General philosophy Flashcards
Prudential Reason
A reasoning (like Pascal’s wager) which justifies a good reason to believe something based on its prudence but not on evidence.
Burden of proof
Extreme claims require extreme evidence. Otherwise we can justify believing in almost anything.
Argument from inappropriate authority
Drawing examples from non credible non qualified people or things.
Jurisprudence
Philosophy of law
How did John Austin describe his Command Theory of Law?
He saw law as a series of commands backed by threats
What is John Austins seminal work?
The Providence of Jurisprudence Determined
Who is the father of modern legal philosophy?
H.L.A Hart
Primary rule (according to HLA Hart)
Tell us what to do and what NOT to do
Secondary rules
Rules about rules
What is a legal positivist? Like Jeremy Bentham and John Austin?
Laws should be understood as passed by those in authority and not necessarily with a moral foundation.
Explain Thomas Aquinas natural law.
at. ius naturale, lex naturalis) is a philosophy that certain rights or values are inherent by virtue of human nature and can be universally understood through human reason.
What does Camus call the world when it can’t be explained in a rational manner?
Absurd
Why is Sysiphis happy?
Because he has accepted the absurdity of his life.
How did Alsebeides describe Socrates in the symposium?
Satyr Silenus
Which is ugly on the outside but when opened is beautiful.
Why does Kant say that human knowledge is finite?
Because it relies on the appearance of the object through an act of receptivity (sensory) and infinite intellectual intuition would be able to generate itself.
What did Descartes call his process of skepticism?
Systemic doubt
Closed society
Social customs are especially rigid and not open to criticism
The right way is enforced through taboos and magical tribal institutions
Open Society
Open to rational reflection
A free critical exchange of ideas leaves them free and more flexible than a closed society (free and open public discussion)
Where does John Locke say political authority comes from?
From consent of the people
What is Pure Reason?
Use of Reason without relying upon or presupposing experience.
What did Socrates say about moral philosophy?
It is how we ought to live
Kants Categorical Imperative
We don’t treat people as means to an end but ends in themselves
What does John Stuart Mills theory of Utilitarianism have to do about solving ethical dilemmas?
We must impartially determine which set of actions maximize the most happiness for all those impacted in a given situation.
Substances dualism
That humans consist of a mortal body and an immortal mind
Psychological continuity criterion of personal identity
Personhood is grounded in psychological events over time.
Because we can remember events in our mental lives then we conclude our consistency of being to ourselves
Leibniz Principal of Sufficient Reason
The Principle of Sufficient Reason is a powerful and controversial philosophical principle stipulating that everything must have a reason, cause, or groun
What is Antinatilism
Antinatilism is a is a philosophical position that assigns a negative value to birth.
The Chewbacca defense
That even though the Jury found chef guilty it doesn’t mean that the Chewbacca defense was conclusive evidence to convict chef. People were just easily influenced by bad arguments.
Explain John Hicks argument for God in the face of evil.
“Soul making theodicy”. Evil is allowed into the world to allow us to develop a character individually and as a character
Religious Pluralism
The belief that all religions should be treated equally
What is south parks super best friends an example of
Religious Pluralism
What does John Hicks say is central to religions?
The promise of “salvation”
Reformer Epistemology
Reformed epistemology is a thesis about the rationality of religious belief. A central claim made by the reformed epistemologist is that religious belief can be rational without any appeal to evidence or argument.
Explain Rousseaus Concept of “Amour Propre” against “Amour de soi”
To get other people to think highly of me. Which generates envy and inequality. Which is the common cosmopolitan idealism. Vs. The more “Primitive”
The desire to continue living and feeding oneself and community.
What did Plato say about music?
It educates, boosts morale and sometimes is used to indoctrinate
What is hegemony theory?
system is more likely to remain stable when a single nation-state is the dominant world power, or hegemon
What is “preponderance of power” in hegemony theory?
When a hegemon exercises leadership, either through diplomacy, coercion, or persuasion, it is actually deploying its
Res Extensa
One of the three substances identified by Descartes in his Cartesian Ontology. Means “extended thing” meaning referring to Corporeal Substance.
What is Corpustular theory?
The idea that all things are made up of smaller and smaller particles or ‘corpuscles’.
What is the teleological argument?
From William Payley. Where there is order there must be a design and where there is a design there is a designer. Example: pocket watch analogy.
What are the two prominent notions of freedom in the west according to Benjamin Constant and Isaiah Berlin?
- You know the simpler notion of the absence of coerscion. I.e. Government staying out of the way letting people do what they want.
- Self determination rather than something else determining actions.
What was Socrates conviction and in what book describes his trial?
It was the apology and he was on trial 1. For impiety 2. Corrupting the youth
Why does Socrates drink the hemlock instead of suffer banishment?
Look back on ones life without shame rather than adhere to a set of oppressive
rules
According to Kierkegaard what is the similarity of Socrates with Abraham and what is the difference?
They both represent what Kierkegaard calls ‘infinite resignation’ Socrates sacrificing his life for Virtue and Abraham his son for God but the difference is that Abraham takes a ‘leap of faith’ into the absurd.
What is Manicheanism?
The idea that there exists a balance between good and evil.
When does the super-ego begin?
After the Oedipus stage as an internalization or introjection of the parental authority.
Why is the superego further away from consciousness than the ego?
Because it reaches into the Id and acts as it’s representative. It is influenced by forces unknown to the ego.
How does Hegel define the dialectic?
Transition or development
Vernunft vs Verstand
Reason vs understanding or reflecting
What does Rousseau call ‘the dangerous supplement?’
He calls writing the dangerous supplement because it’s a product of civilization.
Which pre-Socratic philosopher said: “If horses had gods would they not also be horses?”
Xenophanes
theory of structuration i
is a social theory of the creation and reproduction of social systems that is based on the analysis of both structure and agents (see structure and agency), without giving primacy to either. Furthermore, in structuration theory, neither micro- nor macro-focused analysis alone is sufficient. The theory was proposed by sociologist Anthony Giddens, most significantly in The Constitution of Society,[1] which examines phenomenology, hermeneutics, and social practices at the inseparable intersection of structures and agents. Its proponents have adopted and expanded this balanced position.[2] Though the theory has received much criticism, it remains a pillar of contemporary sociological theory.[3]
