Philosophical and Sociological Concepts: Key Thinkers & Theories
Key Philosophical and Sociological Concepts
Philosophical Perspectives on Humanity and Society
Descartes
René Descartes understood the human being as a self-consciousness.
Kant
Immanuel Kant argued that reason orders and imposes its laws on the world, thereby configuring it.
Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau contended that men have lost their natural state of goodness due to society. He believed they must decide what their nature should be.
Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche was a thinker who dared to push the
Read MoreBioethical Dilemmas: Eugenics, Abortion, and End-of-Life Care
Bioethics: Fundamental Concepts and Debates
Bioethics is a field of study concerned with the ethical implications of biological and medical advances. It addresses moral questions arising from healthcare, life sciences, and biotechnology.
Eugenics: Historical Context and Modern Trends
Eugenics refers to agencies that may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations. It encompasses two possible actions: the selection of certain human groups and the rejection of others.
Eugenics in Antiquity
In
Read MoreUnderstanding Responsibility: Legal, Moral, and Societal Dimensions
What It Means to Be Responsible
Responsibility, in its various forms, defines our accountability for actions and their consequences:
- Legal Responsibility:
- Historically, it meant “to answer,” i.e., the defense of something in a trial or the justification for an action that has been called into question.
- Subsequently, also in the legal field, it was established that when someone causes harm to another, they must assume the repair of damages or an equivalent (fines, imprisonment, etc.) as legally established.
Truth: Origins, Criteria, and Philosophical Perspectives
The Concept of Truth
Origin of the Word “Truth”
The word “verdad” (truth) has rich origins across different languages:
- In Greek, aletheia means what is not hidden, what is apparent. Its opposite, pseudo, signifies disguise. Thus, truth, in the Greek sense, is the discovery of things, the disclosure of what is.
- In Latin, veritas refers to accuracy and precision. This word emphasizes truthfulness, which is opposed to lying or deception.
- In Hebrew, Emunah expresses truth. A true friend is one with whom
Modern Philosophy: Origins, Movements, and Key Thinkers
Modern Philosophy: Foundations and Key Eras
The Dawn of Modern Thought: The Renaissance (14th-16th Centuries)
The modern age commenced with a transitional period known as the Renaissance. Emerging in Italy at the end of the 14th century, this movement of renewal and change primarily unfolded throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. These transformations manifested in a new way of understanding the human being, known as humanism, and a new approach to studying nature, leading to modern science. This
Read MorePhilosophical Foundations: Freedom, State, and Law
Philosophical Perspectives on Freedom
The Postulate of Freedom
For Jean-Paul Sartre, we are free to choose different courses of action, but we are not free to decide if we want to be free. Human species-being means to be free.
Baruch Spinoza believes that human beings tend to think they are free because they ignore the real causes involved in making their decisions.
For Emmanuel Kant, it is a conceivable possibility that we might never come to understand what freedom is. For this philosopher, freedom
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