What is Philosophy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is Philosophy - Term Paper Example This essay demonstrates that ontology argues with no apology for allowance of an overarching idea, a whole nature of things, which exist as independent of the mind. It answers its basic question of ‘what’ with a basic explanation of ‘what is’. Although the word ontology is a term used more fluently from the 17th-century tradition of thought, it can be traced back to Aristotle where he identifies that there is an ‘episteme’ that need only investigate being as being and nothing more. With the tractional loss caused by epistemological thought, ontology lends to metaphysics what it had lost; the objective science of being as such, as identified by Peter van Inwagen (Inwagen). Nonetheless, the grounds for epistemology are not dismissible. The arguments against structural universals and the dire need to accommodate empirical interference have come to have an overbearing reach into the crux of shaping existential truths. The fact of ‘relational’ truths, as David Lewis calls them, places a larger burden on the validity of truth as a philosopher might know it, an endeavor to achieve ‘improved’ truths. In a traditional sense, it is easy to relegate it to its tight premise whereby ‘justified true belief’ is the essence of knowledge of existence; it would not be quite fair to let it remain thus encapsulated. The emphasis places on experience and/or reason is not by any means a phenomenon to ignore. It is also necessary to see here, that experience and reason may well be being termed as objective truths by epistemologists, a fallacy in its own theorem. It is easily imaginable that while one must work with major presupposition in only in ontological realms whereas it is only natural that those who work on epistemological lines inculcate just as many basic assertions in their arguments on validation of it.

Cultural Norm Assignment cultural anthropology using book by carol r Essay

Cultural Norm Assignment cultural anthropology using book by carol r. ember Melvin Ember - Essay Example The definition of culture that relies on social groups means that it is a relative concept that varies from one cultural group to another (28). One of the major characteristics of culture is its dynamism that can be considered from two perspectives, cross sectional dynamism and dynamism. Cultural dynamism refers to transition in cultural constructs within a cultural group over a period, or across cultural groups. Dynamism within a group may for example be realized across generations while dynamism across groups identifies fundamental differences in values and practices among cultures. The dynamic feature of culture is important to anthropologists’ interest of understanding and explaining how the changes occur and driving factors behind the changes (Ember and Ember, 6). Other important characteristics of culture include mode of learning that is social, the fact that it is shared among members of a community and its associated symbols. Anthropologists therefore need to understand what culture is and how it works so that they can identify and develop meanings from the different characteristics of culture. This is particularly important with indigenous cultures whose fundamentals can be traced over time, and compared with other cultures (Anthro 1). The observed cultural norms in a nursing set up were scientific belief on causes of illness and honest expressions in communications. These two are considered norms because they are common practices that have been historically observed and considered cultural. They facilitate service delivery in the health care set up that requires cooperation between care personnel and patients. Cultural belief on causes of diseases is for example instrumental on a patient’s willingness to seek treatment and the scientific norm of causes of diseases facilitates scientific approaches towards provision of health