Abstract
This paper is an intriguing philosophical approach at solving the problem with evil. It discusses the conversations and writings of Philosopher Swinburne and the antitheodicist. Arguments are presented between Swinburne and the antitheodicist and an attempt is made to answer the question; does Swinburne succeed in solving the problem?

From the Paper
"There shouldn't be any evils that are not caused by men, such as plagues, earthquakes, natural disasters, AIDS, cancer, and disease to name some of them. Swinburne explains that these tragedies and misfortunes allow men to do noble acts. The September 11th tragedy is a classic example. The entire city of New York came together and sacrificed lives, money, time, and effort to help others. Their crime rates dropped to the lowest ever of that city."

Tags:evil, paper, philosophy, problem, swinburne

Abstract
Michel Foucault rejected the vast majority, if not all, of political and social theory. Foucault was inspired by Nietzsche's conception of the human world, but thought that "power" could not only explain the individual's condition, but also that of social life. Foucault's ideas on individuation, subjectivity, disicipline, sovereignty and power are all carefully explained, focusing on the relationship between body and subject.

From the Paper
"One of the most striking aspects in the work of Michel Foucault is his relationship between power and subjectivity. Foucault strongly rejects the notion of psychoanalysis, that human beings are individual subjects first and social agents second. Foucault believes that such a claim is far too simple. Human beings are neither individuals nor social agents, but individualised through power, beyond the specifics of sociological study. However the power that Foucault explores does not exist in and of itself. Rather, it is a relationship between institutions and bodies, extracting, harnessing, destroying and creating certain forces and drives in bodies. This process changes human beings from physical bodies into subjects. That is not to suggest that the process of individuation is uniform and generic. The opposite is in fact true. Foucault looks at several modes of subjectivication and while they are not mutually exclusive, nor are entirely independent, it is important to note and examine their differences. Different methods of applying power to bodies results in different individuals being produced. It is against this backdrop of subjectivication where we will begin our exploration. Originally, this essay will carefully consider Foucault's estimations of sovereign and disciplinary power, both as separate structures and in contrast with each other. From that point, we can proceed into making an evaluation of Foucault's explanations, with note as to the advantages and disadvantages of Foucault's striking conception of the human subject."

Tags:discipline, individuation, liberalism, nietzsche, power

From the Paper
"In Matthew 7:12, Jesus famously promotes the Golden Rule, saying, "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you." The Golden Rule defines morality as just this: one should treat others as one wishes to be treated. Because the Golden Rule purports to summarize the whole of morality, a person acts morally if and only if he treats others the way he wants to be treated. By its nature as a moral theory, The Golden Rule must intend to yield the good, and is therefore invalid insofar as its dictums do not, in fact, yield the good. "

Tags:argument, confucius, jesus, justice, morality, plato, socrates

Abstract
This paper discusses the political and social climate in which Sir Thomas More lived, and how it influenced him to pen his idea on how a perfect society should be in his novel "Utopia". The author also provides a brief biography on More.

From the Paper
"More than anything else, the author used Utopia to criticize the society he lived in, and to offer up hope of what could be if everyone lived up to the true Christian ideals. Knowing that communal living was not a true possibility, he nevertheless continued to mention it as an ideal way to live. The More character continued to criticize the idea, but just that fact that it is brought up in such detail gave the reader a hint at Thomas More s influential monastic experience."

Tags:16th, century, church, politics, religion, christian, society, corrupt, hythloday, ideal

Abstract
The following paper examines why many theorists reject the existence of natural law as well as why many agree to its being defined as a set of innate moral principles which are common to all human beings. It is the aim of this paper to identify and discuss the important similarities and differences that exist between the two theories making reference to the theories of Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679) and St.Thomas Aquinas (1224/25 - 1274).

From the Paper
Aquinas proposed that the essential quality setting human beings apart from the rest of the animal world was that of reason. In a development of Aristotle s theory.Aquinas asserts that all men naturally possess an internalized divine spark of reason,which serves as the guide to an autonomous and responsible decision making process.

Tags:academic, world's, influential, thinkers, ideas, theories, natural, law, Aquinas, drawing, equality, methods, forces

Abstract
This paper begins by stating the argument Descartes gives for a version of mind/body dualism. It then considers two objections to Descartes' argument and finally assesses the validity of Descartes' argument in light of those objections.

From the Paper
"Much of the intellectual history of psychology as well as philosophy has involved the attempt to come to grips with a dilemma of mind and body. This dilemma was eventually broken into main two opposing views: one view (dualism) proposes that our universe contains two very different and equally fundamental types of entity: mental/spiritual and physical/material items. Most followers of this view hold that human mind (or soul) is to survive the annihilation of the body. The contrasting view, materialism, on the other hand, affirms that everything in our universe is composed of mass-energy, minds and bodies included."

Tags:philosophy, soul, energy

Abstract
This paper deals with the development of Heraclitian thought. It shows how Heraclitus was concerned with the essence of the earth's substance and existence. The writer explains how he divided his philosophy into three basic subcategories: fire, water and earth, which he believed to be the basic elements of earth. He is also credited with the theories of 'Unity in Opposites,' 'The Law of Non-Contradiction,' and 'The Cosmos in Constant Change.'

From the Paper
"Heraclitus (c. BCE 540) was born in Ephesus, on the Ionian Coast, near present-day Turkey. Deemed as the "puzzeling, obscure philosopher" (Article 1), he is known only by the 125 fragments that have survived from his book, "On Nature," through selected references by later authors. Essentially, Heraclitus' theory is divided into three parts: the Logos, the War and the Pyr (Fire). His search for an underlying element circumvented the earlier Milesians quest for a foundational, essential "arche." He claimed to be the first to grasp the LOGOS of the cosmos. According to various English translations of the Greek, LOGOS can mean a wide range of things, the most common of which is "word," and the lesser common including "reason," "argument," and "definition." It appears that Heraclitus believed the "latent structure is master of the visible structure." However, even such a claim is ambiguous enough to warrant further discussion. If language is the latent structure, and everything else is the visible, is language the master of all else? Or if the latent structure is language, and the visible structure is the cosmos, is language all that there is? And how did Heraclitus relate the need for language to existence itself? It is highly possible that the Heraclitusian LOGOS (as a linguistic, quintessential building block for existence) was the pre-cursor to Parmenites? philosophy of thought, language and existence, in that Parmenities asserted claims such as "nothingness can exist because it is spoke of and therefore much be something," (lecture notes, Anastasia Anderson, September 2002). However Heraclitus went so far as to state that the LOGOS is everything and "common to all things" (Fragment 2, Sextus, adv.math VII, 133), a claim which is not echoed later by Parmenities, who saw more limitations in language than Heraclitus did in the LOGOS."

Tags:logos, fire, water, earth, cosmos

Abstract
This paper explains that Rene Descartes, a 17th century Renaissance philosopher and scientist, was considered a rationalist. The author points out that he derived scientific methods using specific rules about the study of knowledge instead of trusting human senses as being capable of determining truth alone. The paper contends that, although Descartes is credited as being the father of psychology among many other sciences, he would not have viewed psychology as a true science because of its reliance on human senses for observation and its attempts to study the mind, an object that is not tangible according to Descartes.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Descartes History
Descartes' Beliefs
Descartes' Education
Descartes' View on Science and Psychology
Descartes' Methods of Science
Descartes and Psychology
Psychology is not a Science for Descartes

From the Paper
"It is easy to see how Descartes methods apply well to sciences such as Physics or Chemistry, but it is much more difficult to apply such methods to the science of Psychology. Descartes believed in the separation of the mind from the body, and he believed that the possession of a mind is what set humans apart from all other animals. It is his work on the mind and the central nervous system that usually gives him credit as being the father of Psychology, but Psychology is the study of the mind and of behaviour, and Descartes would not agree with the former."

Tags:mind, scientific methods, jesuits steps, central nervous system

Abstract
A critical analysis of the philosophies of Socrates. The author discusses Socrates' ideas and concepts about true happiness and pursuing God's will. It includes criticism and application to today's society.

From the Paper
"Socrates' philosophy has existed since before the birth of Jesus Christ. He recorded his thoughts concerning personal and political issues, giving his detailed and amazingly well thought out positions on each. He questioned everything around him, and discussed them with his friends and students, an exercise known as philosophizing. Socrates deemed that a truly happy man does not require material goods. He argued that it would be in one's best interest to consult a wise person before making an important decision, and that we should each comply with God's intentions above all others?. These arguments have been debated for centuries by many, and should be considered still, since they are important and relevant today, more than 2,000 years later."

Tags:apology, ethic, ethical, history, literature, moral, philosophy, plato, republic, western, wisdom, greek

Abstract
This is a comparative essay of the two Greek philosophers, Heraclitus and Parmenides. This essay highlights the similarities and differences which these two share and discusses the main themes in their works.

From the Paper
"To be, or not to be. That is the question" (Shakespeare 3.1.58). Had Shakespeare been alive around the 450's BC, there would of been great dispute over this quote from his play Hamlet. The Greek philosophers, Heraclitus and Parmenides would be "at each others throats." Parmenides would argue that it is impossible for something to not be. Heraclitus, on the other hand, would agree with Shakespeare that you can not be, because true being is a circular path, being becomes not being, and not being becomes being. At first glance many would agree that Heraclitus and Parmenides have completely different views of what true being is; one affirms becoming and change, while the other denies them. As indifferent as these two seem, their works share a common attribute, in that they are both constructive while at the same time destructive."

Tags:metaphysics, philosophy