Philo Exam Flashcards
Philosophy
Study of nature, reality, existence
Seeks to view the whole of reality into a single comprehensive view
Philosophy Science vs Theology
Philosophy
-studies the whole of reality
-ultimate causes
-uses logic, skepticism, criticism to make judgements about reality, existence
Science
-studies a single view of reality
-proximate causes
-cant be applied to every aspect of lives
-emprical data
Theology
-beliefs off a higher being/supernatural reveals divine revelation
Ontology vs metaphysics
Ontology - study of existnece/being
Metaphysics - study of teh ultimate reality
Wisdom vs knowledge
Wisdom
-requires knowledge of highest/ultimate causes
-based on experience, honest reflection, and ability to reason
Knowledge
-justifeid, ture, belief
-can be used to tell right/wrong
-attainable by research, study, etc.
ultimate vs proximate causes
Ultimate
-primary causes
-discoverable through reason and judgement
Proximate
-secondary cause
-discoverable through senses/empiricism
-relies on ultimate causes
Goal of wisdom
To learn about the ultimate nature of things, human existence, and fundamental truths about the world
Obtain both knowledge and experience throughout it.
Become a better person throughout the way and improve yourself
Wisdom is the ultimate aim of learning
Based on experience, honest reflection, and ability to reason
Problems with relativism
Main problems:
Allows dangerous extremist actions to happen, undermining ethics (genocide/slavery)
Claiming that there is no absolute truth is self-contradictory
Rob’s meaning of life: if there is no absolute truth, how can we know anything?
Problems with subjectivism
Problems:
Allows bad actions to occur like crimes because the criminal thinks their action is right
Self refuting
When a subjectivist explains why subjectivism is true, he is imposing an opinion on you but he claims that all opinions/knowledge/truth is different per person so its self-contradictory.
Truth
conformity of a proposition to the way things are
-objective reality independent of beliefs or perceptions
4 truth test
coherence
pragmatic
consenses
correspondence
What is Divine Revelation and how does it relate to philosophy?
Divine revelation: god has divine control over all actions and things in the universe
right/wrong actions can be guided by god
God communicates truth and knowledge to the people on Earth.
We have a role model and guide to follow through our path in life
This relates to philosophy because it talks about the absolute truth and what is real and what is not, the origin of the world, etc.
Deductive reasoning
General -> specific
Inducitve reasoning
Specific -> general
Belief vs knowledge (plato)
Belief
-acquired through senses and are about physical change
-they are the becoming and can change and come from sense experience
Knowledge
-acquired through reason and is about what is always the same
-the being -> never change
belief are appearance/illusion
knowledge is reality/real things
Theory of forms
The theory of forms is the ultimate goal of human understanding and highest form of truth and certainty.
-There is a realm of forms where platonic forms exist -> perfect models of objects and experiences
-These are pure and unchanging regardless of shifts in the universe
-The actual world is a mere shadow of this
-True and realiable knowledge rests in those who can comprehend the true reality
-We must recall not learn
What does plato believe true knowledge rests in?
Those who can comprehend the true reality behind the physical world (forms)
Knowledge according to plato
Something that is never changing and always the same
It is the being
-can only be gained through intellect/reason
-about how things truly are
Truth according to plato
Eternal, immutable, unchanging
-cannot be found in empirical world
-discovered by reason
opinion according to aristotle
Opinion comes from the physical world of illusion
-changeable and unanchored
-personal subjective experience
What did Plato think about the physical world and the senses?
Physical world is unreliable
senses cannot be trusted (illusion)
physical world is merely an opinion
Innate rationalist meaning
All knowledge comes from within us and from reason/intellect
Divided Line
There is the Form of the sun and the good
Sun
-illusions, opinion, imagination
Good
-rational intuition
What are the 3 parts of the soul according to Plato, explain each.
Appetite
-causes us to move to get things
Spirit
-causes us to achieve things
Reason
-only part of soul capable of reasoning
-guides spirit and appetite
4 cardinal virtues
Courage
Temperance
Justice
Wisdom
Rule of wise
In order to live a good life you must live in a functional and happy society
Workers: the ones that provide goods, food, shelter to sustain the state
Warriors: the ones that guard the state maintain law and order
Philosopher kings: the ones with the knowledge of the forms and know how to rule a state
Ex. they know the form of good
Use their intellectual abilities for common good not their own
What is a Philosopher-King?
Someone who is a philosopher-king:
Love of wisdom and search for true reality
Someone who loves wisdom negates the possibility of the love for falsehood, physical, sexual, material pleasures -> all desires that threaten corruption
Trained in philosophy and deeply understands the Forms (perfect and eternal ideals that exist beyond the material world)
Philosopher kings can make decisions based on reason + knowledge rather than bias + emotion
Wants common good rather than self-interest
Understands the forms of goodness
Why did the priestess Pythia say that Socrates was the wisest man?
The fact that he knew he had a lot more to learn and knew his strengths and weaknesses makes him wiser than any individual who claims to be wise.
What is virtue (socrates)
Accordance to true nature
Fufilling function as human beings
Self-examination + knowledge + experience
The unexamined life is not worth living
A life without speculation that does not question things beyond practical concerns makes your character incomplete, lacking excellence, virtue, psyche for granted, can’t improve yourself
-we should always be critical of our own beliefs, values, and actions in order to live a life of wisdom and virtue
According to Socrates, what is the one true virtue? What is the one true vice?
True virtue: knowledge
Vice: ignorance
Psyche
Mind + body
Conscioussness capacity to reason ability to reflect
Why is Aristotle father of scienec
Because he challeneged platonic dulaism
He is a naturalist
He believes form + matter = 1 world
Embrology
Father of empiricism
What is the golden mean?
The golden mean is a theory proposed by Aristotle stating that in all virtue and vice we must find a balance between excess and deficiency. If we do this we are able to live a life of moral excellence and cultivate our virtues.
This will lead to a good life -> happiness
We can learn to assert this balance through constant practice and application of our virtues.
Aristotle’s hierachy f souls
Vegetative/nutritive: the part that wants to absorb matter
Sensitive soul: registers information regarding forms but does not become those things
Rational soul: analyze, understand, rational
Four causes
Material cause: what it is made of
Formal cause: the shape/form it takes on
Efficient cause: what turns it from potentiality -> actuality
Final cause: purpose of its existence
Happiness and virtue
In order to life a happy life one must cultivate and practice their virutes to live a life of moral excellence. Golden rule
-exercise your ability to will and reason and follow entelechy
Happiness and pleasure (aristotle)
pleasure is just a temporary state of mind vs happiness which is the ultimate goal of life so we cannot achieve happiness through pleasure
Pleasure blocks out the perception of what is good
Happiness comes from living a good life which comes from golden rule
Four levels of happiness aristotle
1: Laetus
-happiness from pleasure
-too much pleasure is bad we cannot have it constantly
-babies
-only temporary
2: Felix
-happiness that comes from achievement
-better than others
-too much is bad -self worth
3: Beautido
-happiness from helping others
-no money
-limit is human imperfection
4: Sublime beautiufo
-understanding your ultimate end
-searching for fullness and perfection
4 powers of human nature
will
reason
concuspiscible appetite
-pleasure
Irascible appetite
-fear anger
How to reach happiness according to aristotle (5)
-golden rule
-balancing soul
-entelechy (realizing ultimate end)
-pleasure control
-cardinal virtues
sophrosyne
temperance
entelechy
Every living thing has an inner urge to reach its ultimate end/discover its purpose and inner calling
What is wrong with a life of pleasure
Animals are always succumbing to their pleasures since they are mostly stuck on their vegitative and sensitive parts of soul. Humans however have will and reason so they should not be rash like animals are.
What seperates humasn from other beings
Will and reason
Naturalism
Belief that reality consists of the natural world
everything is discoverable with laws of nature
-form + matter
What is form according to aristotle
form = essence
Substances composed of (aristotle)
hyle
Most important virtue in golden mean
Self-confidence
Law of contradiction
Something cannot be and not be at the same time
Theology
The divine and its realtion to the universe
Manichean dualism
Satan nd god are fighting in equal struggle
Free will
Freedom to choose right/wrong
free will to evil
Evil is caused by the misuse of free will when we abuse our rights
Not god permitting it just us deciding it
Why does god allow suffering
Suffering is a consequence to free will
If we choose to abuse our free will we will suffer
God gives us free will so we don’t act lke robots
St Augustine’s theodicy
Evil is the absence of Good
evil is caused when we abuse our free will
Natural law theory
Every creature has a desire to act properly
Eternal law
God has a plan for us to determine right/wrong
Problem of evil
Linking evil with an all powerful all knowing all good god
Acquina’s 5 proofs
First way: arugment from motion
-motion must be give to an object
-unmoved mover
Second way: argument from cause/ cosmological arguemnt
-it is impossible for any natural thing to be complete source of its own existence
Third way: argument from necessity
-some things are possible others are necessary
-god is the nescary reason possible things happen
Fourth way: arugment from gradation
-differences among things from simplest to god
Fifrth way: teological arugment
-natural order doesn’t arise itself
-something capable of ordering it must be in existence
Natural reason
Things happening without god
NAtural theology
Explain existence of god through empiricms
Cricistims of sketpcisim, rationalism, empricism
Empricisn: senses are misleading
Rationalism: we need senses to explain some things
skepticism: self-cntradictory
Ontological arugment
If an imperfect being exists, there must be a perfect being that created it
Cogito ergo sum
If he is doubting he is thinking
If he is thinking he exists
I think therefore I am
cannot deny your own existnece
Cartesian dualism
There are two seperate parts of a huamn being which is mind and body.
Mind is the thinking unextended substance
-conscious, self-awareness, emotions, feelings
Body is the unthinking exnteded substnace
-corporeal substance, has space
He believes that there could be doubt that body doens’t exist but the fact that is is movement and sensicle proves its presence
god would not implant a corporeal substance if its not real since he is a non-deciever
Clear and distinct decartes
Clear - present and apparent to an attentive mind
Distinct - so precise and different from other objects
