Actually, in the interim I absolutely concur with it, I am additionally puzzled about it. The reality of the matter is that the soul, in the event that it is genuine, is most likely non-physical. What I don't acknowledge is having the capacity to think about something you never observed or touched. How might you consider something you have no clue about what it is, something you can't speak to? How might you be so sure of its reality?…
A Juxtaposition of the Metaphysics of Aquinas and Kant Two key philosophers that one must examine in order to gain a better grasp of metaphysics are Saint Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant. Through a thorough examination of both thinkers’ metaphysical philosophies, one can conclude that they differ in their beliefs regarding the origin and essence of beings and Being. In his examination of metaphysics, Saint Thomas Aquinas believes that in order to understand being and Being, one must start with God and His heaven, and use his God-given intellect to understand the phenomenal world. However, Kant believes the opposite in that he claims that in order to understand being and Being, one must begin with observing and analyzing the phenomenal world,…
The underlying reason for the soul being a special material is that it affects not just our daily bodily processes, but also immaterial things (i.e. sensations of love, happiness, betrayal that are not tied down to one specific part of the body). This is significant because he means that if a person were to lose his arm, he would still be able to experience things like love and happiness. Even though he has lost part of the body (and therefore some little part of the soul that caused sensations in his arm), the rest of his soul remains intact so he is not deprived of the feeling of other sensations. In this sense, the body cannot produce sensation on its own and needs the soul. In this way, the soul acts upon the body (i.e. causes/creates sensations that can be felt), but it is also dependent on the body because the body acts on the soul through providing a vehicle for things to be felt; after death, the body ceases to exist and the soul has nothing through which to furnish sensations.…
The subject of philosophy is a study that can be viewed in many different ways. Some ways vary in extremes from one another, but they all wish to pursue the same thing; the understanding of knowledge and human excellence. One of the most popular arguments is the comparison of mind and body. Through this paper I will go in depth on the individuals theories and discoveries, then compare them using the ideas from Plato’s Phaedo and Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy. Both philosophers share the same ideas on dualism, and believe the body to be inferior to the mind and/or soul.…
Throughout history, numerous rulers have demonstrated characteristics that are necessary to properly be a leader. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, loyalty, trustworthiness, compassion, commitment, confidence, etc.… Combined, these characteristics cultured some of the greatest leaders this world has ever seen, however, what exactly is a good leader? Is it someone who brings among a movement like Gandhi and Nelson Mandela? Or is it someone like Napoleon, who uses cunning strategies to keep his people safe?…
In the Phaedo, Socrates argues that practicing philosophy is practicing for death. In the paper that follows, I will explain why Socrates argues that philosophy is to learning to die based on the theory of anamnesis and how this connects with the present day theory of biocentrism where the soul takes a central part in understanding the universe. First, I will detail the theory of anamnesis in the Meno. Then, I will show how based on the theory that philosophy is learning to die as outlined in the Phaedo. Finally, I will connect the theory of anamnesis and the theory of philosophy as preparing for death to biocentrism in the twenty-first century.…
Aristotle and Machiavelli Aristotle and Niccolo Machiavelli are widely known for their political pieces and their controversial views. Though one can disagree with these theories and views of the society, one cannot deny that their ideas are still an interesting topic of discussion today. While both political scientist explain as to why society and humans are the way they are, it is obvious that these two have very different positions in this matter but still overall use this to explain the role in both man and woman. Both Aristotle and Machiavelli use the role of nature in their political pieces, but arguments solely based on nature cannot serve an egalitarian purpose. This paper will show how nature is used by addressing both Aristotle’s…
The scholastics interpretation of the soul is based on "the doctrine of body in terms of (primary)…
Nonetheless, one of the primary notes that Aristotle makes in demonstrating this application of this theory to bodies and souls is indeed difficult to deny. He claims that for any body, of any kind “having life,” (or, the body of a living being), the body itself “cannot be soul” (Aristotle 412a19). This indeed is a claim that is generally accepted, for the claim that the body and the soul are distinct neither a new nor a radical claim. Hence, for animate bodies, the body itself “is the subject or matter, not what is attributed to it” (Aristotle 412a19). If the body is a substance in the sense of matter, it follows that the soul, then, is the “substance in the…
The soul roams around a little bit. Aristotle tries to explain that the body is another version of the soul when the body is awake in the morning and if something is done wrong the body and soul feel it and when it is night time when the body is resetting the soul comes out of the body and does what the body would do and if anything is done wrong while the soul is not in the body it affects the soul and the body itself if it did not do anything. This can be related to free will because the…
To begin, Aristotle defines and contrasts both practical and theoretical wisdom. Practical wisdom is defined by Aristotle as being, “a truthful rational characteristic of acting in matters involving what is good for man” (Aristotle Ethics, pg. 154). In other words, practical wisdom is concerned with deciding what a good course of action for man is. On the other hand about theoretical wisdom, Aristotle writes, “a wise man must not only know what follows from fundamental principles, but he must also have true knowledge of the fundamental principles themselves. Accordingly, theoretical wisdom must comprise both intelligence and scientific knowledge”(Aristotle Ethics, pg. 156).…
In the Phaedo, Plato provides several arguments in an attempt to prove the immorality of the soul. In this essay, I will focus on his Final Argument, which describes the Forms as causes, subject to destruction or displacement when the particular undergoes some change. Next, I will show how Socrates applies these ideas to argue for the immortality of the soul. Finally, I will present a few reservations I have about the validity of this argument.…
He believed that both body and soul are parts of human nature. The soul is the total of the operations of human beings. Aristotle tries to explain his understanding between body and soul using an analogy of an axe. He explained that the body would be metal and wood.…
Many things have changed since man was first made out of the dust of the earth, but the passage of time finds humanity today continuing to struggle with reality (and themselves) just as their predecessors did many years ago. Worldview (that is, one’s perception of reality) is critical to how an individual comes to terms with such things, as it both shapes and is shaped by the person who holds it. Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, is no exception, but is noteworthy as much of Western thought stems from the contemplations of his enigmatic mind. The worldview held by this philosopher is based upon a moral framework of absolutely defined good and evil, a separation between a true self called “soul” and the physical body (just as archetypes…
This essay shall describe the natures of matter, form and privation on The Principles of Nature by Thomas Aquinas. Matter can be distinguished in two: matter out of which, and matter in which. The first matter is potentiality to substantial being and the latter is one to accidental being, a subject which gives being to accidents. These matters can be being through substantial form and accidental form respectively. These two forms separate generation to unconditional and accidental since “generation is motion toward a form” (P.3).…