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John Locke on Social and Political Government. Addressing the question of which is best. [Class Notes for Philosophy 1 Students; Exam III] A Glimpse of Locke and his Influence: No other individual influenced the author of the Declaration of Independence more than Unitarian John Locke (1632-1704). He was a British philosopher who rejected the idea that Kings had a divine right to rule. Instead, Locke argued that people are the source of power, not kings.  Locke argued that people are born with certain "natural" or "inalienable" rights. These include the right to "life, liberty and property." Government did not give people these rights; rather they are born with them and as such, no government can take them away.  According to Locke, people formed governments to protect their rights, which he called a "social contract." People agreed to obey the government and in return, government had the responsibility to protect peoples'...

Now we are not merely to stick knowledge on to the soul: we must incorporate it into her; the soul should not be sprinkled with knowledge but steeped in it.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 1 BC – 65 AD)

The innovative and progressive thinkers of today are now tackling the homeless issue facing Los Angeles. In an ideal situation homeless individuals would be placed almost immediately into permanent housing, however, this is an impractical ideal. Nonetheless a more fitting concept would be that of a transitional shelter-yet more specifically- a portable transitional shelter .  Tina Hovsepian, inventor of Cardborigami ( www.Cardborigami.org ), is in the development of an outreach center where the homeless can  assemble their own temporary shelters.  The aim is to provide an immediate transitional shelter to aid homeless individuals, and natural disasters' victims, who are in desperate need of an immediate, reliable, and portable shelter. Through this outreach program these individuals will have the opportunity to move into permanent housing. Created in 2007, the Cardborigami is a portable shelter made of treated cardboard that is folded into an origami structure (for more...

Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become:  educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. I Am Involved... Are You? The United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, more girls will become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Go to: http://www.girlup.org/

Diana, Princess of Wales, (July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997) Diana supported numerous charities and organizations, including those who working with the homeless, youth, drug addicts and the elderly as well as those suffering from AIDS and leprosy. During her final year, Diana lent highly visible support to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a campaign that went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 after her death. On 31 August 1997, Diana died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. An estimated 2.5 billion people watched the princess' funeral. Anywhere I see suffering, that is where I want to be, doing what I can. -Princess Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales  

Social and Political Philosophy: What is Liberty?  Philosophical Category: Fyodor Dostoevsky (1822-1881) This a chapter in Dostoevsky's book titled The Brothers Karamazov. The brothers one named Ivan(an intellectual who has grown skeptical of traditional beliefs) and the other Alyosha (a man of faith, training to become a future Christian priest). Ivan is telling Alyosha about a story he has written about a Spanish Cardinal called The Grand Inquisitor. Ivan imagines Christ returning to earth and meeting this Cardinal who has been responsible for burning a hundred heretics (def: heretics are people who hold unorthodox religious beliefs) the day before. The Grand Inquisitor recognizes Christ and imprisons him. Then, Ivan explains why Christ must also be sentenced to death by fire. In the eyes of this Grand Inquisitor, Christ's heresy consists of the value he placed on one's freedom of choice and conscience. The...

Philosophy of Religion: Does The Idea of A Good God Exclude Evil? Philosophical Category: Leibniz is a creative eclecticism, a synthesis of ancient and modern thought without parallel in philosophical history . Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) Leibniz considers the second major question that philosophy of religion faces. The first question being God's existence and the second question centering on the nature of God. He insists that the definition of God as a perfect being is not only fully intelligible but, in a manner similar to St. Anselm's, demonstrates by itself God's existence. Evil then must be understood as fully compatible with both God's existence and the freedom of human beings.  God Can Allow Some Evil The best plan is not always that which seeks to avoid evil, since it may happen that he evil is accompanied by a greater good. It is not at all to be admitted that there is more evil than good in the ...