Aristotle: Politics Summary
Aristotle: Politics from the ideal to the real world Unlike most philosophers, Aristotle’s political experience is undeniable as he was tutor of Alexander the…
Levinas: Totality and Infinity Summary
Ethics as first philosophy Emmanuel Levinas is one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth, but the complexity of his thought, as well as…
Rousseau: Social Contract Summary
Analysis of the Social Contract by Rousseau The Social Contract by Rousseau, whose full title is The Social Contract or Principles of Political Right…
Kant and Right to Lie
Lying and philosophy: three approaches Immanuel Kant treats lies in his short essay entitled On a supposed right to lie from Benevolent Motives, as…
Habermas and Communication Theory
Communication is a central concept in the philosophy of the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas. This term is also about misunderstandings because it is often…
Pascal’s Wager on God: Summary of the Argument
The Wager at the heart of the philosophy of Pascal Goldmann, the famous exegesis of the thought of Blaise Pascal‘s wager said it is…
Nietzsche: Memory and Forgetting
Against the classical philosophical tradition, which can be described as hypermnesic, Nietzsche poses against Plato’s theory of reminiscence, forgetting that a positive, it is…
Kant and Freedom Definition
In Kant philosophy, Freedom is defined as a concept which is involved in the moral domain, at the question: what should I do? In…
Man is a useless passion (Sartre)
Explanation of this quote This is the conclusion of Sartre in Being and Nothingness: man, as a for-itself which always escapes to him, wants…
Emotion: Philosophical Definitions
What is an emotion? Basically, Emotion can be defined as a manifestation of the emotional life, usually accompanied by a pleasurable or painful state of consciousness….
Bergson Philosophy Summary
Henri Bergson: a rationalist and Cartesian philosopher Hostile to the materialistic positivism, Henri Bergson, a French vitalist philosopher, has opertated a return to the immediate…
Philosophy: Free Courses
Online, free and comprehensive philosophy courses The-Philosophy.com provides free resources and philosophy courses for students, as well as tests for philosophy exams. Written by…
Contemporary Philosophers
From Classical to contemporary philosophy Students often think that philosophy ends to Descartes. Some teachers and faculty launched the following joke: “A good philosopher is…
Nietzsche Philosophy
Life and Works Friedrich Nietzsche is a german writer and philosopher (1844-1900) born at Rochen, the son of a lutheran pastor. Educated at the…
Myth of Er (Plato, Republic)
The Myth of Er is the concluding parable in Plato’s Republic (book X), concerning the fate of souls after death and the choices available…
Montaigne Philosophy Summary
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 – 1592) is a french humanist, philosopher and essayist, influential in reviving and popularizing greek sceptical theories during the…
Adam Smith As a moral philosopher
“Vice is always capricious, virtue only is regular and orderly” Adam Smith, well-known as a scottish economist, is also a philosopher through his essay…
Blaise Pascal Philosophy Summary
Blaise Pascal: a thought on God, death and passion Blaise Pascal is both a philosopher, a religious thinker and a mathematician. Pascal is considered…
Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel (Summary)
The Phenomenology of Spirit, or the adventure of consciousness The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel, published in 1807, is based on a precious philosophical intuition:…
Nicolas Malebranche Philosophy
Nicolas Malebranche (1638-1715) is a french philosopher and theologian. He is the principal developer of Cartesianism, i.e. the philosophy of Descartes.