Description
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
- Competency 1: Employ sound logic in philosophical reasoning.
- Support and defend logically each of these convictions with clear logical argumentation.
- Competency 2: Classify alternative approaches to the origin and reliability of human knowledge.
- Show that these distinct elements fit together to form a coherent philosophy of life in the context of traditional Western epistemology.
- Assess the proper role of philosophical reasoning in practical life.
- Competency 4: Interpret human behavior in philosophical terms.
- State and explain a clear position on the ultimate meaning of life.
- Competency 6: Formulate a personal philosophy of life.
- Describe personal convictions about philosophical issues in contrast to alternative views of the same issues.
- Competency 7: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
- Use proper APA style and formatting to write effectively.
It is time to finalize your personal philosophy paper, the course project you have been working on for weeks. Using the outline you developed in Unit 7, write an essay that states and defends your own philosophy of life.
As you finish this assignment, take a moment to congratulate yourself on the success of your achievement. If anyone asks you what philosophy has to do with real life, you know exactly what to tell them!
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
Free Will, Beauty, Body and Mind
Morgan Jones
PHI1000
Capella University
05/26/2019
1
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
2
Introduction
Philosophy explains many diverse aspects of life. There are famous philosophers
whose philosophies are studied today to give a better understanding of life issues. They
include Aristotle, Plato, Kant, and Hume, among others. Three chosen topics are going
to be discussed in a philosophical light. These are human and body, free will, and the
perception of beauty. The following paper is going to discuss the philosophical issues
selected, state the personal position on the problems in contrast with alternative views,
defend the opinions with clear and logical reasoning, and respond to likely objections
The Mind And Body
The mind and body are two essential parts of a human being. There is a
philosophical debate on the relationship between the mind and body. The brain works in
terms of thoughts and consciousness. It is non-physical and intangible. The body, on
the other hand, is the physical aspect of the body. The debate asks as to whether the
body and the mind depend on one another and if they do, which part of the body is
more superior than the other.
Dualism is one of the theories that attempt to explain the relationship between
the mind and body. The theory says that human beings have both a brain which is the
non-physical aspect and the body, which is the substantial part of a human being
(Knobe, & Nichols, 2013). Descartes dualism theory argues that the mind and the body
are two separate entities. However, the tangible and intangible aspects of the body
interact and work together. The theory explains that the body and the brain interact
through the pineal gland. The theory suggests that the brain is in charge of the body as
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
3
Bunge (2014). It makes decisions and rational choices that are followed by the body.
However, there are instances as well that the body controls the brain. In cases of
passion, the body controls the mind and acts despite ration.
There is another opposing theory called monism (Mehta, 2011). The approach
has two classifications. Materialism is one classification that says that all things are
material and that there are no non-tangible things that exist like a brain. The following
classification is phenomenalism. The theory states that all physical things are reduced
to mental thinks, which ultimately means that all items are mental.
The monism theory that holds that only either tangible or intangible objects exist
does not hold up. As much as the brain makes a decision, it needs a physical element
to perform the actions. The body, on its own, cannot exist without a conscious that tells
it what to do and make decisions rationally.
Free Will
Free will is the ability if a human being to make a correct decision when faced
with difficult choices. It is motivated by responsibility, fear, guilt, and sin, among others.
The relationship between free will, determinism, and moral responsibility have been the
topic of debate for quite some time. Moral responsibility is the ability of an individual to
distinguish between what is right and wrong and follow the right path. However,
philosophers argue that there is no moral responsibility without free will (Nahmias, &
Murray, 2011). An individual should have a discrete brain and have the ability to make
decisions without depending on another person. Only with free will can they have the
ability to make morally responsible and virtuous ones too.
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
4
Determinism is the other philosophy that addresses free will. Determinism says
that a person’s past events, in conjunction with nature, determine the future of a person.
With this in mind, it means that there are events from every person’s past that
determine their future. This theory directly undermines free will. According to
determinism, an individual cannot make decisions as naturally; they are bound to
happen.
Compatibilism is the answer to the dilemma surrounding free will. This theory
suggests that determinism and free will can co-exist. One of them does not render the
other useless. The conflict is brought about by the fact that free will is not defined in one
way. There are varying definitions. However, the two can coexist.
Appreciating Beauty
The topic of beauty is among the most controversial issues of all times. There are
very different perceptions of beauty, and they all have origins from the fathers of
philosophy. In the eighteenth century, Hume already had devised one way of looking at
beauty. He said that beauty is not in the physical attributes. Instead, beauty is it
depends on the mind that views it. Different minds perceive beauty differently and
consequently, people. While one person may see beauty, another person may only
recognize undesirable traits. However, every individual should hold on to what their view
of beauty may be without regulating other’s opinions of beauty.
Socrates and Aristotle define beauty in terms of mathematics. They claim that
science and mathematics could prove anything. Hence, beauty is indicating by
symmetry and has an order. However, Plato defined beauty in a whole new perceptive
(Swami, & Salem, 2011). He claimed that beauty is an objective quality. Some
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
5
philosophies dictate that beauty of a human being comes from within. People with good
behaviours and extraordinary personalities tend to display beauty. This is a direct
relation of harmony with one’s ability to have free will and functional relationships
between the brain and body. All three qualities seem to be connected in one way or
another.
From these definitions, it is clear how diverse the opinions of different
philosophers are. They are not related to one another in any way. However, Hume’s
definition of beauty seems to be more sensible. People perceive beauty differently
because they have different brains.
Conclusion
From the discussions above on the philosophies on the mind and body, free will,
and the perception of beauty, it is clear that all these functions are related. The fact that
stands out is the fact that the brain is the primary controller of all the features of the
mind. It controls the physical aspect of a human being, which is the body, controls the
free will of individuals, and finally is the organ that perceives beauty. It is because if the
brain that different individuals see beauty differently.
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
6
References
Bunge, M., (2014). The mind-body problem: A psychobiological approach. Elsevier.
Knobe, J., & Nichols, S. (Eds.). (2013). Experimental philosophy (Vol. 2). Oxford
University Press.
Mehta, N., (2011). Mind-body dualism: A critique from a health perspective. Men’s Sana
Monographs, 9(1), 202.
Nahmias, E., & Murray, D. (2011). Experimental philosophy on free will: An error theory
for incompatibilist intuitions. In New waves in philosophy of action (pp. 189-216).
Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Swami, V., & Salem, N. (2011). The evolutionary psychology of human beauty. Wiley.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
Free Will, Beauty, Body and Mind
Morgan Jones
PHI1000
Capella University
05/26/2019
1
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
2
Introduction
Philosophy explains many diverse aspects of life. There are famous philosophers
whose philosophies are studied today to give a better understanding of life issues. They
include Aristotle, Plato, Kant, and Hume, among others. Three chosen topics are going
to be discussed in a philosophical light. These are human and body, free will, and the
perception of beauty. The following paper is going to discuss the philosophical issues
selected, state the personal position on the problems in contrast with alternative views,
defend the opinions with clear and logical reasoning, and respond to likely objections
The Mind And Body
The mind and body are two essential parts of a human being. There is a
philosophical debate on the relationship between the mind and body. The brain works in
terms of thoughts and consciousness. It is non-physical and intangible. The body, on
the other hand, is the physical aspect of the body. The debate asks as to whether the
body and the mind depend on one another and if they do, which part of the body is
more superior than the other.
Dualism is one of the theories that attempt to explain the relationship between
the mind and body. The theory says that human beings have both a brain which is the
non-physical aspect and the body, which is the substantial part of a human being
(Knobe, & Nichols, 2013). Descartes dualism theory argues that the mind and the body
are two separate entities. However, the tangible and intangible aspects of the body
interact and work together. The theory explains that the body and the brain interact
through the pineal gland. The theory suggests that the brain is in charge of the body as
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
3
Bunge (2014). It makes decisions and rational choices that are followed by the body.
However, there are instances as well that the body controls the brain. In cases of
passion, the body controls the mind and acts despite ration.
There is another opposing theory called monism (Mehta, 2011). The approach
has two classifications. Materialism is one classification that says that all things are
material and that there are no non-tangible things that exist like a brain. The following
classification is phenomenalism. The theory states that all physical things are reduced
to mental thinks, which ultimately means that all items are mental.
The monism theory that holds that only either tangible or intangible objects exist
does not hold up. As much as the brain makes a decision, it needs a physical element
to perform the actions. The body, on its own, cannot exist without a conscious that tells
it what to do and make decisions rationally.
Free Will
Free will is the ability if a human being to make a correct decision when faced
with difficult choices. It is motivated by responsibility, fear, guilt, and sin, among others.
The relationship between free will, determinism, and moral responsibility have been the
topic of debate for quite some time. Moral responsibility is the ability of an individual to
distinguish between what is right and wrong and follow the right path. However,
philosophers argue that there is no moral responsibility without free will (Nahmias, &
Murray, 2011). An individual should have a discrete brain and have the ability to make
decisions without depending on another person. Only with free will can they have the
ability to make morally responsible and virtuous ones too.
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
4
Determinism is the other philosophy that addresses free will. Determinism says
that a person’s past events, in conjunction with nature, determine the future of a person.
With this in mind, it means that there are events from every person’s past that
determine their future. This theory directly undermines free will. According to
determinism, an individual cannot make decisions as naturally; they are bound to
happen.
Compatibilism is the answer to the dilemma surrounding free will. This theory
suggests that determinism and free will can co-exist. One of them does not render the
other useless. The conflict is brought about by the fact that free will is not defined in one
way. There are varying definitions. However, the two can coexist.
Appreciating Beauty
The topic of beauty is among the most controversial issues of all times. There are
very different perceptions of beauty, and they all have origins from the fathers of
philosophy. In the eighteenth century, Hume already had devised one way of looking at
beauty. He said that beauty is not in the physical attributes. Instead, beauty is it
depends on the mind that views it. Different minds perceive beauty differently and
consequently, people. While one person may see beauty, another person may only
recognize undesirable traits. However, every individual should hold on to what their view
of beauty may be without regulating other’s opinions of beauty.
Socrates and Aristotle define beauty in terms of mathematics. They claim that
science and mathematics could prove anything. Hence, beauty is indicating by
symmetry and has an order. However, Plato defined beauty in a whole new perceptive
(Swami, & Salem, 2011). He claimed that beauty is an objective quality. Some
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
5
philosophies dictate that beauty of a human being comes from within. People with good
behaviours and extraordinary personalities tend to display beauty. This is a direct
relation of harmony with one’s ability to have free will and functional relationships
between the brain and body. All three qualities seem to be connected in one way or
another.
From these definitions, it is clear how diverse the opinions of different
philosophers are. They are not related to one another in any way. However, Hume’s
definition of beauty seems to be more sensible. People perceive beauty differently
because they have different brains.
Conclusion
From the discussions above on the philosophies on the mind and body, free will,
and the perception of beauty, it is clear that all these functions are related. The fact that
stands out is the fact that the brain is the primary controller of all the features of the
mind. It controls the physical aspect of a human being, which is the body, controls the
free will of individuals, and finally is the organ that perceives beauty. It is because if the
brain that different individuals see beauty differently.
FREE WILL, BEAUTY, BODY AND MIND
6
References
Bunge, M., (2014). The mind-body problem: A psychobiological approach. Elsevier.
Knobe, J., & Nichols, S. (Eds.). (2013). Experimental philosophy (Vol. 2). Oxford
University Press.
Mehta, N., (2011). Mind-body dualism: A critique from a health perspective. Men’s Sana
Monographs, 9(1), 202.
Nahmias, E., & Murray, D. (2011). Experimental philosophy on free will: An error theory
for incompatibilist intuitions. In New waves in philosophy of action (pp. 189-216).
Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Swami, V., & Salem, N. (2011). The evolutionary psychology of human beauty. Wiley.
Purchase answer to see full
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