Philosophy Skepticism Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Skepticism Essay Definitely the most fascinating thing when it comes to skepticism is not that severely philosophically doubtful people are present it is the opinions that come from guiltless principles and get to amazing deductions. Rationalists like Locke argue that â€Å"all knowledge is based on reason (and the reasoned analysis of certain innate concepts and ideas that are possessed and understood by everyone). † Therefore, the inherent uncertainty of sensory experience (i. e. optical illusions and hallucinations) cannot provide a solid foundation for knowledge. Normally, a skeptic starts from several of explanations for a single situation but they will always end in wrong conclusions. Skepticism can take you to fertile results if you contemplate the following and consider the Sorites Paradox. First of all, admit these three properties. If you have two eyes and can see clearly- that means you are not blind. And if you have mostly no eyes or cannot see either, then you are not blind. Likewise, if you take off one eye, this does not make you completely blind. So keep taking your two eyes off. Agreeing with this evidence, you should not get blind . However; you would get blind (www. philosophytalk. org). In addition, if we make reference to Descartes Meditations dispute. What Descartes argument means is that â€Å"the kind of evidence we have for our beliefs underdetermines what to believe (60). † Hence, we could use Bertrand Russells example. Imagine you had some kind of hallucinations consequence from some kind of drug or substance. In this case, how could someone differentiate their dream life from their real life? Since the skeptic never accepts that we are actually having a dream in the place of living. In fact, the skeptic states that our existing evidence does not regulate the chance that it could be a dream instead of real life. Idealism is definitely a good solution for skepticism. Moreover, skepticism creates the difference among our thoughts or observations and things that provide importance to these thoughts and perceptions such as dreams or any life experience. So, demanding that the universe is part of our ideas would separate the problematic of skepticism. For example, there is nothing concluded about the existence of a chair than just the impression that the table is there. During decades, many philosophers and skeptics have always had an extremist position as a way to give strength to their opinions. Though, idealism is actually more absurd than skepticism and our commonsense should allow us to reject it (Philosophical Reporter (4:50): Polly Stryker interviews Michael Shermer, the director of Skeptic Society). I believe that many skeptical opinions do not necessarily have to be based on a strong formation of knowledge. We can believe whatever we want whether or not those beliefs are based on a complete form of knowledge? If knowledge is hypothetically that type of belief-with that kind of authority- whatever it is, that sustains skeptical opinions, then we probably do not count the privilege of having that knowledge. Nevertheless, we believe in several things and some of those beliefs are more or less acceptable by argument and/or evidence. Undoubtedly, many of the things we believe in are strong enough for this life with a list full of different and infinite purposes, even if the skeptic is right that none of them deserve the honorific label knowledge† (Stroud, 96). Whenever we believe in something, we risk more than having some kind of knowledge . When I purely believe something and do not any doubt it and actually have evidences to support it, then that is when I cannot even have the thought or idea that my belief could be wrong for a certain reason. So Knowledge is in a way stronger than that. One cannot know that p, unless p is the case (Nozick, 109). There are serious doubts about the reliability of sensory experience on human beings in the development of ideas, and the possibility of ‘certain knowledge’ is definitely questionable. So, while experiences are the foundation for knowledge and certainty, we cannot fully trust our experiences, and cannot hope to accomplish certainty in our knowledge of the world. Reasoning a bit, we can realize that knowledge would always be dependable from the passing of time, and that knowledge could change anytime as well. Different kinds of advances, transformations and variations could lead knowledge to be moldable in anyway in any area depending on what we believe now and what we will believe later based on science or the resemblance of the past. All knowledge is a product of human experience, and is not possible that people are born with innate ideas . On the other hand, beliefs will always be based on the criteria of each people that comprise a whole different world, and our beliefs would hardly change the way we see and justify things that surround us in a period of five years or less. I do not think that knowledge is as important as it seems. I tend to believe that the rational part does everything. We want all of our beliefs to be constant under the stress that the rational pressure causes. When those balanced belief are being formed, our goal is to reach those beliefs that are receptive to all the stress of rational beliefs and that even after all that force of a rational belief, they can keep themselves firm. Perhaps a belief that is privileged of having such receptiveness to reasons and could appreciate the stability of not having any pressure by any rational beliefs, and then it would gain the honor to be named knowledge. * www. Philosophytalk. org * Nozick, Robert. An Analysis of Knowledge. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007 * Stroud, Barry. Philosophical Scepticism and Everyday Life. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007 * Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007.

Inconsistencies in Humes Empirical Thought Essay -- Philosophy Religi

Inconsistencies in Hume's Empirical Thought    In his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David Hume attempts to uncover the ultimate truth about where our knowledge comes from.   This leads him to suggest that all our ideas and knowledge arise from outward experiences and sensations.   He attempts to prove this by solving the "problem of induction."   I disagree with Hume's ideas, and in this essay I will explain why.   I shall begin by explaining the problem of induction, and the sceptical doubts Hume raises concerning the inductive process.   I will then explain how Hume solves the problem.   Finally, I will conclude by offering a critique of Hume's doctrine, and explain why I find it to be inconsistent. In order to understand Hume's problem of induction, it is first necessary to understand the principles upon which it stands.   At the outset of his work, Hume declares that "all our ideas or more feeble perceptions are copies of our impressions or more lively ones."1   He justifies this statement by two arguments.   Firstly, he analyzes the roots of our knowledge, and discerns that all knowledge has its origins in "a precedent feeling or sentiment"2   To Hume, even the idea of God is derrived from a prior sensation.   He argues that we can have an idea of God simply by augmenting our ideas of wisdom and goodness.   Essentially, we can multiply the goodness that we sense or experience up to infinity, in order to have an idea of God.   Secondly, Hume states that all knowledge must come from sensations.   To illustrate this, he uses the example of a blind man.   A blind man will have no idea or impression of the colour blue.   Since he has never seen blue, let alone colour, there is no possible way for him to know what blue is.   Thu... ...tions, Iran;   [no date available] Steinberg, Eric [ed].   David Hume:   An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.   Second Edition.   Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis; 1977 De Sousa, Ronnie.   http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~sousa/PHL100/hume1.html   As of Friday April 9th. De Sousa, Ronnie.   http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~sousa/PHL100/hume1.html   As of Friday April 9th. 1 Steinberg, Eric [ed.]   David Hume:   An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.   P. 11 2 Ibid.   P. 11 3 Ibid.   P. 14 4 Ibid.   P. 15 5 Hume must be referring to a perfect 360-degree circle or 180-degree triangle 6 Ibid.   P. 15 7 Ibid.   P. 16 8 Ibid.   P. 16 9 Ibid.   P. 17 10 Ibid.   P. 19 11 Ibid.   P. 21 12 I'm assuming here that no one has been able to sustain self-propelled flight. 13 As-Sadr, Muhammad Baqir.   Our Philosophy.   P. 52   

Thoreaus’ Campaign against Blind Obedience to the Government

Led by his disgust against the slavery and the war of the United States against Mexico, Henry David Thoreau (1848) called on men and women to stand up against a government that perpetuates injustices through his essay Resistance to Civil Government, also known as Civil Disobedience. The central tenet of this essay is his pronouncement that â€Å"that government is best, which governs least. † He expounded on the role of the government as being more harmful than helpful to the overall condition of the people in the society.He said that even democracy is not an answer to this, because democracy simply highlights the decision of the majority, which is not necessarily seasoned by wisdom. One of the important expressions of the will of the government is through its laws. Thoreau, however, favors the cultivation of respect towards what is right since the law does not make humans more just. In this essay, he also used the metaphor of the machine in depicting the kind of agency the go vernment is.Moreover, he referred to people who blindly follow the government as robots without conscience. Thoreau also raised his voice against paying taxes and even voting for justice since, according to him, these activities only contribute to the injustices committed by the government. He conceded, however, that he is willing to pay taxes which will directly contribute to the upholding of his neighbor’s good.In a bold statement, he also called for the breaking of the law if the law is unjust. Being put in jail is but another means to assert one man’s freedom since the government cannot really take away from him who he is. Simple living is another value exemplified by Thoreau in his essay. By being simple, he does not have great anxieties. Thoreau’s essay has had far-reaching consequences and influence on subsequent leaders who used civil disobedience. Reference Thoreau, H. D. (1848). On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from http://www.panarchy.org/thoreau/disobedience.1848.html.

My Leadership As A Position Of Leadership - 1830 Words

The ways in which my leadership strengths are capable of being used within in organization had never been something that I had thought about prior to the strength finder activity. For me a position of leadership had always been a potential future responsibility of mine. However, upon taking the strength finder quiz, three of the results that I received were developer, connectedness and learner, and I began to see how I could use these in my work upon graduation. The future of the way in which individuals approach work is changing, no longer is the need of the organizations paramount over the employers. In order to be a productive member of the future of organization, I need to understand how I can use my leadership skills within the†¦show more content†¦Regardless of the difficulty of the situation, when I am approached to offer my assistance, I feel as if my contribution is capable of making a difference; â€Å" no individual is fully formed†¦ each individual is a wor k in progress, alive with possibilities† (Rath, 89). As a leader, I approach situations with positivity; individuals are capable of succeeding when they believe they have people rooting for their success. As a leader, being a support system does not only allow for the growth of the individual, but has the opportunity to lead to a successful organization. As much as our society believes that the way to achieve the highest level of success is through placing the needs of one’s self above the needs of the rest of society, the connectedness that exists in our society shows how interdependent we are. As a young adult, I have heard constantly how we must achieve the highest level of education, outperform our competitors on interviews, and surpass our co-workers work ethic. However, what that leads to is a work environment in which individuals choose not to make a suggestion that benefits the company because they don’t believe that their suggestions will be heard. Rec ognizing that I am able to acknowledge that though, â€Å"â€Å"we are individuals responsible for our own judgments†¦we are apart of something