Philosophers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophers - Essay Example His life is so blended with myths that today nobody can actually say what is true and what is legend about him (according to some legends, he was born at 62, after growing in his mother womb until that age). Some place his existence during the same period with that of Confucius', others centuries later, while others just argue the fact that he ever existed. Due to the major impact on people's life, Lao-Tzu is sometimes considered a divinity, or, at least a messenger of a Divine force. His constant efforts to teach the others how to respect order and harmony at all levels have materialized into the work that is presently known as Laozi. These writings have numerous interpretations, from various points of view, and are still arising philosophical debates. The Daoistic influences on Chinese culture, literature, philosophy and religion are incontestable. This ancient humanistic move hasn't only influenced the Chinese; Daoism is practically the support of many religions and cultures throughout Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia), an undeniable fact that clearly makes its founders remarkable people. With Bertrand Russell, mathematical logic and analytic philosophy meet, blend and create one revolutionist perception over words, language and implication. Our verbal mechanisms are studied and explained in a work that will become the foundation of the analytic philosophy of our times. ... His early studies in the field of mathematics had a surprisingly prolific result in the field of philosophy; he explored the uncertain, but fascinating fields of logical and philosophical mixture, aiming to answer that one, impossible and tormenting question about knowledge: is it really possible for humans to really know anything Maybe the motto of his quest should be precisely his question: "there is one great question [...] Can human beings know anything, and if so, what and how This question is really the most essentially philosophical of all questions." Russell's social and political philosophy has also had a great impact on the society of his times: he was a fierce opponent of nuclear weapons, and, generally, of any kind of forced attempt to disturb the natural social and cultural balance. Although his activism has brought him a great deal of trouble (beginning with his anti-war protests during the First World War and continuing through all his life), he never ceased to influence, educate and inform generations of readers through his inspiring writings on the social and political and philosophical issues of his day. Maybe no other quote could speak more about Andy Clark's work: "As our worlds become smarter, and get to know us better and better it becomes harder and harder to say where the world stops and the person begins. The Professor of Philosophy and at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, thus expresses one of our days most pregnant anxieties: are we becoming the robots that we have dreamed to build Are we so influenced by the reality of the virtual world that we ourselves are becoming more machine-like than human-like creatures The contemporary cognitive scientist explores the