Essays and Research Papers on Philosophy Of Religion

A 9 page paper which presents Rene Descartes’ proof of God’s existence, as considered in his 'Discourse on Method' and 'Meditations on First Philosophy,' then analyzes how British philosopher David Hume would critique Descartes’ deductive conclusions, based on his 'An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.' Bibliography lists 4 sources.

In 5 pages, the author presents Descartes' skeptical challenge in the form of an argument using 'Descartes Meditation.' Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page report discusses two of the works of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber (1878-1965). His writings all have something to do with what relationship the life of an individual, Jewish or not, has with God. Buber was convinced that people have the ability to approach one another with a spiritual connectedness that he referred to ...

This 5 page paper considers the metaphysics of Descartes outlined in his Meditations and the arguments of David Armstrong, which voice opposition to the views of Descartes. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper that presents a hypothetical scenario in which the philosophers David Hume and Rene Descartes meet and debate their very differing philosophical views. This hypothetical conversation and debate is focused on the beliefs Descartes presents in his first three Meditations and the views expressed in Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. ...

A 5 page paper which presents the arguments, and then discusses the arguments, in Descartes' Meditation 3. No additional sources cited.

This 7 page paper presents the positions of Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther on the subject of free will. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page paper explores the basic ideas in Hume's "Miracles" essay and theoretically addresses how Hume might respond to psychic John Edwards. This paper presents the reasons why Hume would not support the work of Edwards based upon his philosophical ideology. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper examines Nietzsche's ideas about God, and the good-bad paradigm versus the good- evil debate, in two separate essays. Kant's ideas on God are discussed as well. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the John Locke's views on substance and essence related in his An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. This paper outlines the views of Locke relating to the primary text. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page research paper that consists of two 2-page essays. The first essay concerns the cosmological and ontological arguments for the existence of God. These terms are defined and described and then criticisms for each are discussed. The second essay concerns Kant's response to the skepticism of David Hume and whether or not Kant ...

A 3 page essay evaluating St. Aquinas' argument for the existence of God. No bibliography.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the work of a number of philosophers, with views of existentialism, postmodernism and ideological perspectives. Friedrich Nietzche, Jean-Paul Sartre and Vladimir Dostoevsky all related elements of the existentialism in their writings, while Michel Foucault provided an interesting postmodernist perspective. In fact, it has readily been ...

This 5 page report discusses the essay written by the scientist A. Cressy Morrison. His essay was written, published, and widely discussed throughout the 1940s and ‘50s. Morrison does not present ideas based only on religious belief but on specific and indisputable facts. No secondary sources listed in bibliography .

Walter Benjamin, writing on Kafka and the concept of redemption in modernity, relates how redemption is premised on the past. Freud turns our attention to science as the only provable, explanatory form of redemption available, and that redemption resides in the psyche of the individual. He scoffs at the concept of a religious form of ...

This 8 page paper provides an overview of the concept of marriage and the role of women through assessments of the views of St. Augustine, St. Jerome and a number of other writings. This paper assesses the substantial directives for marriage outlined in the writings of religious philosophers and the way in which these ...

This 5 page paper looks at the problem of morality. Some history regarding the debate is provided. The paper concludes that morality is difficult to define, but it is possible to provide a semblance of what a moral human being is. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page discussion of David Hume's argument concerning the validity of miracles. Details his argument against inductive reasoning and his contentions that absolute skepticism is correct, that science had no authority, and that miracles are a violation of the laws of nature. Emphasizes that while Hume's critique of miraculous claims comprises a ...

This is a 4 page paper discussing the interpretations of Descartes’ cogito argument. Philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650) wrote his Mediations de prima philosophia in 1641 in an attempt to find the basic absolute truths in our beliefs, more specifically into a “belief he can be certain is true, even if he is believing, or God ...

A 3 page overview of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, which offer philosophical proof for Thomas’ arguments. The great benefit of Thomas’ writings and particularly the Summa is that they do not require initial agreement with Thomas’ position on any subject. Thomas assumed that individuals would question those values and beliefs that ...

This 5 page paper considers the views of both Immanuel Kant and the Utilitarian perspective of John Stuart Mill, as they apply to the concept of moral duty and moral worth and the appproaches to determining ethical approaches. This paper utilizes the text of Kant’s Political Writings and arguments from Mill’s Utilitarianism. No ...

A 3 page discussion of Emerson's philosophies and accomplishments. The author of this paper emphasizes that while Emerson is perhaps remembered most for his nature writings and back-to-the land philosophy, he should equally be remembered for his spirituality. Bibliography lists 1 source.

10 pages in length. The relevancy of Jacques Maritain's ideas in the context of contemporary religious teachings speaks to the fundamental nature of Thomism, inasmuch as Maritain was firmly rooted in St. Thomas and the works of his major commentators. Working a significant amount from the philosophies of Aquinas, Maritain's ideas would incorporate ...

This 4 page paper examines the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and John Stuart Mill. Ideas focusing on freedom and government are discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page discussion of the distinctive approaches taken by Plato and Thucydides in defining the good life. The author contends that Thucydides approached such definitions from the empirics of history while Plato approached them from a more normative, esoteric angle. Bibliography lists 1 source.