Philosophical Concepts: Kant, Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx
Kantian Maxim Definition
The maxim is the subjective principle that determines the subject’s will, moving them to act.
Unique Actions for Kantian Morality
Kant argues that theoretical reason cannot ignore empirical data. However, for moral decisions, practical reason is used, focusing on how humans should behave.
Common Features of Sophist Thinking
- Relativism: The absence of absolute truths.
- Skepticism: The impossibility of knowing absolute truths.
- Detachment of Language from Reality.
- Conventionalism: Morality and society are products of human agreement.
Socrates’ Indictments and Conviction
Accused of introducing new divinities and corrupting youth, Socrates was disliked for his views on the Athenian state and religion. He was mistaken for a Sophist.
Cynicism vs. Other Post-Socratic Schools
Cynicism emphasizes asceticism and mental exercise for self-sufficiency, differing from Stoicism in its shamelessness.
Comparison: Brave New World and 1984
Similarities: Both depict societies controlled by lies and manipulation.
Differences: 1984 focuses on fear and war manipulation, while Brave New World emphasizes control through programming and conditioning.
Theories on the Origin of Moral Values
Subjectivist vs. Objectivist positions.
Nietzsche’s Critique of Judeo-Christian Morality
Nietzsche argues that Judeo-Christian morality leads to a bias against life by suppressing human instincts, as discussed in The Birth of Tragedy.
Freud’s Principal Contribution
Freud gave scientific status to the concept of the unconscious, proposing a layered mind where primitive drives influence behavior through slips and dreams.
Marx vs. Nietzsche on History
Nietzsche attributes social conflicts to individualistic human nature, limiting social reconstruction. Marx sees history driven by class struggle, not individual causes.
For Nietzsche, human weakness causes revolution and sentimentalism.
For Marx, revolutions result from class struggle and the conflict between productive forces and relations of production.