Ontology

What is the Mind-Brain Problem? Is the mind a part of the brain or an independent entity? This question has been an issue of disagreement for scientists and philosophers for several decades. Three separate groups including dualism, materialism (monism), and functionalism, each offer a unique position to the mind-brain problem (Brysbaert & Rastle, 2009). Each group attempts to determine what constitutes the self and makes each person their own individual with feelings, beliefs, and private…

The comprehensive examination of King and Nietzsche comparison. Both had complex issues that can be simply categorized into right and wrong or good and evil. King's nonviolent campaigns were based on the Third Model Transcendence. The Christianity teachings that emphasize the belief and practices. King’s civil disobedience towards unjust laws caused a lot of controversies. Nietzsche purpose was based on the First Model Materialism. Atheism inspired him to free human beings from their own false…

In this essay, I will be explaining a meditation in Rene Descartes’ book, Meditations on First Philosophy. First I will summarize how he got to his point in meditation three, and then I will give my opinion on whether or not his claims are successful or unsuccessful. In meditation three Rene Descartes tries convincing the reader that God actually does exist. He starts off by briefly explaining the first two meditations. He says in the first meditation he is doubtful about…

In the first section of Mind, R. E. Hobart presents a series of arguments in favor of compatibilism between free will and determination. In this essay, I will provide an analysis of his interpretation of power and discuss some of the critical parts of his argument. Finally, I will address two primary criticisms towards Hobart’s conclusion in favor of compatibilism using the conditional analysis of power. Hobart’s Conditional Analysis of Power: At the beginning of the article, Hobart…

Augustine challenged different aspects of the topic of time, in which he struggled with the most crucial question: what is time? Though the concept of time may sound simple in our contemporary world, Augustine had a difficult time grasping this idea, constructing several seemingly contradictory statements. His intention was to generate a connection between the philosophical approach of time and that suggested by sacred scripture as demonstrated in Book XI in his work, Confessions. He applied the…

Imagine living in a world free of materialistic judgment, where your flaws would go unnoticed and your personality would shine. In Ted Chiang’s short story, “Liking What You See” he introduces a unique fictional procedure called Calli. Calli modifies the way we view one another by altering our brains reaction to physical appearance. One can still see perfect and imperfect faces, however, the aesthetic reaction that a person feels when they look at a perfect or imperfect face is nonexistent.…

Reflections on Photography Roland Barthes (1915-80) was a French theorist and philosopher. Camera Lucida Reflections on Photography was his last book published in 1979. This book mainly circulates around the theme of understanding desire and nature of photography. He described that what makes it distinguished it from other arts? What are its benefits and liabilities? He did not focused on the formal aspects (composition) or social uses of the photograph but in actual his intent is on ontological…

The Case Of Tuvix In analyzing the case of Tuvix I realize that there are two obvious choices that must be made: the first choice is to allow Tuvix to live as two in one, or to separate him back into the original state. I would advise the captain to separate him. This is because the mind/brain is a complex thing that contributes to our personal identity through consciousness as far as the consciousness can be extended back in time according to Locke. Though while it would be interesting to see…

Asrar-e-Khudi1 or The Secrets of the Self2 was published in 1915, the first philosophical poetry of Sir Mohammad Iqbal3. Iqbal describes his philosophy of "Self" or "Ego4" as “Khudi5”which is the divine spark present in every human beings. A great journey of transformation is vital to apprehend this celestial spark. A similitude of this journey is the relationship of fragrance and seed. Every seed has potential for the fragrance in it. However, to reach the fragrance, the seed…

A theory written by Plato, ‘The Allegory of The Cave’ explains the concern of human perception. Plato differentiates between people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and people who really do see the truth. The material world is just partial pictures of true images. Relying on physical senses alone, makes you “effectively blind”, according to Socrates. The world we see is a reflection of what the world represents, not a very accurate representation. Plato claimed that, “Knowledge…