Philosophers Essays

Aristotle believed that all people by nature desire to know. A sign of one who knows is that that person can teach, while the person of experience without knowledge cannot. He defined wisdom as knowledge of principles and causes. In his Physics and Metaphysics Aristotle discussed the material and formal …

Colonial America was bursting with changes throughout the late 17th century and into the early 18th century. A new time era known as “The Enlightenment” came about which brought many advances in medicine, science, botany, and education. Also, the “Great Awakening”, a time of great religious revival flourished. A well …

Do you agree with the analysis in the Melian Dialogue about the relationship between strong and weak states, and between power and morality David Greer Thucydides can be seen as the first great Historian, and his “history of the Peloponnesian war” is said to be the catalyst of the realist …

Throughout Voltaire’s Candide and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the main characters of the works (Candide and Gulliver respectively) serve as vehicles for satire through which the authors can convey their views. It is important to note that both Candide and Gulliver serve as irons throughout the book; that is to …

During Voltaire’s lifetime, traditional social institutions and government systems held power. Arguably the most influential of those was the Catholic Church, which was considered sacred and above the state in authority and importance. Although Voltaire was a deist, he despised the Church clergy for its corruption, impiousness, and hypocrisy. Having …

John Stuart Mill was a great philosopher of the nineteenth century and the author of ‘On Liberty.’ In this writing (written in 1850), Mills voiced his ideas on individual freedom, both social and political. His intended audience is educated, healthy and ‘civilized’ adults. He equates our personal freedoms with the …

Throughout the centuries, there have been many economists, who have contributed to the many economic theories. Among them is Adam Smith, also known as the Father of Capitalism. His theory on beneficial workings of the free marketplace and his 1776 Wealth of Nations is what he is most noted for. …

Socrates has valid reasons to not fear death. He says, “Whether life or death is better is known to God, and God only” (CPQ 28). Since God has not told Socrates which is better, he decides that what the Athenians believe will suffice. When Crito suggests that Socrates escape and …

The great philosopher, Plato, back in the days of the ancient Greek civilization, concluded that man as a species can only draw from what his senses take about his surroundings. This includes his social relationships, eating habits, spiritual beliefs, and the many other attributes that make a person who they …

The powerful Medici family had a profound impact on a great many lives, but few to the extent of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). As a leading political thinker Machiavelli personally dealt with the Medici, and as a writer their influence was all the weightier, exemplified especially in The Prince and The …