This thesis examines the role of filial piety (xiào 孝) in the broader moral framework from Confucius’ 孔子 and Mengzi’s 孟子 perspectives on moral cultivation, focusing primarily on the original texts...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of filial piety (xiào 孝) in the broader moral framework from Confucius’ 孔子 and Mengzi’s 孟子 perspectives on moral cultivation, focusing primarily on the original texts such as the Analects ( 論語 Lúnyǔ) and Mengzi (Mèngzǐ 孟子) in the Confucian canon. After Confucius’ primary teachings, Mengzi was the most notable follower and further progressed the development of the Confucian tradition. Confucius proposed that the root of all virtues was filial piety and emphasised the practical extension of filial piety in the form of roles and rituals to promote his socio-political ideal of social order. Mengzi similarly emphasised social order amidst a time of social unrest, however approached the virtue of filial piety from a different theoretical perspective. Confucius presents a methodological top-down approach in his educational approach, aiming to ground filial piety as a fundamental virtue to cultivate potential political rulers. Mengzi on the other hand, approaches virtues from a bottom-up perspective, starting from the sentiments residing in our human nature. Mengzi exhibits filial piety as a natural expression of intrinsic goodness residing in human nature, positioning filial piety as a virtue that develops naturally. Confucius approaches virtues from a different perspective by focusing on the externalities and rituals grounded in filial piety. Hence, both Confucian philosophers operate within the same conceptual framework yet portray a fundamentally distinct perspective towards the central virtue of filial piety as the locus of the Confucian tradition.Show less
This essay explores the use of music as a distinctive philosophical tool through epochs and cultural areas to ascertain whether music is more than a melodic form of entertainment and whether there...Show moreThis essay explores the use of music as a distinctive philosophical tool through epochs and cultural areas to ascertain whether music is more than a melodic form of entertainment and whether there is a consensus as far as music as a philosophical medium is concerned. It compares the attitudes of Plato, Xunzi and the Wesley brothers, (the founders of Methodism). The research focused on two apparently diverse philosophies and compared them with that of Plato. The writings of the philosophers were studied to identify attitudes towards the use of music. The research discovered similar attitudes towards music in all three philosophies studied: that music is influential and affects people’s behaviours. It would appear that music as an educational and controlling tool is a recognised phenomenon acknowledged in all three philosophies researched. This essay has revealed an interesting and unexpected convergence of ideas and opinions across the diverse philosophies researched. It exposed lesser-studied philosophers to scrutiny when compared to a foundational philosopher such as Plato to expose similar attitudes towards the use of music. This research has demonstrated the link between philosophy and religious and ceremonial music and identified other musical genres that could be explored for similar links. It has also identified similar ideas about music in all three authors studied; Plato, Xunzi and the Wesley brothers were all convinced of the value of music and approved of the use of music to impact the behaviour of the listener. However, there are conflicting views from philosophers such as Kant who believed that music was merely agreeable. Also, the censorship of music approved by Plato and Xunzi, that occurs in some countries such as the Russian censoring of Pussy Riot, is generally condemned by the lovers of music. This warrants further investigation as the suppression of music is contrary to the beliefs of many artists and the recipients of their art. The conclusion drawn from this research is that music has been recognised as an educational and controlling tool that has been used as such throughout history and in diverse cultures.Show less
With the advent of Quantum Field Theory, scientists increasingly believe that the best achievable scientific theories remain effective. Given the limited experimental situations we can probe, a...Show moreWith the advent of Quantum Field Theory, scientists increasingly believe that the best achievable scientific theories remain effective. Given the limited experimental situations we can probe, a scientific theory of the world appears to be underdetermined concerning fundamental entities. Effective Field Theories are however strong, successful frameworks for describing results, which should warrant a realist commitment to the entities they posit. Porter Williams’ recent paper argues for effective realism and inspires an important question: should effective entities at all scales be equally real? I will argue against this, saying that a gradient of realness is necessary, granting increasing realness to more fundamental entities, because they can explain more experimental results. I will further problematize Williams’ account by drawing on Quine’s philosophy, the chariot argument from Indian-Buddhist philosophy, and a recent critique by Laura Ruetsche. Then, I will build an effective realism inspired by Quinean naturalist ideas, picturing science as a linguistic attempt to describe the world. Using one innovation I hope to re-introduce entity-ontic realism into Quine’s account: the relation between scientist and nature is seen as communicative, such that the scientist is like a translator of natural language. Given some assumptions, this focus on the translation rather than on the interpretation of the natural world should make it easier to have epistemic optimism about effective entities, as the problem of epistemic optimism is likened to the indeterminacy of translation. Since realness is seen as a communicative rapport between nature and scientists, realness reflects an intersubjective rather than an objective truth, which allows for effective theories to be objectively false or only approximately true and yet real. Lastly, this communicative account vindicates the existential position of the scientist as engaged in a profound pursuit to understand the world around her.Show less
This Bachelor Thesis investigates if the claim made by Simone Kleingeld in her influential 2007 'Kant's Second Thoughts on Race' that Kant turned from a racist (inconsistent universalist) to not...Show moreThis Bachelor Thesis investigates if the claim made by Simone Kleingeld in her influential 2007 'Kant's Second Thoughts on Race' that Kant turned from a racist (inconsistent universalist) to not being a racist (consistent universalist) during the 1790s but before the writing of Perpetual Peace is correct by investigating if there is racism apparent in Perpetual Peace. It has found that although Kant makes an attempt in Perpetual Peace to become a consistent universalist, and thus not a racist, this attempt is not completely successful as there are still hints of his old racist remarks that shine through in the text of Perpetual Peace. Therefore, this thesis refutes the claim made by Kleingeld (2007) that Kant turned from being a racist to a consistent universalist.Show less
