Example research essay topic: Perception Of Reality Piece Of Paper - 1,532 words

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Hegel Hegel's characteristics of reality have great impact upon the development of the philosophical thinking of an individual. He expressed his perception of reality in many of his outstanding philosophical tractate's. German Idealist Hegel was born in Stuttgart on August 27, 1770, which is now part of Germany. Hegel was the son of a revenue officer with the civil service. He studied the Greek and Roman classics while attending the Stuttgart preparatory school. His father wanted and encouraged him to join the clergy, however while attending a university seminar Hegel became friends with the poet Hilderlin and the philosopher Friedrich von Schelling.

After their influence and the completion of a philosophy and theology course Hegel decided not to enter the ministry. Hegel characterizes the reality as one of the main perceptions that human being has and this perception can be expressed by taking into consideration rational approach. He states that Real is rational, and rational is real meaning that reality can be perceived by attributing rational features to what we perceive. For example we may take a usual apple tree that grows in some garden. The tree can be perceived as real being because it has its rational justification. The justification of a tree is in its usefulness for people and for the overall natural balance.

Here I mean that if it is an apple tree it brings apples, besides that it generates oxygen through photosynthesis process, which is very necessary for natural balance. Any other tree is generating oxygen as well and thus it is rational and consequently real. Hegel was greatly influenced by many of great philosophers such as the Dutch philosopher Spinoza. Yet his greatest influence was Immanuel Kant. Hegel philosophy would mirror Kant's. But as with any student Hegel would later criticize Kant for his twelve categories of understanding.

Hegel's the Phenomenology of the spirit is an attempt to describe the development of the absolute subject, corresponding to the absolute ideal. The absolute being the spirit, subject being reality and the absolute ideal being the end point. Hegel felt that the tack of philosophy was to chart this absolute spirit. In order to do so it involved three steps. (1) To show the structure of the absolute. (2) To show how the absolute manifests itself in the nature and the human history. (3) To show the end or purpose of the absolute. Now the Science of Logic is the system of concept of reason, which together describe reality. Basically it describes the object for the viewpoint of the subject with out mentioning the subject.

Hegel's great contribution to philosophy was his attempt to develop a philosophical system that would capture the ideals of his predecessors to create a system in which the past and future could be understood. Existentialism is a particular branch of philosophical thought that stemmed from a reaction against the works of George Friedrich Hegel. Hegel thought that he had worked out a complete philosophical system by which all thought worked, including the exact inner workings of the metaphysical man. While most existentialists found Hegel's attempts at a unified philosophical worldview unpalatable, they did agree with his concept of the dual components of mankind. According to Hegel, the human being has two facets, the physical animal and the self-aware consciousness. From the very beginning the similarities between transcendentalism and existentialism become apparent: the transcendentalists divide world into the ethereal spirit and the concrete earth.

This simply mirrors Hegel's duality. It is the consciousness that sets man apart from beast, and Hegel defined consciousness in terms of itself, feeling that consciousness transcended its own self. Existentialist thought dictates that these forces will forever be in conflict, and that one can find success by living them with maximum lucky and intensity (Lavine). On the other hand Plato had his own perception of reality and it had contradictions to what Hegel had to say about it. When we speak of Plato's forms of metaphysics, we are speaking of his ideas of physical and nonphysical realities.

The ideas that things are not always what we perceive them to be. For example, we may look at a drawing of a circle on a piece of paper and say it is a circle. But is it really a circle? Plato believes that what we are looking at is a representation of what a circle is supposed to look like.

The circle on the piece of paper has imperfections and blotches of ink that make it a non-perfect circle. Plato feels that certain things can only be true in out mind. This is the idea of a nonphysical reality. The idea that we think certain things are real but literally they are not. They are just representations of things that can only really exist in our minds. Mathematical proofs are another example that Plato uses.

We no that certain mathematical concepts are true in our mind but on paper they could never literally be true. A drawing that represents a shape is not really that shape. It is a image drawn on paper with ink that is imperfect. It is because of this that Plato believes that there are degrees of reality. These degrees are based on human perception. Our senses are what show us reality.

These non-literal ideas have to do with our senses. Our perception of things as they are presented to us. The fact that we look at a picture in a book and know that it is not an actual thing but a mere representation of what we are supposed to see. Thus we see that Plato and Hegel gave somewhat different characteristics to the notion of reality. Hegel used rational approach to understanding reality whereas Plato used more physical approach to it. To Plato knowledge was being aware of ideas and not to only believe what was forced upon you but to ask your own questions and develop your own answers.

Plato says that everything in the physical world is an imperfect representation of a higher reality. Lets say that for example we speak of a police officer. A police officer in reality is supposed to be someone who protects and serves the people. A person who follows the laws and helps protect the way of living that we have today.

By matter of opinion you could say that the police officers that beat Rodney King in Los Angeles are not real police officers. By definition they are but by their physical actions they are not. They are cops on paper but they do nothing that they vow to stand for. These are moral issues. I dont think those censored are real cops. They are scumbags who went through police school and got a badge.

Anybody could do that. To abide by the laws and respect them is something that a person with honor would do. Not some racist retard. You see how this example could shed some light on what Plato is trying to say. Just because a person is defined to be a police officer doesnt mean they really are. Plato tried to keep his legacy alive with his teachings of truth and reality.

Plato feels that the reality that people have is whats given to them. Whatever you are taught to believe is true, you will believe is true. I agree with the majority of the things that Plato said. About how our senses perceive reality and about how the literal world perceives it.

These forms of personal enlightenment are some of the foundations for the thinking that we have today. These things taught us to question what we are taught to be true. Question things until you absolutely know that what you believe is true. If you are not sure then you should try to prove it yourself. It is because of thinkers like him that we live in the democracy now. Though it took many years for some of these teachings to be used and appreciated, better late then never.

You could learn a lot about the world just from the teachings of one man. Imagine what you could learn if you take a little bit of what every philosopher has said and put it to some use. These theories are very plausible. In conclusion, Hegel's and Plato's views of reality were there to help people really observe things. To try to teach people to think on their own.

Im glad somebody in history started to open some eyes. If only more people could be taught the things that we are being taught in this class. In the communist Cuba they tell you what to think. All that so you dont see them puling the wool over your eyes. So they can rob you blind of your God given right to think for yourself which is all that Plato wanted to give the people of Athens back then. It is history repeating itself.

We need to learn from out mistakes in order to have a better future for us and for our families. If we read we can all open our eyes to a better tomorrow. Bibliography: T. Z. Lavine, From Socrates To Sartre, New York: Viking Press 2 nd Edition, 1998

Research essay sample on Perception Of Reality Piece Of Paper