gudevil.jpgEverybody on earth has their view regarding the topic and the fundamental ideas behind the two have been debated since the first philosophers decided to ponder why there is good and evil. Philosophers have long argued that the sole purpose of man’s life on this earth is for self satisfaction and that the two ideas come into play in the pursuit thereof. Plato observed and reflected in his works that there are only a few possible ways and means by which man can do good deeds but indefinite ways by which to commit evil towards fellow man.
Time has had the true definitions and fundamental ideas behind the true meanings of the two bent and twisted to suit our very needs. During the time when the US loved and embraced slavery, it was not seen as an evil though today it is by no means defines as such. Societies such as the Nazi’s during the Second World War tolerated genocide as means of attaining the true identity of the Aryan race.
Is Good and Evil a universal description of truth or are they mere terms that as we say are bent and twisted to suit a societies needs and wants.
Moral Absolutism defines good and evil as concepts defined by GOD and that anything done that is against the will of GOD is to be defined and considered to be evil in all respects. Moral Relativism on the other hand offers a broader explanation of the ideals saying they are only products of local culture and that their definition can be changed to suit the needs of men who aim one goal or the other. Universalism on the other hand says that the difference between the two can only be bent so much and that the true meanings are still well defined by the teachings of past societies.

[ April 28th, 2008 ]

Scientology - Why all the Fuss

scientology.jpgScientology has been called a cult, a religion, a pseudo-science and many other names. Scientology has fallen prey to more speculation when news of many celebrities in Hollywood, have been identified with associations to the said organization that many view with skepticism. Research reveals that Scientology is a body of practices and beliefs that are based on the works of American Speculative Fiction author L.Ron Hubbard who is the recognized father of the organization. The main regulatory organization for the previously unknown group is the Church of Scientology, a hierarchical organization founded by the author himself. Many other groups who work outside the main body use Hubbard’s works as basis for their own interpretation of the initial knowledgebase. During a time when people were deeply engrossed in a way of finding believable ideals that other religion can offer, scientology filled the gap. Their declarations as a church comes when Hubbard notices that there are many supporters who use his work in a myriad of ways, unifying them in the Church of Scientology which allowed him to standardize the interpretation of all his works. The ideals Hubbard interpreted are rooted in the works of many a famous philosophers like Bacon, Spencer, Freud and many others. His accumulated body of knowledge encompassed the whole philosophical theater from then till his time, incorporating some of the ideals of Hinduism and many other religions.
The combination of all those bodies of thought has resulted in a group that revolves around eight fundamental ideals that have to maintained and kept in balance. In Scientology, there is no absolute right or wrong but rather a body of ideals or events that lead to such. The scientology cross has eight corners, each representing eight ideals or dynamics on which they base their teachings. Self, Creativity (procreation family and Sex), Society (group and community), species Survival, life forms in general, matter, spirit and Infinity (Supreme Being) are the eight basic fundamentals areas they focus on. All decisions a practitioner of Scientology makes is said to need to impact all equally weighing them against these basic ideals.
Summing up all the information, they can be seen as an organization that has been derived from the many bodies of thought that is based on the acquired knowledge of many philosophers all combined into one body of knowledge. May you see it as a pseudo-science a religion or anything else, as long as it does not endanger the lives of their following then they should be left to do their own business.

education.jpgEducation is the key and this applies not only to the US, but for all people around the world who are only now beginning to get a taste of how good democracy and freedom is. China’s older generation is void of such concepts but the events of the past five or six years where the government has accepted more liberal ideas allowing free trade fuelling it’s breakneck economic boom placing it before the laws that are widely accepted around the world. Many see China as the biggest market on the earth which has credence for they have 1.3 Billion citizens and it is just about opening up to the world of trade and products from the country is beginning to flood world markets. Here too, the rapid economic growth of the several economic regions in China has spurred unlikely problems like their habit of cutting corners in order to increase profits to the use of sub-standard materials in the manufacture of products for export abroad. Recalls of various products which have been found to contain dangerous amounts of poisonous chemicals contained within paints and other finishing products (even toothpaste that is laced with trace amounts of anti-freeze chemicals) have led to many arrests and rapid changes to the government’s governance regarding products standards. These manufacturers are simply not used to following rules and do whatever it takes to deliver finished products which have resulted in deaths and health problems mainly in children who have used such products.

 

China faces many hurdles to become a more open and transparent state but being a socialist state may be one of it’s main obstacles. The government hopes to increase profits in terms of economic growth but another aspect of that society that has ruled the country which is human rights has repeatedly failed world standards. The education system of China has also been forced to adopt more open curricula such as the teaching of democracy which is a word banned from the verbal repertoire of many generations of Chinese in times past. The population might be finding it hard to adopt a more open world but this might be the only way for China to continue its growth and evolution into one of the world’s greatest economic powers. The next ten years will be the determining period if the growth in its economy will continue or the drive will simply crumble and fail into oblivion.

 

[ January 11th, 2008 ]

Confucius

confucius.jpgEver wondered about the area about politics that makes it so ideal and pristine, Ethics. As it turns out, the very first philosopher to ever suggest the relationship between politics and ethics was the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius who emphasized personal and governmental morality. As we all know, most governments are founded on a set of rules or laws that have been refined and revised throughout that specific country’s history. The great civilizations of the ancient times such as the Egyptians and the Maya’s have their forms of governance patterned after nature and that in nature there is a supreme being that makes all things happen. This supreme being (which is embodied by a king or other form of ruler) can and has the right to revise and formulate laws as they see fit based on either personal preferences and historical facts (which is the written or oral history of the race or tribe which states or defines the role of the leader) however long the said culture might have existed. These cultures may have come and gone but their influence and views on how the world, life and self-governance happens is history. The English, French and other major civilizations of Medieval times went through several upheavals in government because of corruption and other related matters. The Greeks began the study of philosophy as part of their quest in understanding the why, what, where and who’s of life. Why did the sun set at night, why do the flowers bloom during spring and many other questions people might ponder about were thought of an explanation collectively by scholars and philosophers of the day.

 

Confucius is recognized worldwide as a philosopher whose works and theories have shaped the lives and governments of many Asian civilizations. His work in linking ethics (which is the study of how one should behave in relation to others) and Politics (which is the institution of governance) and how these two should begin at the personal level. The Romans have recognized the principle and was said to be one of the reasons why people got to the Senate. To be a good responsible citizen who is part of society, one must become part of the senate to show he has nothing to hide. This is true but man has a way of twisting and turning history and faith using it for personal benefit which can be seen as far back as recorded history can remember. Much of the works of the great philosophical fathers such as Socrates is known only through the writings of his student Plato who is also a philosopher who might have changed a few thoughts as he reviews and records them in writing. History is written memory of people and cultures that have long gone and much of our lives today will become the history of tomorrow. As the great Confucius would have put it, how have you lived today and what have you contributed to society. The good of the many, greatly outweighs the good of the one.

[ January 8th, 2008 ]

“The Law of Nature” – Part 3

nature2.jpgAt this time Natural law has been divided into two main areas; the law of man and the law of Nature which is said to define what where and how things happen around us. This in turn relates to most modern views of the so-called natural Law, the definition of which is still an enigma to this day even with all the sciences and theological bodies that try to define and give meaning to it. Analyzing religion from all sides, we have a common fact in that all of the sects/groups have a single being at the top, Jesus for the Christians, Muhammad for the Muslims, Buddha for the Shinto and so on and so forth.

 

Summing all of this up, the term “Natural Law” is still a vague yet seemingly defined concept that causes us to go back to the questions our ancient forefathers asked themselves, why are we here, how does the world and nature work out as it does and what may be the future for us in this ever-changing universe which “Natural Law” controls but whose true meaning is still out of grasp. Many philosophical and scientific genius have defined it but to look back, their definitions lead to more questions rather than answers. Science as we know it is an evolving body of knowledge and Philosophy as well is such that both have a common function, which is to give us reason, a reason to find ourselves in our place in this time and space and time of thinking as we evolve into the future human race. No one authority should claim supreme authority for man is a thinking being capable of creating his own view from what is happening which makes the task ever more difficult. The true definition of Natural Law might be out of reach but we are all embodiments of the said law however incomprehensible and vague it may be.

 

 

 

 

aristotle_bust.jpgAristotle, one of the founding fathers of modern philosophy has written many works regarding politics and his interpretation of such. In the book, Nicomachaean Ethics, Aristotle’s foundations for his political projects were based on the presumption that ethics and politics were closely related. In a sense of reverse thinking, he says that the main purpose of politics is to empower or entice citizens to become honest and empower them to do or perform noble actions. This has been greatly contested by many Western civilizations of today who see politics as a sort of undertaking based on greed and self-interest which might be true no only for these areas but anywhere else in the world.

 

He also defines the aim of politics in the creation of a society with high regards for moral standing. Modern politics is defined as a governance which protects us from each end every body else outside the system with the use of military and policing forces. This has normal people on one side who abide by the rules set by the political leaders and all who are against the said order to be outcasts to be protected from. Much of Aristotle’s ideals are lost in the modern world of politics with very little so-called honorable constituents going into the system to truly represent society as a whole. Some even do it for mainly personal reasons making politics a bridge to personal gain. Today’s modern society sees the kind of molding as counter productive seeing it as a form of making people think out of their own accord. Much is to be learned from the fathers of modern philosophy whose ideals and studies has given rise to all current political systems though not much is left of the ethical part of the ideals.

[ August 3rd, 2007 ]

Where the Philosophers Are At

We usually hear about them and discuss them during our educational lives but while other just goes through the motions of having to be aware of them, there are also people who want to extend their line of knowledge by simply looking for related work. Much of this has been helped by the optimization practices as offered by Los Angeles SEO when they offer affordable search engine optimization today.

There are over a dozen philosophers we have known throughout the years and most of them own different proverbs and studies of interest to people who are fully aware of what is going on today. Indeed, they have given logical acclamations something to think of.

Much of what we believe in today when it comes to principles and the like are sure to be something that many of us would agree to be one and true. It would be truly amazing to note and depict what they are other less heralded points have to deliver.

Many have said that the world of science and philosophy are worlds apart and cannot be understood or used to complement each other. These two fields seem to contradict each other at every angle but some do think they can be used together to allow a better understanding of the universe and our place in it.
Science as we know is based on fact or the search of an explanation for something through facts. Meaning why a candlestick burns scientifically is because of many known scientific processes like; oxidation, fuel, air, combustion and so on and so forth. But taking the standpoint of a philosopher pondering that fact would result in a totally different definition or explanation.

The merging of these two fields of study is not as far off as you think. Many of the fathers of philosophy were scientists in their own rights. These ancient people formed the basis for both philosophy and the sciences. Thales, who is considered to be the father of philosophy wondered about the universe from his time and the significance of man in that universe. He was said to have employed a form of research that can be en-likened to a scientific inquiry or study. The next ancient philosopher, Anaximander, focused more on the nature of the universe as a whole. He is credited to have made the first accurate sundial marking accurately the hours of the day on a sundial. He made elementary maps in his quest to find the relationships of the places he knew and their significance to his existence. One of the most famous philosophers was Pythagoras who was a philosopher and mathematician where he formulated some of the most elementary basis of mathematics and their relationships with the universe.
Many more ancient philosophers and scientists shared the same passion for a better understanding of the universe and the way we influence it or are a part of it. True to this, we can say that it may be theoretically possible to meld the two areas of science and philosophy into a new area of study where we seek answers and hopefully better questions to answers to them.

[tags]ancient philosophers, science[/tags]