Thomas d'Aquin: Moral Philosophy The moral philosophy of St. Thomas d'Aquin (1225-1274) involves a merger of at least two apparently disparate traditions: Aristotelian eudaimonism and Christian theology. D'un côté, Aquinas follows Aristotle in thinking that an act is good or bad depending on whether it contributes to or deters us from our proper human end—the telos or final goal at which all human actions aim.

The Third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671—1713) Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) was an English philosopher who profoundly influenced 18th century thought in Britain, France, and Germany. As a part of an important social circle of English Freethinkers along with early deists such as John Toland, Matthew Tindal, and Anthony Collins, Shaftesbury’s work had a significant influence on French deists such as

Agnès Arnauld (1593—1671) An abbess of the Jansenist convent of Port-Royal, Mère Agnès Arnauld developed an Augustinian philosophy shaped by the mystical currents of the French Counter-Reformation. Her philosophy of God depicts a deity who is radically other than his creatures. Only a negative theology, a theology of what God is not, can explore the divine attributes. In her ethical theory, Mère Agnès contextualizes moral

Cognitive Relativism Cognitive relativism asserts the relativity of truth. Because of the close connections between the concept of truth and concepts such as knowledge, rationalité, et justification, cognitive relativism is often taken to encompass, or imply, the relativity of these other notions also. Ainsi, epistemological relativism, which asserts the relativity of knowledge, may be understood as a version of cognitive relativism, or at least as

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

Métaphilosophie Qu'est-ce que la philosophie? A quoi sert la philosophie? Comment faire de la philosophie? Ce sont des questions métaphilosophiques, la métaphilosophie étant l'étude de la nature de la philosophie. Les métaphilosophies contemporaines au sein de la tradition philosophique occidentale peuvent être divisées, plutôt grossièrement, selon qu'ils sont associés à (1) Philosophie analytique, (2) Philosophie pragmatiste, ou (3) Philosophie continentale. Les pionniers du mouvement analytique estimaient que la philosophie devait commencer par