Plato’s Idealism and Kant’s Critical Philosophy
Plato’s Core Philosophy
Seeking True Knowledge
Plato sought to build a system of wisdom not based on fleeting sense perception or mere opinion, but rather on an understanding of what things truly are.
He argued that to discover the real essence of things, one cannot rely on subjective opinion, but must strive for an understanding of the objective reality.
The World of Forms and the Allegory of the Cave
Plato posited the existence of Forms (or Ideas) that make the sensible world comprehensible. While
Read MoreLanguage, Identity, and Universal Concepts in Philosophy
Language as a Pre-Existing Sphere
A key moment comes when Socrates asks: “Is he Greek, and does he speak Greek?” This is not merely about communication—it suggests that dialogue depends on a shared conceptual world. Language exists before we speak it; it is a system of meaning passed through generations. To speak, then, is to step into a timeless structure in which the present is shaped by the accumulated memory of the past. Language—and by extension writing—becomes a vessel of collective
Read MoreUnderstanding Ethics and Morality: Principles and Theories
Human actions, both individual and social, are regulated by legal rules, social norms, religious doctrines, and also by principles, values, and moral standards, whether rudimentary or sophisticated.
Ethics and Morality are terms that, by their etymology, refer to customs in terms of regulating human actions and the construction of the moral character of individuals and societies to dignify the human person and life. While morality studies and proposes specific codes and values, ethics, as a branch
Read MoreHuman Evolution: Intelligence, Classification, and Traits
The Process of Humanization and Intelligence
The process of humanization begins the moment intelligence manifests. Humanization acts on the natural evolution occurring within the human species, consisting of the development of the human species through intelligence. It is believed that intelligence is deployed in practice, communication, and the transmission of knowledge. This awakens the potential of intelligence, and its further development is both biological and cultural. Human intelligence develops
Read MoreJohn Rawls’s Theory of Justice: Principles and Impact
John Rawls: A Pivotal 20th-Century Philosopher
John Rawls was a 20th-century American philosopher who worked chiefly in the fields of ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of law. Rawls is considered by many to be the most important political philosopher of the 20th century, and his landmark book, A Theory of Justice, is praised for having attempted to unite many competing political theories that many had judged incompatible. Rawls rejected both Marx’s communism and Mill’s utilitarianism to
Read MoreAristotle vs. Plato: Justice, State, and Governance
Aristotle and Plato: Competing Visions of Justice and the State
Aristotle’s Conception of Justice
For Aristotle, justice is the virtue that consists in total compliance with laws. However, he also refers to it as a particular virtue that regulates interpersonal relationships by imposing equal treatment. These conceptions of justice reveal the connection between ethics and politics in Aristotle’s thought:
- The idea of legal justice shows that ethics depends on politics; if virtue is to obey all laws,