Rousseau's, "The Social Contract", published in 1762 after the success of his of several of his previous works, became one of the most influential pieces of abstract political thought in Western tradition. Many historians have in fact argued that Rousseau's abstract theories on t...

The problem of 'free will' and the responsibility for exercising 'free will' have been among the central issues of philosophical and religious thought since ancient times. In Christian theology, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Soren Kierkegaard among others have ...

In Dostoevsky's work, the Inquisitor presents his case with many wordy arguments. He cleverly discusses the issue of Catholicism, the freedom inherent in oppression and the joy and peace of submission to the iron will of another. The Inquisitor speaks from the position of a dictator; an entit...

Who is God? A theme that Gerard Hopkins seems to have spent his life exploring and attempting to answer through his poetry. By exploring nature around him, Hopkins adds insight to God's relationship with and essential role to man-- that of creator and redeemer. In his poem "Windhover&quo...

Descartes second consideration on the existence of God relies on his belief of the certainty of clear and distinct perceptions. In the meditations prior to meditation five Descartes emphasized the truth evoked by everything which is clearly and distinctly perceived. Descartes is able to theorize tha...

Aristotle refutes Plato's Theory of Ideas on three basic grounds: that the existence of Ideas contradicts itself by denying the possibility of negations; that his illustrations of Ideas are merely empty metaphors; and that they theory uses impermanent abstractions to create examples of perception. T...

Authoritarianism is defined as a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator. However society sometimes views authoritarianism as misused authority. Valid authority is aligned upon a necessary purpose. Misused authority involves reality control and domination. Metaphorically, it is...

In our world today there are many different religions, Christianity being the most widely spread of them all. In Christianity there are numerous numbers of denominations all claiming to believe in the same god, but having different stances on certain issues. Each denomination stands firm on the ...

The speeches of Moloch, Belial, Mammon, and Beelzebub represent particular ways of looking at life. Milton derived these views from I John 2:15 and 16 which says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the w...

n the history of the play's criticism, the problem of its genre produced the most controversy. I submit here that this critical conflict is based on confusion: the discourse meaning (textual) and the interpretative meaning (contextual) have been mistakenly separated. I regard the monologic understa...

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD During this class we have looked at a wide range of theories about God from the creation of the universe to the theory of being reborn and life after death. What this all comes down to is whether God exists or He doesn't. There is no middle ground. Any attempt to remain neu...

The Role of Fate in Beowulf The battle between fate and free will produces a lopsided victory by fate in Beowulf. A continuous reference is directed to fate by context as well as in elements of theme, plot, and character. The most prominent relation to fate is seen with Beowulf. From his earl...

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, written by Patrick Süskind, is a novel based in 18th century France that explores the concept that olfactory sense as sovereign over any other factor of life, and is the channel towards supremacy. The protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, possesses a superhuma...

All major religions of the world such as, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, teaches the Truth, instills morals, and teaches their followers to pray, to meditate, to reunify themselves with their source. Yet differences in these religions establish borders and serve to disprove be...

Religion In examining the concept of monotheism in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, two major points of reference need to be remembered. First, and foremost, that all three of these religions worship the same God, that being the God of Abraham. . Second, it is equally i...

At the very beginning of the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Moshe the Beadle claims that "man raises himself toward God by the questions he asks Him" (2). This statement by Moshe sets the tone for the way Eliezer deals with his faith throughout the rest of the book. Eliezer starts off a very r...

Christianity vs. Islam Our world today has been hit with a religious bomb. There are thousands of religions and beliefs being taught and disputed throughout the world. In America alone, there are hundreds that are constantly being debated. Since September 11th, 2001, two religions have headlined ...

Myths from many different cultures seem to tell the same story. Themes from Babylonian myth can be seen in Egyptian stories; elements of Christian theology are evident in some ancient Chinese texts, and so on. How is this possible? How can cultures that have had little physical contact present us wi...

What is a Human Being? There are three main viewpoints in argument on what a human being is. Those viewpoints are empirical, rational and metaphorical. Empiricists base their views on observation and experimentation. Rationalists rely on reason as the best guide for belief and action. A me...

Putting the Allegory of the Cave into my own words seems comparable to the Christian idea of using the lord's name in vain. First, I'd like to introduce a phenomenon I have observed throughout my life time. I call it soul resonance. Bear with me here. When two objects emit sympathetic vibrati...

Putting the Allegory of the Cave into my own words seems comparable to the Christian idea of using the lord's name in vain. First, I'd like to introduce a phenomenon I have observed throughout my life time. I call it soul resonance. Bear with me here. When two objects emit sympathetic vibration...

The ancient Mediterranean world, as well as some modern primitive societies, maintained a strong belief in the reality of a spirit world which continually interacted with the human world (Pilch, 20). They populated their surroundings with gods and goddesses of various natures in order to come to ...

Alfie Johnson 3/20/00 Addiction and Grace I think Dr. Gerald may have done a marvelous job as to the writing and format of his book Addiction and Grace. As a psychiatrist and teacher with years of experience, I totally agree with his statement that all human beings have an inborn desire of ...

Christianity and Islam: Salvation It is beyond doubt that Christianity and Islam have many similarities. Yet each maintains its own unique characters which distinct one from the other. Both religions belong to the monotheistic family. Christian and Muslim believe only in one God, the creator an...

Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince examines the nature of power and his views of power in the leadership that he observed in his time. Machiavelli discusses power over the people, dictatorial power, and the power with the people. The struggle to retain, hold, and apply one power is human nature and ...