Chapter 3 (Rome & Middle Ages) Flashcards

Question

Introspection

Answer 1

the examination of one’s inner experiences (Augustine) We see here the influence of Plato, who also believed that truth must be attained through such introspective analysis

Answer 2

A Muslim physician and philosopher whose translations of, and commentaries on, the works of Aristotle strongly influenced subsequent Western philosophers

Answer 3

A Muslim physician and philosopher who, among other things, wrote commentaries on Aristotle’s work on the senses, memory, sleep and waking, and dreams Disagreed with Avicenna about arrangement of human intelligences, believing that all human experiences reflect Gods influence

Answer 4

Then postulated 7 interior senses, which were arranged in a hierarchy 1) The common sense, which synthesizes the information provided by the external senses 2) Retentive imagination, ability to remember the synthesized information from the common sense 3) Compositive animal imagination – for animals, strictly associative process, objects or events associated with pain are avoided, pleasure is approached 4) Compo human imagination – allows humans and animals to learn what to approach or avoid in the environment, humans have creative combination of information from common sense and from retentive imagination (can imagine a unicorn without experiencing one, non-humans cannot) 5) Estimative power, the innate ability to make judgements about environmental objects 6) Ability to remember the outcomes of all the information processing that occurs lower in the hierarchy 7) Ability to rationally use that information

Answer 5

Jewish physician and philosopher who attempted to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy and Judaism Attempted to show that many passages from the Old Testament and the Talmud could be understood rationally, therefore, need not be taken on faith alone. Other passages were to be understood only as allegory and not taken as literally true Went so far as to say that is something is demonstrably false, it should be rejected, even if it is stated in the bible or Talmud

Answer 6

Argued that sense perception and rational powers should supplement faith (see ontological argument for the existence of God)

Answer 7

Anselm’s contention that if we can think of something, it must be real. Because we can think of a perfect being (God) that perfect being must exist

Answer 8

Insisted that God could be known through faith, reason, or the study of his work in nature Another Augustinian Argued even more forcefully for the place of reason within Christianity

Answer 9

the synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian teachings

Answer 10

One of the first Western philosopher-theologians to emphasize the works of Aristotle

Answer 11

the technique used by Abelard in seeking truth. Questions are raised, and several possible answers to those questions are explored.

Answer 12

the belief that abstract universals (essences) exist and that empirical events are only manifestations of those universals

Answer 13

the belief that so-called universals are nothing more than verbal labels or mental habits that are used to denote classes of experience

Answer 14

Abelard’s proposed solution to the realism-nominalism debate. Abelard argued that concepts do not have independent existence (realism) but that, being abstractions, they are more than mere names (nominalism)

Answer 15

Epitomized Scholasticism. He sought to Christianize the works of Aristotle and to show that both faith and reason lead to the truth of God’s existence

Answer 16

made a comprehensive review of Aristotle’s work. Following Aristotle’s suggestion, he also made careful, direct observations of nature.

Answer 17

A contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas who argued that Christianity should remain Augustinian and should reject any effort to assimilate Aristotelian philosophy into church dogma

Answer 18

denied the contention of the realist that what we experience are but manifestations of abstract principles. Instead, he sided with the nominalists who said that so-called abstract principles, or universals, were nothing more than verbal labels that we use to describe classes of experiences. For Occam, reality is what we experience directly, there is no need to assume a higher reality beyond our senses.

Answer 19

The belief that of several, equally effective alternative explanations, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be accepted