Philosophical Essays

The Philosophy Of Art And Art Essay
Introduction
Whilst the initial roots of aesthetics as a philosophical mode of enquiry may be traced as far back
as the ancient Greek philosophers, with the discipline itself arising as a cohesive branch of
philosophy in eighteenth century Europe in parallel with the emergence of fine art and museum
culture, what is now often referred to as feminist aesthetics or feminist philosophy of art constitutes
a strikingly novel area of intellectual enquiry, having arisen as recently as the 1970's (Brand and
Korsmeyer, 1995, 12; Ziarek, 2012, 8). It hence seems reasonable to assert that aesthetic approaches
which address the relevance of gender as a central unit of analysis within both art world practices, as
well as philosophical and art historical discourses concerning art and human creativity, remain in
their embryonic stages, and it is only now that they are beginning to coalesce into a coherent
collection of theories within the academy. Rather than representing a single monolithic body of
theory, feminist aesthetic scholarship can loosely be characterised as a collection of theoretical
approaches – plural, rather than singular – which seek to problematise and de–naturalise the
underlying assumptions that underpin dominant traditional theories concerning both the production
and reception of art. In this sense, they constitute a set of responses to the vast body of aesthetic
theory which precedes them.
As such, feminist aesthetic discourse has covered a vast terrain of
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Philosophy of Ethics Essay
The word "ethics" comes from Greek ethikas meaning character. Today, we use ethics to describe the
normative standard of behavior. The history of philosophical ethics has been broken up into five
rational methods: Virtue, Traditional, Modern, and Post–Modern Ethics. Within these periods, the
philosophy of ethics changed along with the changes being made within society. The first rational
method is Virtue Ethics. The major philosophers during this period were materialists such as Plato,
Aristotle, Epicurus, and Plutarch. Greek were concerned with finding eudaimonia meaning the good
life, but what is the good life? Known as the greatest Western philosopher, Plato developed the
Cardinal Virtues: Justice, Courage, Moderation, and...show more content...
One of the last major philosophers of Virtue Ethics was Plutarch who advocated virtue but disagreed
with Epicurus because he believed there was no true pleasure. At this same time, between 400 B.C.–
40 B.C. Stoic philosophers such Cicero, who combined the philosophies of Aristotle and Plato,
developed his idea on ethics and how everyone has a duty and should imitate virtue for others. He
said duty has two points which are to achieve the Supreme Good, and follow the rules for daily
living. Cicero was a strong believer in rationality incorporated Plato's Cardinal Virtues into his three
rules of conduct: master desires through reason, know true value of goals and be moderate in
actions and lifestyle. Following Virtue Ethics, a major shift occurred in thinking. The philosophers
of Virtue Ethics were materialists and believed we only have what we have and after death, we have
nothing. Traditional Ethics shifted the focus on religion once it began to spread. Also known as
Biblical Ethics, philosophers started a systematic study of Biblical themes and principles surrounding
ethics and morality. St. Augustine was trained as a philosopher and combines his understanding of
the Bible to ethics by answering the same question as Plato and Aristotle did, "What is the highest
good?" He answered this question with happiness just like Aristotle but since Aristotle

What is philosophy? Why study it? What purpose does it have? How does it influence our lives?
According to Google, "philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and
existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline." But how does it influence us?
Why should we study it? What purpose will it serve – if we do?
Before we can understand the purposes that philosophy will serve. We must first understand why we
must study it and how it will influence us. We study philosophy so not to be taken in by
demagoguery. We study philosophy to train our minds to never fall victim to limiting our minds to
this phantasmagoria–paradigm that we call reality. We live in a world of let me see if I can change
your mind. Philosophy teaches us self–discipline in forming our views and opinions, while
identifying the areas we are weak in. "Philosophy is also important in getting us to defend our own
positions, to take other people's positions seriously, but still be able to self–correct, to be tolerant,
and to be good citizens" (Reese, 2014). Philosophy will influence us from the day we are born until
the day we die.
From our first moments on earth to our last moments on earth we are constantly being influenced by
someone else's philosophies. Our parents are our first demagogue – they gain popularity in our eyes
by playing on our emotions and passions as kids. In most cultures they use fictional characters such
as Santa Clause, The Ester Bunny, and The tooth

What Is Philosophy Essay
What is Philosophy?
The idea of philosophy have been for generation mistaught and mistrued to the world. While some
argued that philosophy rejects the existence of the infinity of God, others asserts that the focus of
philosophy is on elemental matters that are real. However, these school of thoughts may be right in
their various capacity but philosophy goes beyond that. Philosophy is in reality not just a theory but
philosophy is the act of discovering the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. In
other words, philosophy drive us to reason critically and discover what truth really is (Pecorino,
2000). What does it offer us?
There are several things philosophy offers us. First, philosophy offers us wisdom to discover the
truth regarding the existence of reality and the falacy of relying on our senses. This is because what
our senses suggest to us are far from being the truth, therefore philosophy offers us a more
appropriate approach to trust in our 'reason'. Furthermore, philosophy offer us the ability to wonder
and question things from a perspective that even when we see elemental matters with our...show
more content...
In my workplace, would, in most cases ask my subordinates questions in order to understand some
fundamental aspect of their assignments. For instance, if a subordinate resume late without any
tangible excuse, I ask question like 'if everyone resume late to work, can this business survive?'
Questions prompt self–realizations and make people discovered that what they are doing is wrong.
Questions similarly points people to the right direction of what they should do. Additionally, at
home, I ask series of critical questions in order to enlighten the children and show them where they
have made some mistakes and how to rectify it. The Socratic method has essentially become a way
in which I conduct my everyday

Similarities Between Descartes And Confucianism
What is philosophy? Philosophy could be defined in many ways, but I believe that the Oxford
dictionary defines it best: "The study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or
experience or a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour". That definition
basically encapsulates the entirety of what we have discussed during the time that we have been in
this course. It covers the basic ideals of both eastern and western philosophy quite eloquently over
the span of just one sentence. However, philosophy is a word that cannot be defined in simply one
sentence. Nor is it a word that can be defined broadly to apply to a wide range of people. When it
comes to philosophy, everyone has their own ways of studying and practicing, whether they
understand and acknowledge that or not. While it may seem rudimentary to state something so
simple and synonymous with the phrase "everyone is different", I have found that in something
such as philosophy the smallest of differences can produce the largest of results. This was a
profound truth that became very evident to me while we studied the literary works of many different
philosophers. While there are similarities between the approaches of Descartes and Confucianism to
philosophy, there are also many key differences in culture, politics and language that set the two
apart from one another. The first way in which the philosophical approaches of Descartes and
Confucianism differ is in their cultural

My Personal Philosophy Of Life
Personal philosophy is something that plays a tremendous role in the life of every individual.
Everyone have a different point of view about life, we cannot expect everyone to have the same
philosophy of life. Philosophy of life will be different between each person. Two people will never
have the same philosophy of life. Individuals might share some similarities between their
philosophy of life but two people will never have the exactly same. I have a strong belief that
people develop and shape their own personal philosophy during their whole life. Sometimes we
might attempt to think that we already know our philosophy of life but there are some
circumstances that can totally change our view. I also believe that our age plays a tremendous role
in our philosophy of life. We cannot expect a twelve–year–old to have the same view of life as a
forty years old. In terms of my own philosophy I cannot truly say that I completely know my
entire personal philosophy of life but I know that now at this moment I am the one in charge of my
own philosophy about life. Even though I am 23 years old I still don't have my life completely
figured about. I know what I want to do and what are the goals that I would like to achieve but in
terms of my own philosophy about life I believe that God is in charge; and that our story about
life was already written even before we were born. I can wake up with many different types of ideas
or things I would like to achieve but I know that God has the

Socrates and his Philosophy Essay
Socrates and his Philosophy
Socrates makes a profound impact in our minds through his wisdom, power of critical thinking,
moral strength and intelligence. It is Plato who immortalizes Socrates in the popular imagination as
a man of profound knowledge. Socrates' effectiveness as a philosopher depended as much on the
strength and interest of his personality as on the power of his mind. Socrates' philosophy was based
on discovering the truth, understanding moral life and talking about the elements that make up a
good life. According to my judgment, one of the most important things about Socrates' quest was,
indeed, the unceasing habit and practice of being critical and thoughtful– of not being truly blind to
one's...show more content...
On one extreme, there are views according to which only certain definite kinds of lives or in the
most extreme versions only a single kind of life is best. On the other extreme, there are views
according to which there is no objective answer at all as to what sort of life is good, so that the
only relevant consideration is the person's own judgment. If people think that they are living good
or satisfactory lives, then they are, and there is nothing more to be said. Between those two
extremes life varies from person to person and perhaps other dimensions as well. There are some
objective conditions or requirements that must be satisfied for a life to be good. One may think that
the good life is one that contains lots of pleasurable experience and few if any painful ones.
Happiness seems to be the standard for measuring the good life to them. But Socrates believed
that, happiness cannot be the standard for the good life; the good life has to be gained through
avoiding bodily pleasure, because body always misguides us from gaining the real truth about our
lives. So, the definition of the good life completely depends on the people's own ideas, judgments
and beliefs. Socrates showed us in his very own way how wisdom interrelated with one's life and
afterlife as well. Pursuit of wisdom should be given most priority because wisdom makes people
aware

The Philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche Essay
Philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th–century German philosopher
and held in regard amongst the greatest philosophers of the early part century. He sharpened his
philosophical skills through reading the works of the earlier philosophers of the 18th century such as
Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Arthur Schopenhauer and African Spir; however, their works and
beliefs were opposite to his own. His primary mentor was Author Schopenhauer, whose belief was
that reality was built on the foundation of experience. Such as it is, one of his essays, Schopenhauer
als Erzieher, published in 1874, was dedicated to Schopenhauer (Mencken, 2008). In the past two
centuries, his work has had authority and influence in both...show more content...
The fact that he gave up and refused to fight back gives room for more findings. He disagrees with
the Christian community for making Jesus a martyr and sees that in so doing, they had made the
Christ teachings vague. Nietzsche wrote his works in the process of rebuilding the damage caused
by Christians during the ancient days. His inclination was to show the true way in which God
wanted human beings to live as opposed to what Christians were doing. Another philosophy of
Nietzsche was related to the notion of ressentiment. Defined, ressentiment is any cautious, defeatist,
or cynical attitude based on the belief that the individual and human institutions exist in a hostile or
indifferent universe or society and an oppressive awareness of the futility of trying to improve one's
status in life or in society (dictionary.com). In the work, On the Genealogy of Morals, ressentiment
is illustrated in the way the Jewish clerics act in response to the authority of the Romans. Nietzsche
states, "the Jews, that priestly people, who in opposing their enemies and conquerors were
ultimately satisfied with nothing less than a radical revaluation of their enemies' values, that is to
say, an act of the most spiritual revenge. For this alone was appropriate to a priestly people, the
people embodying the most deeply repressed priestly vengefulness." The feeling of ressentiment is
subconscious and communicates Nietzsche's analysis of

The Philosophical Roots Of Psychology Essay
Modern psychology has a diversity of topics, from cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology,
evolutionary psychology, and more. However, a person needs to know the history of psychology
before he or she can grasp the different concepts of psychology. However, the roots of psychology
are grounded in philosophy, with psychology 's beginning coming from philosophers as Socrates,
Plato, and Rene Descartes, and began with questions about human nature. The Philosophical Roots
The beginnings of psychology come from different philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato. In all
actuality, Socrates himself never wrote anything; however, Plato put it in writing. Socrates did not
put anything into writing because he believed that writing was an interactional process for
knowledge. Socrates claimed that he knew nothing and in believed in a person cross–examining him
or herself, which became known as elenchus. According to Hooker (1996), "The Socratic elenchus
eventually gave rise to dialectic, the idea that truth needs to be pursued by modifying one 's position
through questioning and conflict with opposing ideas" (Socrates, para. 5). However, the
philosophical era progressed with Plato, Descartes, and Spinoza. These distinguished philosophers
lived during a time when the human soul was actively discussed among philosophers. These great
philosophers believed that the human soul and many of the early philosophers believed that the
mind and body were separate and the mind or soul would

Philosophical Anthropology
Philosophical Anthropology
ABSTRACT: Philosophers cannot avoid addressing the question of whether philosophical
anthropology (that is, specifically philosophical inquiry about human nature and human
phenomenon) is possible. Any answer must be articulated in the context of the nature and function
of philosophy. In other words, philosophical anthropology must be defined as an account of the
nature of the subject of philosophical thinking. I argue that if philosophical thinkers admit that they
are beings in nature, culture, and history, then the possibility of a uniquely philosophical theory of
human nature and human phenomenon should be discarded. Rather, philosophy's catalytic and
integrative role in human cognition should be stressed....show more content...
While philosophers may claim to have a unique aim and method in their investigation of human
experience, it by no means is a topic unique to philosophy. There is a practical reason for the
anthropological interest on the part of philosophers as well. The field of human experiences upon
which philosophers reflect includes the pursuit of values and awareness of norms of behavior. Not
only are the nature and sources of values and norms engaging objects of understanding in themselves
but their critical assessment must be felt existentially pressing because humans cannot but pursue
some values and follow some norms and they have interest in being assured that the values they
pursue and the norms they follow are worthy of pursuit and conformance respectively. Even if the
sources of values and norms may come to be thought to transcend human nature, as in theological
ethics, such determination cannot be made without an examination of human nature as their possible
source. But what aspects of human life are relevant here and how they are to be investigated remains
an open question. It will be dogmatic to deny that the relevant aspects include some that are fit for
empirical inquiry.
In light of the fact that common sense, natural and social sciences, history, and religion all have their
say about human nature and human phenomena, the following question becomes pressing: Is
philosophical anthropology, specifically philosophical inquiry about humans, possible,

Metaphysics Essay
Metaphysics
Metaphysics can be defined as an attempt to comprehend the basic characteristics of reality. It is in
fact so basic that it is all inclusive, whether something is observable or not. It answers questions of
what things must be like in order to exist and how to differentiate from things that seem real but are
not. A common thought is that reality is defined as what we can detect from our five senses. This
type of philosophy is called empiricism, which is the idea that all knowledge comes from our senses.
An empiricist must therefore believe that what we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear must be real
and that if we can not in fact see, touch, taste, smell, or hear something, it is definitely not real.
However, this is a...show more content...
Other people do not believe in it. Another important aspect of metaphysics is that reality is separate
from our minds. We can not affect or change things just by thinking about them. However, some
metaphysicians believe that our feelings are more real than what we can sense because our feelings
are first–hand and come from our body. They must in fact be real because we are more aware of
them. Metaphysics basically describes what people do everyday in their lives. People have a
constant need to differentiate between what's real and what's not. In our everyday life, we are
faced with appearances and materialistic things. Metaphysics can even relate to beauty. What's
beautiful to one person may be repulsive to another and vice versa. Beauty is something that we
can see, but it's not a physical object that can be sensed. Does this mean that it is not real?
Empirically, yes. As people get older, they can better distinguish between real and not real. As
stated in the textbook, a person must balance reality and their dreams, goals, etc, because both
things are important. Fantasy, such as our dreams and goals, are part of being human and for
some people, it is a purpose of life. If we only lived in "reality," there would be nothing to strive for
because everyone would live based on what we know from our five senses. As long as people can
keep a balance between the two, they can live a "normal" life in which they know what's real, but
they can

The Philosophical Method Of Philosophy
What is Philosophy
Philosophy according to its literal translation is the devotion to wisdom. But exactly what kind of
wisdom does Philosophy entail? This question is answered by the subject matter of Philosophy
(metaphysics, epistemology, value theory). The societal impact of acculturation has presented a
problem to philosophical thinking. However, the philosophical method has also allowed for an
abstract thinking outside that of which we typically inherit through tradition. In a way everyone uses
philosophy on a regular basis since philosophy is a way of thinking about certain points of view or
questions and constructing solid arguments based of logic that make the most sense to the thinker.
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality. Meaning that this study
contains the big question of who are we? Or does god exist? These questions require an in depth
answer if any can be given. However, philosophy tries to answer these questions using various
approaches. For example, throughout the quarter questions about the existence of god were
brought up and discussed. Even though there is no straight forward answer to whether god or a
being similar to the idea we have of god exists a more in depth question surged that did not ask
whether god existed but if it was possible for a being that is all powerful to exist. In the discussions
we questioned the idea of an all–powerful, loving, and knowing being existing in a world full of
violence and

Before taking this class, I thought that philosophy was strictly the study of space and abstract
ideas that I never really gave any attention to. Now at the end of the semester I can say that not
only have I realized how wrong my original opinion of philosophy was, but I also learned that the
more philosophy I can study, the better I will be able to make decisions in my life. Philosophy can be
broken down into three branches: Axiology, Epistemology, and Metaphysics. These branches each
have their own questions and perspectives. We learned about two different types of philosophy,
Perennialism and Essentialism, and I like to think of myself as being a mixture of these two.
Although these two types of philosophy are clearly different from each other, I will explain how I
find myself relating to them both.
The three main branches of philosophy are Axiology, Epistemology, and Metaphysics. The first
branch, Axiology, is the philosophical study of human values and how values differ from facts; It
can also be broken down into two separate parts, ethics and aesthetics. Ethics, derived from the
greek word "ethos" which means character, studies the right and wrong sides of human action. It
asks, "What is good?" and "Who determines what is good?" Aesthetics studies how we evaluate
beauty and harmony in nature and in human life. As humans we are always searching for the correct
way to live, searching for these answers will lead to axiological questions. The next branch is
Epistemology,

What is Philosophy? Essay
The subject of Philosophy and its subcategories have been widely discussed in both the Western and
non–Western world albeit with different focuses. Philosophy includes many different subfields
involving investigation into our existence. These subfields include epistemology, ethics, logic,
metaphysics, philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, and Metaphilosophy.
Epistemology focuses on the study of Knowledge, also known as "Theory of Knowledge". Ethics
involves the study of moral values and rules, Logic; the study of reasoning. Metaphysics is the
study of being and knowing also known as the principles of reality. The Philosophy of Science
analyzes the nature and results of scientific inquiry. Social and Political Philosophy...show more
content...
These methods of thinking include Critical, Rational, Systematic, Reflective, and normative
thinking. Each of which helps find a conclusion or truth.
The method of critical thinking explores what it means to be critical and how we think critically.
Critical thinking can be defined as an approach to ideas from the standpoint of deliberate
consideration. Philosophy differs from Religion in that this critical thinking is a primary
characteristic used in Western Philosophy. Religion is a belief and way of life while philosophy is
the knowledge or understanding of life. In Greek Philo means love of and Sophy, wisdom. Hence
philosophy is most directly the love of wisdom. Non–western Philosophy incorporates both science
and religon to answer questions. Furthermore, all Sciences are subsets of philosophy. Philosophy
represents the mind, a process of thinking and religion, a process of faith. Philosophy is Dogma
while Religion is a code of conduct revealed upon mankind through revelation. Furthermore religion
depends upon a superior being or unknown force (think god). Because of this, when a philosophy is
codified into rituals and faith, it becomes a religion. Religion tends to back away from rational
discourse, as opposed to Philosophy, which is all about rational discourse and critical thinking.
Similar to critical thinking, the method of rational thinking interprets how we think rationally. Logic
plays a specialized role in rational thinking. Rational thinking

Essay On Greek Philosophy
What is philosophy? Today when the word "philosophy" is spoken, it provokes thought in most
people. Philosophy is often associated with the wisest ones from the past such as Aristotle and Plato.
In fact, the word itself originates from the Greek word "philosophia," directly translating into the
"love of wisdom." Ancient Greek philosophy covered an extensive amount of subjects such as
science, the analysis of common political and social life, along with religious affairs (Adkins and
Adkins, "Philosophy, Ancient Greek") . Ultimately, Ancient Greek philosophy is a complex system
of thought shaped by pre–socratic thought, sophist thought, hellenistic thought, and the thought of
highly esteemed figures.
The origin of Greek philosophy traces back to the middle of the fifth century BCE. The
philosophical thoughts that originated in Ionia, during the sixth century BCE are considered to be
pre–socratic because they reflect the common philosophy before Socrates. During this time, the
Ionians were ones to trade with those located nearby to the west and east such as Mesopotamia and
Persia. The active trading...show more content...
The Persian Wars led to many cultural evolutions within inancient Greece, specifically, Athens.
Within these evolutions, ancient Greek philosophy progressed significantly due to the sheer
"arrogance" of ancient Greece (Sacks, "Persian Wars"). Hellenistic age deemed what thought was
effective and what thought was not. So, philosophers had to adapt their thought to suit the time
period. For example, the hellenistic age turned philosophers such as Epicurus and Zeno toward
conveying their philosophical thoughts through religion, specifically, Christianity (Sacks,
"Hellenistic Age"). Modifications like the one above, do in fact leave an impression on one's
philosophy, showing that hellenistic thought impacted ancient Greek philosophy as a

A Philosophical Point Of View Essay
Ethics in a philosophical point of view allows humans to fully understand the importance of morality
in a society. Throughout history, numerous philosophers have had their own sense of morality. For
instance, Thomas Hobbs considered morality as simply as a social contract between cultures through
the establishment of laws, however others like Immanuel Kant saw it as an internal duty that all
humans unconsciously share and owe each other. Most people must side with one spectrum of a
topic than the other to determine an action is moral. Topics such asabortion, war, marriage etc... have
infiltrated modern liberal's conversations. I will write this paper about abortion and, to support my
opinion, I will first compare the arguments previously made by four well known philosophers: Mary
Ann Warren, Patrick Lee, Robert P. George, and Judith Jarvis Thomson. After partaking on
whichever side, I will then apply a specific ethical theory that will help explain what influenced my
decision, then cover any possible objections and finish with any current improvements being made to
appease the tension from the topic. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. For
such a heartfelt topic, it needs has been a practice since the ancient times They always contradict
with the people that consider themselves traditional.
Abortion as most people know, can be a difficult topic to speak of. It contains the preservation of
human life against the choice of protecting one's body and

My Philosophical Methodology Of Learning
My philosophical methodology of learning is mixedand I would not have it any other way. Each
individual student does not learn in the same way so why should I teach every lesson in the same
way or style. Finding the correct balance between direct instruction and a constructivist approach
can help reach a wider range of students and learning styles. Combining a strong traditionalist
perspective with a touch of progressive and humanistic instruction will help to expand the influence
made on our youth today. Introduction Teaching is my calling. It is what I was blessed and
sculpted to become. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift
is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance...show more content...
(Titus 2:7–8, NIV) Worldview & Philosophy of Life Our existence is to reflect the nature and
character of God in our lives. Humans were created to reflect God's character and to glorify His
name. Our purpose for living must take into account our calling in life; we are able to do what
God called us to do. We must use the gifts God has given us to do His work, worship Him, and
partake in fellowship with God. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37–39, NIV) I came to the understanding at a very young
age that God intended for me to teach our youth. I was not raised with a strong religious
background but rather with a strong spiritual one. My faith and relationship with God has guided
my decisions my entire life. As others pushed me to use my intelligence to gain prestige and
attend a prominent university, I chose to follow the path that I believe God had created for me.
In doing so, not only have I honored God and his intentions for my life, but I have been blessed
with true happiness. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in
vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God
that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10, ESV) Philosophy of Schools & Learning As I learned in my
Advanced

What is philosophy and why should anyone study it?
We are all doomed without philosophy! Why you may ask. Well the reason why is because
philosophy is all around us, but many people fail to notice it. According to the Oxford Dictionaries
philosophy is, "The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially
when considered as an academic discipline" (Philosophy). So, in other terms, philosophy is the way
we think about various topics. Philosophy is full of thinking and questioning everything around us,
so when we stop thinking and questioning our surroundings, we are doomed.
While reading Alistair Sinclair What is Philosophy, I learned that philosophy in Greek stands for
'love of wisdom.' In other terms,...show more content...
These three branches help us grasp the concept of philosophy because they all help us understand
the bigger picture of philosophy.While there are many reasons to study philosophy, the main
reasons that we should study philosophy is so that we can advance our own knowledge, and
because philosophy is a part of every one of us. We are naturally curious about our surroundings,
and want to understand the true meaning of it. Alistair Sinclair said, "As individuals, we want to be
wise than just plain ignorant" (1). We all want to be philosophers because we do not want to be the
odd person who is oblivious to our surroundings.
Philosophy can advance both our academic and social knowledge. People who study philosophy
have a better understanding that their one view is not always right. Philosophers can take their
personal beliefs and compare with others, and being able to find a happy medium between multiple
beliefs. As Alistair Sinclair stated, philosophers are open minded and prepared to change their view
points (8). Meaning, they are ready to reconsider their view points, if valid points are given.
Philosophy is important in both our social and academic life because, we need to know when to
accept defeat and when to collaborate with others to result in the best possible conclusion. It is rare

Personal Teaching Philosophy Essay
My own personal journey through my education and reflection as a student studying, teaching, and
learning has shaped by beliefs in the way I learn and the way I want to teach. My personal teaching
philosophy consists of several teaching philosophies. It is a mix of progressivism and existentialism.
I believe in progressivism, I believe the concept that students should be provided with learning
experiences that are dynamic and teach using hands–on approach. I think when a student is learning
about a subject that interests them and is relevant to them, learning is improved. Lessons should
boost curiosity and be thought provoking. Although, funding in some school makes this difficult due
to lack of materials, teachers should attempt to improvise...show more content...
Each student has their own unique needs and distinctive styles of learning, and progressive
education allows both the teacher and student to work together and form a learning experience. In a
progressivism classroom, students are thoroughly learning not only about the curriculum but also
about each other. Students collaborate with each other and learn to be accepting of each other and
be more accepting of differences. Another teaching philosophy that I believe in is existentialism.
Existential philosophy emphasizes a student's creative choice and provides them with individual
freedom. The students are then required to ask their own questions, conduct their own experiences,
which in turn helps them draw their own conclusions. Although we can provide various
opportunities for students, in the end it all comes down to the student's own choice. I know from
my personal experience this was true for me. Although, I was afforded many great opportunities, in
the end many times, I chose not to take them. These choices can end up defining the students and as
teachers we can only guide them, in the end, the choice is theirs. The management and organization
of a classroom are also imperative to the learning process. A teacher's own belief system may
influence the way the view their

The Theory And Educational Philosophy Essay
My whole childhood I always dreamed about being a teacher. During school breaks, weekends,
and summers, I would set up a "classroom" in my basement and my friends and I would play
school. I would be the teacher most of the time. It takes a very special person to be a teacher, not
everyone is teacher material. You have to be very patient, kind, and caring of all students you work
with and encounter through your day and year. Throughout education there are six main
philosophies to take into consideration, and they are as followed. From a teacher centered classroom
approach they include Essentialism, Behaviorism, and lastly Positivism. In a student centered
classroom approach they are Progressivism, Humanism, and Constructivism. What do these terms
mean? Essentialism is and educational philosophy that there is a common core of information and
skills that an educated person must have. Behaviorism is a psychological theory and educational
philosophy that asserts that behaviors represent the essence of a person and that all behaviors can
be explained. A person acts the way they do for a reason. Finally positivism is a social theory and
educational philosophy that limits truth and knowledge to what is observed and measured. These
are all important for a teacher to take into consideration. Progressivism is an educational philosophy
that emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experiments and that learning is better developed in
questions developed by the learner. Humanism is an

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