Same Sex Marriage
...in the dispute about same-sex marriage: why would anybody want to be included in the practice of marriage that seems to mean less than it ever has? However, there are many arguments both for and against the legalization and/or acknowledgement of same-sex marriage. On the one hand, should anybody oppose this inclusion on the grounds that the current heterosexual conception of marriage is crucial for the well being of society, especially considering the state of society as it is today. More than half of all marriages end in divorce. On the other hand, even a casual observation of nature, not just of humans, reveals the vital distinctions between male and female and the need that each has for the other.
WHAT CAN I KNOW?
Is reason, unaided by observation, a source of knowledge? Without the benefit of history and/or observation, can same-sex marriages reasonably and logically be validated? Philosophy has always been fundamentally concerned with the nature of truth and one's knowledge of reality. Its central demand is the independence of the individual person, thinking for oneself about life, knowledge, religion, truth and reality. However, throughout the centuries of human existence, different philosophers have formulated distinct approaches and theories with regard to these extensive ideas. One philosophical principle that has been fervently debated by great minds through the years is the notion of "a priori" knowledge, or knowledge "based on reason and logic independent of sense experience".
It is generally accepted that there is a posteriori or empirical knowledge knowledge based on sense perception. The sentiment and commitment of a homosexual couple is the same as in a heterosexual couple, and therefore the homosexual couple feels there should be no distinction made between the two. The remaining question is whether all knowledge is empirical. Can an...
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