What is meant by Metaphysics? Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, fact and value.
The central branch of metaphysics is known as ontology. This dives into the kinds of things that exist in the world and relations these things bear on one another. However, other areas that a metaphysician attempts to clarify may be how people understand the world, including existence, object hood, space and time to name a few.
A more delicacy view is that a metaphysical statement is not meaningless. There is no valid set of practical observations or any valid set of logical arguments to prove that metaphysical statements are true or false.
Some consider metaphysics to represent what is highest in human nature, the drive to know and understand the nature of the universe in which we find ourselves while we move towards our inevitable end. Others consider metaphysics, more or less, to be untrue. Perhaps Kant was correct when he said that although we can never hope to answer our metaphysical questions, we can't help asking them anyway.
I tend to agree with Kant, I don’t know that we can answer the questions we have on metaphysics. It is a matter of ones own opinion, thoughts, and interpretation.
Epistemology
Epistemology, also known as theory of knowledge is the part of philosophy that discusses the nature and scope of knowledge. Some questions that study the nature of knowledge could be, Have you ever thought about how we know things? What does it mean for someone to know something? How much can we possibly know? How do you know that 2 + 2 = 4, or that the square root of 144 is 12? Do we know something from reason or from di...
... middle of paper ...
...others the opportunity to view different ways to look at life, although it was not my intention to try to change the beliefs of others. If everyone would look at each other and realize the importance of life there would be fewer wars and less hate in the world.
Life is the ultimate value for each and every one of us. Probably the single most important thing we can do in life is to serve the purpose in which we were created. I still do not have a clear view of what my Philosophy of life is, but I do have a better understanding of the path I need to take to seek those answers and am well on my way of accomplishing this goal.
Work Cited
[1]. "Existence of God." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Nov 2007, 07:57 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 Dec 2007 .
Throughout Kant’s, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, some questionable ideas are portrayed. These ideas conflict with the present views of most people living today.
Immanuel Kant’s work on Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals explores the understanding of morels, and the process of which these morals are developed through philosophy. He also disentangled the usefulness and foundation of the instituted of religion.
Kant deals with the issue of metaphysics in his two prefaces of Critique Of Pure Reason. In the first preface, metaphysics is described as ‘the queen of all the sciences’ (Kant 1). This imagery is highly influenced by the time that Kant lived since many European countries had monarchical governments. Just like how a queen is the most influential figure in a monarchical country, metaphysics, in Kant’s time assumes this elevated role in philosophical inquiries and other fields have subordinate ones. Hence, the image of queen undoubtedly implies that metaphysics has a major role to play and other fields of study have subordinate roles. However, the empire of the ‘queen’ fell because of its firm grip on dogmatism, anarchy and scepticism which reigned from within.
The Theory I found most difficult due to the ability to read and understand the literature was Kant’s, Groundwork to a Metaphysics of Morals. In this piece of literature I didn’t realize Kant is criticizing the human inability to use reason to find happiness. He thinks humans are very poor
Kant opens up Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals by saying, “Nothing can possibly be conceived in the world, or even out of it, which can be called good without qualification, except a good will,” and it is with this sentence that he introduces his idea of non-consequentialism (p. 151). Non-consequentialism can be described as a philosophical theory that states that the morality of our behaviour does not depend on the consequences of our actions, but instead depends on the intent with which we perform these actions. With this piece of writing, Kant attempts to delve deeper into the principles of human morality, discover what makes an action right or wrong, and determine the correct motives for performing any action.
Immanuel Kant was an eighteenth century philosopher whose ideas redefined philosophical views of morality and justice, and provided a base for modern philosophers to argue these ideas. In Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, he argues against Hume’s idea of utilitarianism. Kant also explores the idea of freedom, free action, moral action, and how to determine if our actions are moral by use of the categorical imperative.
Immanuel Kant is a popular modern day philosopher. He was a modest and humble man of his time. He never left his hometown, never married and never strayed from his schedule. Kant may come off as boring, while he was an introvert but he had a great amount to offer. His thoughts and concepts from the 1700s are still observed today. His most recognized work is from the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Here Kant expresses his idea of ‘The Good Will’ and the ‘Categorical Imperative’.
The transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining the fundamental principles of human knowledge. Kant (1724-1804) was born and educated in East Prussia. He founded critical philosophy and Transcendental Logic. “Kant made significant revisions to just about every branch of philosophy.” (www.philosophy.ucdavis.edu). In the Critique of Pure Reason (1781) Kant showed the great problems of metaphysics: the existence of God, freedom, and immortality and how they are insoluble by scientific thought. Kant’s writings had a major influence on Emerson and Thoreau during the time of Transcendentalism and “still have an influence on modern philosophy to the present day.” (www.ilt.columbia.edu).
In Kant's development of his theory he relied upon the faculty of human reason to demonstrate his hypotheses. He begins by inquiring as to the ultimate purpose of human reason.
Overall, it is vital to apprehend that when looking at the value of life, we are able to see in a view that surpasses all of the mess ups, failures, and setbacks. That looks passed all of the achievements, accomplishments, and profits. What truly defines the value of someone's life is looking at is the basic necessity of every human life, the
In conclusion, humankind is blessed with life as God created it. One must reflect on their actions throughout life because one will be judged by God in the next life, one must see the importance of gasping liberation, and one must have a loving and open heart when helping the poor. Life should be lived to its fullest because once time is lost, it cannot be regained; life needs to be appreciated.
Kant's Critique of Pure Reason [2] is notoriously difficult to read and often unclear. Possibly, this is because Kant was in a hurry to complete the first edition. Schopenhauer comments on Kant's "want of adequate reflection with which he passes over such questions as: What is perception? What is concept? What is reason? What is understanding? What is object?" [1; p.434]. Kant failed to lay down a proper foundation for these fundamental notions, and this has led to ambiguities in his work.
... the metaphysician is mistaken in his wordings and his errors in judgment. It seems that the metaphysical philosopher would gladly lead us into a world of untruths and a world that could never be true. Ayer lets the metaphysicians keep some dignity by states that, " although the greater part of metaphysics is merely the embodiment of humdrum errors, there remain a number of metaphysical passages which are the work of genuine mystical feeling; and they may more plausibly be held to have moral or aesthetic value." Ayer ends his papers letting the readers know that metaphysics should be reduced to a mere "mystic" reading, and that it should be left off as an idea of philosophy. He says we must forget that which is beyond our empirical understanding and focus on that which is within our realm to truly understand our lives, and the way they are, or should be lived.
The book of Immanuel Kant Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, present understandings of good will, moral law.
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge. Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief. Much of the debate in epistemology centers on four areas: the philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge and how it relates to such concepts as truth, belief, and justification, various problems of skepticism, the sources and scope of knowledge and justified belief, and the criteria for knowledge and justification. Epistemology addresses such questions as "What makes justified beliefs justified?", "What does it mean to say that we know something?" and fundamentally "How do we know that we know?"