Longer, more in-depth philosophical essays.
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…
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…
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…
To the honorable Aristotle, Greetings and a fine day to you. I, Arete, write to you because your books have sparked within me a good deal of curiosity and intrigue. I find that, out of all your writings, your Nicomachean Ethics intrigues me more than all others. I do not know how to explain…
The Phaedo holds within its pages the account of the death of Socrates as told by a Pythagorean, which is then further retold by the greatest student and admirer of Socrates, Plato. Thus, since this account has gone through the hands of so many men, there is a degree of doubt as to the authenticity…
Owl of Athena 