What in the Tractatus is Wittgenstein Talking About? Early Wittgenstein seems to suggest that sentences of natural science have meaning, without being able to give meaning to the way of which we understand those sentences. This dismisses philosophy as only a tool to help clarify claims of natural science. However, he uses philosophy to come to this realization. He makes the realization that the way he explains his own findings are in fact a violation of those findings stating, “My propositions…
In the following essay, I will explain how Aquinas thinks God is not responsible for moral evil. On Aquinas’s account, everything in the universe aims for the good. And to be good means to be desirable. For example, a good husband is a man who has achieved perfection in terms of the duties he ought to perform towards his wife by virtue of being married to her. If the good thing is able to manifest its desirability, it follows that the good thing should also necessarily exist. Aquinas argues…
as questioning or doubting unempirical knowledge, beliefs, or opinions stated as facts and refrains from claims of truth or knowledge. Skepticism, however, does not state that truth or knowledge is impossible. The difference between these two philosophical ideas can be seen in examples of everyday life. Using a hypothetical example of skepticism and common sense as well as the viewpoints of Moore and Lehrer, I will demonstrate the difference between skepticism and common sense. A…
Skepticism is the theory that people have either no knowledge, or very little knowledge. In this essay I will discuss one particular type of type of skepticism, called “brain-in-a-vat” skepticism, which denies that we can know whether the external world (anything outside our minds) exists as we think it does. I will examine two attacks that have been made on this sort of skepticism, and argue that both fail to defeat it. The brain-in-a-vat skeptic argues that no person knows that his/her body,…
Flexibility of your beliefs, alignments, and interest are the only ways to be truly authentic. No one should be ascribed a definition. The human spirt is simply too intertwined with others and with the world to limit its itself. However, at a specific moment people can take up an identity. The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguist states that “identities are how we represent who we are to ourselves and others and how we interpret who others are” (Joseph 2006). More importantly, a flexible…
What Makes People Good? What is right and wrong? Maybe one can never truly know the answer to that question, but they can feel bad about some actions and good about others. In his The Loss of Common Decency in American Culture, author James B. Twitchell writes about how shame, or the bad feeling one gets after doing a bad thing, is something that society needs to embrace to become better. He argues that is what makes people better themselves and the society should not be “ashamed of shame.”…
Dramatic irony is an elaborate gadget that is generally utilized by storytellers, in plays, in the theater, and in movies. This produces tension between what characters say and do, and what the audience knows to be true. The use of dramatic irony was used in two dramatic productions, both the short story Happy Endings written by Margaret Atwood and the movie Chinatown directed by Roman Polanski. In the short story Happy Endings the author introduces her literature into six stories labeled from…
What is your identity? That’s the question I’m gonna be answering about Anne Frank. There is a lot of words to describe this brave young women, and independent is one of them. Her identity is shown when she talks to other people. The external and internal forces also play a role in Anne’s identity. The following reasons plays a role on shaping her identity. Anne has the desire to be a women, and in order to be a women, she has to be self-reliant. As she gets older, she finds the need to be…
Writing Sample 2: Identity Prompt If you had to describe your identity in three main factors, what would you say, is it your friends, family? Well me, I’m a young student, friend and leader, I’m in TVMSC because I love math, science and computers, and I try to be a friend to everyone, many factors have shaped my life and Identity, mostly my friends, family, education and interests. The largest factor that has impacted my identity is my friends and family. They have majorly influenced my…
George R.R. Martin once said, “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” I was never asked who I wanted to be or if I wanted to be a different person; my identity was given to me. I’ll always be “Dockey and Krystal’s daughter,” but that won’t stop me from creating my own name for myself. I’m often referred to as “Dockey and Krystal’s daughter.” Yes, that is me…