Chapter 7: Philosophy Flashcards
1
Q
What is philosophy?
A
The study of everything that counts, including the structure of matter, existence of God, and nature of good.
2
Q
What are the five areas of classical philosophical investigation?
A
- Logic
- Ethics
- Aesthetics
- Epistemology
- Metaphysics
3
Q
What is logic concerned with?
A
Validity, arguments, proofs, testing categorical syllogisms, and avoiding mistakes.
4
Q
What does ethics study?
A
Which actions are right, which ends are good, and the relationship between actions and their consequences.
5
Q
What is aesthetics the study of?
A
Beauty, art, taste, standards, judgments, and criticism.
6
Q
What does epistemology examine?
A
The nature of knowledge, how we know things, and the validity of that knowledge.
7
Q
What is metaphysics?
A
The search for ultimate categories and understanding of the all-inclusive scheme of things.
8
Q
Define ontology.
A
The study of being and essence, often used interchangeably with metaphysics.
9
Q
What does eschatology focus on?
A
End-of-the-line matters such as death, afterlife, immortality, and redemption.
10
Q
What is teleology?
A
The study of purpose, design, or end in nature.
11
Q
What is idealism in philosophy?
A
The belief that reality is fundamentally tied to mind and consciousness.
12
Q
What is materialism?
A
The belief that all entities can be explained in terms of matter and energy.
13
Q
Who is Plato?
A
A philosopher known for works like The Dialogues, especially the Republic.
14
Q
What is the allegory of the cave?
A
A key metaphor in Plato’s philosophy illustrating the difference between the world of appearances and reality.
15
Q
Who is Aristotle?
A
A philosopher known for works like Organon, Physics, and Politics, and for his contributions to logic and science.
16
Q
What is the Golden Mean?
A
Aristotle’s doctrine of moderation in all things.
17
Q
Who is Augustine of Hippo?
A
A philosopher known for works like Confessions and The City of God, and a key figure in Christian theology.
18
Q
What is the City of God?
A
A foundational text by Augustine that addresses the relationship between the divine and earthly realms.
19
Q
Who is Saint Thomas Aquinas?
A
A philosopher known for Summa Theologica and for integrating Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine.
20
Q
What is the significance of the phrase ‘The Angelic Doctor’?
A
It is the epithet given to Saint Thomas Aquinas due to his contributions to Christian theology.
21
Q
What is the main focus of Aquinas’s philosophy?
A
The integration of reason and revelation, and a systematic approach to theology.
22
Q
Fill in the blank: The nature of reality in idealism is completely bound up with _______.
A
[mind and consciousness]
23
Q
True or False: Metaphysics is often considered prescientific by many contemporary philosophers.
A
True
24
Q
What is the integration of reason and revelation known for?
A
Proving the existence of God and providing much of the Catholic Church’s official dogma.
25
Who was Niccolò Machiavelli?
A political philosopher known for 'The Prince' and 'Discourses.'
26
What was Machiavelli's catchphrase?
The chief foundations of all states are good laws and good arms.
27
What did Machiavelli's philosophy focus on?
A purely secular, scientific perspective toward statecraft, excluding morality.
28
What is Descartes' famous assertion?
Cogito ergo sum.
29
What does Descartes' philosophical system emphasize?
Deductive reasoning and a priori truths.
30
What did John Locke contribute to political philosophy?
The theoretical architecture of democracy and basic liberal ideals.
31
What is Locke's catchphrase regarding the mind?
The mind as tabula rasa (blank page).
32
What is Baruch Spinoza known for?
His work 'Ethics' and being a pantheist and determinist.
33
What is a key concept from Spinoza's philosophy?
Sub specie aeternitatis (in the light of eternity).
34
What did Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz contribute to mathematics?
The invention of infinitesimal calculus.
35
What is Leibniz's concept of monads?
Windowless monads.
36
What was David Hume's stance on knowledge?
Doubted our ability to know anything at all.
37
What is a notable quote from Hume?
The science of man.
38
What is Immanuel Kant's famous catchphrase?
The categorical imperative.
39
What did Kant argue about the human mind?
It has an inherent structure that filters experience.
40
What is Hegel's best-known work?
Phenomenology of Spirit.
41
How is Hegel's writing style described?
Pompous, pedantic, and obscurantist.
42
Fill in the blank: Machiavelli's 'The Prince' is a classic how-to book for _______.
aspirants to power.
43
True or False: Descartes believed in innate ideas.
True.
44
What was a significant outcome of Hume's skepticism?
It made philosophers nervous about their assumptions.
45
Fill in the blank: Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' is known for making sweeping revisions in _______.
nearly all branches of philosophy.
46
What does Hume's philosophy challenge?
The certainty of knowledge and metaphysical pretensions.
47
Who referred to Spinoza as 'the most lovable of philosophers'?
Bertrand Russell.
48
What philosophical movement did Kant's ideas foreshadow?
Existentialism.
49
What was Leibniz's analogy regarding mind and body?
Cartesian Clocks.
50
What did Kant's 'second Copernican revolution' entail?
The idea that the human mind shapes our experience of reality.
51
Who is the philosopher associated with the works 'Phenomenology of Spirit' and 'The Philosophy of Right'?
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
## Footnote
Hegel's works were compiled and published posthumously.
52
What is a key characteristic of Hegel's writing style?
Pompous, pedantic, obscurantist
## Footnote
Hegel is known for his complex prose and inventing his own words.
53
What is Hegel's catchphrase that describes the process of development in ideas?
The dialectic (thesis vs. antithesis leads to synthesis)
## Footnote
This concept is central to Hegelian philosophy.
54
What does Hegel's philosophy ultimately aim to achieve?
Supreme self-consciousness or Absolute Spirit
## Footnote
Hegel believed this would lead to a complete understanding of reality.
55
What was Hegel's influence on academic philosophers by the end of the nineteenth century?
Most academic philosophers embraced Hegelian concepts
## Footnote
They accepted notions of Change and Strife as essential to Progress.
56
What is the best-known work of Arthur Schopenhauer?
The World as Will and Idea
## Footnote
Schopenhauer also wrote essays that contributed to his philosophical ideas.
57
What is a defining quality of Schopenhauer's mindset?
Pessimistic
## Footnote
He believed that will was inherently evil and advocated for renunciation of desire.
58
What catchphrase is associated with Schopenhauer?
The world is my idea
## Footnote
This reflects his idealist perspective.
59
What was Schopenhauer's view on the will to live?
It was more important than knowledge or intellect
## Footnote
This perspective influenced Nietzsche and Freud.
60
What is Søren Kierkegaard known for?
Being the founder of existentialism
## Footnote
Kierkegaard's philosophy emphasizes individual experience and commitment.
61
What is a key catchphrase of Kierkegaard?
The leap into absurdity
## Footnote
This phrase captures the existential commitment to faith despite uncertainty.
62
What was a notable personal aspect of Kierkegaard's life?
Spent twenty-five years without speaking to his mother
## Footnote
This reflects his troubled personal relationships.
63
What is William James's best-known work?
Principles of Psychology
## Footnote
James's contributions also include works on pragmatism and religious experience.
64
What style of writing is William James known for?
Chatty, colloquial, and direct
## Footnote
His writing is often likened to that of an entertaining dinner guest.
65
What philosophical approach did William James pioneer?
Pragmatism
## Footnote
He focused on the practical implications of ideas rather than absolute truths.
66
What is Friedrich Nietzsche's famous catchphrase?
God is dead
## Footnote
This phrase signifies the decline of traditional religious and moral values.
67
What did Nietzsche advocate for in terms of morality?
Transvaluation of values
## Footnote
He proposed a new set of values that combined traditional virtues with those promoting greatness.
68
What was a significant influence of Nietzsche on later thinkers?
Paved the way for Freud's understanding of unconscious human drives
## Footnote
Nietzsche's ideas about the will to power influenced various fields.
69
What is Henri Bergson's catchphrase?
Élan vital
## Footnote
This concept reflects his belief in a creative life force.
70
What was Bergson's stance on Darwinism?
He combated its mechanistic, deterministic outlook
## Footnote
Bergson emphasized the importance of intuition and creativity.
71
What is Alfred North Whitehead known for?
Principia Mathematica (with Bertrand Russell)
## Footnote
This work is a significant contribution to modern logic.
72
What philosophical system did Whitehead develop?
Philosophy of organism
## Footnote
It synthesizes various philosophical traditions and emphasizes the process of change.
73
What is Ludwig Wittgenstein's best-known work?
Tractatus Logico-philosophicus
## Footnote
Wittgenstein's works are known for their clarity and philosophical depth.
74
What is a key quality of Wittgenstein's philosophical approach?
Focus on language and its use in ordinary situations
## Footnote
He believed that many philosophical problems arise from misunderstandings of language.
75
Who is Wittgenstein?
A philosopher known for works like Tractatus Logico-philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations
## Footnote
Wittgenstein was a seminal figure in linguistic analysis.
76
What is a notable quality of Wittgenstein's writing?
Intensely structured, intended as a model of clarity
## Footnote
The Tractatus is only seventy-five pages long.
77
What is one of Wittgenstein's catchphrases?
Language games
## Footnote
Other catchphrases include 'whereof one cannot speak, thereon one must remain silent' and 'don't ask for the meaning, ask for the use.'
78
What philosophical problems did Wittgenstein believe resulted from?
Misuse of language
## Footnote
He argued that philosophical questions dissolve when language is untangled.
79
What are the two philosophical systems formulated by Wittgenstein?
Logical atomism and ordinary-language philosophy
## Footnote
The second refuted the first.
80
What is John Dewey best known for?
Democracy and Education, Reconstruction in Philosophy, The School and Society
## Footnote
Dewey was a major influence in American philosophy.
81
What was Dewey's approach to education?
Learning by doing
## Footnote
He rejected rote learning in favor of experiential learning.
82
What did Dewey believe philosophy should be?
An instrument for guiding human action
## Footnote
He viewed philosophy as a means to address social issues.
83
What is Zeno's Arrow a paradox of?
The impossibility of motion or change
## Footnote
It illustrates that at any moment, an arrow is either at rest or not.
84
What does Plato's Cave allegory illustrate?
The nature of human knowledge
## Footnote
It suggests that what we perceive is only shadows of reality.
85
What is Buridan's Ass a metaphor for?
A dilemma in free will
## Footnote
An ass chooses between two identical bundles of hay and starves due to indecision.
86
What does Occam's Razor state?
Entities ought not to be multiplied, except from necessity
## Footnote
It advocates for simplicity in explanations.
87
What is Pascal's Wager?
A pragmatic argument for believing in God
## Footnote
It suggests betting on God's existence due to potential infinite rewards.
88
What is deduction?
A formal argument inferring specific conclusions from general principles
## Footnote
Example: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.
89
What is induction?
The process of reasoning from specific instances to general conclusions
## Footnote
It relies on empirical observation and is about probabilities.
90
What is a priori knowledge?
Knowledge based on assumptions without experiential validation
## Footnote
It is absolute and includes principles like 2 + 2 = 4.
91
What is a posteriori knowledge?
Knowledge derived from observation and experience
## Footnote
It is based on what is perceived after looking around.
92
What was structuralism?
A French intellectual movement focused on analyzing relationships within systems
## Footnote
It influenced various disciplines including linguistics and anthropology.
93
What did structuralists believe about component parts of systems?
They have meaning only in relation to one another
## Footnote
This belief applies across cultural phenomena.
94
What two major incubators gave rise to structuralism?
Linguistics and anthropology
## Footnote
Structuralism crossed various academic disciplines.
95
What do structuralists claim about cultural phenomena?
All cultural phenomena are governed by the same principles and are related to each other
## Footnote
This includes linguistic structures, kinship practices, and patterns of human behavior.
96
Who is considered the father of structuralism?
Ferdinand de Saussure
## Footnote
A Swiss linguist known for his work in linguistics and the concept of the arbitrary nature of the signifier and signified.
97
What is the difference between the 'signifier' and 'signified' according to Saussure?
'Signifier' is the word (e.g., c-a-t) while 'signified' is the concept it represents (the actual cat)
## Footnote
The referent is the actual object in the world that the sign refers to.
98
What did Claude Lévi-Strauss contribute to structuralism?
He applied structuralist principles to anthropology, particularly in his work 'Elementary Structures of Kinship'
## Footnote
Lévi-Strauss is known as the high priest of structuralism.
99
What are mythemes in Lévi-Strauss's theory?
Units of cultural meaning equivalent to phonemes in language
## Footnote
Mythemes serve as the lowest-common-denominator elements in cultural analysis.
100
What is the significance of the binary nature of laws in Lévi-Strauss's work?
He suggested that cultural phenomena are structured by unconscious but consistent binary laws
## Footnote
Examples include his titles 'The Raw and the Cooked' and 'From Honey to Ashes'.
101
What is the focus of Roland Barthes's structuralist analysis?
Breaking down experiences into their component, binarily opposed parts
## Footnote
He analyzed various cultural phenomena, including wrestling matches and plays.
102
What is the main idea of deconstruction as proposed by Jacques Derrida?
There is no objective reality; signifiers create an endless chain of meaning
## Footnote
Derrida's famous phrase 'Il n'y a pas de hors-texte' translates to 'There is nothing outside of the text.'
103
What was a major critique of postmodernism?
Its relativity and the claim that no idea or way of life can be deemed better than another
## Footnote
This perspective made many uncomfortable, especially in the context of moral and ethical standards.
104
What is the cosmological argument for the existence of God?
Everything that exists has a cause, leading to the conclusion of an Unmoved Mover, which is God
## Footnote
This argument faced criticism from philosophers like Hume and Kant.
105
What is the ontological argument?
The argument that God must exist because we can conceive of a Perfect Being, which must exist to be truly perfect
## Footnote
This argument has been criticized for begging the question.
106
What did critics say about the cosmological argument?
They argued there could be an infinite series of causes and questioned the need for a first cause
## Footnote
This challenges the assumption that the chain of causation must end with God.
107
What is a significant issue with deconstruction?
It can appear to be a literary parlor trick, making it difficult to determine if it leads to genuine insights
## Footnote
Critics argue that while it deconstructs texts, it may not provide practical understanding.
108
Who are some other notable structuralists besides Lévi-Strauss?
Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan, Umberto Eco
## Footnote
Each contributed to the broader understanding of structuralism and its applications in various fields.
109
What is the relationship between structuralism, poststructuralism, and postmodernism?
Structuralism influenced poststructuralism, which is closely related to postmodernism
## Footnote
These theories had a significant impact on various academic disciplines in the late 20th century.
110
Fill in the blank: __________ is the Italian scholar known for semiotics, a variant of structuralism.
Umberto Eco
111
What does the ontological argument assert about God?
By definition, God exists
## Footnote
The ontological argument suggests that a Perfect Being must exist because existence is a necessary attribute of perfection.
112
What is a key criticism of the ontological argument?
It begs the question
## Footnote
The argument assumes the existence of God in its premise, which is what it seeks to prove.
113
What does the teleological argument, or the argument from design, suggest?
The world is an enormous machine with perfectly made and interlocking parts
## Footnote
This argument claims that the complexity and order of the universe indicate a designer.
114
Who are some historical figures associated with the teleological argument?
Plato, Aristotle, Enlightenment thinkers, and nineteenth-century thinkers
## Footnote
These philosophers recognized the mechanical symmetry and biological complexity of the universe.
115
What does the teleological argument imply about the nature of God?
God is a better planner than humans
## Footnote
The argument does not require God to be omniscient or omnipotent, just a superior planner.
116
What was Hume's critique of the teleological argument?
A mediocre intelligence would hardly constitute God
## Footnote
Hume suggested that even if a Cosmic Architect existed, the imperfections in the universe would not reflect a perfect deity.
117
What modern concept challenges the teleological argument?
Theories of chance and probability
## Footnote
Mathematicians argue that the cosmos might be an accident, questioning the necessity of a designer.
118
Fill in the blank: The ontological argument can be criticized for _______.
begging the question
119
True or False: The teleological argument relies on the idea that God is omnipotent.
False
## Footnote
The argument only suggests that God is a better planner than humans, not necessarily omnipotent.
