September 1st, 2010
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Gottfried Leibniz was a German mathematician and rationalist philosopher. Along with Newton, he invented differential and integral calculus. He was a widely talented and traveled individual in his early manhood. Leibniz made many friendships with many scientists, philosophers and political figures of his time.
Leibniz was born, and raised, in Leipzig, Germany on June 21, 1646. He was the son of Friedrich Leibniz, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Leipzig. Friedrich died when Gottfried was six years old. When he was very young, Leibniz taught himself Latin and spent a great amount of time studying in his father’s library. At the age of 15, he entered the University of Leipzing. There he studied philosophy and mathematics. He graduated in 1663 with a thesis on the principle of individuation. Read more…
In the eighteenth century, the people of Europe began to open their eyes and see past the religious, political and philosophical dogma that had been blinding them for almost a thousand years. This era is now known as the Enlightenment and is a turning point in history that transformed the ancient world into its modern state. The fore-runners of this movement were artists and writers whose ideas, by way of their works, spread across the European continent and into other parts of the world. A country that symbolizes this movement is France, the home of the philosophes.
The French novelist Voltaire satirizes certain institutions and beliefs in Candide in order to spread his messages across the globe. In his most famous work, Candide, he tells the tale of a young man’s adventures across the globe in search of his true love. While the title character travels, he learns to reject certain parts of society and the social structure. In Candide, Voltaire satirizes philosophy, romance, and religion. Read more…
Overview
In the Western tradition, Renaissance Philosophy referred to the period after Medieval Philosophy but before Modern Philosophy. There were no exact dates delineating the period, but many would roughly estimate it as extending from 14th to 17th centuries. Much of this period can also be seen as a reaction to and a move away from the ideas and schools that dominated the medieval period. As the Renaissance heightened its uprising against the reign of religion and therefore reacted against the church, against authority, and against Scholasticism, there was a sudden flourishing of interest in problems centering on civil society, man, and nature. These interests found exact representation in the three dominant strands of Renaissance philosophy: Humanism, Platonism, and Aristotelianism.
I. HUMANISM
I am a man, and nothing human is foreign to me.- Terence (Latin writer)
Etymologically, the word humanism came from the Latin word h?m?nus meaning kind man or humane. During the Italian Renaissance humanism was defined as a specific intellectual program. Humanism meant an appreciation for Classical learning and a revival of the concerns of Classical learning (those which were humanistic in the Greek sense and a turning away from what was seen as the obscurantism and scholasticism). In philosophy, humanism stressed the importance of human beings and their nature and place in the universe. The movement Humanism emerged in Italy and spread to France, Germany, the Netherlands and England toward from the 1300s to the 1500s. Read more…
Scottish Skeptic David Hume inspired Immanuel Kant, of the East Prussian town of Konigsberg, to awaken from his dogmatic slumbers, thought to be the sleep of the most adequate reason. David Hume wrote his first book, A Treatise of Human Nature, in native Britain proposing that all knowledge is based on individual experience or habit and that our morality is subject only to our emotions. This shook Kant’s “manifold” just enough, enough to inspire him to write his first major philosophical contribution. What did Kant do for Hume, after Hume made such a profound impact on him and his philosophy? Immanuel somewhat proved illogical David’s statement arguing on mathematical certainties, all the while intending to invalidate and destroy Humean Skepticism, and thus turned the historical course of Western Philosophy into a new direction, a moral one. Kant made it look simple, or at least he made making an impact look simple. Although the layout of The Critique of Pure Reason is laborious, long winded, and confusing at times (especially for the first time college undergraduate), Kant still manages to carefully, in one simple device, negate the argument for mathematical certainty, however I would like to argue that Kant knowing did so even though it is not event the case that counter examples may provide some non-analytic trait that Kant was well aware of. Hume claimed it was certain that all algebraic, we’ll just say mathematical in future reference, was analytic.
Essentially, – Hume supported that there could be total-absolute-certainty in mathematics, e.g. mathematically held logical certain truths. All mathematical equations- analytical and logical equations- must be sound and therefore, according to Humean Skepticism, the only certainty by fact. Kant’s argument states that math, is not analytical, concluding, the argument Hume had presented in the Treaties, could not be true. Read more…
For ages people have been arguing the virtues of Greek and Chinese philosophy. The question is, which is more convincing? Both have points that could be well defended. Only one can come out a winner. I believe that Greek philosophy is more convincing because of its view of human nature, structure of government, and the role of people.
Human nature is a big thing. It represents who you are and what you are like. Han Fei is a Chinese legalist. He believes that humans are naturally born evil. That’s crazy. No one has heard of anyone being born evil. Han Fei states that “suffering a small pain is the way to obtain a great benefit…..” On the other hand, Greek Philosopher Aristotle believes that everyone is alike and can’t be born evil. He also says that people can be corrupted and that people need happiness. That’s good to know. “ Clearly the intelligence of the people is not to be relied upon.”, Han Fei states. He believes that people are evil with jealousy. I think that Greek philosophy is more successful because it shows that people aren’t born evil. Read more…
