Studying for Final Flashcards
Describe hedonism, desire-satisfaction theory, and perfectionism
Hedonism = Pleasure is the ultimate good
Desire Satisfaction Theory = Whatever Satisfies our desires is the ultimate good
Perfectionism = Anything that leads to the perfect version of our selves
- How does Nozick’s “experience machine” thought experiment relate to hedonism?
It Challenges Hedonism because if pleasure was the only good then everyone would want to go in the pleasure machine.
- How does the fact that some of our desires are non-autonomous create a problem for desire-satisfaction theories of the good?
A lot of our desires might be the product of other people wanting to manipulate you. Like advertisements and stuff
Ex: Junk Food Companies
- What do “functioning” and virtue have to do with a good life according to Aristotle?
You form your function and then you have virtues or character traits you follow that fuffill the rational part a
- Why, according to Aristotle, is pleasure not the good?
If you had a life that was completely pleasing and at 100% pleasure you could still make it better by adding a purpose or meaning to it. Meaning pleasure is not the ultimate good
- According to Aristotle, what are the three kinds of friendship, and why is one kind better?
Friendships of Utility
Friendships of pleasure
Friendships of Virtues This is the best kind.
- Because they will continue to be friends even if you aren’t useful or pleasurable
State Mengzi’s “child and the well” argument for the claim that humans are innately good.
If any human being saw a child walking along a rim of the well you would be concerned for the kid and not for any specific reason
- How does ritual contribute to becoming ren, according to Xunzi?
Ritual reinforces the need to recognize others, Ritual restricts and channels our typically self centered desire thus making us more human
Describe Xunzi’s use the metaphor of the craftsman.
Just like how our craftsman uses raw materials and tools (ritual and righteousness) to create something new we are the craftsman of ourselves to turn us into better people
What is the problem with using words, according to Zhuangzi?
We do not know if our words truly reflect or represent the world properly
How does the story of Cook Deng relate to Daoism?
The cook uses the knife to follow the natural spaces between bone and meat. Naturally going with the flow
FOLLOWS Wu WEI
Describe wu wei.
Effortless action/ The Least Action
State Zhuangzi’s argument against being concerned with ren, li and yi.
These traits are meant to guide us toward benefit and aware from harm
HOWEVER the Daoist does not care about benefit and harm so they should not care
How are desire and impulse controlled, on the Stoic view?
We Train ourself to only desire things in our control
Cultivated Habits
Why do the Stoics call things like food and good health “preferred indifferents”?
Some externals can help us life well IF we use them well
