Philosophical Influences on Psychology Part 2 Flashcards
What did the Lamian War in Ancient Rome signify?
- Occurred after the death of Alexander the Great, which left a leadership void
How did the decline of Greece occur?
- Occurred in 322 BCE
- The Roman Empire invaded Macedonia after this period
- It was a period of major suffering, and little Greek philosophy developed
- Any new philosophical traditions were focused on ‘everyday life’ and dealing with emotional suffering (very applied)
What was the Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE)?
- The era following the death of Alexander
- Greeks turned inward, away from public service and toward homelife
What does the term ataraxia signify?
- Seeking happiness as freedom from disturbance and finding things that are under your control
- Practiced by Greeks during the Hellenistic period
Who was Pyrrho of Elis?
- Founder of Skepticism
- Born in Elis, Greece
- No writings of his own, most of what is known was recorded by the follower Sextus Empiricus
- Known to live in solitude, avoiding his emotions
What was Pyrrho of Elis issue with Dogmatism?
- Thought that the idea of taking one side of an argument is true cannot be done
What were the major beliefs of skeptics?
- Skeptics suggest that both sides of an argument are equal
- No one could possibly know all the information supporting either side
- Therefore, it’s easier to just not believe in anything
- Pathological skepticism = don’t bother believing in anything
What does the Skeptic life look like?
- Practice epoche, suspend your judgement
- Because truth is not achievable, don’t worry about it (live a life of tranquillity instead)
- Appearances: Enjoy simple sensations like good smells and tastes
- Conventions: adhere to society’s traditions, rituals, and laws
Who was Antisthenes?
- Born in Greece
- First a pupil of the Sophist Gorgias, later a pupil of Socrates and witnessed his death
- Became disillusioned with wealth
- Advocated for a return to nature (seen in today’s environmentalism)
Who was Diogenes?
- Called “the Dog” (followed by dogs) or “Socrates Gone Mad”
- Rejected social convention and structure
- Lived ‘naturally’ and by begging
- Would not self-censure
- Powerful people still sought him out to talk to him because he lived his philosophy
- Carried a lantern around and hold it up to people to find the only honest person, and he never could
Who is credited as the founder of Cynicism?
- Antisthenes, although some credit Diogenes
What does the lifestyle of Cynicism look like?
- Avoiding pleasure
- Control your emotions
- Discard the rules of society
- Nature should guide actions
Who was Epicurus and his philosophy?
- Created a philosophy based on atomism
- No soul, but human atoms move freely, which gives us free will. No two people have the same combo of atoms
- After death, atoms would reconfigure
- Believed that people should enjoy life. Life can be terrible, so atomists sought to reduce suffering
What are the major tenets of Epicureanism?
- Thought that philosophy’s role was to reduce human suffering
- Rejected any type of luxury
- People should favour friendships over sexual relationships as friendships are viewed as a lower form of attachment
Approach to life: - Goal is happiness, not hedonism
- Moderation should be practiced
- Impulse control, long-term tranquillity
T/F: Epicureanism was influential in both Greece and Rome
- TRUE, bit its popularity eventually faded
How were Romans interested in philosophy?
- More interested in the applicability of philosophy in life (it should be useful)
- More driven by law and order
- Less interested in debate
- Wanted to see progress in medicine, architecture, and Roman influence
Which major philosophical movement largely supplanted Epicureanism?
Stoicism
- Tranquility through emotional control
- Influenced by Ancient Greece, notably Plato
Who were the major figures responsible for promoting Stoicism?
- Zeno of Citium
- Seneca
- Epictetus
- Marcus Aurelius
Who was Zeno of Citium?
- Born in Greek city of Citium of Cyprus
- Early 20s was stranded in Athens after a shipwreck
- Read Xenophon’s Memorabilia, about Socrates, then spent years studying philosophy
- Taught on the ‘stoa’ (porches) of Athens
- Formed the first stoic school
What was Zeno of Citium’s stoic philosophy?
- Disagreed with Epicurus about atoms and the pursuit of pleasure
- Virtue, not pleasure, leads to a good life. Different from a life you enjoy
- Understanding that all things are impermanent
- Clearing your mind, mastering your emotions, prioritizing needs (not wants, those are hedonistic)
Who was Seneca?
- Born in Spain, raised in Rome
- Politician for much of his early adulthood
- Tutor and later advisor to Roman Emporer Nero
- Accused of conspiracy to kill Nero, forced to commit suicide
- He took his suicide in stride. Had opportunities to escape but took it as a noble death
Who was Epictetus?
- Born into slavery in Turkey
- Was able to read Stoic philosophy in his youth (would influence his older self)
- Began teaching philosophy in Rome, later opened his own school in Greece
- His philosophy focused on how best to endure the hardships of life
- Marcus Aurelius discussed him
Who was Marcus Aurelius?
- Adopted by Antoninus Pius, the Emporer of Rome and received an education in Rome
- Became co-emperor with his brother
- Wrote ‘Meditations’ for himself (more of a diary)
- Contained his own private thoughts, gave advice to others based on his experiences, practiced exercises daily on how to be a stoic
How did Stoics define forms differently from Plato and Aristotle?
- Plato and Aristotle - ‘forms’ were mental representations
- To stoics, they defined forms using language
- Often used sets of propositions
What were some of the major benefits of stoic logic?
- ‘If’ ‘then’ statements can be very useful
- Easier than images for abstract thinking
- Direct experience isn’t required
- Artificial intelligence based on this concept
How did Stoic epistemology differ from the Greeks?
It was more empirically focused:
- Knowledge is acquired from sensory stimulu
- Use our own judgement to perceive and make sense of sensory input
- Understanding how stimuli are connected
- Stoic ethics and logic then guide our reactions to the knowledge we acquire
What were Stoics Virtue Ethics?
- Nature is not necessarily good (ex. sickness)
- Focus on the quality of the person (are you improving or stagnant?)
- Two human characteristics that are important: Reason and social animals; what differentiates us from other animals
What’s the purpose of the Stoic Cardinal virtues?
- Indicator of your behavioural disposition and a measure of character
What are the four Cardinal Virtues?
- Wisdom (vs. Ignorance) - the most important virtue
- Use our rationality to understand what has value
- Knowing what is good and bad - Knowing what we should be doing (can be hard to acquire wisdom) - Justice (vs. unjust)
- Not justice in a legal way
- Rather, it is a sense of morality
- Doing right by other people ( no harm) - Temperance (vs. abandon)
- Discipline between the pleasures and pains of life ( discussed in the meditations)
- Harmony in the soul - Courage (vs. cowardice)
- Doesn’t mean not having fear, but rather keeping one’s character in the face of fear
- Having self-restraint despite the consequences (even death)
What were some of the major tenets of Stoic physics?
- Developed a number of ideas on the make-up of the univese and a creator
- Believed in a God/Zeus/Nature
- Believed the universe (and God) is one living entity
Materialism - Believe that all objects were made up of matter (didn’t have a name for it)
- This includes physical objects, the soul, and God (also includes our thoughts) - When we die, the soul is ‘recycled’ into the universe
