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Epistemology and Advertising

Essay Instructions:
What do you believe is the relationship between reason and the passions (desires) in an understanding of practical reasoning? Discuss with reference to David Hume and/or Aristotle. Discuss whether one (or both) of these authors have any useful application to an understanding of practical reason (e.g. about policy development, about negotiation, about persuasion, about methods of introducing change and/or development etc.) within your primary field of study *** My primary field of study is Advertising ***
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Running Head: Epistemology
Epistemology and Advertising
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Epistemology and Advertising
Table of contents
Epistemology and Advertising -----------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Introduction ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Hume`s Epistemology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Aristotle`s Epistemology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Discussion -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6
Conclusion -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
References ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11
Epistemology and Advertising
Introduction
Epistemology is a branch of science that deals in the study of knowledge. It aims at establishing limitations and nature of knowledge. In addition, it addresses
* What knowledge is?
* How one can acquire knowledge?
* Why people know what they know?
Epistemology deals primarily with the character of knowledge. This is then used to show the connection between knowledge and some other aspects of life such as belief, truth, and justification. Several authors have written the on the field as they try to establish how people believe in things that they do believe in. it is of paramount importance to note that the field has been used by different authors in different subjects. It is applied in physics as a way of understanding quantum physics while in philosophy it studies knowledge. Moreover, the subject is applied in ethics as a tool of understanding and prescribing conduct. In politics, epistemology shows people how to deal with one another. Answers to queries concerning taste and beauty are covered in aesthetics through epistemology.
Hume`s Epistemology
David Hume in his book, A Treatise of Human Nature divides epistemology into four theses as he shows how people acquire knowledge. These theses are
* Passions are the main things that control the reasoning of a person. He once said, "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions" (Hume, 1978, 415). One does not use reason alone to have the will of something but to a certain extent passion controls what most people tend to do. This means that a person`s desire to do something is controlled by something from within but not what that person is going to achieve after doing that thing.
* The second thesis is that distinctions of morals do not come from reason. People do a certain thing because they believe that is the right thing to do that but they do not base their acts on reason.
* Approval feelings, which can be derived from praise and esteem, have a big impact on moral distinctions. In addition, disapproval feelings that result from blame from people around a person control what that person does. This means that people base their acts on moral sentiments and thus sometimes they do things because they want to please the others and themselves too.
* Some vices and virtues that are held by people are acquired naturally. People do not have choices because the societies that they live in expect them to do certain things in order to be acceptable in their societies. However, other vices and virtues, which include justice, are man made. Laws are different for different societies meaning that a society has the right to design its own laws and regulations. In addition, the people but not the nature designs the laws (Blackburn, 1998).
Moreover, the book is divided into two sections, which are "comparisons of ideas, and inferences concerning matters of fact" (Scott, 2004). In some instances, people are forced to compare what they do with the others. This leads to situations whereby a person, in order to feel that s/he belongs in a certain society may do the things that the other people are doing. This does not mean that such a person believes in those things. However, some deeds are dictated by facts and people have to do them.
However, according to Hume, "every idea of which the mind is capable must originally be derived from a sensory impression"; then there is no "idea of a necessary connection between a cause and an effect unless there is a corresponding impression from which this idea may be derived" (Hume, 1978, p. 324). This implies that all the connection between cause and effect is obtained from impressions from within and they cannot be influenced by what is happening around us. This is the reason why the ideas that are in our minds play a critical role it the choices that we make (Scott, 2004).
Aristotle`s Epistemology
On the other hand, Aristotle believes that a person mind is very powerful when it comes to making decisions. Several things influence the decisions one takes. Aristotle believed that "Understanding is to be thought of after an analogy with sensation. Intellection is like sensation" (Mundi, 2004). After an external act is perceived by a sense organ such as the eye, it sends signals to the brain and interpretation begins. Since he believed that each person has an unaided intellect, it means that different people will derive different conclusions from the same perception. Mundi (2004) notes "The object acts on the organ, which is part of the body, and as a result leaves an impression on the sense faculty, which is part of the soul." This means that the impression that is left on the soul of that person will have an effect on future choices on that person.
Hillerbrand (1988) notes, Aristotle`s epistemology can be applied in today`s world. This can be used for economic purposes. This is because information about products ought to be passed form the manufacturers to the consumers. This can only be achieved if the manufacturer is able to take advantage of the existence of a personal intellect. Personal intellect gives the manufacturer a chance of promoting the goods or services he offers. People use the ideas that they have for masking choices. This implies that it is up to the marketers to impart ideas in the minds of the consumers. This can only be done through advertising what one has to offer.
Discussion
The impression that is left on a person...
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