Strategies of Social Control and Scientific Revolutions
Noam Chomsky: Strategies of Social Control
1. The Strategy of Distraction: The basic element of social control is the strategy of distraction, which is to divert public attention from important issues and changes determined by the political and economic elites through the technique of flooding or a continuous flood of distractions and trivial information. This strategy is also essential to keep the public interested in essential knowledge in the areas of science, economics, psychology, neurobiology,
Read MoreMaterialism and the Mind-Body Problem in Philosophy
Materialism and the Mind-Body Problem
Physicalism (Materialism)
Physicalism, also known as materialism, posits that reality is fundamentally matter. Everything else is added because matter exists. The mind arises from matter (as proposed by Marx). Everything that exists depends on the subject. There is nothing more than matter. It makes the positive claim that all reality can be summed up by the scientific method. Physicalists are those who use science to understand reality.
Sensationalism
Sensationalism
Read MoreBehaviorism: Philosophical Roots and Key Influences
Philosophical Roots of Behaviorism
Behaviorism, as a school of thought in psychology, is deeply rooted in several philosophical traditions. These traditions provide the foundational concepts that shape the behaviorist perspective on human nature and learning.
Atomism, Materialism, and Determinism
- Atomism: This concept suggests that understanding a complex whole can be achieved by breaking it down into its smallest, most specific parts.
- Materialism: This emphasizes that everything, including thoughts
Human Security: Threats, Prevention, and Global Responsibility
Human Security
- Human security is the combination of threats associated with war, genocide, and the displacement of populations. At a minimum, human security means freedom from violence and from the fear of violence.
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Measuring human security
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What variables to include?
- Go to the Human Development Report, Freedom House
- Pick four variables
- Then choose five countries to compare
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Considering relationships
- Human insecurity (political violence) -> Human insecurity (underdevelopment)
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What variables to include?
Crisis Prevention of Human
Read MoreNietzsche’s Critique of Western Philosophy: From Socrates to Plato
Nietzsche’s Critique of Western Philosophy
Friedrich Nietzsche, a major figure in the history of thought, influenced many later philosophers and was a forerunner of the hermeneutical method (Heidegger, and Ricoeur). His work addresses influences such as Heidegger’s concept of nihilism. This analysis explains Nietzsche’s critique of Western philosophy, establishing comparisons between authors, beginning with Socrates and Plato, and those responsible for corrupting Western philosophy. They are accused
Read MoreMetaphysics: Materialism, Dualism, and the Nature of Reality
The term ‘metaphysics’ originated from the ordering of Aristotle’s works, placed after his ‘physics’ writings, signifying ‘what comes after physics’. Aristotle defined it as ‘first philosophy,’ the study of ‘first principles and first causes,’ encompassing questions about reality, essence, substance, and being.
Materialism
Materialism is a doctrine that denies the existence of spiritual beings or an independent ideal world. Consequently, it also denies the influence of such beings on physical world
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