Author	Feedback	Action
diego OFFLINE	12/11/2008 Augustine seems to have practically plagiarized Plato. Substitute "god" for "the good" and "the divine" for "the forms" and there you have it: Augustine's philosophy. He even adopts the technique of argument by analogy from Plato. It is interesting to note the inconsistencies in Augustine's own comparison to Platonic theory. Plato considered the forms to be the greater knowledge attainable only by philosophers and those with a truly rational soul. Thus, understanding of forms is a rational process which Plato attributes to the power of human intelligence, counterpoising it to the "inspiration" of poets. In fact, this is the basis for Plato's entire assertion that philosophers not only should be rulers, but are the only people fit to be rulers if the aim of a society is justice. John Dewey was a student of the pragmatic philosophers Pierce and James. He was a mathematician. Pragmatism is based upon the philosophy of science. It seeks to find undoubtable truths. Like a scientist, the pragmatists try to disprove a fact or theory until there is no doubt. The pragmatist, however, believes there are no totally undoubtable truths, because truth can only be obtained by the future results of current events. Therefore, we never know if something is true until it proves to be so. What is accepted as a truth today, may be proven false in the future. For instance, it was at one time believed the world was flat, and the planets revolved around the earth. This was considered fact. However, when it was proven false, new ideas were accepted as facts, and will be accepted as fact until proven they are proven false. Pragmatic truths, therefore, are the future results of current events. There are no pragmatic truths or undoubtable facts, only probable truths based on empirical experience.
madeline OFFLINE	17/11/2008 When brought to the level of science, this trend is more easily explored. The more mathematical science of physics is understandable in terms of mathematical forms. F=m*a has a very definite mathematical relationship which transcends force relations in the physical world. My main objection, however, is the universal applicability Plato assumes from the mathematical validity of forms. In Descartes' process of verification, he verifies things by himself, but what he finds is the subjective truth. In trying to find a way to verify truth, Descartes eliminates everything but what can not be doubted: Can I affirm that I possess any one of those things which I have been speaking of as pertaining to the nature of body? On stopping to consider them with closer attention, and on reviewing all of them, I find none of which I can say that it belongs to me; to enumerate them again would be idle and tedious. (Descartes, Rene, "Meditations," Struhl, Paula Rothenberg, and Struhl Karsten J., editors, Philosophy Now. Random House: 1980, P. 93)
mia ONLINE	20/11/2008 Mill believes that a person has the Liberty to do what he wants as long as he does not harm others. If he does not harm others that is the part of his life that "concerns himself only," but if a person's actions are harmful to other beings then that is the part of his life "which concerns others"(74). Mill states that many people would object to his arguments about individual Liberty: Additionally, Hume speaks of miraculous events recorded throughout history and shows that there is no acceptable reason to believe in these miracles because they are never witnessed by a vast number of credible men, or do they still occur in present day society. He states that "Men should lye in all Ages," which means that ignorant men have fantasized about miraculous events and have told them to a willing public. The public embraces anything that soothes their superstitious beliefs, and will therefore be extremely willing to accept the fantastical stories as truth. Hume discredits this argument by saying that sufficient opposition to the miracles is realizing the impossibility that such an event could occur in nature. Hume also adds to his argument by saying that nothing can be relegated to the "Laws of Nature" unless it has been repeated many times throughout nature. This statement goes against miracles, which are the foundation of religion, because they have not held up under natural laws, and therefore, the population is being deluded into religious belief from pious individuals in society.

Title and Description	Posts	Photo	Action
Words Shape Author: elijah New I have always considered that the two questions respecting God and the Soul were the chief of those that ought to be demonstrated by philosophical rather than theological argument, that is, the questi...	1		View Bookmark
Throw Disclose Heard Author: elijah New On the other hand, de Beauvoir could assert that other's freedom is necessary to your own freedom, and thus you must value their freedom in order to be truly free. This latter valuation of other's fre...	1		View Bookmark
Steep Slowly Builds Author: elijah New But this carpenter was isolated from anything but justice and virtue from birth, making it impossible that he would act unjustly. Does this mean that Socrates' justice is simply doing what you are tol...	1		View Bookmark
Learned Complete Confidence Author: elijah New The range of Plato's knowledge was vast. He developed a deep insight into all the arts and sciences, including mathematics, physics, astronomy, politics, ethics, esthetics, poetry, painting, sculpture...	1		View Bookmark
Armed Making There Author: elijah Usually, for beginners the best places to gather information about this re-emerging and mysterious topic, is at local lectures or workshops. Other resources may be the library or people who are intere...	1		View Bookmark

Title and Description	Photo	Action
Inclusive Integrity Unity Author: elijah New Hofstader, a supporter of Dewey's metaphysics describes "the aim of metaphysics as a general theory of existence. . .the discovery of the basic types of involvement's and their relationships" (Qtd in ...		View Bookmark
Entirely Ceased Author: elijah New Featured Now empirical method is the only method which can do justice to this inclusive integrity of "experience." It alone takes this integrated unity as the starting point for philosophic thought. Other meth...		View Bookmark
Meanwhile Omniscient Parallels Author: elijah New 1. If x is happy, then x is just, and Modern times have obviously proven Marx' assumptions of the self-destructive tendency of capitalism to be much more latent and controllable. The dynamic and dest...		View Bookmark

Title and Description	Date/Time	Photo	Action
Habit Learning Author: elijah New Mill notes that it may be further objected that a person may set a bad example for others by his actions and in that way do harm to others (75). Therefore, we should be concerned with everyone's actio...	14/12/2008 12:59		View Bookmark
Favored Totalitarian Author: elijah New Perhaps the leap from philosophical metaphysics to philosophical pragmatics was too steep for Dewey. Nature changes slowly and so do our values and the way we experience nature. Dewey's pragmatism bui...	07/12/2008 12:08		View Bookmark
Keeping Separate Formulation Author: elijah New Jean-Jacques Rousseau makes it explicitly clear in his writings, "The Social Contract and Discourses" that he believes strongly in personal freedom and autonomy. Rousseau believed that a truly free go...	17/12/2008 00:03		View Bookmark
According Holds Society Author: elijah Machiavelli, however, was a realist. He was concerned with how things were in reality, not how things could be if the world was perfect. He was greatly influenced by his failures in public life. He ha...	29/11/2008 13:02		View Bookmark

Title and Description	Photo	Action
Exchanging Error Author: elijah Plato's writings were arranged in groups of four. The dialog form used by Plato came naturally out of Greek drama, the Athenian habit of discussion and the use of dialog by Socrates. Today, there is ...		Join Club View Bookmark
Jnana Karma Author: caleb New Now that it is easier to focus in on some of these topics, a clear and open mind must be available to allow the information that is going to be presented to register. This is where support is helpful,...		Join Club View Bookmark
Stressed Tripartite Author: rebecca New Socrates, however, consistently cites that the people of the kallipolis, raised in virtue, justice, and with a knowledge of what is good, will realize the justice of the kallipolis and act according t...		Join Club View Bookmark
Veiled Blatant Author: elizabeth New Featured Plato says their performance determines whether the Love is Common or Heavenly. This differs greatly from the materialistic society we live in today. Today people are more concerned with Common Love t...		Join Club View Bookmark
Republican Responsibility Author: arianna New Featured Mill argues that society has control over a person's liberty when they are a child (77). It is society's job to educate a young person and make "them capable of rational conduct" (77). If society fail...		Join Club View Bookmark
Existing Create Author: blake Pausanias discusses two kind of love. Pausanias says Phaedrus—who spoke just before Pausanias—should have differentiated between the heavenly love and the earthly love. He claims there are two loves j...		Join Club View Bookmark
Respected Helped Quote Author: diana Plato's theory of the soul can be found in his major work, *The Republic*, where it is a response to the challenge of the Sophists as to why one ought to live morally. The Sophists in Plato's time wer...		Join Club View Bookmark
Kallipolis Reach Author: haley Featured Plato's writings were arranged in groups of four. The dialog form used by Plato came naturally out of Greek drama, the Athenian habit of discussion and the use of dialog by Socrates. Descartes goes o...		Join Club View Bookmark
Credibility Delivering Union Author: mia Featured Plato's Apology helps define the philosophy of Socrates. Socrates believed in truth above all else. He wished to change the way in which his contemporaries viewed the world. Socrates believed "the une...		Join Club View Bookmark
Recurrence Ambiguities Author: ethan Featured Machiavelli employs the conditional patterns of argumentation developed by the Stoic logicians. He frequently uses the dilemma form since this is useful for presenting alternative courses of action al...		Join Club View Bookmark