Philosophy When I was born, I did not know the difference between right and wrong. Now, I do. The word philosophy means the love of knowledge. One type of knowledge is propter quid, which ask the question why or how. In this paper, I will demonstrate how Socrates, Hume and Aristotle, three well known philosophers, would explain how I acquired this knowledge in relation to the principles of right and wrong. Socrates is the first philosopher, I will discuss. Since Socrates did not write anything down, Socrates thinking is told through his student, Plato, who wrote his teachers' thoughts. Socrates is an idealist who believes that things are in born. Therefor he believed that before we are born our soul knows everything, but when we are born our mind is a tabular rasa (blank slate). As we grow day by day, we recollect the knowledge from our soul. … the soul, that is, the human mind, before it is united with the body, is aquatinted with the intelligible world or the world of Forms. In this prior existence, the true knowledge. After its union with a human body, a person's mind contains its knowledge deep in its memory. True knowledge in this world consists of remembering, in reminiscence or recollection. What the mind or soul once knew is raised to present awareness by a process of recollection aided by the technique of dialect or the Socratic method. (Stumpf 260) This is known as the theory of recollection. The theory of recollection is told through Plato in the Phaedo and the Meno. In the theory of recollection "Socrates' answer to the paradox is that knowledge is recollection. This thesis allows a man to have ideas of which he later becomes conscious by recollection; thereby overcoming the sharp division between not-knowing and knowing, and justifying inquiry." (Sternfeld, 35) Socrates states in the Meno " A man cannot inquire about what he...
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added: 07/18/2011
1. Introduction The Theory of Constraints (or TOC as it is called) is a relatively recent development in the practical aspect of making organizational decisions in situations in which constraints exist. Premise: In every organization there is at least one constraint - anything that limits the ability of a system to achieve its goal. Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt first described the theory in his novel, The Goal. In many organizations, TOC and TOC logic form major portions of that organization's philosophy of continuous improvement. The Theory of Constraints has been used at three different levels: a) Production Management - TOC was initially applied here to solve problems of bottlenecks, scheduling, and inventory reduction. b) Throughput Analysis - Application of TOC has caused a shift from cost-based decision making to decision-making based on continuous improvement of processes in which system throughput, system constraints, and statistically determined protective capacities at critical points are key elements. c) Theory of Constraints Logical Processes - This third level is the general application of TOC reasoning to attack a variety of process problems within organizations. TOC logic is applied to identify what factors are limiting an organization from achieving its goals, developing a solution to the problem, and getting the individuals in the process to invent the requisite changes for themselves. A constraint is anything in an organization that limits it from moving toward or achieving its goal. Of course, this assumes that an appropriate goal has been defined. For most business organizations the goal is to make money now as well as in the future. There are two basic types of constraints: physical constraints and non-physical constraints. A physical constraint is something like the physical capacity of a machine. A non-physical constraint might be something like demand for a product, a corporate procedure, or an individual's paradigm for looking at the world 2. Problem Identification One...
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added: 12/19/2011
In Plato's dialogue entitled "Meno," the title character Meno confronts Socrates about a supposed paradox concerning the nature of inquiry. This paradox holds that inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible. Given a particular object, if you know what it is, then inquiry is unneeded, and if you don't know what it is, then inquiry is impossible because one would not know even where to begin. In response, Socrates introduces his theory of recollection (TOR) as a solution to Meno's Paradox. The TOR seeks to explain how we acquire knowledge and claims that what seems on the surface to be learning something new is, in actuality, just a process of recollecting that which our soul already inherently possesses. In this paper, I will argue that Meno's Paradox is based upon the fallacy of equivocation and thus does not really exist. I will also show that Socrates' TOR is unsound, in that it does not account for empirical inquiry and is based upon two false implicit premises. In order to understand why Meno's Paradox is based upon a fallacy of equivocation, it is necessary to understand more clearly the arguments of Meno's Paradox. The first premise (P1) of Meno's paradox is that if you know what you are looking for, then inquiry is unnecessary. It is unnecessary because you already know that for which you are looking. The second premise (P2) is that if you do not know what you are looking for, then inquiry is impossible. The reason this is so is that if you don't know something, then it is not even clear where to begin a search for the answer to a thing. (:.) The conclusion of this paradox is that inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible. This paradox seems to raise serious doubt as to inquiry being a means...
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added: 01/15/2012
Evolution and State Science is one of the most important fields of study in our society. People also make religion an important part of our lives. So who decides which one is really right when they contradict each other? In the State vs. John Scopes trial, or "The Monkey Trial", the state of Tennessee made their own laws based on the thoughts of the people with power. Tennessee had an anti-evolution statute, which made it against the law for any school to teach Darwin's theory of evolution. John Scopes was a simple teacher that believed in the study of science, and felt that evolution should be taught to children because schools should be obligated to give both sides of an argument, instead of teaching a one sided view that is thought of best by the state. The state of Tennessee was a majority of religious people who had much faith, but just like the theory of evolution, the theory of creation had no real solid evidence, which in essence makes both theories. The State vs. John Scopes trial was one that the Supreme Court got involved in and showed how the government of democracy cannot be reliable on decisions that are very controversial and unjust. The anti-evolution statute that the state of Tennessee had was truly unjust for many reasons. First, it violated John Scopes basic right of freedom of speech. It also forced students to learn about religion and pretty much made schools into propaganda for what the majority of the state wanted. This statute had students more associated with God and not on what truly was important, education. The object of school was to give students the best education that could be provided by the state, but because of the interests of the state, they students were getting cheated out...
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Running Head: BEHAVIORAL THEORY AND MYTHOLOGY Behavioral Theory and the Mythology that Surrounds Behaviorism Psychology 271, Fall 2003 - Burgess Jaclyn A. Shandy-Pinto California State University, Sacramento Behavior is a core part of our everyday experience. What we do and why we behave in specific ways has been a topic of debate for centuries. Over 3,000 years ago, the Greeks began to have philosophical discussions about our behavior, intelligence, emotions, thoughts and dreams. Early philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were among the first to question how we learn and what is knowledge, behavior and intelligence. It was around this time period that science and psychology (science of behavior) began to emerge. For many years, learning and behavior were attributed to "internal" causations. We behave in specific ways because we "want to" or because we "need to." It was thought that something inside of a person determined what that person did. It was not until the "theory of evolution" was formed that internal causations for behavior were questioned. Darwin suggested there was a continuity of species and humans and other organisms were part of an ongoing evolutionary process, subject to similar influences and principles such as natural selection and the survival of the fittest. This suggested that we were the same as other organisms and led to the research of animals, animal behavior and animal learning. If it is true that there is an internal cause to human behavior, than would it also be true that animals have "minds" since they display reflexes and had organs similar to the human? Watson was among the first to study this notion by looking at instincts and replacing "feelings" and "states of mind" with habits. He noted that behavior was the observed form of instincts and habits. Watson began an early movement in psychology that is referred...
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added: 09/19/2011
Why are we here? How are we here? What can account for the broad diversity of life we see around us every day? These are the questions man has been asking for thousands of years. It has only been recently, however, that science was sophisticated enough for us to be able to approach the real answer. Anyone can tell you that the currently accepted explanation is the Theory of Evolution. In the early to mid 1800s, the Theory of Evolution was being formed in the minds of many scientists, but it was first given voice by Charles Darwin in his Origin of Species. He proposed that a process called natural selection acts on random variation within a species to cause only the most fit of that species to survive and leave fertile offspring. Natural Selection is a process that ?chooses? specific individuals based on their characteristics, by allowing them to survive and multiply, whereas less suited individuals die out. Thus, over time, only those organisms most suited to their particular environment survive, and organisms become more and more specialized and sophisticated. Darwin?s theory was widely hailed at the time of its publication as being an excellent explanation for the diversity of living things on our planet, and as time has passed, it has only gained more acceptance. Generally, the only opposition to the theory came from religious circles, who insisted that the world was created in six days and all the animals and plants were created exactly as we see them. While many in the public clung to their beliefs, this obviously did not have much support from the scientific community. After all, there is very little evidence for such a creation, and there is plentiful evidence for evolution. However, in more recent times, other, more legitimate challenges to the Theory of...
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added: 07/23/2011
It was aural sensory overload as I collapsed on the floor of my best friend's living room. My eyes were completely useless in the pitch black of the room, but my ears were alert. I could imagine the sound swirling around my head. It was beautiful; like sirens calling to a restless voyager. I had found the music that I had unknowingly been searching for. I had landed on its shores and planted my flag. The sound I was hearing was exciting me to the point that sleep was impossible. It was the first time I had experienced the music of 311, and it was a sleep over that I would never forget.
There are very few bands that have survived the eclectic and turbulent music scene of the nineties. 311 just so happens to be one of those bands. They are survivors. 311 is an amazing band for the following reasons, their longevity, their positive message and their amazing live show. They have worked for every success they have achieved, receiving little love from the media and radio alike. They have acquired a huge underground following, sold millions of albums, and have toured all over the world, often selling out many of the venues they play. 311 have acquired the success that every underground musician or band dreams of, and they did it their way, without compromising their values or their music.
They are a band for the ages, but their drive remains ageless. 311 is unique for their longevity. They have been together for the past twelve years, and that is highly unusual in a world of passing fads and one-hit wonders. 311 formed in 1991 when self-proclaimed "best friends for life" Nick Hexum, Tim Mahoney, Chad Sexton, Doug Martinez (a.k.a. S.A.) and Aaron Wills (a.k.a. P-Nut), decided that they...
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added: 09/06/2011
The inventive world of Wonderland and Alice's journey in to her own imagination is more then merely a children's story. Looking deep at the symbols and structure of the story one can see that it becomes more complex and abstract as Alice gets deeper and deeper in her journey in Wonderland. Lewis Carol wrote the book in 1876 and Disney produced its own animated version of Alice in Wonderland no more then twenty years ago. The Disney production aimed at a younger audience, shows Wonderland as a very colourful and vibrant place, full of flowers, trees and a majestic garden of wonder and glory. Although Disney is successful at doing that, it fails in showing the hidden aspects of the story, the aspects of the novel that need to be dug into to comprehend. This is most likely because it was aimed a younger audience.
The symbolism that is used helps to create a deeper understanding of the true meaning of the story. When just watching or reading the story one may think that from the looks of it, the story about Alice falling through a rabbit-hole and finding herself in a silly and nonsense world, is fairly guileless as a tale. The underlying story, the one about a girl maturing away from home in what seems to be a world ruled by chaos and nonsense, is quite a frightening one. All the time, Alice finds herself confronted in different situations involving various different and curious animals being all alone. She hasn't got any help at all from home or the world outside of Wonderland. This represents a theme of abandonment.
The main theme of the story is Alice's identity crisis and her journey to find her identity. This young girl's journey is symbolic of universal growth and self-discovery. As Alice learns...
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added: 10/10/2011
In every part of our body there reigns a tiny yet complex life. An examination under the microscope into the depths of any human organ brings us face to face with an astounding miracle of creation: millions of tiny living things that have come together to make up that organ are engaged in arduous activity. These tiny beings are cells, the basic units of life. Not only man but also all other living things are composed of these microscopic living beings.
There are about 100 trillion cells in the human body. Some of these cells are so tiny that even 1 million of them together hardly cover a space as large as the pointed end of a pin. Despite this, however, the cell is by far the most complex structure mankind has ever encountered, as is also agreed by the scientific community. Containing many secrets hitherto undiscovered, the cell of a living thing also constitutes the greatest impasse for the theory of evolution. That is because the cell is one of the most striking pieces of evidence that human beings and all other living beings are not the products of coincidences, but are created by a Creator.
In order for the cell to survive, all the basic components of the cell, each performing many vital functions, have to be intact. If the cell came into existence by evolution, then millions of its components had to simultaneously exist in the same place and they had to come together in a particular order and plan. Since this is utterly implausible, such a structure has no explanation other than "creation." One of the leading evolutionists, Alexander Oparin, expressed the deadlock the theory of evolution encountered in this way:
"Unfortunately, the origin of the cell remains a question which is actually the darkest point of the complete...
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added: 10/13/2011
The theory of Evolution says that at the very beginning of life were plankton. Those plankton evolved and became more and more complex organisms. Depending on their environment and choices, the organisms that were created were different in their (physical) appearance and behavior. Now, the Earth has a very diversified fauna and flora living in their respective biosphere. All the living species are classified according to their physical traits and behavior. However, one specie present differences among their group: the Human Being. In fact, Humans are easily recognizable at least physically, but since they have something more that makes them more complex to study- the ability to think- they present difficulties to be assimilated as a homogeneous group. Since each human being has a unique character, do not expect them to behave the same way in front of a same situation. Therefore, a deep study into the causes that may influence their choice must be much more interesting and helpful in order to understand that behavioral difference. Then, the right question one must ask is: What makes people behave differently? To find answers to this dilemma, in this essay will be analyzed successively three important reasons or factors that may lead people to behave in a way or another: the influence of the environment, of the people around and of the experience.
First, the most common source of learning for an individual is his immediate and natural environment. By that is meant his culture, his religion or civilization. It is well known that people of the same culture share many things in common such as lifestyle and general behavior. You are more likely to find people doing similar things in a same area or culture. The way people behave in Africa will not be the same as for the ones in...
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added: 10/16/2011