The Ramadan Fast – it is celebrated in the month of Ramadan and serves to draw Muslims closer to God and to develop spiritual piety, patience and perseverance. Eid al-Fitr – The festival of the Breaking of the Fast is held on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic year. It celebrates…
Beliefs Beliefs for the Muslims are a purely personal affair – ex though it is charitable to guide people to the truth (Shahadah – “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”) it is not required of them. Muslims believe in one omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God and that his…
As modern society advances in technology, science and philosophy; many new theories and methods of music education evolve. Learning music theory is a method of music education which is developed by Edwin E. Gordon who is a well-known researcher, teacher, author, editor and lecturer (GIML). Music Learning Theory is a process by which Gordon explains…
Hume’s empiricism asserts no idea without a corresponding sense impression. Therefore we cannot have a concept of something we’ve never experienced before. For example: I have an idea/concept of an apple in virtue of the fact that I’ve perceived an apple many times before. Do we have an idea of an enduring self? “[F]rom what…
What is the essential difference between belief, knowledge or true understanding? How can it be defined, what are its origins, and how is it attained? These questions are addressed in the subject of epistemology, the theory of knowledge. Much of the framework for developments in epistemology comes from the classical Greek thinkers, primarily Plato. Plato…
Substance can be most directly defined as what something is. Man is a substance, a horse is a substance and a rock is a substance. Going in-depth of the substance one is introduced to a secondary substance which is when something is in essence. For example, man has certain attributes to accentuate a man’s individuality.…
“Why does Plato compare ordinary human existence to that of chained prisoners in a cave?” The Allegory of the Cave is an allegory to evaluate a journey from darkness to light as the mind moves toward the Forms. The “cave” is considered the world of the five senses meaning we acquire our opinions through the…
In Aristotle’s previous extract, he explained the notion of the soul as a separate entity distinct from the body. This troubled Christian philosophers-theologians for they wanted to re-unite Aristotle’s philosophy with the doctrines of the church. In the “Summa Theologiae” one can see that there are pieces of Aristotelian philosophy like the description of the…
There are two Platonic ideas that Aristotle places pressure on in this extract. The first is that knowledge is superior to mere opinion and that there is a more abstract level of rational justification. The second and more skeptical element of thought is both about the notion of innate sources of knowledge and also the…
British philosopher, Gilbert Ryle attacks the whole notion of a split between the public, observable world of matter, and the ‘private’ inner theatre of the mind. Ryle states that our mind acts with our bodies, while our mind is incarnated by our body. However, our mind is not totally hidden with the body and we…
Descartes spans the gap between classical philosophy and modern philosophy; this movement is from wonder to doubt. A rough dividing line for these periods is 1600. Descartes was no fool – he belongs in the pantheon of the greatest mathematicians ever to live. He invented the Cartesian plane, and his thinking is in-line with a…
Teenage pregnancy is the harsh reality that many young adolescents are forced to deal with when they engage in sexual activity. With low levels of maturity and an underdeveloped understanding of responsibility, teens are ill prepared to deal with the consequences of their actions. In recent years the media has portrayed teenage pregnancy as just…
Mary Magdalene, from the town of Magdala located on the western Sea of Galilee, is portrayed by society as a prostitute and the ultimate opposite of the Virgin Mary.[1] However, this depiction of her has been proven by the Catholic Church to be false. Not only is Mary Magdalene a well known biblical figure in…
In the reading Euthyphro: Defining Philosophical Terms we come across two main characters, Socrates and Euthyphro. The reading begins with Socrates encountering Euthyphro outside the court of Athens. Socrates has been called to court on charges of impiety by a young man names Meletus. The reason for his indictment of impiety is the act of…
Virtue ethics stresses the character of the individual, rather than the consequences or ethical rules that are emphasized by consequentialism and deontology. These three differing views on ethics all tend to focus on the approach of the dilemma rather than the conclusion. When evaluating the morality of cheating, a consequentialist argues that cheating is wrong…
To believe or not to believe in an indivisible form of power that will forever be beyond our understanding is a critical decision that ultimately dictates the way you live. The question of God’s existence will perhaps never be answered, but everyone participates in the wager of his existence. Blaise Pascal was a French philosopher…
Plato’s famous piece of literature, The Symposium, is striking with its speeches of love, or eros, which translates to desire. While eros will refer to love in this paper, Eros is also the name of the Greek god of love. A Symposium is a semi-formal banquet consisting of only men, followed by ceremonial toasts and…
Wilhelm WUNDT Father of psychology, wanted to establish the study of the mind as a science. Analyzed the mind in terms of its basic components [STRUCTURALISM] William JAMES Prof of psych, philo and physiology at Harvard. Was a “big-picture” person and liked to look at things as a whole [FUNCTIONALISM] Wolfgang KOHLER Researched apes and…
The centerpiece of Buddhism is the doctrine of Interdependent Arising There are no independent, enduring selves that reap the benefits and suffer the misfortunes of life Persons are constituted by five sets of processes: Physical processes: nervous system, immune system, DNA, etc. Processes of sensation: responsible for feelings of pain and pleasure Perceptual processes: responsible…
Developmental psychology examines changes in biological, physical, psychological, and behavioural processes over age Four issues guide developmental research: Nature and nurture – To what extent is our development the product of heredity (nature) or the product of the environment (nurture)? How do they interact? Critical and sensitive periods – Are some experiences especially important at…