Test 2 Flashcards
Summarize Aristotle’s theory of change, pointing out where he thought Parmenides had gone wrong and what he did to correct it.
Aristotle that change requires three principles: matter, form, and privation. The subject of any change must be a material object. A change occurs when the potential in the subject gets actualized, giving it a new property that it previously did not have. Aristotle thought that Parmenides was wrong about all being is fully actualized Being.
Summarize Aristotle’s moral philosophy
Aristotle’s theory is teleological. It begins by focusing on our end goal, and then considers how we can reach it. The ultimate goal is happiness from a fulfilling life. The virtues are habits that help us thrive as humans. Virtue is usually the mean between two extremes, excess and deficiency, relative to the individual.
Summarize the “problem of evil,” explain how the Manicheans avoided the problem, and briefly indicate the key to Augustine’s solution.
The problem with evil, is that if God exists then why does evil exist. The Manicheans that instead of one all powerful God there are just good and evil. Augustine utilized Plato’s belief that evil is a privation. As blindness is the privation of sight, evil is the absence of good. Thus, evil is not something created by God.
What group taugh Augustine dualism and believed in good and evil being the two sources of all things?
The Manicheans
What do the Skeptics believe?
The Skeptics believed that humans are not capable of achieving certainy in knowledge. So the wisest course was to hold judgement and make no claims.
What two reasons did Augustine give for why he rejected Skepticism?
We know that I exist and that the principle of contradiction exists.
Why did Augustin reject his faith?
The Problem of Evil
According to Augustine what is that view that has 2 tenets/ 2 elements? Name those 2 tenets.
The Great Chain of Being.
- DIfferent levels or degrees of being
- Being and goodness are together proportional
Explain evil is a privation.
Evil is not something real in a positive sense, rather, it is the privation or absences of goodness.
According to Augustine what is the root cause of moral or human evil?
It is the misuse of our free will.
What is evil?
A privation
Who is famous for the ontological argument?
Anselm
What is the short ontological argument?
The statement “God does not exist” is a self contradictory statement.
What is the heart of ontological argument?
God is perfect in every way. It is greater to exist than not to exist. The statement “God does not exist” is therefor a self contradictory statement. To think that something that is completely perfect that is not completely perfect because it doesn’t exist is a contradiction. Since self-contradictory statements are false, the statement “God does not exist” is false.
Who famously criticized Anslem’s argument?
Gaunilo
Explain one criticism of Anslem’s ontological argument?
Just because we can think of perfect things does not prove their existence.
Who was Aquinas famous teacher?
Albert the Great
What name do we give to this overlap between faith and reason?
Natural theology
Name one example of Natural Theology
The existence of god and ethics
Gaunilo was an atheist?
False
Aquinas claimed Aristotle was almost right?
Existence
If you have a dog or a horse what composition are they?
Double composition of matter and form
What did Aquinas think of angels as?
A single composition of form and existence
God has no composition
Because God’s existence and essence are the same thing
What does Quinque Viae translate to?
Five waves/proofs for the existence of god
What is the short cosmological argument?
For the world to be the way it is god must exist.
What is the long cosmological argument?
The world is composed of contingent things. Contingent things require an explanation for their existence. Other contingent things, even an infinite number of them, cannot fully explain why any of them exist.
What are the 3 criticisms of the cosmological argument?
Any claim about God is beyond the limits of human knowledge.
It commits the fallacy of composition.
The why not objection.
What is the Argument from Design?
Any complex system requires an intelligent designer. the universe is a complex integrated system, and complex system requires an intelligent designer
What’s the criticism of the Argument of Design?
Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Some designs are by accident or mutation.
What is Occam’s Razor?
If you have two theories that explain the same data, the one that you choose is the simpler of the two.
Aristotle was the tutor of what famous person?
Alexander the Great
What two sciences did Aristotle create?
Biology and Logic
In the Categories, Aristotle set out to divide all of reality into its basic types. What is the main category and the name given to the other nine as a group.
The main one is called substance, and the other nine are called accidents.
Define substance?
Substance is that which can exist on its own.
Define accidents?
The accidents aren’t themselves things. They are different ways that a thing can exist; the properties of a thing
According to Aristotle every physical objects are composed of what two things?
Matter and Form
What is matter?
Potential being.
What is form?
Actual being
What are the 3 principles of change?
Matter, form, privation
Explain the difference between matter, form, and privation?
Matter is an material object. Form refers to the new property that will be gained through a change. Privation refers to the lack or absence of that property prior to the change.
What is the difference between Aristotle and Parmenides?
Parmenides allowed for only one kind of being (fully actualized being). Aristotle recognized both potential being and actualized being. Matter is the key to Aristotle’s solution.
Which of the Four Causes answers The How?
Efficient Cause
Which of the Four Causes answers The Why?
Final Cause
What is the greek word for natural substance?
Entelechy
Explain Aristotle’s moral theory
Aristotle’s moral theory is “teleological”” we begin by focusing on our end, and then figure out what helps us reach that goal and what prevents us from getting there.
Define teleology
the idea that things are directed toward an end goal. Things develop as they do for a reason.
According to Aristotle all human actions are headed towards on goal. And that goal is?
Happiness
What are the virtues?
Habits or dispositions that help us flourish or thrive as human beings.
How do we acquire the virtues?
Practice
Virtue is the mean between which two extremes?
excess and deficiency
Someone who wants to overindulge in the pleasures of life, but manages to abstain, through a tremendous effort of will does not yet fully possess the virtue of temperance or moderation.
True
Its not second nature.
