Essence and existence part 2.

It has been a fundamental and traditional metaphysical view that essence precedes existence which means we have a higher order and predetermined purpose and we're here to fulfil that purpose. The concept of essence is also seen in Plato's work, in which he claims that truth is eternal, unchangeable and absolute and knowing that truth is the central goal of human philosophy. According to Plato we've an eternal existing nature and it's our duty to discover it through philosophical contemplation, and through reasoning. The human beings have a common eternal existing "essentialist" nature defined by reason.

Also Aristotle states that we humans are rational animals. The reason is the true self of every person and in the highest sense reason is a mans self. Aristotle has accounted in his (Metaphysic 1) "Essence corresponds to the ousia's definition; essence is a real and physical aspect of the ousia."
Most of the philosophers like Descartes, Leibniz, Kant and Hegel were of essential tradition.

After saying this consider an example of a seed - it has the whole tree existing in it, which means that it encloses the essence. The growth of the tree is already present and it's the essence only that's unfolding. That is the seed unfolds the essence and becomes existential. Hence it can be said that essence is the cause of existence. At the present age even scientific proof can be obtained by Kirlian photography which is developed in soviet Russia and photographs the aura and essence of the material object as shown in the image. Hence before the actual existence, the energy and essence can be confirmed to be present near the object.

In regard to Jean Paul Sarte claims, i believe that he has made statements on observation of a mature and adult human society, where he fails to account for innate conditions, infant tantrums, etc which claims for possessed special human nature. Also consider the example of a schizophrenic where the condition is in his/her nature and they can't help it. In regard to God his existence is not afflicted with laying norms of humans nature.
And in regard to existence of ashtray it took a conscious decision to make one on need. If the conscious decision came into being purely by coincidence why can't the whole existence turn up by coincidence? And if there is no conscious decision over our existence then we're not needed!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Essence and existence.

What is existence - Existence is a fact of being present - "that it is"
What is essence - Essence is the description of existence - "what it is."

There has been a perennial debate over centuries over mans existence and whether it comes with a predetermined essence or not. Inorder to present both the existential and metaphysical points I'll cover it in 2 parts. Part 1 covering the existential and the latter metaphysical.
Part 1
The basic proposition of existentialism "Existence precedes essence" over traditional philosophical and metaphysical view that essence is fundamental/immutable/eternal than it's existence. To existentialists, the human being— through his consciousness creates his own values and determines a meaning for his life because, in the beginning, the human being does not possess any inherent identity or value. By posing the acts that constitute him, he makes his existence more significant
It is well claimed by Jean Paul Sarte in "Existentialism is humanism" that existence precedes essence, which gets a support from his closest Simone de beauvoir who states that "one is not born women, but becomes one."

Sarte and many existentialist's rules out and disbeliefs that any cosmic order determines human nature. However the concept can be questioned over the example of any object let's take an ashtray. It was created to specify certain purpose and it has a predetermined nature and properties for which it was created. Which can be simply stated as it's essence precedes it's existence. But Sarte claimed for such purpose that it's concept applies to humanity but not universally. The same cannot be stated for human beings since to accept an essence is to confine ourselves over a common meaning and a purpose. Over essence we become a mere object who are only to fulfil a higher ordained purpose which isn't conveyed to us.

Despite of this some atheists assume that we're possessed by special human nature which fulfils our role among fellow humans. Against which Sarte argues that no human nature is common to everyone, we define our nature which abides and commensales with the society. However this radical freedom, should be accompanied by radical responsibility.

The precedence of existence, which devoid the essence for our creation put a question mark over the presence of God and it's essence of creation of humanity, which is discussed in the next part.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Philosophers on death.

Death has always been a mystery and an exciting topic for philosophers. Here are the excerpts of some of the philosophers and their take on death.

Plato
[Death], “Is this something that the separation of soul from the body? It died when the body is separate from the soul remains alone, apart, with himself, and when the soul, separated from the body, left alone, apart, with itself “…

Marcus Aurelius.
He who has seen present things has seen all, both everything which has taken place from all eternity and everything which will be for time without end; for all things are of one kin and of one form.

Socrates
Death may be the greatest of all
human blessings. To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise: for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them: but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know?

Hegel
“Death, if we want to name and this unreality, is the most dangerous thing. This is not the life that recoils in horror at the death and preserves pure destruction, but life is death, and remains even in death, which is the life of the mind. ”

Arthur Schopenhaur
“Death is the moment of liberation from a narrow and uniform individuality, which, far from the inner substance of our being, is rather as a kind of aberration. ”After your death you will be what you
were before your birth.

Heidegger
“This means that one end by the
death does not mean, for human
reality, being-in-my-purpose be-
finished, it means the end for a being who is the being that exists. Death is a way of being human reality that assumes, as it is: When a human comes to life, it is already old enough to die. ”

Sartre
The darkness of death is like the
evening twilight; it makes all objects appear more lovely to the dying. [Death] “Not only the project that destroyed all projects and that destroyed itself. It is the triumph of the perspective of others on the point of view I am myself. ”

To conclude, here we've presented random views on the next topic I'll like to merge and give an overview of overall makeup on the topic. And I'll also like to discuss some moot points on death and after death.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8