Defining Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Defining Philosophy Essay Philosophy derives from the two Greek words philein, which means ? to love, and sophia, which means ? knowledge or ? wisdom (Moore Bruder, 2002, p. 2). This is not the only definition of philosophy as philosophy is a very vast subject. A critical examination of reality characterized by rational inquiry that aims at the Truth for the sake of attaining wisdom (Russo Fair, 2000, 4). My interpretation of philosophy is a field of study where one thinks outside of the box in the search for knowledge or wisdom that does not involve scientific explanations. There is no consistency in the nature of philosophical questions. The nature of many philosophical questions concern norms. The application of norms, also known as standards occurs when people decide whether something is good or bad, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly. Normative questions ask about the value of something. The field of science explains how things are but does not tell us how things ought to be. Sometimes philosophical questions arise when different people believe different things. For example, some people believe that a cause-and-effect relationship exists in everything. If a person drinks spoiled milk, he or she will get sick. There are others that believe when one voluntarily decides to do something- nothing made them decide to do that. This refutes the cause-and-effect relationship belief. Then there are many other ways to look at the situation. Is every happening caused? Or are some happenings uncaused? Or is it perhaps that decisions are not happenings? These questions cause a dilemma that involves philosophizing. The importance of some philosophical questions-Is there a God who is attentive, caring, and responsive to us? and Is abortion morally wrong? -is obvious and vast. A justification would have to be given for not contemplating them. But some philosophical questions are of more or less obscure, and seemingly only academic or theoretical, consequence. Not everything philosophers consider is dynamite. But then, every field has its theoretical and non-practical questions. Some questions are inherently interesting to the people who pose them. Some philosophical questions are asked because the philosopher wants to know the answer simply to know the answer. Most philosophical questions tend to fall into one of these four areas: Questions related to being or existence (Metaphysics), Questions related to knowledge (Epistemology), Questions related to values, and Questions of logic or the theory of correct reasoning. Metaphysics and Epistemology are branches of philosophy that are very similar to one another. The questions related to values are standards of conduct and conditions of responsibility. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with these areas: Cosmology- Theory of reality and Ontology- Theory of being. The two basic questions of metaphysics ask what is being?  and what are its fundamental features and properties? Some specific examples of metaphysics questions are: What is the mind? Do people have free will? Metaphysical bookstores, for example, specialize in all sorts of occult subjects, from channeling, harmonic convergence, and pyramid power to past-life hypnotic regression, psychic surgery, and spirit photography. However, the true history of metaphysics is quite different. Metaphysics has little to do with the occult or Tarot cards and the like. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge that asks what is the nature of knowledge and what are the criteria, sources, and limits of knowledge. Specific examples of epistemology questions are: What is truth? and Is it possible to know anything with absolute certainty? The questions related to values involve four different philosophies: (1) moral philosophy (ethics)- is the study of right and wrong in human action or the philosophical study of moral judgments; (2) social philosophy- the philosophical study of society and its institutions; (3) political philosophy- which focuses on the state and seeks to determine its justification and ethically proper organization; And (4) aesthetics- is the study of beauty or the philosophical study of art and of  value judgments about art. Questions of logic or the theory of correct reasoning, seeks to investigate and establish the criteria of valid inference and demonstration. Logic is the study of the principles of right reasoning. Logic is the basic tool that philosophers use to investigate reality. The questions raised by logic are: (1) What makes an argument valid or invalid (2) What is a sound argument? Philosophical questions differ from questions of a scientific or factual nature because philosophical answers usually entail making careful distinctions in thought, words, argument, and recognizing subtle distinctions among things and among facts. Philosophical solutions also require logic and critical thinking skills, discussion, and exposition. Philosophy involves one to learn how to look carefully for similarities and differences among things and develop an ability to spot logical difficulties in what others write or say and to avoid these pitfalls in their own thinking. In addition, in philosophy people learn to recognize and critically assess the important unstated assumptions people make about the world and themselves and other people and life in general. These assumptions affect how people perceive the world and what they say and do; yet for the most part people are not aware of them and are disinclined to consider them critically. Finally, learning philosophical lessons allow people not to become trapped by stubbornness. Philosophical lessons instill the value of open-mindedness and seeking solutions to problems that meet standards of coherence and reasonableness. References Moore, B. N. , Bruder, K. (2002). Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (5th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill Russo, M. , Fair, G. (2000). What is Philosophy Anyway. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 17, 2006 from: http://www. molloy. edu/academic/philosophy/SOPHIA/what_is_philosophy_anyway. htm.

Cloning Essay -- essays research papers fc

With the technological knowledge in the world growing from day to day, there is no way to predict where science may lead us in the future. Just a few years ago, cloning was something of a fictional nature that most scientists had thought about, but never seriously considered it as an experiment. Recently, animals have been cloned, and cloning has become no less than true reality. In a few more years, the knowledge on how to clone humans could be present. Before that advancement arrives, we need to ask ourselves if this knowledge of cloning is a beneficial idea or a destructive one. Cloning will have negative effects on our society in the future because: cloning devalues uniqueness of the individual cloned, clones could be used in crimes or used as weapons, cloned animals that are reintroduced into the ecosystem could cause the ecosystem to change drastically, people who try to clone their dead loved ones will be shocked to find that the clone may resemble the person that they love, but it really isn't the person that they love, finally, animals that are cloned for medical reasons don't deserve to be brought into this world just to be used only for their organs and other body parts. If something isn't done to avoid cloning humans before it is too late, then cloning could upset the balance of our society drastically, possibly causing irreversible mishap in the world as we know it today. The knowledge on how to clone humans doesn't exist yet, but the knowledge on how to clone animals is presently being utilized in research labs worldwide. Standard cloning involves taking DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from a cell of a particular species and transferring it into an egg cell from another animal belonging to the same species or another one. Before this process can take place, the nucleus from the original cell must be removed from that egg. The result is then implanted into the surrogate mother. This mother will then provide the food and nutrients for the embryo to develop until the mother gives birth to the clone. Until recently, the surrogate mother had to be of the same species, but now, with recent technological advances, one species can now give birth to a different species ("Science and Technology" 100). The laundry list of complaints about cloning begins with the fact that cloning humans decreases the value of uniqueness of the individual. Accordi... ...ls." CeresNet 2000.5 Nov. 2000 http://www.ceresnet.org/ViewEntry.cfm?ID=82&Section=outreach Colvin, Jonathon. "Me, my clone, and I (or in defense of human cloning)." The Humanist May/Jun. 2000: 39. Dixon, Dr. Patrick. Don't Clone – 3 Reasons. 31 Oct. 2000 http://www.globalchange.com/noclones.htm Lemonick, Michael D. "Could a clone ever run for President?" Time 8 Nov. 1999: 96. Mayor, Susan. "UK authorities recommend human cloning for therapeutic research." British Medical Journal 98: 1613. Myers, Nichole. Personal Interview. 1 April. 2001. Pavone, Fr. Frank. "What does it mean to be Me?" 31 Oct. 2000 http://www.priestsforlife.org/pressreleases/clonepress.html Rembert, Tracey C. "Me and my shadow." E Jul/Aug. 1997: 15–21. Schaeffer, Pamela. "Many oppose human cloning." National Catholic Reporter 22 Oct. 1999: 19,21. "Science and technology: New kid on the block." The Economist 14 Oct. 2000: 100. "Vatican: No to human cloning." National Catholic Reporter 22 Oct. 1999: 21. Watson, Rory. "European parliament wants world ban on human cloning." British Medical Journal 97: 847 Cloning Essay -- essays research papers fc With the technological knowledge in the world growing from day to day, there is no way to predict where science may lead us in the future. Just a few years ago, cloning was something of a fictional nature that most scientists had thought about, but never seriously considered it as an experiment. Recently, animals have been cloned, and cloning has become no less than true reality. In a few more years, the knowledge on how to clone humans could be present. Before that advancement arrives, we need to ask ourselves if this knowledge of cloning is a beneficial idea or a destructive one. Cloning will have negative effects on our society in the future because: cloning devalues uniqueness of the individual cloned, clones could be used in crimes or used as weapons, cloned animals that are reintroduced into the ecosystem could cause the ecosystem to change drastically, people who try to clone their dead loved ones will be shocked to find that the clone may resemble the person that they love, but it really isn't the person that they love, finally, animals that are cloned for medical reasons don't deserve to be brought into this world just to be used only for their organs and other body parts. If something isn't done to avoid cloning humans before it is too late, then cloning could upset the balance of our society drastically, possibly causing irreversible mishap in the world as we know it today. The knowledge on how to clone humans doesn't exist yet, but the knowledge on how to clone animals is presently being utilized in research labs worldwide. Standard cloning involves taking DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from a cell of a particular species and transferring it into an egg cell from another animal belonging to the same species or another one. Before this process can take place, the nucleus from the original cell must be removed from that egg. The result is then implanted into the surrogate mother. This mother will then provide the food and nutrients for the embryo to develop until the mother gives birth to the clone. Until recently, the surrogate mother had to be of the same species, but now, with recent technological advances, one species can now give birth to a different species ("Science and Technology" 100). The laundry list of complaints about cloning begins with the fact that cloning humans decreases the value of uniqueness of the individual. Accordi... ...ls." CeresNet 2000.5 Nov. 2000 http://www.ceresnet.org/ViewEntry.cfm?ID=82&Section=outreach Colvin, Jonathon. "Me, my clone, and I (or in defense of human cloning)." The Humanist May/Jun. 2000: 39. Dixon, Dr. Patrick. Don't Clone – 3 Reasons. 31 Oct. 2000 http://www.globalchange.com/noclones.htm Lemonick, Michael D. "Could a clone ever run for President?" Time 8 Nov. 1999: 96. Mayor, Susan. "UK authorities recommend human cloning for therapeutic research." British Medical Journal 98: 1613. Myers, Nichole. Personal Interview. 1 April. 2001. Pavone, Fr. Frank. "What does it mean to be Me?" 31 Oct. 2000 http://www.priestsforlife.org/pressreleases/clonepress.html Rembert, Tracey C. "Me and my shadow." E Jul/Aug. 1997: 15–21. Schaeffer, Pamela. "Many oppose human cloning." National Catholic Reporter 22 Oct. 1999: 19,21. "Science and technology: New kid on the block." The Economist 14 Oct. 2000: 100. "Vatican: No to human cloning." National Catholic Reporter 22 Oct. 1999: 21. Watson, Rory. "European parliament wants world ban on human cloning." British Medical Journal 97: 847

Domestic violence against women Essay

Among the different causes of injury to women, domestic violence tops the list, ahead of other causes such as rapes, mugging or even car accidents. According to recent reports by the CDC, there is an abuse of about 15 million children and women annually. Domestic violence lowers human dignity, and therefore, the whole world should come out and condemn it in the strongest terms possible. Many people argue that the women, who are mostly the victims of domestic violence, should also not keep silent about it to protect their spouses, but rather report them to the relevant authorities for the appropriate actions to be taken against the perpetrators. However, that would not be a complete solution to the problem. As a matter of fact, it puts the woman in more danger of a violent attack or even murder, should the man get freed, because they are likely to revenge the actions of the woman through violence. To solve the problem of domestic violence, the procedure has to begin from childhood. The children should be taught how to relate to others in a relationship from a young age at home. But the problem is that domestic violence begins at home, and the children who grow in families with regular violence, are likely to behave the same way in future, to their own families. Therefore, these lessons should be taught at school. Besides teaching our kids about science, mathematics, languages, and technology alone, they should also be taught about relationship skills. This helps them to understand the importance of love and the dignity of humans, deterring them from getting involved in domestic violence in the future. This can be a very effective way of dealing with domestic violence. Let us face it, is almost impossible to rehabilitate domestic violence offenders so that they can live peacefully with their families. Statistics indicate that perpetrators of domestic savagery have repeated the act more than once, and continue to threaten the victim of assault, should they dare counteract. Therefore, teaching a child early enough about relationship skills can be very beneficial to them in future, as they will have the knowledge to understand conflicting situations; making the right decisions and taking the right actions concerning them. The children should also not be exposed to a situation of domestic violence, and those in families with such problems should better be raised away from such an environment. We all have the power and ability to influence a stop to domestic violence. We need to speak about it openly, rather than hiding it. Many people suffer every day from domestic violence, but they are afraid to let it known to people because they fear revenge from the offenders. They are also made to feel that they are at fault for their suffrage. And people will always ask why they do not just walk out of the relationship, without considering the possible consequences they might suffer. Many victims who have broken their relationships because of domestic violence have ended up getting killed by their ex-boyfriends or husbands. There is also stalking of the victims, after they move on, or get married by other people. Therefore, we just ought to make a change, starting with ourselves, in respecting our relationships and our partners. Teaching our children early about relationship skills and raising them in a violence-free environment will in future give rise to a new generation of nonviolent husbands and wives. This is possible if we commit ourselves to making it happen. According to recent researches, children raised in families with domestic violence are more likely to be violent in future to their partners, than the children raised in nonviolent families. This implies that when the children grow up, they develop the characters that they were exposed to. Domestic violence can only thrive when we are silent about it, but when we all team up together to eliminate it, it can no longer be a subject of discussion. It is never late to act against a problem, and similarly, there is much that we can do right now and long into the future, concerning domestic violence. We can start by raising awareness about the issue and letting our family and friends know that we never will tolerate domestic violence and that they should stand together with us in its fight. There also are programs that have been formed to combat domestic violence, which we can support, in order to continue with the efforts of ending the matter in the long run. A difference can only be made when we stand together.

Fiscal Policy And Monetary Policy - 1735 Words

We the government have to find a better way to spend the economic money better to improve our situation. Looking at the two expansionary which is fiscal and monetary policy to find out a way to find the economic. It is macroeconomic policy that pursues to enlarge the money supply to boost economic growth or combat inflation. One of the form is fiscal policy of expansionary policy, which comes in the method of tax cuts, discounts and increased government spending. Expansionary policies do come from central banks, which focus on cumulative the money supply in the economy. Now let look at the break down of expansionary policy which deal with the fiscal policy and monetary policy. The U.S. Federal Reserve pays expansionary policies whenever it†¦show more content†¦In the book it say: Discretionary fiscal policy is the intentional use of taxing or government spending to affect the level of output, employment, and prices. Even if governments change their levels of spending or taxe s for other reasons, policy makers are very conscious of the effects these actions will have on output, employment, and the price level. Most economists in the classical tradition consider fiscal policy to be of limited benefit, sometimes even harmful (Amacher, 2012). Fiscal policy can be used in direction to both stimulate an inactive economy or to slow down an economy that is developing at a rate that is getting out of control, which have a potential to lead to inflation or advantage. Fiscal policy openly touches the aggregate demand of an economy. Reminiscence that aggregate demand is the entire number of final goods and services in an economy, which contain consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports. For example: Aggregate Demand = Consumption + Investment + Government Spending + Net Exports. Fiscal policy has a result on each of these groups. There are two types of fiscal policy which are expansionary and contractionary. When our economy is in a recession, expansionary fiscal policy is in effect. Normally this kind of fiscal policy consequences in enlarged government spending and/or inferior taxes. A recession consequences in a recessionary hole which mean that aggregate