for students : all the ingredients of a good essay
There are 6,513 essays in this section.
As humans, we seek to uncover the meaning to everything in the universe, and this is the kind of motivation that has lead us to make discoveries such as cures or vaccines. When asked if a particular vaccine prevents small pox for example, a doctor who has done the research and has factual truth would … Read more
The ideal city, or polis, in the eyes in Socrates in Plato’s Republic is one that is just and virtuous, where every single person contributes in one way or another, is enlightened, and is aristocratic. In this city, the people are divided into three different groups, but they all have a vital role. He constructs … Read more
The use of prerogative powers under the direction of the executive is a contentious subject that has been long faced by both historical and contemporary political theorists. Allowing for the exercise of extra-legal powers set within John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government’s (1689) account of political authority, Lockean prerogative theory aims to set forward the … Read more
Frank Jackson’s ‘Epiphenomenal Qualia’ challenges the basic principles of physicalism through the examples of fictional characters named Mary and Fred. Jackson concludes that there are indeed non-physical qualities to experience. In reaching that conclusion, Jackson relies on the Knowledge Argument. The Knowledge Argument, a major component of explaining qualia, provides that complete physical knowledge regarding … Read more
This essay will first outline Mill’s ideas on non-intervention, the colonial exception and how this relates to his ideas on individual liberty, before evaluating how these ideas contradict each other. Firstly, it will contend that his view that colonialism is nurturing the local people to prepare them for gaining individual liberty is inconsistent given the … Read more
I. Introduction Argument from evil is essentially an argument that objects to the existence of God on account of the existence of evil in the world. The fact that evil plagues this world in multitude and enormity consolidates the foundation of atheism. There are four versions of this argument. The first version of the argument … Read more
The Euthyphro problem has been central to the discussion about morality and its relationship with God. We will first outline the dilemma before presenting problems with both sides. Ultimately, this essay will argue that the second hornist’s position, that God wills things because they are good, is the stronger but that the conception of God … Read more
Definition of the word morality is a group of standard applied to people, personally or socially, and used to define correct or wrong behaviours and personalities, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. In other words, morality sets the guideline for what people “ought to do”. (Potthast&Panza, 2010) It is not as difficult to explain the word … Read more
In 1689, Locke introduced his Theory of Government which was controversial to British thinkers, defending and summarising bourgeois rule and its new system in theory. The whole book is divided into two parts, which separates in to critical and constructive. The rationalism spirit which differs from his philosophy empiricism has laid the keynote of modern … Read more
The discussion on God’s existence has been a very controversial topic throughout our the history of mankind. In order to fully understand God’s existence, we must first have a wide range of knowledge and understanding on the way of being and existence. The study of metaphysics has allowed us to understand and think about the … Read more
Abortion is unlawfully wrong. Although to many people it is an unpopular belief, and they do have good reasons for an abortion (which I will explain in my essay), to take away a life of a potentially great human being is committing murder. In this essay I will thoroughly review 2 arguments on abortion. The … Read more
The Matrix, Plato, and Descartes are all controlled by different means. Neo is controlled by the computer system, Plato’s cave by the mankind and Descartes by his perceptions of evil demons. These three have multiple similarities as well as differences. They all question the reality in which they are currently living, whether it’s real or … Read more
“Can machines think?”, the notion of Artificial Intelligence was first, seriously, contemplated by Alan Turing; considered by many as the ‘father of computer science’. At first glance, especially at the time this question was first asked, one might dismiss it quickly – how can it be possible for a machine to think, they simply do … Read more
In this paper, I will first explain one of Descartes most debatable hypothesis found within his first Meditation, this hypothesis that refers to an evil demon brings to the table a series of existential questions that even today we are still trying to figure out the answer to. Then, I will explore how indubitable the … Read more
Macintyre 1966 stated that the very process of moral argument presupposes the principle that everyone is to be treated the same until reason to the contrary is shown. This principle however does not prescribe how anyone should be treated. Here are a few decisions facing contemporary policymakers and citizens around the world: who is responsible … Read more
Once the computer was successfully developed in the 1950’s, it allowed cognitive psychology to become a dominant approach in the field of Psychology. Cognition needs to be modelled to aid cognitive scientists in understanding how the brain works, to predict human behaviour and to create machines that can perform human tasks (Gentner, D., & Forbus, … Read more
Descartes creates two rules to distinguish machine thinking from human thinking. The first rule is that machines ‘could never use words, or put together signs, as we do in order to declare our thoughts’ (Study Guide:105). Although he states in Discourse on a Method that machines can ‘[utter] words’ (Study Guide:105), they would never be … Read more
Utilitarians emphasize the role of sympathy in thinking about morality, this is important to take into consideration because it is right to acknowledge the reality of strong human compassion. We cannot separate ourselves from the feelings that drive our behavior, even if it reason that drives our thinking. One could argue that we need both … Read more
Utilitarianism is, at its core, a theory about morality. To elaborate, it looks for what is good or bad; in the case of the situation presented to us, these are decided based on the amount of happiness that each outcome leads to. We were given a situation where we had to choose between a loved … Read more
There are two different types of utilitarianism: Rule-utilitarianism and Act utilitarianism, however I’ll only be discussing the latter. Is Utilitarianism is a moral theory that believes the right action is the one that produces the best outcome for the greatest numbers. For example: The best outcome would be the one that produces the greatest amount … Read more
The continuing advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) provides many unique and troubling ethical issues concerning the boundaries that demarcate a robot from a human being, and whether the former is worthy of any moral considerations. Notably, the potential roboticisation of the sex trade, and the introduction of nascent AI poses the question of whether a … Read more
Human rights and the fight for human rights has occurred since the very existence of man. Nelson Mandela very famously quoted,” To deny people their human rights is a violation of being a human.”(Mandela 1994) Firstly what are human rights? Human rights is defined by (Hutchings 2010) as,” The rights that we as human beings … Read more
Consumerism takes advantage of changes in society and it “seduces into accepting the deeply unsettling condition of postmodernity” (Smith, 1999: 50). Consumers “can buy short term comfort in the market place” (ibid). Through advertisements people are trained to think that the solution for dissatisfaction is the fulfillment of their wishful fantasies. People’s needs, which can … Read more
Although it is possible to deny God’s existence without contradiction, to do so is tantamount to misunderstanding the nature of God. If we are to analyse what it means to deny God and say that there is no contradiction in it, we must in doing so appraise and evaluate the ontological argument, which claims the … Read more
We are all a product of our circumstances. While some are endowed upon us, the others we create. Is there free will when it comes to defining the conditions that will eventually define you? Not only do these circumstances connote towards being of material welfare, but they may also comprise of factors that go beyond … Read more
