Abstract
The following paper discusses and gives examples of how new ideas and knowledge are offered to public consciousness and that they are in turn either accepted or disregarded and whichever judgment is chosen, makes a statement about where society places its trust, how ready we are to accept change and how radical we will allow any changes to be. This paper distinguishes between different kinds of knowledge: Medical (scientific knowledge), Religious knowledge, Political ideologies and Social Science theories.

From the Paper
"Medical knowledge is an area which appears to be constantly advancing and changing, new ideas are regularly offered to the public consciousness to be either accepted or disregarded and whichever judgment is chosen makes a statement about where society places its trust, how ready we are to accept change, how radical we will allow any changes to be and whose theories and evidence mass society is willing to accept. An example of this is Alternative Medicine, although it is more accepted now than in previous years like, aromatherapy massage which is now actively promoted by mainstream health professionals as a complimentary therapy during pregnancy and treatment of bad backs, we even have a small number of practitioners qualified in alternative therapies, like homeopathy, scientists have even remarked in the age old profession of palmistry being very accurate in the diagnosis of certain illnesses, the setting up of The Royal Society in 1662 emphasized the 'expert knowledge' camaraderie between so-called experts over common sense knowledge. 'Expert knowledge' was historically endorsed and distributed by middle and upper class male establishments like the Royal Society which was founded by Charles II and allowed male members only and women were only allowed to qualify in Medicine in 1876. This male superiority increased authority to this group in society; their medical knowledge trusted and officially endorsed which in turn dismissed female 'common sense' knowledge."

Tags:certainties, knowledge, science, social, sociology, advancing, changing, consciousness, public, opinion, fact, israel, death, sudden, syndrome

Abstract
This paper begins by stating the argument Descartes gives for a version of mind/body dualism. It then considers two objections to Descartes' argument and finally assesses the validity of Descartes' argument in light of those objections.

From the Paper
"Much of the intellectual history of psychology as well as philosophy has involved the attempt to come to grips with a dilemma of mind and body. This dilemma was eventually broken into main two opposing views: one view (dualism) proposes that our universe contains two very different and equally fundamental types of entity: mental/spiritual and physical/material items. Most followers of this view hold that human mind (or soul) is to survive the annihilation of the body. The contrasting view, materialism, on the other hand, affirms that everything in our universe is composed of mass-energy, minds and bodies included."

Tags:philosophy, soul, energy

Abstract
This paper examines St. Augustine's doctrine on evil. St. Augustine believed that God made a perfect world, but that God's creatures turned away from God of their own free will, through different types of falls, and that is how evil originated in the world. It shows how Augustine's approach to a solution to the problem of evil has three main parts: The author explains how Augustine assumes that evil is a privation and cannot be properly said to exist at all, he argues that the apparent imperfection of any part of creation disappears in light of the perfection of the whole and he argues that moral evil, together with that suffering which is created as punishment for sin, originates in the free nature of the will of all creatures. According to Augustine, God has allowed evil to exist in the world because it does not conflict with His goodness. He did not create evil but is also not a victim of it. He simply allows it to exist.

From the Paper
"In Augustine's study of the problem of evil, he argues that there are a variety of things that are good. Without this variety, he says, there can be a greater goodness of things as a whole than there would be if this variety did not exist. Augustine also argues that evil is not completely real in itself. Instead, it is dependent on something more real, like disease, which is a form of evil. He points out that disease can only exist in a body, which is a form of good. Therefore, Augustine says, God, who is the source of everything that exists, is not in contest with a positive being or a counterpart that is evil."

Tags:creation, good, god

Abstract
This paper first outlines Baruch Spinoza's argument in Part 1 of the "Ethics" for "substance monism" - the position that there exists only one substance. It then explains how Spinoza's position differs from that of Gottfried Leibniz in the "Discourse on Metaphysics". The paper concludes with the assertion that Leibniz's account for the nature and number of substances is superior since accepting Spinoza's conclusions leads to a number of logically troublesome consequences.

From the Paper
"Leibniz's account for the nature and number of substances differs significantly from Spinoza's. For Spinoza, there is only one substance in the world: God. Leibniz essentially agrees that there is only one true substance. However, to Leibniz this substance is the monad, comparable to a soul or spirit, which "is nothing but a simple substance that enters into composites" (Monadology, p. 484). For Leibniz, God exists external to the world of monads, and might be best thought of as a type of "supersubstance" or "supermonad." It was God who set the world in motion; therefore, substances depend on God for their existence. Since Leibniz's God possesses the will to create or destroy substances "in accordance with the principle of the best" (M., p. 487), God is the only necessary being. All other monads, then, depend on Him for their existence, and as such, are non-eternal contingent beings. Spinoza's pantheism forces the conclusion that all substance is eternal; if it were not eternal, then it would have to be created, which would then violate his definition of substance as something "that the conception of which does not require the conception of another thing from which it has to be formed" (E., p. 416)."

Tags:modern, philosophy, God, eternal, creation

Abstract
This paper examines many of the main pre-Socratic philosophers of 6th Century Greece. It explores their main strands of thought and their conceptions of the world around them. The paper also explores the different types of reasoning that were practised by different schools of philosophy, from more speculative angles progressing to critical thinking. The paper describes the philosophical foundations that were built upon by the later great philosophers Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.

From the Paper
"Abstract thought about the nature of the world and of human existence began to appear in cultures all over the world during the sixth century BCE, and Greek philosophy expressed its' ideas in three main ways. These were speculative thinking, practical thinking and critical thinking. Speculative thinking expressed human curiosity about the world, and strove to understand in natural (rather than super natural) terms how things really are, what their composition was and how they functioned. "Speculation or speculative thinking designates a knowledge or cognition that transcends experience and is directed at the spiritual, super-natural and divine, fundamental to experience" . Practical thinking emphasized the desire to guide conduct by comprehending the nature of life and the place of human beings and human behaviour in the greater scheme of reality and was "directed at moral, ethical and other practical issues" . Finally critical thinking, (the hallmark of philosophy itself) involved a careful examination of the foundations upon which thinking of any sort must rely, tried to achieve an effective method for assessing the reliability of positions adopted on significant issues. Philosophers in general wanted to simply take part in the "rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct" . Similarly to Kant's critical philosophy, critical thought avoided both dogmatism and skepticism and tried to find a middle path that allowed it on the one hand to consider metaphysical principles as necessary constituents of a holistic philosophy and on the other, to re-think these principles on a different level or from another perspective, in the light of the latest insights in science, as well as in the light of the whole preceding development of mankind."

Tags:milesian, speculation, eleatic

Abstract
This paper describes Plato's criticisms of democracy, from the role of the forms in his metaphysical reasons for his dislike of Athenian democracy, to the concept of role allocation, which stemmed from this and the division of society into 3 classes of peoples - artisans, auxiliaries and philosopher kings. Plato's understanding of what democracy meant to him is examined in order to establish the parameters for the paper. Many examples and quotes are used throughout, which come from such sources as the Declaration of Independence. Representative democracy is also discussed as well as an alternative to Athenian democracy. Oligarchy, timocracy and aristocracy are also touched upon.

From the Paper
"The first of Plato's criticisms of democracy concerns itself with what is commonly referred to as the concept of role allocation. Plato advanced the idea that the best society would be one where the society was divided into three classes; workers (Artisans), soldiers (Auxiliaries) and rulers (Guardians). He based this argument upon his notion of human nature that stated that "no two of us are born exactly alike and that we have different natural aptitudes that fit us for different jobs" . He advocated that the guardians were the wisest and most logical individuals in society and so were able to make informed, objective decisions (based on the theory of the forms)."

Tags:Elitism, Forms, Metaphysics

Abstract
This paper states that "identity theory" claims that each and every type of mental state corresponds directly to a physical state or occurrence within the brain; but "token identity" theory does not say that the tokens share any physical properties. The author declares that the theory of dualism claims that each mental token is entirely non-physical despite the fact that it appears to be connected to the body. The paper concludes that "identity theory" and materialism are more probable than "dualism".

From the Paper
"Now that the two opposing theories of identity theory and dualism have been defined, the various arguments for the theories can be examined. To begin with I will argue for identity theory, using an argument concerning our physical origins and evolutionary history. When a human being is conceived as a fertilized ovum, it begins life as a genetically programmed single-celled collection of molecules. The further it develops, the more molecules are added and the larger it becomes; as the cells divide over and over, the structure and amalgamation of each molecule that is added is controlled by information present in the DNA in the cell nucleus."

Tags:descartes, materialism, mind, evolution, irreducibility

Abstract
This paper examines how the questions raised by Rene Descartes in his "Meditations" of 1641 revolutionised the manner in which people considered various ideas, especially concerning God, the idea of the individual self and its existence, and the existence of material things.

From the Paper
"The existence of matter is a rather perplexing subject to which there are a number of different beliefs and arguments. Descartes, who first breached this topic believed that he had lots of ideas in his head and they were not all created by himself, his sensations were not all his. Descartes believed that they came from God and that God would not deceive him and so therefore matter must exist. This was Descartes proof, and since in his previous meditation where he proves the existence of God, his argument does stand up."

Tags:god, individual, self

Abstract
This paper covers both Descartes's ontological argument and cosmological argument for the existence of God as well as their counter arguments. It also looks at other philosophers such as Kierkegaard to Kant and their arguments for the existence or non-existence of God. The Cartesian Circle is also discussed along with the 'free will defence argument' and self-originating principles.

From the Paper
"The reasoning behind why Descartes decided to try to prove the existence of God stems from his need to do so. Descartes needed to prove the existence of God in order to back up his theory of logic and reasoning and in particular his notions of 'clear and distinct ideas'. These clear and distinct ideas that Descartes has stem from his statement that if he can "perceive something very clearly and distinctly" , then he "can not but believe it to be true" . Indeed Descartes wants God "as a guarantor of the truth of any proposition that anyone...find indubitable while having it distinctly in mind" . Furthermore, Descartes is compelled to try to prove the existence of God because he is incredibly doubtful of everything around him in the exterior world. In fact Descartes' rationalism and constant doubting of his knowledge as a form of his logical reasoning leads hims to the conclusion that he cannot actually imagine an exterior world. "

Tags:cosmological, ontological, Kant, Kierkegaard

Abstract
This paper examines Plato's theory of the forms and the reasons why Plato uses this metaphysical argument to justify how a state should be ruled and by whom. The theory is taken to its most logical endpoint a number of times to test its strength. Plato's technocratic viewpoint is mentioned along with the reasons why he held such views. Numerous criticisms are used and examined, which originate from Aristotle, Plato's pupil, and from Plato himself, with his later works also being touched upon.

From the Paper
"The basis of Plato's theory of the forms is that he "distiguishes between the experienced world that most of us think of as reality" and the "real world of the forms accesible only to philosophers" . The world that we ordinarily experience with our sences is just a "superficial reflection", or shadow of the real world of the forms, that remain invisible to all but the greatest philosophers. Plato explores not only objects such as a chair or a triangle, but also looks at such things as goodness and beauty. For example, Plato argues that beauty must be something quite different from the image of beautiful things."

Tags:Aristotle, Metanarrative