Philosophy of language

Moral philosophy tries to explain the difference between right and wrong so that people can make good decisions. However, finding out what makes an action right is not so easy. For this reason, several different theories have evolved while trying to explain this issue. One of those theories is deontology, or duty-defined morality. Probably the most famous and influential spokesman of this theory is Immanuel Kant. His ideas, especially in contrast to utilitarianism, give a compelling explanation…

In Language, Truth and Logic by Alfred Jules Ayer, Ayer positions himself with the proposition that in order for a person to make a meaningful claim about the world, the claim must pass the criterion of verifiability. The role of the criterion of verifiability is to test the genuineness of a statement of facts. (Ayer 35)” Ayer’s role for the criterion of verifiability is to test if a person’s proposition is or is not a meaningful claim about the world. The criterion of verifiability is made up…

write about. These writings have their differences but also connect with each other in some way. Eagleton, Nietzsche and Emerson were important writers of their time periods. Eagleton specialties are literary and cultural theory and the English-language literature. Which reflects on his different writing about “The Meaning of Life” and my favorite “What is Literature?”. Whereas Nietzsche was a German philosopher, essayist, and cultural…

Essay #2 Assignment When it comes to names in philosophy, there are many different arguments and views for how names should be dealt with and in what situation. Linguistic tokens, such as names and referential terms, have been the center of philosophical questions into the nature of reference. In his book, Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke outlines his causal theory of reference for names. Gareth Evans, who, along with many others, was not satisfied with Kripke’s causal theory, wrote, The Causal…

Final Exam: Clever Speech After reading The Trial and Death of Socrates and Meditations on First Philosophy I would consider both Socrates and Descartes clever speakers in their own way. Their approach to speaking are very different but they have a way of being extremely meticulous with their use of language. By doing so, they both reach a point of being what many may consider “clever”. I on the other hand would not consider them clever. In my opinion, Socrates speaks in a more manipulative…

the allegory of the cave does not acknowledge this belief, it is in fact akin to Buddhism. The first issue confronting the people of the cave, and those wishing to follow the Buddhist faith is that of people in chains of a false reality. In both philosophy and Buddhism it is essential that you must detach yourself from that material world. The climb up the cave is similar to following the eightfold path, and emerging is analogous to achieving enlightenment. In Hinduism, enlightenment would mean…

The transformation of Athens into a main center of Greek intellectual life was mainly caused by the presence of sophists. The word sophist derives from the Greek word sophists which refers to a teacher specialized in the fields of philosophy and rhetoric. Sophists educated the citizens by debating the culture and traditions Athens. They advocated the idea that the norms of a society had to be changed according to a particular situation. Such great ideals can be seen in Aristophanes’ “Clouds” and…

Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy focuses on the theory of sense Data in the common world. Sense data is referenced as part of the very reason Knowledge exists and is understood by the human brain. Russel references arguments to many other philosophers in argument for sense data against other philosopher’s ideals like Descartes whose famous Cogito argument in conjunction with his Evil Demon argument directly interferes with Russell’s theory of Sense data. In this essay I will be showing and…

As its name states, existentialism is the philosophy that seeks to understand human existence and the meaning of it. For that reason, one of the main concerns of existentialists is the individual, the subject, and its relation to the world and the truth. As the “Father of Existentialism”, one of Kierkegaard’s main themes is subjectivity and so, the way people relate themselves to the earthly truths. In his Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Kierkegaard states that “Truth is subjectivity”…

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who had a lot of controversial views on society. In his book “Twilight of the Idols”, there are a lot of different themes being explored of which some include what the Germans are lacking, how moralities have “improved” human beings, why the senses are superior to reason and even the problem with Socrates. One of the statement that we will be focusing on would be “Every individual may be regarded as representing either the ascending or the descending…