Western Philosphy

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Western Philosphy

Harre believes that philosophy is the willingness to reflect on our reflections of the human situation. This belief is very relaxed. Harre wants answers, but he will allow them to come with time. Philosophy allows us to ask questions such as "What is the purpose of human life", as well as "Why do we seek a purpose for human life?" Harre inquires whether we are soul of physique; and if we are both, how much of each are we? In other words, can our souls exist without our bodies? If our body dies, will our soul die? Will human beings ever be completely satisfied? We are on a constant mission to find truth, to find the reason for our existence. Humans are constantly changing, in all aspects, physically, intellectually, and morally. If we are simply material mechanisms, and part of a system by which the Earth operates, than these value changes in our minds would not occur. For example, if we are just another link on the food chain, than we would not question it. There is a part to the human who believes we are a mere speck in the universe, and another part who thinks we have an actual purpose. In order to come closer to the "answer", Harre divides philosophy into four sections, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and logic. Metaphysics deals with how the universe works, and what our mission is. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge; ethics are what distinguish people according to morals. Finally, logic can be described as "a means of testing the validity of arguments."

Harre's views on philosophy differ slightly from Russell. Although Harre feels that there is an answer out there, he feels confident enough that he will find it, and if he does not, then the next person will know. Russell, on the other hand, ...

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... on forever, never being aware that he retained this knowledge. I do agree with the fact that knowledge is inside, but I do not believe the individual should have all the credit for acquiring this knowledge. An analogy I always think of with this is like so: My friend believes that I have a gold mine in my backyard. He tells me he believes this information, and asks me if I agree. I say that yes, it is possible I have a gold mine in my backyard. So I decide to dig, and strike gold. The gold has always been there in my backyard, therefore it is mine. However, am I completely responsible for having acquired this gold? Absolutely not. The gold mine is knowledge, and we cannot obtain it without the help of others. The slave boy could not have been able to obtain it without Socrates to help, jut like I am not able to able the knowledge inside, without attending school.

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