Philosophers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophers - Term Paper Example The concept of the cave therefore means that people who believe in empirical knowledge are confined in a cave of ignorance. In Plato’s opinion, the shadows embody people’s perception that empirical evidence is the main source of knowledge. This is to mean, what we see does not represent the truth- it is only a shadow of it. The game of predicting objects showcases how people believe that those who posses empirical knowledge are smart or masters. In reality, these masters do not know any truth. The escaped prisoner stands for philosophers who breakaway from the shackles of ignorance and seek more insight about life. When the enlightened prisoner comes back to share the knowledge he has acquired, the other prisoners threaten to kill him if he tries to free them from their shackles. This theory summarizes what philosophy is all about and is a fact that should be embodied by all philosophers. Most people fear knowing the truth and most would reserve knowledge to their basic senses. However, deep and critical thinking is the only way of gaining the truth. It is worth noting that we cannot rely on what we hear and see as the main source of knowledge or truth. This is because how we see and view things differ from one person to another. For example, some view a glass to be half full while others claim that the glass is half empty. For us to properly gain knowledge, we must therefore come out of the confinement of our senses and apply thorough or philosophical thinking into issues. Socrates was an avid inquirer who questioned everything and it is due to this fact that he was sentenced to death. One of his inquisitive sessions occurred when he questioned Euthyphro about holiness. Euthyphro wants to prosecute his father for the murder of his servant. He believes that, unlike other men he is holy and should prosecute his father as he believes it is the right thing to do in the eyes of the gods and he is unperturbed by the backlash he would receive from his

EXAMINING THE U.K EXPERIENCE OF NATIONALIZATION BETWEEN 1946 AND 1986 Essay

EXAMINING THE U.K EXPERIENCE OF NATIONALIZATION BETWEEN 1946 AND 1986 AND INDICATING WHAT FACTORS IGHT BE CONSIDERED AS RELEVANT WHEN MAKING A DECISION TO NATIO - Essay Example (Cairncross, 1986) The fragmented coal industries were nationalised and so were the railway, steel and telecommunication industries. Utilities were also nationalised by the Labour government. (Tomlinson, 1982; Durbin, 1985) The ideological basis for nationalisation in 1946 U.K. could be summed up in Attlee’s words: â€Å"a mixed economy developing toward socialism.... The doctrines of abundance, of full employment, and of social security require the transfer to public ownership of certain major economic forces and the planned control in the public interest of many other economic activities.† (quoted by Yergin and Stanislaw, 1998 p.27) Tomlinson (n.d.) on the other hand views the ideological basis for nationalisation in the UK as reflective of two different epochs – the 1930s-1940s reflecting the socialist planned economy paradigm, and the 1950s-1970s reflecting a social democratic economic paradigm. Thus, Attlee’s vision of nationalisation in the UK could be categorised under Tomlinson’s 1930s-1940s socialist ideological era. It was held that the fragmented nature of privately owned industries (like the coal industry which then provided about 90 per cent of the UK’s energy needs) were inefficient, had experienced under-investment, and lacked scale. (Hannah, 2004) Nationalisation was thus seen as a medium for pulling together resources and implementation of new technologies on a national scale for the functioning of industries. This, it was envisaged, would result in efficient running of industries culminating in the â€Å"achievement of the national objectives of economic development and growth, full employment, and justice and equality†. (Yergin and Stanislaw, 1998 p. 25; Robson, 1962) Nationalisation was thus also a means for salvaging a non-performing and failing private sector so as to harness resources for economic development. It can be argued that nationalisation became a