If we are going to consider Thomas Nagel's way of thinking and incorporate it into our definition of philosophy, we should consider his statement that was published in the New York Review of Books. He says, "Philosophy, unlike most other subjects, does not try to extend our knowledge by discovering new information about the world. It tries to deepen our understanding by reflection on what is already closest to us". By this he means that most other things broaden our knowledge; however, philosophy makes us look deeper into something .a form or idea. There are things around us and in us that are very familiar to us and we take advantage of those "luxuries" or even "overlook" them. The "familiar" things we do. He says the underlying content that society gives things creates our cultural understanding of what knowledge should be sought. Nagel does not believe that everything is cut and dry, so to speak. It must first be proven. Typically it is difficult to prove something someone might say. One can tell an individual all fish have scales but realistically how can that be proven? One would have to examine each fish in the world in its entirety. That would be completely unattainable! We each look at the sky but what color do we see? Does each of us view a blue sky the same way? Do we each see the same blue or different blues or even still blue at all? .
The pre-Socratics sought an understanding of the universe.
Aristotle believes that something is good when it ends in the means which was intended. Aristotle argued that the mind and the body were separate from each other.
Plato distinguished the mental and the physical (the mind from the body). He questions if it is possible for the mind or soul to pre-exist the body. We know the mind is not able to exist without a body; however, it is very possible for the body to exist without a mind. .
Plato splits up existence into two realms: the material area and the transcendent area of forms.
Thomas Nagel addresses this issue in his essay, "Moral Luck." ... (Nagel, 720). ... The second kind of moral luck that Nagel discusses is circumstantial luck. ... The third type of moral luck that Nagel presents is causal luck. ... While some forms of moral luck presented by Thomas Nagel may not seem plausible, the idea of constitutive moral luck definitely rings true. ...
It can be related to the chapter 2 in Thomas Nagel's book "What does it All Mean". ... This relates to Thomas Nagel's question how do you know thing really exist. ... Just like Nagel argues how do you know you can rely on physical features to be accurate? Your really can't you would be arguing in circles as Nagel stated. ... There my or may not be an external world as stated by Nagel. ...
Plato vs. ... Two of these critics are Plato and Sir Philip Sydney. ... There are disagreements between Plato and Sydney. ... Plato believes that " poetry and mythology are, in some cases, wholly imitative" (Plato 14). ... Also, according to Plato " no one man can imitate many things" (Plato 14). ...
Thomas combined Aristotle's teachings with Christian doctrine. For example, Thomas argued that no conflict exists between reason and faith. ... Thomas accepted--on faith--the idea that God exists. ... Thomas taught that the sacraments are important in communicating God's grace to people. ... Plato "Plato was interested in how we can apply a single word or concept to many different things. ...
The beliefs of Plato and Aristotle can be both valid and invalid in many different ways. ... Aristotle believes in experience as reason and Plato does not. ... In relation to this issue of physical senses vs. emotional senses, such an example to compare and contrast the two is sex. ... This is in too many cases false and an instance that sides me a bit with Plato. ... This instance however, also makes me disagree with Plato as well. ...
Aristotle was Plato's student. ... (Palmer, p.59) in the allegory of the cave: Sensible Realm vs. ... That is why Plato says of the Good that it is beyond being and knowledge. ... Aristotle refutes Plato's Theory of Forms using the third man argument. ... Plato focuses more on Forms, like how objects participates in Forms. ...
In Plato's, Aristotle's, and ST. Thomas Aquinas" writings of politics or philosophy, the importance of state or government is all mentioned in detail. ... Different from Plato, Aristotle thinks state is the highest stage of human community and doesn't think unity is that important as Plato says. ... Plato believes in absolute truth in terms of morality and politics. ... Thomas Aquisnas, who is one of the important leaders of church development, based on the need of state on people's social nature. ...
A case in point is the prevalent acceptance of Plato's dichotomy between mind/soul and body. This distinction has been presented in many forms : real vs ideal; spirit vs flesh; earthly vs ethereal; temporal vs eternal; imperfect vs perfect. ... In Plato's eyes, doing philosophy is separating the soul from the body, precisely so that one is not thinking about the here and now. ... Both accepted Plato's dualism, but simply picked opposite sides of the same coin. ... The bane of modern philosophy is that Plato's successor corrected his mistake, and erased the contradiction...
