Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Philosophy and ethics

Philosophical Schools of Thought

Major Philosophers and Their Ideas

Key Concepts and Arguments:

1. Accepted both ideas of permanence (higher forms) and impermanence (lower forms). Plato
2. Reality is divided into two parts: the visible and the invisible. Plato
3. Believed humans are born without any knowledge. Locke
4. Created a synthesis between rationalism and empiricism. Kant
5. Thought the mind and body are connected in the pituitary gland. Descartes
6. Concluded there is as much reality in the cause as in the effect. Descartes
7. Found the mind to be structured to apprehend “Sense reality.” Kant
8. Said, “The seen is changing. The unseen

Understanding the Rat Race and Downshifting

Rat race: A frustrating, hard-to-break financial lifestyle. Antonia is tired of the rat race; now she is living in the countryside.

Key Vocabulary for Rural Living

• Fleetingly: Short or quick. He wondered fleetingly if she knew.
• Live off the land: To eat only the food that one produces from the land. The homeless man wandered about, living off the land.
• Reliant: Dependent on something.
• Have a stab at: To try to do something, or to try an activity that you have not done before.
• Wholesome: Good for you, and likely to improve your life either physically, morally, or emotionally.
• Scratch a living: To manage to earn only just enough money to live (as a farmer).
• Kids in tow: Accompanying. He arrived at the party

Philosophical Views on Human Nature and Law

There are many reasons why human nature and the purpose of laws exist. Thomas Hobbes believed human nature to be brutish and destructive; thus, the purpose of laws is to prevent such nature and maintain order. Hypothetically, an anti-violence law regulating society to prevent harm would align with Hobbes's views.

For Aristotle, human life is neither inherently good nor bad by nature; rather, upbringing determines social and political character. Nevertheless, Aristotle believed the purpose of laws is to encourage virtue. He would likely support laws aiding those in need, especially after natural disasters. For instance, the Model Act for Facilitation of International Disaster Relief and Recovery Assistance... Continue reading "Philosophical Foundations of Law and Human Rights" »

This document details significant hominin fossil discoveries and the crucial milestones in human evolution, from early bipedalism to the development of complex thought and culture.

Notable Hominin Fossils and Their Characteristics

True or False

1. Space and time are forms of sensibility and objects given in intuitions. T
2. A unicorn is a simple idea, but horse and horn are complex as they result from sensations. F
3. For Descartes, the mind is an infinite substance trapped in the finite body. F
4. Since babies cannot count, quantity is learned and is not an a priori category of the understanding. T
5. Reflections, for Locke, are acts of the mind while sensation provides ideas of the external world. T
6. Kant believed self, cosmos, and God offer unity and completeness. T
7. Although Kant argued that minds move towards wholeness, the way the mind analyzes raw data differs by culture. T
8. While odor and taste are part of objects, motion depends on the observer. F
9. The word empiricism is derived from the

Foundations of Citizen Rights (Articles 18, 20, 21)

1. Defining the Individual Citizen (Article 20)

An individual is considered a citizen. One does not need to be economically active to rely on citizen rights; rights are gained upon birth in the EU.

2. Measuring Breaches of Rights (Articles 21, 18, 20)

• Right to Reside (Article 21): The right of residence exists but can be limited if the individual lacks sufficient resources.
• Non-Discrimination (Article 18): Protects against discrimination based on nationality. Once people have a residence permit, if they are not economically active, they can rely on Article 18 for social assistance.
• Students may request loans. Members States (MS) can require social integration but do not require settled status; this

Essential Vocabulary List

• Sublime: Such excellence or beauty as to inspire great admiration.
• Potentate: A person who possesses great power as a ruler.
• Requisition: An authoritative or formal demand.
• Adjuration: An oath or promise.
• Cessation: A temporary or complete stopping.
• Supplicatory: Asking humbly and earnestly.
• Implacable: Relentless; unstoppable.
• Admonitory: Cautioning of something; warning.
• Obstinacy: Stubbornness.
• Aphorism: A pithy observation that contains a general truth.
• Cadence: A modulation or inflection in the voice.
• Compunction: A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.
• Abject: Extremely bad, unpleasant, or degrading.
• Dejected: To make sad or dispirited.
• Propitiate: To win or regain the favor of a god or

Developing the Argument

• Let us begin by saying that…
• First of all, … must be emphasized…
• We are assuming that…
• First, let us concentrate on the problem of…
• First, we need to consider whether…
• We have taken as a starting point…
• If we start from the principle of…, we shall be able to see how…
• The first… that we shall examine is…

Connecting Elements

• However, we should now focus our attention on…
• Let us move on to another aspect of…
• Let us turn our attention to the second point that…
• Next, we shall look at another closely related issue…
• Next, we shall consider…
• Let us now move on to…
• But, to return to the issue…
• Let us look in greater detail at…

The Other Side of the Argument

• Now let us move on to the second argument, according

Essential Vocabulary List: D-Words

• Derelict: Neglectful; delinquent.
• Desist: To stop doing something.
• Devout: Deeply religious.
• Diatribe: A bitter, abusive denunciation.
• Dichotomy: Division into two parts, especially contradictory ones.
• Diffuse: To cause to spread out.
• Dilapidated: Broken-down.
• Dilate: To make larger.
• Dilemma: A situation in which one must choose between two equally unattractive choices.
• Diminution: The act or process of diminishing.
• Dire: Disastrous.
• Dirge: A funeral song.
• Disaffect: To cause to lose affection.
• Disarray: Disorder.
• Disclaim: To deny any claim to.
• Discomfit: To frustrate.
• Disconcert: To upset.
• Discourse: Spoken or written expression in words.
• Discrepancy: Difference.
• Discursive: Rambling from one topic to another, usually aimlessly.

Meaning of Insurance

Insurance is a form of contract under which one party (the Insurer or Insurance Company) agrees, in return for a consideration (the Insurance Premium), to pay an agreed sum of money to another party (the Insured) to compensate for a loss, damage, or injury to something of value in which the insured has a financial interest as a result of some uncertain event.

Core Principles of Insurance

Insurance contracts are governed by several fundamental principles:

1. Utmost Good Faith (Uberrimae Fidei)

   Insurance contracts are based upon mutual trust and confidence between the insurer and the insured. It is a condition of every insurance contract that both parties (the insurer and the insured) must disclose every material fact and information