Abstract
Tracing back through the history of thought this essay looks at Descartes conception of the mind and follows the logic of his argument in relation to the modern digital computer and the work of Turing and Searle.

From the Paper
"The mind and the processes of thought are complicated and problematic in discussion. Throughout the history of thought these ideas and their meanings have been debated. I'll be discussing the way, in particular, three philosophers have encountered and dealt with this problem. Starting with an overview of Descartes view on the issue of the mind and the machine, and following with the decimation of his ideas. I'll then go on to explain the ideas of Turing and Searle in relation to their ideas of mind and thought in the modern age. I will also explain why the mind is something that cannot be duplicated by a computer programme and that at best the biological processes of thought and the mind can only be simulated and not duplicated by a modern digital computer."

Tags:digital, reasoning, searle, turing

From the Paper
"The following research compares and contrasts three essays: "The Crito", by Plato; "Civil Disobedience", by Henry David Thoreau; and "Letter from Birmingham Jail", by Martin Luther King Jr. Socrates, Thoreau and King each addressed issues of freedom, human rights, and individual rights vs. state rights. Each philosopher was accused of having transgressed certain established codes set up by the state.

Socrates was imprisoned "on charges of corrupting youth and believing in gods other than the state's divinities". In his dialogues with Crito, he explores the nature of the ideal state and the individual in opposition to the goals established by the higher authorities. Plato has come to him in prison to urge him to escape, but Socrates' final resolve is not to challenge an authority which he has submitted to by virtue of ... "

From the Paper
"Glenn Tinder, in his work Political Thinking: The Perennial Questions, is as much about the philosophy of life as it is about the philosophy of politics. It is a book concerned not only with the major questions of politics but the major questions of life--the nature of human existence, good and evil, death. Tinder means to help himself and his readers reconsider the very nature of thought itself, to learn or relearn how to think.

What gives Tinder's book its special strength, aside from the fact that he does inspire fresh thoughts about life and politics, is the humility with which he approaches his monumental subjects.

He writes, for example, that "the lack of finality" in his book with respect to the perennial questions "is connected with the primary intent of the book. My purpose is to provide an ... "

Abstract
This paper details the psychological theory of Abraham Maslow. The paper discusses his hierarchy of needs, listing each need and providing examples, as well as showing how the hierarchy is built. There is an expanded section detailing what is meant by self-actualization as well as what Maslow called "peak experiences." A full listing of the B-values are given, as well as numerous other traits and characteristics of self-actualized people. Also explained are Maslow's other hypothesized needs, such as the cognitive, aesthetic, and neurotic needs, and how these all interact with his hierarchy of needs. The paper introduces Maslow as a visionary and pioneer of humanistic psychology who came from a world dominated by psychoanalysis and behaviorism and emerged to provide the world with a more positive, instructional, and human view of mankind and his place in nature.

From the Paper
"These theories shared in common an approach to understanding human nature and behavior that were based directly outside the subjective needs, beliefs, and values of the individual. In grossly simplified terms, the individual was viewed either as a locus in the environment where current stimuli reacted with past reinforced behavior patterns to produce a response or as an almost helpless entity, where deep in the primitive recesses of the human brain a battle was fought for psychological control. Where forces of the good "superego" were beating back the evil armies of the "id" (sex and aggression) and whichever side was winning the battle at any given time would manifest itself in the person's overt behavior. Abraham Maslow was a visionary who pioneered the field of "humanistic" psychology. Aptly named because its primary goal was to center the field of psychology around the individual person to treat them as wanting, feeling, needing, spiritual, and unique beings and to guise psychological theory in terms that took this into account."

Tags:clinical, gestalt, personality, rogers, theorist, therapy, values

Abstract
This paper examines how Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and Michel Foucault are three of the most important philosophical minds to influence the 20th century and how their influence on the arts has been particularly significant. It evaluates this influence, as well as comparing and contrasting each of their views on art (specifically theater) in the 20th century, by the analysis of three different plays. The plays are "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller and "Polaroid Stories" by Naomi Iizuka. It shows how all three plays from different times are very different both thematically and in form and how by viewing these three works through the eyes of Foucault, Marx, and Freud it becomes possible to see the specific differences in their doctrines.

From the Paper
"Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939) has changed modern culture, probably, as much as any other man in history according to The United States Library of Congress' Freud exhibition entitled Sigmund Freud: Conflict and Culture. Freud's discourses on the nature of sexuality, fantasies, and the significance of dreams have enthralled artists for over a century now. The Importance of Being Earnest, being a comedy of manners, involves sex only in a very discreet way, however the element of fantasy and dream are woven throughout Wilde's text. Gwendolyn spends the majority of her stage time in a reality separate from the rest of the characters. And both Jack and Algernon invent characters of their own so they can fantasize about better lives. Freud argues that all art comes from the subconscious of the artist (Freud, Creative Writers and Daydreaming)."

Tags:art, drama, history, psychology, salesman, earnest, polaroid, stories

Abstract
This paper is an exploration of the philosophical position of existentialism, giving backgrounds on the early existentialists in post-war France. The writer looks at the literary works that influenced existentialism such as Camus' "The Outsider" and "The Myth Of Sisyphus".

From the Paper
"Albert Camus, a political activist and intellectual often expressed his philosophical attitudes through fiction and short essays. Camus is primarily known for philosophical position; a form of existentialism, that he portrays in his essays The Absurd and The Myth of Sisyphus. The absurd is a set of beliefs to be adopted towards life in a universe that is devoid of a true or higher meaning when the only outcome will be death. In the two previously mentioned essays, Camus explores how absurdity appears in a life and the consequences of making this discovery. Camus identifies the Absurd not as a source for despair but describes a way to defy meaninglessness and live life through experience."

Tags:existentialism, nothingness, sartre, experience, philosophy

Abstract
Am I the same person as I was five years ago? Who was I then, and who am I now? If I am different, then how different am I? What does sameness over time depend on, and what does difference? What is free will? If there is free will, does it change over time? This paper discusses these questions and argues that both the self as a physical identity and the self as a mental being must necessarily change over time. It also argues that free will is merely a conditioned social concept.

From the Paper
"What is a person? Although this is a topic that has plagued philosophers since the beginning of the Cartesian exploration of the mind and body, personhood's exact definition has never been pinned down. However for the purposes of the following discussion, personhood will be described a conglomeration of mental, physical and emotional functions existing at any point in time. This definition is important as it outlays that personhood is very much something temporal. This is clearly important as the question asked is, am I the same person I was five years ago. If then, personhood is temporally located, we can see that changes are possible to a person over time."

Tags:descartes, free, freewill, hume, locke, nietzche, parfit, philosophy, self

Abstract
This paper answers, with reference to a large body of Edmund Husserl's philosophical writings, the question of what, according to Husserl, is the properly philosophical attitude. It contrasts this with what he maintains is our 'natural attitude'. The paper argues that, for Husserl, a more philosophical attitude enables a 'first philosophy,' a rigorous and presupposition-less philosophy, and more pertinently, makes distinct the previously obscured realm of pure transcendental consciousness. The author of this paper offers his own brief criticisms of these views.

From the Paper
"What Husserl will have us do with our uncritical natural attitude is 'bracket it' or 'disconnect it' via the phenomenological method of epoche. By this we do not-as Descartes did-merely repudiate it with denials ("I shall suppose I in fact have no body," etc.) we simply "put out of action the general thesis..." (Ibid. pp.110.) The natural question is: given the general thesis's fundamentality to us, how can we simply 'put it aside', and moreover, what do we achieve by doing this? I have already suggested that in regard to the latter question, we achieve a more presuppositionless attitude suitable to the project of (first) philosophy. But the former question apparently remains entirely unanswered: how can we possibly go about this?"

Tags:descartes, heidegger, idealism, transcendental

Abstract
A discussion of negative freedom and whether or not it is a "persuasive" political theory. The paper explores the concept of negative theory, what it means, opposition to the theory, and other related political theories. The paper looks at the writings of John Stuart Mill, Robert Hobbes and many other political commentators of the past and present.

From the Paper
"The concept of freedom is a core value of society, many believing that a greater amount of freedom will lead to a greater and more fulfilling lifestyle. As a result the concept has been subject to a range of philosophical discussions, in particular the balancing of freedom and order. For example, by limiting freedom through laws which prohibit certain actions such as murder, greater freedom is enjoyed by other members of society. Mill (1982) even suggested that intervention by the state is only viable where one persons actions would cause harm to another. Negative freedom is the dominant concept of liberals, distinguished to positive freedom by Berlin (1969) in his article "Two Concepts of Liberty". Negative freedom refers to "the sphere of action within which an individual is left alone to do or be whatever he or she may want to do or be" (Carter, 2002). Through close examination of this concept, it's interpretation and opposing views of freedom, it's validity as a "persuasive" theory can be inferred."

Tags:berlin, Leviathan, true, self, On, Liberty

Abstract
This is a short assessment of Gilbert Ryle's "Concept of Mind". Ryle stands as one of analytic's philosophy's pioneers in the field of philosophy of mind, and critiques Rene Descartes' claims of the mind as immaterial "thinking thing". Ryle's critique through the use of his "Category Mistake", forms a prototypical example of analytic philosophy's reassessment of traditional philosophical issues and warrants investigation.

From the Paper
"The problem of mind has been one of great importance to philosophy throughout its history. In his work The Concept of Mind, Gilbert Ryle establishes his perspective on this issue. Ryle contrasts his conclusions with French philosopher Rene Descartes, accusing Descartes of what he calls a "category mistake". Ryle's justification for this judgement comes from what he identifies as differences in logic between mental and physical words. The concepts we use in our language represent the reality of the mental and physical world in different ways. It is because of this conclusion, that Ryle asserts that the mind is not in fact a substance. In this essay, I will examine Ryle's understanding of the logic of mental words and the category mistake. Then, we must see how this criticism fares against Descartes "substance model" of mind. Finally, Ryle's own behaviorism must be checked for any errors that would cause it to be a poor alternative to the dualist model of mind. Only then can we determine if Ryle has been successful in his critique of Descartes."

Tags:analytic, category, linguistic, mistake, philosophy