Intro to Philosophy Flashcards
What are the three major historical periods of philosophy and their time periods? What is the minor one?
- Ancient (600BC-400AD)
- Medieval (400-1400)
- Renaissance (1400-1600) (minor)
- Modern (1600-Present)
Which philosophers are associated with the Ancient period?
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
Which philosophers are associated with the Medieval period?
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine
Which philosophers are associated with the Modern period?
Descartes and Kant
Which philosophers are associated with the Renaissance period?
Macchiaveli
What is the name of the dialogue where Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is found?
Republic
What does “phil” translate to?
What does “sophos” translate to?
What does “philosophy” mean by these translations?
- love
- wisdom
- love of wisdom
What are the four main elements in The Allegory of the Cave? What does each symbolize?
- Prisoners (humans in their initial biased condition)
- Chains (anything that prevents ppl from seeing the truth)
- Shadows (appearance)
- Statues (reality)
According to the Allegory of the Cave what does it take to be wise? In real life what does it take to be wise?
- Break free from the chains
- Overcome one’s biased thinking
What are the three branches of Philosophy and their definitions?
- Metaphysics: study of the way things are beyond science
- Ethics: study of how to live well as a human being
- Epistemology: study of knowledge
What are three subgroups of Ethics and their definitions?
- Happiness (what is the best way to live)
- Morality (are morals cultural or universal)
- Political (how should we organize our society)
What are the two cognitive biases and their definitions?
- Tribalism (favoring one’s own group)
- Confirmation Bias (only searching for information that validates one’s original belief)
