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philosophy of religion > ancient philosophy > Flashcards

ancient philosophy Flashcards

1
Q

rationalism

A

human reason source of all knowledge and truth

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2
Q

cave analogy summarised

A

-prisoners in cave chained, fire illuminates shadows and think they are real
-one prisoner released through hard journey out of cave and sees light, truth out of cave
-prisoner sees how much better this world is
-if prisoner returns to cave he wont be able to see well in semi darkness and people will mock him

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3
Q

what does cave represent in analogy

A

-out material world
-prisoner trapped in this lesser world only using their senses
-what prisoners think is real only shadow of real objects
-deceived by senses

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4
Q

what does sun represent in cave analogy

A

-the highest of all forms- form of the good
-form of good illuminates all other forms
-enables the forms to be known through reason

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5
Q

cave being inferior to outside world meaning

A

just like cave inferior to outside world
-like how senses less reliable than reason for using to gain knowledge

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6
Q

meaning of prisoner being mocked by people in cave and not being able to see if he returns

A

-could be reference to socrates
-he was executed because he corrupted minds of youth in athens
-encouraged them to question and use rational thought
-shows how entrenched out thinking can be
-how we are reluctant to use our reason and rather rely on our senses

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7
Q

arguments arguing analogy of cave us useful today

A

-shows senses deceive us, what we experience or observe only partial reality, shadows seen by prisoners inferior to real world outside cave
-truth only accessible to philosophers
-senses can trap us like chained prisoners, use senses instead of reason

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8
Q

particulars

A

changing things we witness in world of senses for example roses in garden

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9
Q

immutable

A

unchanging

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10
Q

form

A

platos description of perfect unchanging concept or ideal in world of form eg, form of good

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11
Q

anamnesis

A

soul remembering from the world of forms

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12
Q

world of apperances

A

our world
-thing appear to be real but will die
-change or decay
-illusion of reality but poor imitation of reality
-

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13
Q

why do we disagree on beauty according to plato

A

-because our senses deceive us
-our opinions based in senses which are unreliable
-

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14
Q

world of forms

A

-immutable
perfect
eternal, forms or ideals
-reality remains constant
-can be understood through reason rather senses
-why person good and pen beautifull
-for plato- using reason we work out particulars participate in form of good, ideal concept of goodness

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15
Q

heirachy of forms

A

form of good
-form of justice, form of beauty, equals
-abstract ideas
-mathematical reasoning
-above all in world of forms
-material objects and opinions based in senses from world of apperances

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16
Q

the theory of the forms make sense arguments

A

-we observe in this world change and decay, nothing perfect and changing but world of forms everything perfect and eternal
-world of forms real world, like world outside cave, better than inside cave
-can be deceived by our senses so better to use reason
-world of forms has ideal concepts, beauty justice truth, immutable, recognise beauty in something because they participate in form of beauty

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17
Q

the theory of forms makes no sense arguments

A

-change better than unchanging things, without change we couldnt progress in world
-material world all we know and have evidence of, senses help us learn and survive
-reason difficult, better to rely on senses as provide verifiable evidence
-if one form of good then why are there disagrees of about what true goodness is

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18
Q

where did aristotle think knowledge came from

A

from senses, experiences and observations
-no need to look outside this world for answers

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19
Q

motus

A

aristotle says everything in world changing
-things going from potentuality to actuality because of external forces
-

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20
Q

aristotles four causes

A

describe process of change observed by our senses

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21
Q

material cause

A

matter of substance something is made of
-doesnt yet explain how or why motus occurs

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22
Q

efficient cause

A

-process of something coming into existence
-silversmith who makes ring
-describes process of change

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23
Q

formal cause

A

-how we know something is
-shapes and character
-explains motus by describing result of the change from material cause through efficient cause into object it is

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24
Q

final cause

A

describes the telos or purpose, why object is there
-most important to aristotle

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25
Q

aristotles four causes give true picture of reality arguments

A

-material cause obvious, everything must have physical matter
-efficient cause explains process of change motus,
-formal cause helps us understand what something is, form of object its soul
-final cause telos, questions why world or objects are they way they are
-it object fulfills its purpose its good, goodness not found elsewhere but intrinsic to object
-empirical theory application to everything

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26
Q

aristotles four causes dont give true picture of reality arguments

A

-no material cause for concepts like beauty, only participate in form of beauty
-Hume, observe cause and effect, doesnt mean effect result of cause
-not everyone agrees on formal cause, what makes me me, no soul, only physical
-goodness may not be linked to purpose, knife cuts well but is it a good knife
-senses deceive

27
Q

problems with purpose weakness of four causes

A

-purpose doesnt have to be intrinsic, purpose given to object by creator
-some things dont have purpose or purpose changes

28
Q

how did aristotle understand the universe to be

A

eternal
no beginning or end

29
Q

what does movement of objects cause

A

things in world exhibit continuous motus
-changing from potentuality, actuality, potentuality
-movement results in change because thinks being drawn towards the final cause

30
Q

whats the prime mover

A

-ultimate final cause
-immutable
-final cause of movement and change because it draws things towards itself without doing anything itself
-attracts things do it

31
Q

how does prime mover attract

A

-so everything in continous cycle from potential to actual
-concentric circles of movement

32
Q

what does prime mover explain

A

-explains reason and purpose for constant state of motus

33
Q

features of prime mover

A

-pure actuality
-demigod
-must only contemplate itself
-perfection

34
Q

aristotles prime mover helps explain world arguments

A

-we can observe natural things seem to have telos and drawn to end goal, prime mover explains motus and change
-explains perpetual motion and predictability of planet movement, pure actuality and attracts perfection
-as final cause gives everything ultimate purpose

35
Q

aristotles prime mover does not help to explain world arguments

A

-observation of purpose human construct, humans give purpose so its external not intrinsic to object, no external cause purpose, no need for prime mover
-if prime mover pure thought, how can it effect universe, no causal effect
-cannot observe prime mover using senses, moves to reason even though he discredits plato for it

36
Q

form of the good

A

highest form in forms
-all other forms and particulars participate in form of good
-sun in cave analogy

37
Q

what does form of good do

A

-enlightens us
-gives understanding to mind
-helps us to reason rather rely on senses
-recollecting goodness from form of good
-immutable, eternal, perfect

38
Q

similarities between form of good and prime mover

A

-both transcendent and cannot be known using senses, need reason to understand them
-perfect, immutable, eternal
-prime mover telos of everything and form of good aim of everything

39
Q

differences in prime mover and form of good- motus

A

-prime mover draws and attracts motus towards itself because its final cause
-form of good unchanging and part of world of forms, change only happens in shadow world, unchanging

40
Q

aristotles prime mover more success arguments

A

prime mover explains why there is change
-based prime mover on senses and final cause
-form of good doesnt explain this world but prime mover clear about how it effects us
-

41
Q

platos form of good more success arguments

A

-explains why change in shadow world, change and decay but participates in world of forms and form of good
-prime mover cant be observed with senses but form of good not part of material world so better to use reason to work out
-explains why we recognise goodness in shadow world, if something good, involved in form of good

42
Q

epistemology

A

study of knowledge

43
Q

plato and reason

A

knowledge comes from using reason and recollecting from world of forms
-senses decieve and control us
-senses chain and imprison us in ever changing world of shadows
-knowledge unchanging and eternal so cant be from material world from senses

44
Q

aristotle and empiricism

A

-we should use our senses to discover knowledge
-true knowledge found in categorising things by difference
-motus, four causes and final cause
-

45
Q

empiricism makes more sense of reality arguments

A

-no empirical evidence of existence of another world, should rely on senses
-use reason after we have used senses and experiences and observed
-if one form of good why do we disagree , can observe whether something fulfills its final cause
-learning harder than remembering, with empiricism we learn with senses and experience

46
Q

rationalism makes more sense of reality arguments

A

-rationalists argue concepts like justice innate because we just know, knowledge through reason
-reason makes more sense of reality remember what happens
-senses deceive us, different opinions of whats good, if we escape senses we can understand form of good,
-senses deceive, reason more difficult but more reliable

47
Q

heraclitus

A

thought world we experience in state of constant change which he called flux
-plato interpreted him as challenging possibility to gaining knowledge

48
Q

criticisms to the form of the good

A

-aristotle disagrees with platos idea of immortality is ignorance of good
-cultivating virtue requirmnent to do good
-Nietzche says platos form of good is dangerous error and philosophers invent ideas that suit emotional prejudice like power
-how single essence of particulars shows goodness
-there cannot be one unified form of goodness

49
Q

criticism to theory of forms third man argument

A

-plato says if group of trees share character , they must all be partaking in form of treeness
-infinite regress of things sharing character
-undermine idea of forms that there is particular single form of quality that explains multiple particular instances of quality we experience in world of shadows

50
Q

P1 P2 C1 C2 of platos anamnesis argument

A

-P1- we have concept of perfect justice, beauty and maths
P2- we have never experiences perfect instances
C1- knowledge of perfect concepts must be innate
C2- must be world of forms and we must have a soul which gained perfect concepts from it before we were born

51
Q

denying P1 of anamnesis argument

A

-justice and beauty subjective
-matters of opinion not fact
-culture and conditions determine what person finds beautiful
-Hume- we can create perfection in minds even if we havent experienced it
-take concept of imperfect and conceive opposite

52
Q

purpose unscientific weakness of four causes

A

Francis Bacon- criticised aristotle for saying final cause has no place in empirical world, but a metaphysical divine matter,
-modern science rejects formal and final cause
-deterministic universe with laws of physics doesnt have purpose
-science can explain change and purpose in world without telos
-

53
Q

McGrath defense of purpose not being scientific

A

-Swinburne, Polkinghorne, say science limited and cant answer all questions
-tell is what but not why
-cant answer questions on purpose so cant be used to disregard existence of purpose

54
Q

satres critique of telos

A

-no objective telos
-existence precedes essence
-humans exist before they have defined purpose and have to define their purpose for themselves
-afraid of not having purpose, abandonment/ by god or reality
-anguish/ weight of being responsible for own actions
-despair/ inability to act exactly as wed like
-easier to believe in objective purpose than face existential angst

55
Q

defense of aristotle against satre

A

-satres argument is psychological
-doesnt provide metaphysical grounds for rejecting telos and commiting genetic fallacy
-just because people have psychological need to believe in purpose doesnt mean it doesnt exist
-

56
Q

genetic fallacy

A

-assuming that the way in which someone comes up with a theory is relevant to whether it is true or false

57
Q

newton criticism of aristotles prime mover

A

-newton claimed when moved object will move until met be equal and opposite reaction
-aristotles inference that constant motion in universe must be maintained by something like prime mover false
-

58
Q

defense of aristotles prime mover against newton

A

-he believed in empirical observation which created epistemological method which lead to modern scientific methods
-newton only disproved aristotles claims about reality not his a posteriori approach to understanding reality so fails

59
Q

platos one over many arguments

A

-argument for world of forms
-we think of world in orderly categorized way but live in a world of flux- so we must have been born with concepts like treeness and beauty
-we must have dim recollection shadow like charesteristics by which we are able to recognize and categorise them

60
Q

aristotles criticism to platos one over many argument

A

–aristotle rejects the separation of form from things
-things form is its essence, its defining quality
-essential quality of treeness that a tree has cant be separated from a tree or it wouldnt be a tree
-no basis for thinking that form of treeness is separate entity in another realm

61
Q

wittgensteins criticism of the one over many argument

A

-argued there is no precisely definable form or abstract ideal of category
-we recognise member of a category as such due to its family resemblance to other things in that category
-humans divide world through language and concepts when its useful in social context
-categories defined by social convention not objective reality
-categories conceptual schemes mapped onto human experience of world for purpose of performing specific function

62
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A
63
Q
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philosophy of religion (5 decks)

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