1. Choose two of the philosophers we've read and compare them on one idea that is most important to you. a. Clearly explain the idea using references to the text. b. Show that each of these philosophers agrees on this particular idea ( e.g., each of these philosophers agrees that...use references from the text to show that this is so ). Do you agree with the view the philosophers put forward? Why, or why not?
The two philosophers I have chosen are Kant and Thoreau and Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is defined by the Webster’s Dictionary as: a philosophy that emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality. That being said; and looking at both Kant and Thoreau views we can discern the similarities of their philosophy. First looking at Kant according to The Columbia Electronic encyclopedia in reference to the transcendental movement:
The term is now closely associated with Kantian theory, although some conception of transcendent being has been common to most forms of philosophical idealism. Kant argues that perception of sense data depends on a priori intuitions, which include conception of space and time and categories of judgment. For Kant, "transcendental" refers to conditions necessary for the possibility of experience, while "transcendent" refers to a noumenon, in the philosophical system of Immanuel Kant, a "thing-in-itself"; it is opposed to phenomenon, the thing that appears to us. Noumena are the basic realities behind all sensory experience.
Now looking at Thoreau according to The Columbia Electronic encyclopedia:
“Thoreau is considered one of the most influential figures in American t...
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...oper” place in that one needs to stand up for what one believes to understanding that one needs to earn what one receives. The mature me sees how positive optimism making your life worth living in most undesirable situations allows for survival. This insight will cause new growth in self improvement.
Works Cited
Transcendental movement." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia®. 2005. Columbia University Press 3 Mar. 2011 http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/transcendental%20movement
"Thoreau, Henry David." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia®. 2005. Columbia University Press 3 Mar. 2011 http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Thoreau%2c+Henry+David
Stevenson, L. and Haberman D. Ten Theories of Human Nature, Oxford University Press 2009 Pieper J. Leisure The Basis of Culture, Ignatius Press 2009
Frankl V. Man’s Search for Meaning, Pocket Books 1984
As a child, many individuals have free time where they can participate in leisurely activities often. Known as the preparation phase, leisure at this point is usually where a child forms relationships and set goals they wish to achieve in the future. This differs drastically from the establishment phase, where an individual is usually too busy to participate in leisure as much. At this phase, leisure is viewed as purposive, such as taking their child to a museum. The focus is generally not focused on just the individual themselves but rather on acting upon their previous goals to successfully reach them. The final phase is known as the reintegration phase where an individual reflects on the course their life has taken due to the preparation and establishing they have done. At each stage, there are constraints and facilitators that affect what an individual may do as leisure. However, there are other cultural and social factors that affect this as well. Ever since ancient times, an individual’s economic status is a factor that has affected their participation in certain leisure activities that they can afford or not. Today, this still occurs as some people can afford to do activities for leisure while others can not. There are other constraints that an individual can face as well based on where they live, their religion and what race they are. It is unfortunate that not all
Thoreau, Henry David. "Walden." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 2107-2141.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter Fourth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1995. 788-829.
Henry David Thoreau was bon on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, on his grandmother’s farm. Thoreau was of French-Huguenot and Scottish-Quaker decent. Thoreau was interested in writing at an early age. At the age of ten he wrote his first essay “The seasons”. He attended Concord Academy until 1833 when he was accepted to Harvard University but with his pending financial situation he was forced to attend Cambridge in August of 1833. In September of 1833 with the help of his family he was able to attend Harvard University. He graduated college in August of 1837.
David Henry Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 and lived nearly all of his life in Concord, Massachusetts, a small town about twenty miles west of Boston. He was the third child with his older siblings John and Helen and younger sister Sophia. His father John was a shopkeeper. John moved his family to Chelmsford and Boston, following business opportunities. In 1823 the family moved back to Concord where John established a pencil-making concern that eventually brought financial stability to the family. Thoreau’s mother, Cynthia Dunbar, took in boarders from rented out sections of the house to help keep ends meet. Thoreau’s older siblings, Helen and John, Jr were both schoolteachers; when it was decided that their brother should further
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods. The Pennsylvania State University, 2006. PDF file.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York: W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1966.
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).
The American transcendentalism that Emerson proposed is part of the fundamental transcendentalism of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American philosopher, author, poet, abolitionist, and naturalist. He was famous for his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, and his book, Walden. He believed in individual conscience and nonviolent acts of political resistance to protest unfair laws. Moreover, he valued the importance of observing nature, being individual, and living in a simple life by his own values. His writings later influenced the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. In “Civil Disobedience” and Walden, he advocated individual nonviolent resistance to the unjust state and reflected his simple living in the nature.
In the Transcendental aesthetics, Kant defines the objective validity of Space and Time as concepts a priori with the help from of Geometry, showing that if we believe in the validity of Geometry, we have to believe that Space and Time are concepts a priori. In the Pure Concepts of Understanding, Kant claims that our intuitions are dependent on sensibility; everything we sense accumulates into our brain and our understanding of the information we sensed relies on organizing that data so that we can recognize the object. Thus, he asserts that understanding is not a faculty of intuition but sensibility. Furthermore, the act of organizing the data into one representation is defined as function and these functions serve as a bridge between the object and its concepts because concepts are not directly related to an object but just some representations of it. This, when function and concepts are put together, Kant concludes is defined as judgment, knowledge of the fact that there is ...
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 and died there peacefully on May 6, 1862. He was described by Hawthorne as "ugly as sin." He loved nature, and his constant preoccupation was exploring the woods and ponds making detailed observations of plants and creatures. Henry led a singular life, never marrying, and marching to his own drummer, as he put it. From 1845 to 1847, he lived alone in a small cabin he built by Walden Pond near Concord. He described this unique experiment in natural living in "Walden" criticizing those who "lead lives of quiet desperation" with all the trappings of customary society. His personal independence and straightforward manner was harsh to some people, and he gained very little recognition during his lifetime.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden or, Life in the Woods. 1854. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.
Myerson, Joel. The Cambridge Companion to Henry David Thoreau. New York: Cambridge UP, 1995. Print.
Henry David Thoreau was a renowned American essayist, poet, and philosopher. He was a simple man who built his life around basic truths (Manzari 1). Ralph Waldo Emerson deeply impacted Thoreau’s viewpoints and philosophies, specifically by introducing him to the Transcendentalists movement. There seems to be no single ideology or set of ideas that entirely characterized Thoreau’s thoughts, but principles encompassing Transcendentalism come closest (Harding and Meyer 122). Spending time in nature and in solitude gave Thoreau an entirely new perspective on life. In fact, his doctrines regarding nature and the impact of the individual on society have transformed realms of political, social and literary history. Politically and socially, Thoreau’s