Obstacles to Reasoning Well - Unit 2 Flashcards
Athens
- City of ‘reason’, contrasted with city of ‘faith’ like Jerusalem
- School of Athens by Raphael symbolizes history of reason
Tertullian
Tertullian talked about reason (Athens) vs. faith (Jerusalem) as two ways of thinking, not about actual places
Socrates
- Most influential figure when it comes to ‘reason’
- Believed in religious faith
- Designed argument for existence of God
- Socrates taught Plato, who taught Aristotle—key figures in Greek philosophy
- His method of questioning helps us escape dogmatism and learn better
Dogmatism
- The expression of an opinion or belief as if it were a fact
- Being overly confident in your opinion comes off as arrogant
Socrates Life
- War hero
- Questioning and challenging conventional wisdom
- “Athenian Gadfly”
- Religious
- Wrote nothing
- Pursued wisdom through conversation and open-mindedness
- “Follows the argument wherever it may lead”
Gadfly
Buzz around and annoy people
Socrates Divine Mission
To help people discover their own ignorance as a first step to wisdom
Oracle
- Ancient define oracle at Delphi
- Oracle would channel divine wisdom to visitors
Socrates 1st Reply Re Quote
- PUZZLEMENT AND DISBELEIF
- Initially says he’s ignorant and doesn’t know anything
Oracle Quote
“Socrates is the wisest of men (humans)”
Socrates 2nd Reply Re Quote
- “I and the politician are both ignorant, but I know that I am ignorant”
- The politician falsely believes he knows things he doesn’t
- Socrates’ awareness of his ignorance makes him wiser
The Socratic Pyramid
- 4 stages (Blind Ignorance, Enlightened Ignorance, Wisdom, Excellence)
1st Stage of Pyramid
- Bulk of human population
- The problem with blind ignorance is not knowing you’re ignorant, which blocks proper learning
2nd Stage of Pyramid
- Climbing the pyramid leads to enlightened ignorance (realizing you don’t know)
- Socrates achieved this, while most people are stuck thinking they know but don’t
- Enlightened ignorance is not the end—true wisdom is realizing what you do know
- This journey leads to human excellence
3rd Stage of Pyramid
- Wisdom is knowledge plus awareness of what matters
- It’s not just knowing facts but knowing the right things
- Wisdom helps us understand how to live well, unlike unimportant knowledge
Method of Elenchus
- Socrates’ Elenchus Method involves questioning people about their beliefs
- His questions reveal contradictions in their views
- This leads them to realize their own ignorance and gain self-knowledge
- Socrates guides them to discover this, rather than directly telling them
Blind to Enlightened Ignorance
- Believing without evidence is guessing, not knowing
- Through Socratic dialogue, we realize our ignorance to move up the ladder
How Did We Arrive at Such Ignorance in the First Place?
- We accept common beliefs as true without questioning them
- Socratic questioning reveals our confusion and lack of true knowledge
- Recognizing ignorance is the first step to understanding
Illustrating Elenchus: Hot-Dog Eating
- Common Belief: enjoying a hot-dog isn’t morally problematic
- The underlying issue is the animal cruelty that goes behind it
Ignorant
Having no knowledge or understanding of a certain thing
A Common Belief
- “X” denotes the property of serious wrong doings
- He might ask, “Why is dog fighting morally wrong?”
- The answer often leads to recognizing unjustified animal pain and cruelty
Illustrating Elenchus: Dog-Fighting
- Common Belief: supporting or benefiting from dog fighting is wrong
Dog Fighting + Hot-Dog Eating Correlation
- Both cases involve animal cruelty, but only one is seen as morally wrong
- Socrates shows that the reasoning against dog fighting (Case A) also applies to factory farming for hot dogs (Case B)
- Case B is worse since all animals die, yet it’s seen as “justified.
- People overlook Case B’s cruelty because it’s hidden
Socratic Injury
Is it inconsistent to think dogfighting is wrong for causing animal suffering, but eating hot dogs—also causing animal suffering—is okay?
OVERALL MESSAGE of COMMON BELIEF
COMMON BELIEF = INCONSISTENT
Death of Socrates
- He was executed (poisoned)
- Due to religious impiety (failed to worship the wrong God)
- When people felt the pressure of his challenges, they responded bad
Cognitive Dissonance
- The discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not align with their values or beliefs
- Happens when tension arises from Socrates challenges
Ex; you want to be healthy but you don’t exercise
