John Stuart Mill is often quoted as having said, “Human nature is capable of sincerity and truth; of being interested in other people’s happiness, even in their errors, without having the reverse or motives.” Although often misunderstood, this was a profound and important statement. John Stuart Mill made these statements many times, as he confronted …
There is little doubt that the most well known and influential intellectual in the twentieth century was Simone de Beauvoir. She is known for her books such as Indecision and Desire, and The Door Between. She has been described as a social philosopher, an existentialist philosopher, and a feminist philosopher. The label ‘intellectual’ can be …
Jacques Derrida, a very influential thinker, was born in France. During the 1940s he experienced a deep crisis in his life. He was imprisoned in Algeria during the occupation of that period, and during the war he worked in the resistance. After the Resistance he wrote a number of influential works, most of which are …
Jacques Derrida’s Post structuralism – A Brief Introduction Read More »
Ludwig Wittgenstein (born Ludwigz Fegelein) was a famous Polish thinker and logician. He is considered by many to be one of the giants of modern philosophy. Although he received his degree from the University of Edinburgh, he did not pursue a graduate degree. Instead, he worked as a teacher, writer, journalist, professor, counselor and psychotherapist. …
How to Think – A Review of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s “View of Language” Read More »
David Hume is one of the most important figures in the development of modern philosophy. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 7 May 1711, David Hume was a very young child when the English revolution broke out. As the result of this, his father, a Scotland-bred lawyer, was forced to leave England and emigrate to Boston, …
Five Most Common Mistakes When Refuting David Hume’s Theorems Read More »
Karl Marx is a German philosopher and economic analyst. Karl Marxism is also known as the writer, Karl Kautsky, or simply Karl. Karl Marx was born in 1817 in Germany. A famous quote of Karl Marx says, “A boot is better than an iron heel…A millionaire is better than a poor man…A battle is fought …
Karl Marx and His Contribution to the World’s History Read More »
Plato is one of the greatest philosophers ever. He is recognized as the one who taught the most influential philosophies in history. The three treatises he produced – Crito, Phaedrus lived in the 3rd Century BC and have had wide-ranging effects on Western thought. Plato is revered not only for his great works like the …
Yes. Aristotle is among the most influential thinkers in all of human history. To make a long story short, he is a great Greek philosopher and inventor as well. In his six thousand years of professional writing he produced over one hundred books on a wide variety of topics ranging from metaphysics to politics and …
Socrates, a Greek of the early second century BC who lived in Athens, was unique among the Greeks. He is one of few philosophers who contributed to the philosophy of his time and to Athens in general. Unlike many other philosophers, however, Socrates’ most important work was the Dialog. The Dialog was a dialogue that …
The Ultimate Human Good – A Just and virtuous Life by Socrates Read More »
The term ‘humanity’ in Confucius’s time was highly regarded, and he viewed human beings as being of one mind and spirit, which he described as “benevolence non maleficence”. In this way, he presented mankind as having the potential for positive and constructive change. He also felt that people should be respected as their equals, and …
What Are the Differences Between Confucius and the Analects? Read More »