Paper Topic:

Philosophy

Darwinism /Plato /Philosophy Darwinism , Plato and Philosophy Charles Darwin , the British naturalist , lived from 1809 until 1882 As a keen observer

of the natural world , his studies , particularly after a five year voyage on the H .M .S Beagle , caused him to become skeptical of the then predominant belief in the Divine creation of each species

Contrary to popular thought , Darwin did not create the theory of evolution . Some variation of evolutionary thought has been around for centuries . What Darwin did popularize , however , was the theory of natural selection , the

belief that was later called survival of the fittest . Because populations stay at more or less at the same level Darwin posited that there is an ongoing struggle for survival , and that only those species who had adapted the best characteristics would continue . Although Darwin thought there was harmony in nature , after his voyage he no longer thought that perfect adaptation existed Transmutation of the species ( the belief that each species is descended from previous , earlier species and that characteristics are inherited ,replaced his belief in perfect adaptation (Norton ,1995

Thus Darwin chose chaos and chance to undergird his belief in organisms . He speculated that life originally began from a little pond where sunlight was acting on organic salts ( Philosophical Worldviews ,2002 ) In this pre-biotic soup view which Darwin discusses in the Origins of Species , life can come from non life . An original simple celled organism could have conceivably evolved into a complex species over time

Although having a common ancestor , species that undergo mutations produce new organisms . Individual differences are very important in this theory of natural selection

In contrast to Darwin , Plato was a Greek philosopher , a student of Socrates . He lived from 428 /427-348 /347 B .C and was famous for his written dialogues in which several people debate philosophy

The basis of Plato 's philosophy was his belief that a body and a soul are separate . He thought that a soul was divided into three sections---reason , will , and appetite . He argued that the parts of a soul can be recognized because they often clash with one another

In his Republic Plato wrote the Allegory of the Cave . This parable is an effort to understand the Good ' He believed that if people would release popular explanations and grab on to the absolute good for themselves , they would be better served in guiding their own lives ( Intro to Plato ,2003

Goodness has to be the same as the Form of the Good the absolute or essential characteristic of the many forms that share it . It is the standard to for classifying the multitude of objects that our senses perceive . Our mind , not eyes perceives goodness . It is not even possible to see it . Thus things are divided dually into a higher world ---things we know only with our mind--- and lower world--- things we see . Real objects are imperfect , just copies of the Forms . Forms exist , but they can not be grasped by sight because they are perfect...

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