Philosophical Theory Essay Sample for Free

The doctrine of philosophy plays an important role in various parts of human life. This is because the study deals with the examination of the basic concept of the life of every living thing. Hence, the doctrine emphasizes on the systematic study and examination of the truth in the sphere of knowledge in response to the behavior of individuals or events. This concept will aid in the answering the questions that will be showcased in this piece of work by the use of Manuel Velasquezs book.

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Mercers philosophy on human nature highlights that human beings are usually motivated by the self-regarding end (Velasquez, 57). This explains that humans are usually selfish in nature. This makes this theory to be understood from the point of view that asserts that the action of every human being is demonstrated by every action that they does. Hence, it is not easy to change the way of living of people. Mercer argues that by giving an example of finding a beggar in the streets and when the person begs for a coin you automatically give it to him or her without a second thought, this action brings joy to the beggar. Moreover, in the theory it is asserted that the beliefs if human beings about nature change on a regular basis. It is worth noting that not all human beings are selfish in nature and therefore, this assertion helps to develop strong relationships among people. This can be explained by the fact that the level of trust, in such a way that humans can relate with others in a truthful and transparent manner. In addition to this, it is seen that the theory truly influences the human relationship in both social setting and the religious lives of people. Socially human beings are bound to have a good life after death if they lived a religious life before dying. Therefore, the relationships that they form in this social setting by being religious and believing in truth and transparency helps them prepare for the life after death. This makes more humans to have concern regarding their spiritual life.

Another philosophy that was interesting in this text was the John Locke theory of the rationalist belief. He compares the mind of a human being to an empty or a blank slate (Velasquez, 335). Through this, he claims that humans are not born with ideas but through the knowledge that they gain on a daily basis, the blank slate is filled and becomes the basis of the beliefs and behaviors that thy portray. To prove his belief he emphasizes that humans beings born with a blank slate have no information and imitate their caregivers in all that they do. Therefore, there is no way humans can share knowledge when they are born, but they are molded by the activities that happen around them. In additional to that, it is noted that the theory states that, the knowledge humans have only comes from the senses of perception or through the mental and physical activities. With every activity and event that occurs in the life of the human beings, the easy ideas are developed to form more complex ones. At this stage, human beings can be able to come up with great ideas and try to form beliefs and understand beyond the real objects they see. They can think and separate the good from evil and learn to be humane. Therefore, the images created in the minds of these human beings are not necessarily real. This can explain why things in reality do not necessarily match with those in every thought that we have. Hence, Locke asserts that knowledge does not only originate from our daily experience but also the thoughts that we form from these experiences. Therefore, the ideas of every human being are developed in the mind are representations of all the things that are visible in the real world. However, they differ from one person to another although some might be shared by other people. Combining the basic ideas in the minds of people results in the formation of different perceptions regarding on the context in which the ideas were acquired and the setting of the person. For instance, it is clear from the Locke theory that a measure such as weight is considered to be a basic idea that is associated with the quality of an object (Velasquez, 67). Through this one is able to identify things be the ideas of primary qualities which can be the height, the color or the test. It is possible to identify the things around us by the aid of our primary quantities that reflect the item that we are trying to explain about in its actual external entity.

Philosophy plays a great role in the life human beings in the real world. Every philosopher has a role in the delivering knowledge about different parts and aspects of human life. Additionally, similar to the Mercer theory on human nature, the Locke theory is noted that humans are usually selfish in nature. Therefore, there is an essence of being kind that we should adopt in order to maintain the beliefs of being humane. Mercer beliefs that if human beings change their selfish ways, there will be an increase in the level of trust among human beings. This is similar to the theory of Locke that raises an argument that humans were born with a blank mind. This can be proven by the way children can learn faster and fil the blank slate of the mind compared to the old people (Velasquez, 363). This is because there knowledge capacity expands with their experience just as they grow up learning. Old people have knowledge due to their longer period of experience of their daily lives which makes them enlightened in solving the various issues of life. This can be seen by the way small children are usually curious in knowing things that are around them and are able to identity things by the aid of the primary quantities that show the height, color, shape and the external experience of things.

The philosophical theories of human life play a great role in the defining who humans are and their nature. Through the theories mentioned in this discussion, it is evident that human beings acquire knowledge in a gradual manner and as they grow up from childhood into adulthood. The basic knowledge is translated into thoughts and perceptions that form complex ideas. These ideas are the basis of the different beliefs, customs and behaviors portrayed by humans. The theories of Mercer and Locke assert that all human beings are selfish in nature and that they are born without any knowledge. However, they gain it through the daily experiences which they go through in their life. In this way they become believers, and wise on how to manage selfishness and appreciate each other despite of their differences. Therefore, it is easy to teach a young child new aspects of life.

Work Cited

Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text With Readings. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 2013. Print.