Rousseau and Locke differ in many ways. Rousseau creates a utopian society designed to give all men equal representation under the law. Rousseau claims that from Civil Liberty man gains "what is calle...
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07/03/2010 The nineteenth century philosopher John Stuart Mill believed that for man to be truly free the rights and liberties of the individual must be guaranteed. Mill was concerned with what he called "Civil or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised over the individual" (Mill 13). Mill argues that there are two distinct parts of a person's life; that part of a person's life that "concerns himself only," and that part "which concerns others" (74). If we apply Dewey to Dewey we find that his naturalistic metaphysics does not wash. Rorty is correct he makes the same mistakes he criticizes. How can there be a definitive naturalistic metaphysics of experience, if the world is constantly in flux and truth is only relevant to the values and meanings that currently define it? Will the naturalistic metaphysics of experience change with history like values and meanings? Will it change the different experiences of each individual? If the door no longer closes, but did close before, it still closed previously. The first experience does not change. It still remains true. Rorty explains: |
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07/03/2010 In defense of his teacher, and to disclose to all the truth of Socrates trial, Plato writes his version of the truth as he heard it. In the Apology Plato writes from the persona of his teacher, in the first person. Plato paints the picture of a man who is falsely accused of the crime of corrupting youth. Socrates, pretending to read an affidavit of one of his accusers, states: "Socrates is a criminal and a busybody, prying into things under the earth and into the heavens, and making the weaker argument strong and teaching these things to others" ("The Apology." Great Dialogues of Plato, Mentor Books, p.425). The Socrates Plato describes refuses to accept payment for formal instruction, and had no school. Socrates taught by asking questions and inducing debate. The truth can only be discovered by eliminating what is not true. His goal was to teach the younger generation to think clearly, reasonably, philosophically. |
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07/03/2010 The statement is confusing. It seems that Dewey wishes to have his cake and eat it too. He spends over four hundred pages arguing that we should accept his method of philosophical criticism. Dewey criticizes other philosophers of selective emphasis then claims we should accept his theory of the ineluctable traits of natural existence as a starting point for philosophic discovery or his selective emphasis. Dewey's method of philosophy claims the world is constantly changing and that truth can only be obtained according to the values we place on it. Dewey shows how our values, experiences, and culture change what we perceive as true. Truth, like nature constantly changes and hence, cannot be predicted or permanently defined. Dewey, by offering a selective emphasis of the natural traits nature, Dewey is, once again, guilty of his own criticism. There cannot be a selective emphasis in the system of philosophy Dewey espouses. Dewey states of selective emphasis: The best argument against interference of the life of an individual is made by Mill: "the strongest of all arguments against the interference of the public with purely personal conduct is that, when it does interfere, the odds are that it interferes wrongly, and in the wrong place" (78). The United States currently has many laws governing personal behavior that have failed miserably. The attempt to control drug use is a perfect example of the government "interfering wrongly in the wrong place." The use of drugs by individuals should not be of anyone's concern unless the user fails to meet his responsibilities to his family or others. We now live in a society where violent criminals are released early from jail punishment so that we can punish people for their individual behavior even though they have harmed no one. Mill is right we must stop punishing people for actions that harm no one but the individual performing the action. Man must quit being the judge of man when it comes to personal behavior. Individual Liberty must be guaranteed if we are to live in a truly free society. |