Every week on the news there is something new from a different doctor saying that your one time vice is now good for you. It could be that red wine is good for the heart or chocolate is good for something else. After the doctor explains this medical breakthrough, he adds the catch. The catch is &...

Rene Descartes asserts that our most fundamental beliefs are uncertain, and consequently, all beliefs resting on these basics are also uncertain. In his First Mediation, he sets out to determine which beliefs are certain and which are doubtful. Descartes applied illusion argument, dreaming argument,...

My Ethical Opinion There are three philosophers in whom I am going to talk about, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. The philosopher that seems to interest me the most is Aristotle. He is said to be the most down to earth philosopher out of the Plato and Socrates. I think that Aristotle has a great ...

Plato's "The Apology" begins with Socrates standing accused of impiety and, possibly the worst of the charges, passing his impiety on to the young people he supposedly corrupts. The book concentrates on his defense. Basically, Socrates makes two major arguments for his innocence, the first of w...

A Dreamland It Would Be My grandmother once told me that a person who "has character" is a person who not only thinks well of others, but of themselves as well. She also told me that such a person is not afraid to stand up for their beliefs. I still hold these qualities of character ...

Proverbs The book of Proverbs explains the wisdom of the Lord and the duties towards God and our parents. We should praise God for his wisdom because He created us and the world. God tells us that we need to be prepared when we serve Him because He will judge us when we die. We need to ac...

The term "Machiavellian" is defined as being conniving, duplicitous, efficient, and calculating. This term derived its origin from the philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. But was Machiavelli actually deserving of this expression? Through both building up my arguments, and ne...

The corruption of America's youth is a popular topic today in the media, among lawmakers, and with concerned parents. Often the "good old days" of generations past are looked upon with longing because of their simpler ways. Decades ago the largest problems in schools were talking ...

Character Analysis In the story, Arthur Prime is introduced as the son of a clergyman and his wife, both of whom have recently died. We first meet Arthur as he and his cousin, Charlotte, are discussing going through his parent's belonging after his death. He seems to be reticent to go t...

Moral philosophy has always been a persistent issue to human beings because of the ability to rationalize and reason. These philosophies do not simply originate over night; instead they are formed after making different comparisons and revisions. Aristotle's only perfected his interpretation of...

Plato's Meno "Can Virtue be Taught?" In Webster's New World College Dictionary virtue is defined as, "general moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness or morality" . It appears, by Websters' standards, that virtue can easily be defined. However, the true questio...

Page 1 Plato is one of the most famous and influential philosophers of all time. Writing several books, pertaining to many different topics. He learned his skill from the father of modern philosophy and learned it well. Effecting countless minds of his time, and many more extending all the w...

Philosophy like science can be as general as chemistry yet as finite as atoms. The defining point of philosophy is through the finality of ideals that are pondered. What it means to be human and what it means to live well are questions we all subconsciously contemplate, because through contemplatio...

The values and philosophies of the world, Native Americans, and I differ in many ways. Some areas in question are our personal differences, quietness, patience, mutualism or equality, and spirituality. Some, however, are very similar, in literature, for instance, the power of our words, as well as t...

In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, one of his latest 'problem plays'; the character of Isabella is a focal point of arguments. In the play she is faced with a decision: either to lose her virginity and save her brother's life, or to stay chaste, get admitted to the convent, but sealing her ...

Analysis of an ideal government Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of a well known political essay, The Prince, was a republican in Italy when his country was divided into city-states. He wrote this essay in prison, and tried to inspire the ruler to defend his country and maintain his power. Confuci...

Biblical Allusions in Billy Budd Prior to their down fall, Adam and Eve were perfect. They were innocent and ignorant, yet perfect, so they were allowed to abide in the presence of God. Once they partook of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, however, they immediately became un...

Imagine living where the only thing you believed in was threatened by everyday life. This was a reality in Harriet Jacob's' "Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl," it shows a cruel, inside description of slavery. In this essay Jacobs changes the perception of the suffering from the concentrated wo...

Are We Already Just? Aristotle once said "How can we be good without being good already?" (C&C 238) This brings about a puzzle sounding much what came first the chicken or the egg? Is there a definite answer? If so, how can it be justified to all? Aristotle felt as though he cou...

Ideals of Love in Plato's Symposium As much as our society has become involved in the advancement of feminism and the equality of the sexes, there is one fact that neither gender can ignore; none can survive without the other. Love and the want of a soul mate keeps each member of man and w...

Disobedience: Virtue or Vice? Throughout history, sociologist have analyzed the characteristics of human behavior. They each write essays giving their educated opinion about a certain situation. Erich Fromm first published the essay "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem" ...

"A Sand County Almanac" was written by environmentalist Aldo Leopold in 1949. After 64 years, it still offers insight to an issue that will be forever debated. In the book, he guides the reader through the year at his farm in Wisconsin. The beautiful descriptions of nature at his farm lead up to the...

Happiness, Function, Morality, and Virtue Aristotle argues that happiness, function and morality are closely connected and that virtue is dependent upon all of them. To fully comprehend Aristotle's theory, we must first examine each of these qualities and then determine how they are related to...

A Brief Encounter with Destiny She appeared behind the curtain suddenly and sat at the corner of my hospital bed. I had been crying and seeing Lady Philosophy made me cry even more because I knew she would tell me that after all this misery I have gone through, I would never find supreme happine...

Friends play an important role in a person's life. They encourage when one is sad, they entertain when one is lonesome, and they listen when one has problems. There are varieties of friends: co-workers, social workers, schoolmates, and much more. Each type of friends is helpful in one way or...