Ethics and Philosophy

A philosophy is a closed system which aspires to explain all elements of life  and the universe, or at least to provide some kind of ideology which helps the  follower to understand what is happening in the present and predict what is  likely to happen in the future. In this sense, then, a philosophy such as  Buddhism, Marxism or existentialism, provides a more or less comprehensive and  coherent framework with which to make sense of the world.

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Review of Balibar’s The Philosophy of Marx

There are a number of difficulties in trying first to understand the thought of Marx and, second, in trying to convey or teach this to other people. The most obvious of these problems is the form and content of Marx’s own writings, which demand a degree of imagination and perseverance that not everyone is willing to provide.

Read the full review here: http://www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=6425.

Review of Zizek’s Living in the End Times

And so we return to the bad boy of contemporary philosophy, the Elvis of cultural theory, the world’s most famous and controversial living Slovenian and a person who divides even those who broadly agree with his opinions. In this, his most recent book, Slavoj Zizek takes as his starting point (or possibly has been persuaded to do so by his publisher) the concept of the impending end of civilization as we know it and then invited to scrawl his dialectics all over the place.

Read the full review here: http://www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=6424

What Is Phenomenology?

Phenomenology, broadly defined, is part of the modernist attempt to make the study of subjective concepts objective. When subjective concepts and knowledge are concerned, it is very difficult (or indeed impossible) to study and analyse the issues systematically and in a way that may be termed ‘scientific.’

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What Is Metalogic?

Metalogic involves the study and analysis of formal languages and of formal systems. Specifically, it involves analysis of the syntax and semantics of those languages. Syntax means the relation among expressions and semantics means the relations between the expressions employed and their meaning. Metalogic involves, therefore, examination of ways in which words (or units or symbols) represent concepts and how these interact with each other

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What Is Humanism?

Humanism is an educational and philosophical ideal that arose during the Renaissance, which occurred in Europe from the end of the C14th to the C17th. This was a conscious attempt to return to the virtues and values of classical texts in restoring drive and direction to society: the word ‘humanism’ comes from the Italian word ‘umanisti,’ which means a professor of classical literature.

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What Is Existentialism?

Existentialism is a form of philosophy that was originated in or around the 1930s and is perhaps most closely associated with the thought of Jean-Paul Sartre. In fact, existentialism has developed in a wide range of divergent directions to the extent that it is hard to determine what is the core of the philosophy and what is the superstructure that has grown up on top and around that core. Further, a lot of the terminology and means of argument connected with existentialism is complex, dense and, generally, difficult to penetrate.

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The Philosophy of Plotinus

Plotinus (205-70 CE) was the principal originator of the Neo-Platonist school of thought that has been considerably influential on the development of Christian and Islamic philosophy and of philosophers subsequently not tied to any particular brand of religion.

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The Philosophy of Diogenes

The Diogenes who was born in Sinope during the C4th BCE and who became a prominent philosopher attained the nickname of ‘dog.’ It is from this nickname, which is ‘Canis’ in Latin, that we have derived the term cynic and the philosophical school cynicism. Diogenes himself was the exemplar of the true meaning of what cynicism really is.

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The Philosophy of Socrates: Political and Ethical Beliefs

Socrates is, in some ways, one of the first true heroes of western civilization. This is because he, as a true hero should, wrestles with the universe and its trials and tribulations as an individual and a human being without constantly looking for supernatural help or validation.

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