Philosophy Essay Samples

Social Contract Theory According to John Locke

A man’s society is crucial in defining their morals and political obligations. Philosophers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes tried to explain the nature of government and its relationship to men. While some philosophers believed that men are subject to monarchs, some propounded that men are free...

Philosophical Concepts in “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave excellently presents the sharp contrast between daily and philosophical life. This short account talks about life and the role of philosophy using the story of a group of prisoners bound in such a manner that they cannot turn their heads around. The allegory touches on...

The Fear, Violence and Power Relationship Analysis

Introduction Max Weber described “Power” as the possibility that one participant in a period lasting would be capable of carrying out his wishes amid opposition, irrespective of the basis on which such likelihood is predicated. Thomas Hobbes described power as compared to the control one may exhibit over a splinter...

Locke’s and Hobbes’ Views on Human Nature

Human nature and essence is a philosophical concept that denotes the vital characteristics that determine an individual and are fundamental to all other forms and genera of being. Philosophy, anthropology, evolutionary psychology, sociobiology, and theology study and interpret human nature at different levels of generalization. There are distinct approaches to...

Descartes’ First Principle of Philosophy

René Descartes was a philosopher who substantiated the leading role of reason in knowledge and significantly contributed to the development of rationalism. The first philosophical principle of this thinker is that it is impossible to question a person’s ability to think. This principle identifies the primary role of human perception...

The Dualism Theory and Mind-Body Distinction

The question of the study of human reality is essential for gaining the most straightforward and most detailed understanding of the interaction between the body and mind. Thus, this argumentative essay adheres to the opinion that the dualism theory developed by René Descartes is an effective tool in realizing the...

Immanuel Kant’s Philosophy: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Journal Articles on Immanuel Kant Ignacio, J. V. P. (2020). A philosophy for a pedagogy: Kant and learner-centered teaching for the future of learning. Philosophy and Pedagogy, 5(1), 26-36.  The present article includes a deep analysis of the educational philosophy of Kant and the way it can be applied...

Nonverbal Communication in Cartoon Characters

Introduction Animated characters and cartoons are common for television and films. Nonverbal communication has played an extremely vital role in enhancing some of the most famous cartoon characters such as Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry, Shrek, and the Japanese animated character Kenshiro. One of the most spectacular innovations in the...

Depression: Psychotherapeutic Treatment

Depression is quite a common psychological disorder that can lead to serious and sometimes tragic outcomes. Millions of people (especially in the western world) suffer from depression. It is noteworthy that depression has been known for more than 2,000 years and people have already managed to identify its symptoms. At...

Utilitarianism and Kantian Rationalist Ethical Theory

Utilitarianism refers to the philosophical theory of ethics. Utilitarianism speculates how people ought to act. Stuart John Mill became the first philosopher to express the theory, which states that maximum happiness for the maximum quantity of people. Utilitarianism claims that an individual should act to maximize the quantity of happiness...

Writing Prompts on the Hottest Topics

Mind’s Nature Better than the Body’s?

Introduction The mind-body problem has remained a debatable topic throughout the history of both traditional and modern philosophy. However, Rene Descartes (a rationalist theorist, mathematician, and scientist) pioneered the controversial discussion of the distinction between the body and mind. The philosopher revealed that the mind and body were two separate...

John Rawls’ Difference Principle in Philosophy

Rawls’ defence of the difference principle is very compelling, as it contains critical elements that advocate the betterment of all people. The principle eliminates the gaps of injustices commonly found in the community and puts up fair principles in place (Cline, 2012 p. 4). The fair principles eliminate cases of...

Nature and Political Society: Hobbes’s and Locke’s Views

The issue that most theorists try to explain is legitimacy of government formation and the supposed reasons for having a state of society as a government (Lee, 2010). Locke and Hobbes are natural theorists who have formulated philosophies about the subject. They both have different arguments about moving out from...

Machiavelli Political Philosophy: Nature of Politics

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian politician and diplomat who lived in Florence. Besides being an enthusiastic writer and philosopher, Machiavelli was among those who founded modern political ethics. Apparently, his upbringing could not allow him to be a politician. Therefore, he spent most of his time as an employee both...

Descartes’ Proofs of God’s Existence

Introduction The proof utilized by Descartes to show that God exists is quite complicated and unpredictable. It first starts with analysis of skeptical thoughts and then turns around to disapprove them. The existence of God Descartes first established the first truth principle through his theory of ideas. Here, he described...

Realism and Liberalism Comparison

Realism is an approach to the international relations that is founded on four fundamental conventions, such as political groupism, egoism, international anarchy and power politics. This theory assumes that power and control are the primary outcomes if the political processes both on the foreign and internal area of activity. Liberalism...