Our free philosophy essay examples cover a range of popular topics in this field of study, such as the nature of existence, knowledge, free will, truth and ethics.
“If liberty is ever lost in America, it will be necessary to lay the blame on the omnipotence of the majority that will have brought minorities to despair.” – Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America In 1831, an ambitious French aristocrat, Alexis De Tocqueville, visited Jacksonian America, writing diligently on the progress of our nation’s … Read more
Jonathan Bennett’s 1974 essay “The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn” from Philosophy 49, employs examples from Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” and draws inspiration from the Nazi regime, specifically Heinrich Himmler, to explain his theory of sympathy as a tool to correct one’s own “bad morality” provided one is open to correction and listens to said sympathies. … Read more
Many different environmental scientists have proposed different potential foundations for environmental ethics. Bryan Norton, in particular, proposes the idea of transformative value, which offers respectable and defensible approaches to protecting species and ecosystems. Transformative value has the ability to sort human demand values in a way that provides environmentalists a solid way to not only … Read more
Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan marks the genesis of the artificial political entity that is the Hobbesian commonwealth, with a social covenant as its efficient cause. Hobbes claims that this all-powerful commonwealth that he baptizes the Leviathan (as an allusion to the biblical beast) is the ultimate escape from a state where people have unlimited rights, but … Read more
Question 1 – Explain Filmer’s and Hobbes’ arguments for absolute monarchy – why should we have monarchies, and why should they be given absolute power? What are Locke’s arguments against absolutism? [600 words] Robert Filmer and Thomas Hobbes were two of the biggest proponents for absolute monarchy of their generation. While both were in favor … Read more
When reflecting on premodern political thought and modern political thought, the biggest difference between the two is the idea of who is fit to lead and the concept of idealism versus realism. This is evident in how the philosophers view the rights of the everyday people within society. Overtime the philosophers have leaned farther away … Read more
An age-old question that continues its relevancy today is whether or not material possessions contribute to individual happiness. Many conclude that acquiring and owning material possessions will not bring true joy, however, it is evident that modern society places great value on material items, much more so than in the past. While it is true … Read more
Moral Relativism Moral relativism is a theory that deals with morals being relative to your culture. An example of this is women showing skin in some middle-eastern countries. In their culture relative to them, this is horrible and unimaginable. In America (our culture) it is not out of the norm to see a girl or … Read more
Examine the Apology and Crito and determine whether Socrates would be open to the possibility of civil disobedience as it is characterized by MLK in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. Since the very formation of modern human civilization, mankind has continuously broke new boundaries in the fields of science, mathematics, medicine, technology, and more. From … Read more
In this essay, I will be outlining John Searle’s Chinese room thought experiment. Further, I will address the three major objections raised to his argument labeled the Systems Reply, Robot Reply, and Brain Simulator Reply. After addressing and carefully discussing these, I will discuss Searle’s replies to these objections and state whether or not I … Read more
John Searle’s famous “Chinese Room” argument that was discussed in Chapter 2 of How the Mind Works, was one of the most interesting arguments to display claims of artificial intelligence. Basically the claim as that computers can and will at least try to master the act of thinking. The argument was based upon how Searle … Read more
A) Utilitarian approach The Utilitarian approach is where a person or organisation holds the principle that the morally right course of action in any given situation is the course of action that delivers the greatest balance of benefits to harm, as long as the course of action gives the greatest amount of benefits for all … Read more
Introduction In this paper, I will argue that Kass’ public health ethics framework that Quebec considering outlawing the sale of caffeinated ‘energy’ drinks to persons under 16 is ethically justified using the utilitarianism and harm reduction principle. Caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs) are beverages that contain high levels of caffeine, stimulants, and often other substances such … Read more
The Sophists influenced the cultured class in Athens. Plato showed Socrates challenging the Sophist Protagoras in arguments in his dialogue Protagoras. Plato wanted to display the contrast between Socrates and the Sophists: Socrates seeked knowledge that he did not have, Sophists claimed to have knowledge of how to live well, possess excellence and be able … Read more
Consequentialism is a moral theory like the deontological and virtue ethics approaches. They differ in terms of which object they attach moral importance to. Kant’s deontological approach views goodness as belonging to duties, acts and obligations themselves rather than their consequences. Virtue theory looks at good in relation to the character and habits of a … Read more
Stuck for an idea for your essay? Here are some areas of philosophy that could form the basis for your next piece of work:
These are just a few examples of the areas that could be discussed in an essay about philosophy. Depending on the specific focus and scope of the essay, other topics and areas of discussion could also be explored.
Having a great essay title can be the perfect starting point for your work and can help you stay focused. Here are some example titles to inspire you:
