Ontology

The focus of this paper is the Cartesian Circle. There seems to be a circularity in Descartes’ argument regarding the claims of the existence of God. There are philosophers who claim Descartes commits to a belief that has no foundation and because his argument is circular it holds no weight. There are also philosophers who defend Descartes and claim that he does not commit himself to a foundationless belief and that what seems circular isn’t actually circular. I will be supporting the latter…

Although René Descartes and John Locke, were both considered great philosophers of their time; they are also well known for their opposing views on the Self. Descartes and Locke, both explored the nature of knowledge and the nature of self. As mentioned in the book, they both shared a scientific perspective in developing knowledge through clear thinking, analysis, and real world observation and experimentation. Descartes and Locke, both attempted to answer the same questions related to knowledge…

From ancient times, there were many debates about the existence and the nature of the gods. Amongst the many philosophical beliefs about the gods, one of the most prominent belief system was Epicureanism. The reason of the belief being so prominent is its characteristic based on plausible logic. Even though the system indeed happen to have some flaws that are rebutted against, the system as a whole is a believable and compelling one. The belief of Epicureanism is an equitable mixture of the…

Final Paper Existentialism is a Humanism Sartre view that we have a complete moral responsibility due to our complete freedom in the world stems from his idea that our “existence precedes our essence”. To explain this idea, first we have to look at Sartre views on god, primarily on his idea that there is no God that exists. If there was a creator or a God, then humans would have to made in a certain image or having a general concept that we follow. Another way to explain this would be having…

English singer-songwriter, Eric Burdon, once stated, "Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other." Every individual on the planet is battling the constant daily struggle of morality. No one is innately 'good' or 'evil', human nature is much more complex at its core. When the opportunity presents itself, one must decide whether or not to listen to the angel, a symbol of purity and hope,…

David Hume’s “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” challenges and questions the structure of religion by examining God and the truth around it. The dialogue consists of four characters; Pamphilus, Cleanthes, Demea, and Philo. They unwrap and challenge each other’s thoughts of religion and God during the enlightenment era. The first character Pamphilus is a student of philosophy who is observing the conversation between Demea, Cleanthes, and Philo. His education and how it should be composed…

Smyth’s ‘The land of the pirates - clerical culture and sexual abuse’ (Smyth, 2009) discusses the structure and culture of the Catholic Church, which, Smyth believes, has led to the proliferation and protection of ‘paedophile priests’ (Smyth, 2009) within its institution. Smyth likens the institutionalised Church to a ‘land of pirates’ which we ‘have a duty to visit’ if we are to understand the ‘climate that raises pirates’ (Smyth, 2009). In making this assertion Smyth suggests that the culture…

The final skeptical argument that Descartes offers is the argument from God’s omnipotent power (Class notes, Week 1). This argument is different from the first two arguments because it is calling into question God’s omnipotent power to deceive us into believing what is true is actually false. Descartes arrives to this argument because after the dream argument he admits that though he maybe dreaming, there are things in that world that remain consistent whether the senses were fooled or not.…

IN WICCA, THE DIVINE, or deity, is greater than creation, and yet it is creation. It is immanent in all things, but it is also distant and beyond our grasp. It is too vast for us to comprehend in its entirety, but we can begin to experience it through our rela- tionship with the gods, who are facets of the divine. As I mentioned briefly in chap- ter 2, the two main aspects of deity that Wiccans work with are simply called the Goddess and the God. They are the female and male “halves” of the…

Another proof of God is known as the Ontological argument which was thought up by the great St. Anselm. The word ontological means analyzing one’s nature of being and simply asking if it is real. The Ontological argument proofs include: (1) Assume that GCB (greatest consumable being) does not exist in reality, but in the mind alone; (2) Existence in reality is greater than existence in the mind alone; (3) It is possible the GCB exists in reality; (4) In such of a case, GCB would be greater than…