J. L. Mackie Essays

J. L. Mackie on his writing “The Subjectivity of Values” develops two main arguments against the objectivity of values. Mackie states, “There are no objective values” (pg.175) where he expresses his belief that there are no objective, absolute or universal moral truths and argues in favor of moral skepticism, the view that people cannot have knowledge about morality. While actions naturally can be perceived as morally good or bad, there is nothing that makes them objectively good or bad. Mackie presents

What is the problem of evil? What are the problems that J.L. Mackie finds with the freewill solution to the problem of evil? Are there possible solutions to the problems that Mackie raises? The customary contentions for the presence of God have been reasonably completely scrutinized by rationalists. Be that as it may, the scholar can, in the event that he wishes, acknowledge this feedback. He can concede that no discerning confirmation of God 's presence is conceivable. Also, he can in any case

In the article, Mackie states how it is “a problem only for someone who believes that there is a God who is both omnipotent and wholly good”. In order words, it could be an internal problem because having that belief will question one person’s thoughts of God compared to someone who believes otherwise. However, Mackie does see the flaw of the argument and offers a reasonable response which is agreeing with the pope’s

Despite being primarily known as an economist, Adam Smith assumed the role of a moral philosopher in writing The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In the work, he develops a unique moral theory that intertwines a reality based on human observation with an ideal that arises from Smith’s thoughts on the way people should be. In order to establish a foundation, Smith begins by describing the feeling of sympathy as being one that is shared by all humans. His discourse on sympathy, formed predominantly on observations

John Rawls developed his theory of justice as an amalgamation of intuitionism and utilitarianism in order to form an acceptable, reasonable dominant paradigm that answered how a state should distribute its social primary goods fairly. While this theory is important in developing and understanding of political philosophy, its failure to be accepted as a dominant paradigm stems from its failure to adequately answer objections from both the political left and right. Rawlsian Justice is a theory of

texts. Philosopher J. L. Mackie, known chiefly for his metaethical theory on the ubiquitous truth of moral judgements called error theory, managed to accomplish just that. However, in striving to create a metaethical theory that diverges from non-cognitivists and distinguishes itself from other cognitivist theories, his conclusion ends up being more inflammatory than intellectually sound. Mackie ultimately sought to explore what he named "the apparent authority of ethics" (Mackie, 552), which is to

In “Evil and Omnipotence”, J.L Mackie argues that solutions provided for the problem of evil are implausible. Mackie claims that the problem of evil is God’s inability to be both omnipotent and omni-benevolent yet have evil exist. This contradiction cannot be physically disproven; and therefore, must be logically disproven. Mackie uses a novel method of providing solutions to this problem and elaborating on their lack of logic. In this paper, I will further explain the problem of evil, expand on

When dance and social activism intersect, I get excited. All of my experiences with dance as a tool for social change have been profound and evoking. The work I do with Donald Byrd and Spectrum Dance Theater company (SDT) is tremendously relevant. It unapologetically challenges and disrupts societal systems, people’s beliefs, thoughts, and their relations with others who are different from them. Working with SDT has taught me that dance, my passion, part of my identity, is a tool for social change

This paper aims to examine the understanding of violation of Gricean maxim of Cooperative Principles by children and adults of age 15 to 60 years and show that their understanding depends on identifying and accessing relevant contextual information. They did differ in gender, education, social and economic background. Their implicit understanding of maxim of quality, quantity, relation and manner were accessed through a survey which consisted of answering to questions based on flouting conversations

To a certain extent, the majority of developed nations have complied with the United Nations’ requirements on hate speech and implemented some sort of legislation concerning its use, subsequently regulating free speech (Edmonds and Wartburton 2012). Converse to these nations as well as the UN's position on freedom of speech, the United States remains without hate speech regulation, as it is viewed as an infringement of the Constitution’s First Amendment, which purports an unrestricted right to freedom

to the L-dopa treatment. Most of the doctors working in the institution refused to believe that the patients were still alive and aware, because, as Dr. Peter Ingham stated in the movie, “The alternative is unthinkable.” Imagine being trapped in your own body, unable to move or cry for help. This is what the victims of this strange disease had to endure for decades, up until the point that they were cured by Levodopa, if only for a short period of time. Though as the successfulness of L-dopa began

It is better to try research and figure out something, and solve a problem, Rather than never try something and never find out if it works. In “Flowers for Algernon” and Awakenings, it Shows that it is ethical for doctors and other medical professionals to perform experimental surgery. The movie and the book also show that a chance of fixing a problem can give people a second chance in life even though it may be short. Those two It is worth it. The book and the move also show how a second chance

Consequentialists are a group of philosophers who asses whether an act is right or wrong based on the consequences of the action. There are different types of consequentialism including: ethical egoism, act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism. These three branches of consequentialism will be discussed later in this paper. A supererogatory act is something that is good but is not obligatory; these acts involve rendering aid to others that go above moral requirement. Consequentialists claim that

The struggle a someone can go through to test if they have control over their life, or to find out if their destiny has been decided can be shown throughout literature and film. In The Truman Show existentialism plays a big role into how this program is created. The Production of this film is simulated by tiny cameras placed secretly around a small town inside a dome. These cameras are used to follow around a man named Truman Burbank, and record his life. Essentially creating a popular T.V. show

I selected Mark Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar is a play that hinges upon rhetoric. Mark Antony’s speech at Caesar’s funeral demonstrates Shakespeare’s finest examples of rhetoric at work. At Caesars funeral, Brutus gives a reasoned prose speech that convinces the crowd Caesar had to die. Mark Antony, a friend of Caesar is allowed to speak whatever good he wishes of Caesar so long as he speaks no ill of the conspirators. Mark Antony overmatches Brutus. His oration is powerful,

INTRODUCTION “The greatness of a nation is judged by the way it treats its animals” - Mahatma Gandhi Whether at home, on the farm, or at the dining table, animals play an important role in day-to-day life in the society. They happen to be companions, a source of livelihood, entertainment, inspiration, and of course food and clothing to people all over the world. Yet animals can and do exist independent from people and, as living beings, they arguably have certain interests separate from their utility

Life is a journey full of choices and obstacles. People build their lives around the kinds of choices they make and the obstacles they do or do not overcome. Stereotypes, social judgement, racism, and sexual barriers are a few examples of the kinds of obstacles society provides; however, one of the most difficult obstacles can often be oneself. Creator of The Daily Motivator, a motivational website, Ralph Marston believes that even though life contains difficult obstacles one should never allow themself

On January 28th 1986 the space shuttle Challenger launched and exploded only 73 seconds into flight shocking the world and killing the crew of seven. This disaster left the NASA community and its various engineering teams baffled to explain the disaster and some not surprised; while all wanted answers to questions as to why and how this disaster could have occurred, while some already held the data on what could have been the factors for disaster. 2 Research performed indicates there were a number

“Although it was a crucial part of humans’ survival 100,000 years ago, hunting is now nothing more than a violent form of recreation.” (“Sport Hunting Is an Unnecessary Form”). Some feel that hunting for sport is enjoyable and a fun activity, while others find that it’s an arrogant and selfish form of murder. Sport hunting is unacceptable; it robs the animals of their habitats, decreases the population of the animals, and is simply inhumane. At the same time there is habitat loss, which is equally

Finnley Maier Hist 281 Essay 1: Lady Hyegyong ​According to Confucian principals, filial piety is an admired characteristic that means that one possesses a great respect for one’s parents and ancestors. Instead of asking in what parts of the memoir does filial piety come into play, I think that’s it not unreasonable to see that the whole memoir is about piety. Filial piety is the main root in this story and the driving force and in the lives of this royal Korean family. Piety doesn’t just apply