Niccolò Machiavelli (1469—1527) Machiavelli was a 16th century Florentine philosopher known primarily for his political ideas. His two most famous philosophical books, The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, were published after his death. His philosophical legacy remains enigmatic, but that result should not be surprising for a thinker who understood the necessity to work sometimes from the shadows. There is still no settled scholarly

Bernard Lonergan (1904—1984) When we try to reconcile opposing moral opinions we usually appeal to shared ethical principles. Yet often enough the principles themselves are opposed. We may then try to reconcile opposing principles by clarifying how we arrived at them. But since most of our principles are cultural inheritances, discussions halt at a tolerant mutual respect, even when we remain convinced that the other

Bodily Awareness Most of us agree that we are conscious, and we can be consciously aware of public things such as mountains, tables, foods, et ainsi de suite; we can also be consciously aware of our own psychological states and episodes such as emotions, pensées, perceptions, et ainsi de suite. Each of us can be aware of our body via vision, son, odeur, et ainsi de suite. Nous

Philosophie aztèque Les Aztèques de l'époque de la conquête concevaient la philosophie en termes essentiellement pragmatiques. La raison d’être de la recherche philosophique était de fournir aux humains des réponses pratiques à ce que les Aztèques identifiaient comme la question déterminante de l’existence humaine.: Comment pouvons-nous maintenir notre équilibre en marchant sur une terre glissante? Les philosophes aztèques ont abordé cette question contre une métaphysique supposée selon laquelle le cosmos et ses habitants humains sont

Ethics and Self-Deception Self-deception has captured the interest of philosophers, psychologists, and other students of human nature. Philosophers of mind and action have worked towards developing an account of self-deception and, in so doing, an explanation of its possibility. They have asked questions concerning the origin and structure of self-deception: How is self-deception possible? Do self-deceivers hold contradictory beliefs? And do they intentionally bring about