Anselm\'s Ontological Argument Anselm (1033-1109), Philosopher, Theologian
Anselm (1033-1109), philosopher, theologian and church leader, has presented an argument for the existence of God that has been debated by philosophers and academicians for centuries.
Research Paper
Undergraduate
Will Theory and Inalienable Rights
Although America's founding documents declared unequivocally "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," the signing of the Declaration of Independence did nothing more to end the debate over rights, power, and liberty than did the discourses of Immanuel Kant, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. The notion of inalienable rights is rooted in Hobbesian theory, after Hobbes wrote in his Leviathan that "to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own Nature; that is to say, of his own Life; and consequently, of doing anything, which in his own judgment, and Reason, he shall conceive to be the (most) apt means thereunto," thus offering philosophy's most basic elucidation of the concept of inalienable rights. Western philosophy has always focused the attention of its greatest thinkers on the concept of natural versus legal rights, with the former representing life, liberty, and those ostensibly inalienable rights granted to all people regardless of culture or custom, and the latter consisting of the rights bestowed upon citizens by the legal apparatus of their government.
Position: Free Will vs. Determinism Debate
From a theological viewpoint, human free will me nor exist at all, since God is all-knowing and all-powerful, the destiny of each individual is determined from the beginning to time. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards all believed this, and before modern times it was the most common position in Christianity. Human life is also determined by certain physical and natural laws that exist in the material world, such as gravity, conservation of energy and chemistry, and perhaps by genetics as well. In addition, unfavorable environments and family life in childhood may also have a deterministic effect on individuals, such as a propensity to be involved in crime and drug abuse. Some people are more obviously constrained than others, such as alcoholics, drug addicts and insane persons, or those locked up in prison or some other institution where their lives are mostly determined by some external coercive authority.
Frankenstein the Relationship Between Science Technology and Progress
Analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and its anti-Enlightenment perspectives. The role of education and guidance is looked at through three different perspectives including Walton, Frankenstein, and the Creature/Monster. Each individual has had a different way of learning about the world whether it is through experience and formal education, formal education alone, or through experience alone.