beings potential is predestined, at God's will, because of original sin. Whereas Pico believes the human potential is unlimited, because God created us to be “Sovereign craftsman” because he the “Greatest craftsman” had nothing new he could give to us (pp. 117). Augustine and Pico although they do not agree on the issue of a person's potential, do…