Brian Bell
English 111-03H
Nov. 4th, 2015
Critical Thinking #4
Richard Taylor
Taylor was an American Philosopher who wrote many essays on
“Virtue Ethics” and authored the book Metaphysics, which is the study of
being and the surrounding world. What he meant by, “All men are fatalists as
they look back on things." Is that men looking back on certain events
see them in the same way that fatalists do. That all of the things in their life
happaned for a destined reason or cause. Taylor does not believe in
fatalism, so in a way he is poking fun at fatalism and what it's absurdity. The
idea of fatalism is defined as seeing all events as predetermined. In his book
Metaphysics, Richard Taylor wrote many aurguments "proving" things he
himself did not believe. This was his approach to Analytic Philosophy. The
idea that philosophy need to keep up with science and use logic to
determine ideas.
In my life, I have seen many people who think this way and
have the same style of reason; however, it is not only religious people who
believe fatalism. My father and mother believe this to a certain extent. They
always say, "Things happen for a reason." I personally never really
understood this saying, events happen because you work toward them and
achieve them. The entire concept of fatalism is rather ridiculous If you think
about it. I believe that Richard Taylor beleived the same thing, he just went
about the arguement and idea in his own way.
Works Cited:
Gan, Barry, and Robert L. Holmes. "Richard Taylor
Remembered." Richard Taylor Remembered. Ed. Timothy J.
Madigan. Philosophy Now, 2004. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
<https://philosophynow.org/issues/44/Richard_Taylor_Remembered>.