Freud’s “Future of an Illusion” is not usually treated as a seminal work of political philosophy. It is usually treated as a text which raises questions concerning God’s existence. However, his theory concerning the origin of humankind’s ideas of God are closely intertwined with his theory of the origin of society. Further, his ideas concerning…
In the essay “The Problem of Evil for Atheists” Nagasawa attempts show a form of the problem of evil which applies to atheists and actually poses a greater threat to the atheistic belief than the equivalent problem poses to the theistic belief. In what follows, I will argue that what Nagasawa calls the problem of…
My focus will be concerning the cosmological argument for God’s existence in its modern conception as formed in and around the 18th century which allows for the possibility of an infinite regress of dependent beings. The goal of this short rumination is to propose that Rowe's usage of the Principle of Sufficient Reason to claim…
Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, is as the full title would have it, a prelude to a philosophy of the future. In it, Nietzsche tells us of a future reality which he believed was coming soon. A future where free-spirited philosophers[1] would break through an age-old prejudice and go beyond good and evil. Naturally, the…
The question of suffering and prosperity has been an ongoing discussion within Christianity for many centuries. In fact, Christianity itself may seem to revolve around these themes, since many of the books contained in the Bible, such as Job in the Old Testament and the Gospels of the New, deal so heavily with both. More…
In his book titled St. Petersburg Dialogues, the Roman Catholic philosopher and stark defendant of the Roman Church in the age of the Enlightenment, Joseph de Maistre, sets out to explain and provide answers to the age-old complaint concerning “the happiness of the wicked and the misfortune of the just.”[1] This complaint, which is raised either to God…
Kant’s focus on autonomy lends to his aesthetics a peculiar quality quite different from any other, at least in his day. Kant, studying in university during the 18th century, no doubt came into contact with those great intellectual influences of his time, the philosophies of Leibniz and Wolff. However, despite the impact and extreme popularity…
In The Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides concerns himself with our language about God. He is determined that nearly all of our ways of speaking about God are, as he puts it, inadmissible. That is, our attributions of God almost always fails to arrive at an accurate description or portrayal of God’s actual nature. However,…
INTRODUCTION Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was a philosopher living at the time of the French Renaissance. He was the man who, infamously, made significant advancements with the essay writing format. These were composed of short works that covered a wide range of interests which somewhat resemble the academic essay we see today. He is most…
Our many roles in life have a profound effect on how we live our life. From a very practical perspective, we see that they direct our conduct toward others and make our goals clear to us. The ancient philosopher Epictetus (55 C.E.) knew very well the importance of roles to one’s life and, consequently, incorporated…
Owl of Athena 