Timothy Nethery Essays - Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ontology

Timothy Nethery 12/12/2016 Intro into Philosophy Final Paper Pick one (1) of the following and explain and illustrate its metaphysical significance: determinism, pragmatism, or existentialism. Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Without an explanation or an interpretation of the world around you and me, we would be helpless to deal with reality without it. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy responsible for the study of existence. Metaphysics is the foundation of a whole world view. Metaphysics answers the question of "what is?". Metaphysics encompasses everything that has ever existed and will ever exist, as well as nature of existence itself. Metaphysics says whether the world is real or merely an illusion. It is a fundamental view of the world around us. The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we can comprehend the world, and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live. Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that investigates the fundamental nature of being and the world that surrounds it. This branch attempts to answer two questions; "what is there?" and "what is it like?" many topics such as existence, objects, and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility of an event occurring or not occurring. There are two main but very wide and broad conceptions and topics about what "world" is being studied by metaphysics. The strong classical view assumes that the objects studied by metaphysics exist independently of any observer, so that the subject is the most fundamental of all sciences. The weaker, more modern view assumes that the objects studied by metaphysics exist inside the mind of an observer, so the subject becomes a form of introspection and conceptual analysis. Some philosophers, notably Kant, discuss both "worlds" and what can be inferred about each one. In most of what follows, I will speak simply of determinism, ra ther than of causal determinism. This follows recent philosophical practice of sharply distinguishing views and theories of what causation is from any conclusions about the success or failure of. For the most part this disengagement of the two concepts is appropriate. But as we will see later, the notion of cause/effect is not so easily disengaged from much of what matters to us about determinism. Traditionally determinism has been given various, usually imprecise definitions. This is only problematic if one is investigating determinism in a specific, well-defined theoretical context; but it is important to avoid certain major errors of definition. Pragmatism as a philosophical tradition that began in the United States around 1870. Charles Sanders Peirce, generally considered to be its founder, later described it in his pragmatic maxim: Consider the practical effects of the objects of your conception. Then, your conception of those effects is the whole of your conception of the object. Pragmatism rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Instead, pragmatists consider thought an instrument or tool for prediction, problem solving and action. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topicssuch as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, belief, and scienceare all best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes. The philosophy of pragmatism "emphasizes the practical application of ideas by acting on them to actually test them in human experiences". Pragmatism focuses on a "changing universe rather than an unchanging one as the Idealists, Realists and Thomists had claimed". Existentialism liberates us from the customs of the past founded on myth. The quote from Jean Paul Sartre, Existence precedes and commands Essence, be the foundation for existentialism. I exist as a human. In my existence, I define myself and the world around me. The ongoing popularity of existentialism philosophy (particularly amongst young people) can be understood by its freedom of personal choice and individualism within a postmodern context of no absolute truth. The problem with Existentialism is that it leaves us without absolute foundations, encourages a separate / individual sense of self and gives too much power to our imagination and how we may choose to live. While this may be liberating, it unfortunately offers little guidance and does not abide by the fact that humans

Selecting a College Essay Course

Selecting a College Essay CourseIf you are trying to get into college, there is one course that you need to take. The college course of choice for most college students is an essay. If you are a bit lost when it comes to choosing a writing course, the easiest way to do so is to take a guide to selecting your college course in order to find out what courses might be best for you.To help you with your college courses, the top essay writers all offer samples. While each writer will provide a sample essay, you should find one that suits your style and learning style. If you learn from an essay in a writing class, then you should not feel too bad about taking the practice test as an alternative. However, if you have trouble reading well and following directions, or if you know someone who is a great writer, a sample might be your best bet.However, with the help of a guide, you can narrow down your choices and figure out what type of student you are. A sample is helpful, but you also want to remember that you can get a very high score in a writing test even if you are not a natural writer. However, it would help to know that if you are going to be a great writer, and if you think you have the ability to ace a writing test, then take the high score test as an alternative.Each writing guide will have samples of both fiction and non-fiction written by individuals. Some guide books will include sample essays for any course you want to take. If this is not an option, then take the test as a backup. Do not worry about failing the test; just make sure that the sample essays are good enough to get you through the course.The most important thing for the student needs to have is a good understanding of the role of character. With the right knowledge of character, one can write a great story. One good example is a college student who was sent a letter from a relative after he was away.When the student read the letter, he did not see the reason why his family member was upset, s o he decided to return the letter to his family member. The student never forgot to add 'f' to the end of his father's name, and so he changed the letter to read 'John.' The student is able to say 'A friend is a friend is a friend,' which is what the word originally said.This type of writing is called a pun, and if you have a passion for it, then you should take the essay test because you will be able to create a fantastic story. In order to learn more about writing, you may want to check out some good writing guides to see what your options are.