background preloader

Western Philosophy

Western Philosophy

Allegory of the Cave Plato realizes that the general run of humankind can think, and speak, etc., without (so far as they acknowledge) any awareness of his realm of Forms. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. From Great Dialogues of Plato (Warmington and Rouse, eds.) Here are some students’ illustrations of Plato’s Cave Go back to lecture on the Phaedo Go back to lecture on the “One Over Many” Argument Go to next lecture on Criticism of Forms Need a quick review of the Theory of Forms? Return to the PHIL 320 Home Page Copyright © 2006, S.

10 English Words With Unexpected Definitions - InfoBarrel - StumbleUpon English is full of peculiar and misleading words that look like they mean one thing, when they really mean something completely different. Here are 10 such words that might baffle you at first glance. agelast: nounThe combination of age + last looks like it should mean a person who ages last, or at least something to do with aging or being last. Oddly though, this word of Greek origin means a person who never laughs. The word root is gela-, meaning laugh; the prefix of a- means the opposite. enervate: verbThis word sounds like energize and invigorate, which leads many people to believe it has a similar meaning. fungible: adjectiveThough not as obscure as other strange English words in this list, fungible looks deceptively like fungus and edible, which might put you in the mind of edible fungi. jumentous: adjectiveThis word has no easily recognized roots that might give you a clue as to its meaning. lamprophony: nounThere's no trace of lamps, pros, or phonies in this word's definition.

Hume's Dialogues Footnotes It has been remarked, my Hermippus, that though the ancient philosophers conveyed most of their instruction in the form of dialogue, this method of composition has been little practised in later ages, and has seldom succeeded in the hands of those who have attempted it. Accurate and regular argument, indeed, such as is now expected of philosophical enquirers, naturally throws a man into the methodical and didactic manner; where he can immediately, without preparation, explain the point at which he aims; and thence proceed, without interruption, to deduce the proofs on which it is established. To deliver a SYSTEM in conversation, scarcely appears natural; and while the dialogue-writer desires, by departing from the direct style of composition, to give a freer air to his performance, and avoid the appearance of Author and Reader, he is apt to run into a worse inconvenience, and convey the image of Pedagogue and Pupil. Vain Wisdom all and false Philosophy.

Presocratic Philosophy The Origins of Western Thought Philosophical Thinking Philosophy as a discipline isn't easy to define precisely. Thus, philosophy must be regarded both as content and as activity: It considers alternative views of what is real and the development of reasons for accepting them. Since our personal growth in these matters naturally retraces the process of cultural development, study of the history of philosophy in our culture provides an excellent introduction to the discipline as a whole. Greek Philosophy Abstract thought about the ultimate nature of the world and of human life began to appear in cultures all over the world during the sixth century B.C.E., as an urge to move beyond superstition toward explanation. Speculative thinking expresses human curiosity about the world, striving to understand in natural (rather than super-natural) terms how things really are, what they are made of, and how they function. Milesian Speculation Pythagorean Life Heraclitus and the Eleatics Greek Atomism

- StumbleUpon The "Dokkōdō" [ (Japanese: 独行道?); "The Path of Aloneness", "The Way to Go Forth Alone", or "The Way of Walking Alone"] is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) a week before he died in 1645. It consists of either nineteen or twenty-one precepts; precepts 4 and 20 are omitted from the former version. Precepts[edit] References[edit] NIHILISM by Eugene Rose by Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose [mark-up mostly done--- notes need work] Editor's Preface I. 1. 2. 3. 4. III. 1. 2. IV. 1. 2. 3. V. In a basement apartment near downtown San Francisco in the earl 1960's, Eugene Rose, the future Fr. In this room Eugene undertook to write a monumental chronicle of modern man's war against God: man's attempt to destroy the Old Order and raise up a new one without Christ, to deny the existence of the Kingdom of God and raise up his own earthly utopia in its stead. Only a few years before this, Eugene himself had been ensnared in the Kingdom of Man and had suffered in it; he too had been at war against God. It was in such a condition of intense hunger that Eugene found himself in the late 1950's. "For years in my studies I was satisfied with being 'above all traditions' but somehow faithful to them.... While working on The Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of God in his basement apartment, Eugene was still coming to grips with what he had found. I.

Free-ebooks.net | Download free Fiction, Health, Romance and many more ebooks Ancient Greek Sacred Sites Sacred Sites of Ancient Greece Temple of Hephaistos The Temple of Hephaestus in central Athens, Greece, is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world, but is far less well-known than its illustrious neighbour, the Parthenon. The temple is also known as the Hephaesteum or Hephaesteion. The temple is located about 500m north-west of the Acropolis and about 1km due west of the modern centre of Athens, Syntagma Square. Built of marble from Mount Pentelus, in the Doric style, the temple is hexastyle, that is with six columns under the pedimented ends, and has thirteen columns on each side (counting the corner columns twice). Unlike the Parthenon, the temple has all its columns and pediments intact, and even has most of its original roof. During the centuries of Ottoman rule in Greece, the temple was the main Greek Orthodox church in Athens. The Acropolis in Athens The Acropolis is high above the city on a natural prominence. Mount Olympus The Tumulus of Marathon Delphi, Greece Rhamnous

40 Belief-Shaking Remarks From a Ruthless Nonconformist | Raptitude.com If there’s one thing Friedrich Nietzsche did well, it’s obliterate feel-good beliefs people have about themselves. He has been criticized for being a misanthrope, a subvert, a cynic and a pessimist, but I think these assessments are off the mark. I believe he only wanted human beings to be more honest with themselves. He did have a remarkable gift for aphorism — he once declared, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” A hundred years after his death, Nietzsche retains his disturbing talent for turning a person’s worldview upside-down with one jarring remark. Even today his words remain controversial. Here are 40 unsympathetic statements from the man himself. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. More of Nietzsche’s genius here. Have a lot on your mind? Everyday mindfulness has transformed my life, and the lives of many others.

Related: