Truth and Goodness in Immanuel Kant and St. Thomas Aquinas Essay

Immanuel Kant and St. Thomas Aquinas account for the existence of truth in sharply contrasting ways. Kant locates all truth inside the mind, as a pure product of reason, operating by means of rational categories. Although Kant acknowledges that all knowledge originates in the intuition of the senses, the intelligibility of sense experience he attributes to innate forms of apperception and to categories inherent to the mind. The innate categories shape the â€Å"phenomena† of sensible being, and Kant claims nothing can be known or proved about the â€Å"noumena,† the presumed world external to the mind.1 Aquinas agrees that all knowledge comes through the senses, but disagrees with Kant in arguing that categorical qualities do not originate in the mind but inhere in the objects themselves, either essentially (determinate of their mode of being) or accidentally (changeable without loss of essence by the object).2 Aquinas further agrees with Kant that all the kn owledge derived from sense experience is knowledge of the essence of things only insofar as it is understood by reason, and thus sense experience is insufficient to constitute knowledge by itself.3 But Aquinas defines knowledge as conformity by the mind to things as they really are, and thus believes the external world is knowable by the mind, both in the essences of things (what they are) and in the act of being (that they are).4 Moreover, for Aquinas, entities are related to each other analogously according to their modes of being, since being is a quality that all existent things share. Thus, being in general is knowable systematically according to a language of existential analogy.5 Kant, in contrast, begins with the assumption that metaphysics is invalid as knowledge... ... 25 Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Translated James W. Ellington, 3rd ed. (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing, 1993), 9. 26 Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, 842. 27 Immanuel Kant, Introduction to the Metaphysicsof Morals, IV, 24, quoted in Heinrich A. Rommen, The Natural Law: A Study in Legal and Social History and Philosophy (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1998), 89. 28 Immanuel Kant, The Philosophy of Law. An Exposition of the Fundamental Principles of Jurisprudence as the Science of Right, quoted in Rommen, 88. 29 Heinrich A. Rommen, The Natural Law: A Study in Legal and Social History and Philosophy (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1998), 119-121. 30 W. Norris Clarke, S.J., The One and the Many: A Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics (Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2001), 12.

Contemporary Heros Quest Essay

The contemporary character of Luke Skywalker in the film Star Wars undertakes the classic hero’s journey which include the processes of separation, initiation, transformation and return. This paper has therefore been written to examine the plight of Luke Skywalker and to analyze the journey that the character takes throughout the plot of the film. In addition to this, an investigation of the mythological and cultural origins of the story will be conducted while the relevance of the story to the modern world in which ordinary humans struggle for survival will be presented. Luke Skywalker represents a classic example of the hero who undertakes a quest in the face of adversity and who eventually overcomes a number of challenges for the benefit of society. In the film Star Wars, Luke is a farmer on the remote desert planet of Tatooine when he receives the call to adventure from a holographic representation of Princess Leia. The call to adventure is contained in a message that is p rojected to Luke from within the memory of R2D2, a droid that Luke purchases to work on the farm. Initially Luke refuses the call to adventure out of a sense of duty towards his step-parents. Luke then receives supernatural aid from Obi Wan Kenobi who rescues Luke from the sand people and who teaches him about the Force. Luke then learns about the fate of his dead father from his new mentor who gives Luke his dead father’s light saber as he crosses the threshold into the new world of the Jedi which contains the promise of adventure and a journey into the unknown. Luke then enters this world when he arrives on the Death Star where he meets Darth Vader, who is the villain of the story. Luke must defeat Darth Vader and the Empire in order to free the galaxy from Imperial control. However, it is revealed that Darth Vader is actually Luke’s real father who succumbed to the dark side of the Force after undergoing Jedi training before Luke’s birth. Darth Vader, along with the Emperor, represents an archetypal devil figure who works for evil throughout the film. Indeed, a number of other archetypes are represented in the film Star Wars which includes Luke as the hero and initiate of the story, Obi Wan Kenobi as Luke’s mentor and Princess Leia who fulfils the role of the damsel in distress. Luke begins the initiation on the Death Star where he overcomes a number of tests and meets his travelling companions, Princess Leis, Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie. Luke then confronts the villain of the story however he suffers his abyss when Vader kills Obi Wan. The companions then  escape from the Death Star and head to the rebel base that has been established on Yavin 4 where Luke begins the transformation stage of the hero’s journey when he starts his Jedi training. The return phase of the hero’s journey begins when Luke’s transformation into a Jedi is complete and the rebel fleet attacks the Death Star using Princess Leia’s stolen plans of the space station. The hero’s return is complete when Luke hears his mentor’s voice telling him to use the Force in order to destroy the Death Star, which he manages to achieve, subsequently freeing the galaxy from Imperial control. The mythological and cultural origins of the Star Wars story can be traced back to early Eastern religious mythology in which the hero underwent a transformation during his journey to overcome a particular challenge. Star Wars contains a number of elements of traditional mythology which represent the real life elements such as the duality of good and evil, the behavior of archetypal characters and the projection of spirituality as an alternative to secular religion. Therefore, Star Wars contains all of the characteristics that represent a hero’s journey while the film has become an example of the contemporary interpretation of ancient mythology which reflects the use of spiritualism as a replacement for religion. In addition, Star Wars also illustrates the continuing relevance of this ancient mythology to the modern world.

Forrest Gump and Three Flowers †Creative Writing Essay

Forrest Gump and Three Flowers – Creative Writing Essay Free Online Research Papers Forrest Gump and Three Flowers Creative Writing Essay You know what? I just finished watching Forrest Gump. That is my†¦ to be honest, I forget, the times that I watched this movie, I only know that I’ve watched it many times, at least six. Each time when I watch it, I would have different feelings, but one thing I have never changed before and it also won’t be changed in future- courage, no matter how many times I watch it. Usually the audiences would think that Gump is not a smart person, actually someone even consider that he is an idiot. Because he doesn’t know the consequence of each event, but he uses all his heart and soul when he faces the challenge. That’s courage. I think Forrest Gump might touch me. Picking the pen is such a hard behavior to me. The moment you decide write something on the white paper, that means you might need to face the real yourself, you might try to cover something ugly, but not reveal everything honestly. I don’t know what I want to say just like Forrest Gump doesn’t know what he wants to do in his life. However, I love the feeling that the pen guides my mind, the pen nib would lead me to somewhere. The pen nib’s liquidity likes the skater’s slides on the ice, so fre e. I believe this pen; this lucky pen would bring me to a fortunate place, even though I don’t know where it is as well. Yes. I think I don’t know where I am now, but my mind like a flipping backward calendar, invoke my three good roommates. June, it is a graduation month; thousands of students leave their schools at this time. School? What is it? It’s a place where only learn the textbook knowledge? No, definitely not, but I used to think about it. Since I have memory, when I met my elder relatives, they always asked my marks in school and the rank in my grade. If I spoke out a number can make them satisfied, then they would also be excited like they got it from school and treat you so well, like you were their own daughter, usually the number should be as small as possible. If I could not say a good number, they would consider that you had begun to lose the entering university chance. The family pressure caused some of my relatives graduated from world- famous universities like Harvard, Cambridge and Chicago University in my family. Being with them, the only thing I needed to do, and I might do well is study, study again and again. I tried not to let them disappointed with me, so my marks kept in a high level in my class. My parents might be the admiring people when my school had parents meeting. My life was so common. Got up, go to school, go home, do my homework and then go to bed. Everyday, I redo the same actions, but I didn’t tired of it, because study was my life’s center. When I graduated from primary school, Dad made a big decision to me: send me to a private school. God! Why he must send me to there? Don’t I study in public school bad? As I heard it I felt so shock like seeing snow in summer. However he thought I could get a better education from there. So I left my dear friends who have studied together for six years. I left a familiar surrounding and changed into a completely unknown school. September is still a humid hot month to my hometown, the acrimony sun glared on your body, like lash whipped on your skin, the cicada’s yelling from the tree, which made reluctantly going to school. The classroom didn’t familiar any more, the new face made me urged wanting to go home and escaped from this closing teaching environment. I felt that I was abandoned in a drain well by my parents. Nobody could hear my help. The night before I came to school, I asked my parents. â€Å"Daddy, Mummy, if I go to school tomorrow, you probably see me once a week.† â€Å"Yes, but we will miss you so much.† Dad said. â€Å"Daddy, I am scared. If the new school’s teachers and students don’t like me, or my mark is too low, what can I do?† â€Å"My sweetheart, don’t avoid growing up. This is a perfect chance to expand your eyesight. You can meet many peers from different places and you can learn many things from your teachers and friends. It’s impossible to spend all your life with your primary classmates.† Daddy comforted me. â€Å"If I can’t adopt the new school, can I quit studying there?† The moment I burst out this sentence, I knew that I had spoken a wrong sentence. Because Daddy scowled and shouted, â€Å"I don’t care whether you like there or not, you must study there well. I spend so much money on you, how can you make me disappointed? You’re so disobeying and rebellious.† Under this helpless situation, I had no choice, but went to my new school. Thousands of questions still around my mind: could I keep studying well at there? Are there many outstanding students? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Research Papers on Forrest Gump and Three Flowers - Creative Writing EssayPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayCapital PunishmentEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Spring and AutumnHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Hockey Game

Differentiating Reasoning Essays - Critical Thinking, Advertising

Differentiating Reasoning Essays - Critical Thinking, Advertising Differentiating Reasoning CRT/205 April 4, 2014 Captain E. F. Rollins Differentiating Reasoning Article: Air Pollution The author uses deductive arguments in writing this article by resorting to scare tactics and nationalism. Scare tactics is defined by our course material as, Trying to scare people into doing something or accepting a position (University of Phoenix, 2012). An example of the scare tactics used in this article is when the author talks about the results of burning fossil fuels. The author concludes that burning fossil fuels makes the air unsafe to breathe, causes acid rain, and damages our environment (Air Pollution, 2014, para 2.). This conclusion is meant to scare the reader into accepting this position by describing terrible results of burning fossil fuels (University of Phoenix, 2012). Nationalism is defined as, a powerful and fierce emotion that can lead to blind endorsement of a countrys policies and practices (University of Phoenix, 2012). The author attempts to appeal to the readers sense of nationality by claiming that environmental protection requirements cause American industries to be at a disadvantage when competing with foreign companies with fewer restrictions (Air Pollution, 2014, para 7). The author wants the reader to accept this claim of not abiding by environmental requirements because our companies would not be able to compete with companies outside of the United States (Air Pollution, 2014). Article: Advertising The author of this article uses deductive arguments such as rationalizing, apple polishing, and popularity. Rationalizing is defined as a false pretext to satisfy our own desires or interests (University of Phoenix, 2012). An example of rationalizing can be seen in the conclusion against seller advertising (Advertising, 2014, para 1). In this conclusion against seller advertising, the author states that the constant stream of advertising that bombards consumers every day misinforms or encourages them to live beyond their means (Advertising, 2014, para 1). This conclusion is the authors attempt to justify why the reader should accept this position but it is only a rationalization that only serves the authors viewpoint (University of Phoenix, 2012). Apple polishing is defined as old-fashioned flattery (University of Phoenix, 2012). We see this in the authors statement that viewers can draw conclusions for themselves about the products used by characters on television and in movies (Advertising, 2014, para 11-12). This implies that the viewers are smart enough to see through this advertising and therefore, the advertisers are not at fault if viewers purchase a product solely on the fact that a famous person is endorsing it (University of Phoenix, 2012). Finally, popularity is defined as urging someone to accept a claim simply on the grounds that all or most or some substantial number of people believe it (University of Phoenix, 2012). The basis for the conclusion in support of sexy ads was that advertisers were only providing the images that people wanted to see (Advertising, 2014, para 8-10). This is an attempt by the author to persuade the reader to accept this conclusion based on the fact that it is what is popular (University of Phoenix, 2012). REFERENCES "Air Pollution." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Advertising." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. University of Phoenix. (2012). What is critical thinking, anyway? Retrieved from University of Phoenix, CRT205 - Critical Thinking website.

Assignment4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Assignment4 - Essay Example In the tradition and culture of any society, the husband is expected to work outside the home for income and the wife is expected to be at home for children care and household maintenance. Womens family work includes responsibility for household tasks socially, legally, and in practice but in today’s world, women with children are increasingly getting employed outside the home which is resulting in increased conflicts between the families. While talking about importance of maintaining balance between family life and work life by the modern families, let us discuss those challenges and conflicts that arise due to paid work and unpaid household work. For that we will discuss challenges related to both; men and women. Men face a lot of challenges while trying to effectively balance the family and work. One of the major challenges regarding the issue is neglecting behavior towards children due to work load which may result in conflicts between the children and their father. As we know that men are traditionally expected to work outside the home to earn for the family, it affects their family life. If a man pays more attention towards his work than his family, children get affected because they do not get required love and attention from their father. As a result, the children feel ignored and the level of affection between the children and their father would go significantly down. Same happens with the person’s spouse who also gets affected if the person becomes unable to properly balance work schedule. A job that requires excessive travel and long working hours brings a negative impact on the family of a man. But if a man starts ignoring his professional duties in order to pay more attenti on towards his family, it brings a negative impact on his professional life. Just like men, working women also face a lot of problems in order to maintain a balance between family life and work life because the role of the women has expanded due to

Impacts on Liquidity - ECO316 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Impacts on Liquidity - ECO316 - Essay Example This consequently led to the financial crisis and eventually a shortage of liquidity due to wrong policies. Excessive savings were required to fight the crisis and ensure that no financial institution faced liquidity issues. United States first followed the expansionary policy where it experienced an increase in the monetary base. To avoid excessive liquidity in the market, US implemented contractionary policy to control the rate at which the monetary base was increasing. The financial markets yet had liquidity and were not insolvent. Adding the role of government, the budget deficits have been soaking up the savings. Consequently, this has hindered the growth of the market and economy. The government budget deficits have created solvency issues not only for the government but also for the whole nation. The impact of government spending is less productive as compared to the measures undertaken by the central bank, Fed. Government budget deficits do lead to difficulties in getting investments, and it does cause solvency issues, but that can be fought with a right monetary policy by the central bank, Fed. Falling government budget deficits do support and strengthen the fact that there was too much liquidity in the financial markets. However, it does not mean the government’s declining budget deficits had stronger influence on increasing liquidity. Federal Reserve (Fed) has the strongest ability to influence the monetary base which consequently determines the level of liquidity available in the financial markets. By 2006, Federal Reserve (Fed) had been able to increase liquidity in the financial markets. In fact, there was too much liquidity, and to control the liquidity level, by the fall of 2006, Federal Reserve (Fed) introduced contractionary monetary policy. This is when US budget deficits started declining. The rapidly increasing monetary base and levels of liquidity were consequences of the monetary policy and measures taken by the

Analytical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analytical - Essay Example The prosperity of a country, according to Han Fei, can be safeguarded only when the lawmakers and the law-keepers are strong and efficient. A king is not defined by his personal failings but by his ability to ensure the maintenance and applications of public laws. Along with a strong upper hand in dealing with public laws, he must also be ruthless in suppressing internal conspiracies and disputes, for a kingdom that is weak from within will always be an easy and constant target of the enemy clans. Intended Audience Having reviewed Han Fei’s political musings, drawn from Han Feizi, I think it is important to ascertain the intended audience at whom this particular tract was aimed. I believe, given the author’s own politically charged background as well as exalted lineage, it can be safely said that much of his political strategies were drawn from personal experience and was intended to address the ruling class in particular. Reflections of the Author on Politics and Penal ties With great humanist emphasis on equality, he puts forward his thoughts on royal duties and legalities of the time. Han Fei, himself of royal descent, plainly spurns the unequal treatment often carried out by law keepers. He insists that there should be no unjust preferences given to the nobility. The common and the noble subject should all be treated as equal in the eyes of law. No one should try to gain favors by bribery or flattery. The guilty must be punished, and no offender should be allowed lenience, notwithstanding the exalted rank of the criminal or the humbleness of the victim. Lewdness and sexual excess must be suppressed as should internal discord and discontent. And according to Han Fei, the only way this can be achieved is by inculcating a deep fear of retribution within his subjects. The superiority of a ruler can be ascertained by the way he handles and controls his ministers and advisors. They may be negotiated only through two operative actions of the king: des erved adulation and acclaim upon great achievement or service; and severe punishment, torture and death upon defection or conspiracy. In conclusion, I believe, Han Fei’s legal philosophies seeks the better conditions of the masses even while advocating the most ruthless measures in ensuring the precedence of the sovereign ruler. Analysis of ‘Be a Scribe’ Purpose of the Author Han Fei was a follower of the Great Historian Laozi, who countered the Confucian practice of the art of persuasive speech by placing vital emphasis on the art of writing instead. The post-Confucian legacy of Laozi’s creative and artistic philosophy reaches its fruitful zenith in the hands of Han Fei. It is told that Han Fei himself suffered from a speech impediment - an embarrassing stammer - that did not bode well for a career of oral mastery. Therefore, he was inclined, both by nature and by habit, to improve upon his calligraphy and immense gift of the written word and in his text, he intends his audience to do the same. In his instructive work, Be a Scribe, he begins with a direct address to the reader. He exhorts us to pursue the noble art of scripting, to eschew dancing and replace the sports and hunting with the finer activity of writing. The master then goes on to unfavorably compare the pursuit of â€Å"the scroll and the palette†