Philosphy of the person
1. How does Anselm define freewill?( a. the power of preserving the rectitude of will for its own sake. b. The power of preserving justice within sinful actions c. Resisting the temptation of sin d. The ability to think in rational and intellectual thought
A- Anselm on Freedom of Choice Chapter 13)
2. Does Aquinas believe that the last end is the same for all people?(Summa Theologica Q1 Article 7)
Aquinas does not give a straightforward answer but he gives reasoning to why it could be yes or could be no, depending on ones point of view. If the last end is the same for all then that is because all people want some sort of fulfillment and reaching this fulfillment is the end goal. However, the answer could be no in that there could be disagreement on what brings fulfillment. If different things fulfill people differently, then it can be argued that everyone has a different last end.
2) According to Thomas Aquinas, what are the four words, "referring in a way, to the same thing?" a. Dilection, love, friendship, and joy b. Dilection, love, friendship, and charity c. Dilection, love, charity, and romance d. Lust, love, friendship, and joy
B-Correct: Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica Question 26, Article 3
According to Augustine and his Privation theory, which of his three premises about the world must we deny? a. God is all good b. Evil exists c. Evil is the lack of good d. God is all powerful
B. Evil exists (Confessions Book I)
2. Which of the following is not one of the three loves that Aquinas mentions a. Natural b. Sensitive c. Erotic d. Intellectual
C- (Summa Theologica Q26 Article 1)
1. According to Anselm which of the following is not an aspect of power? a. Having power b. The item acted on by the power c. The lack of power d. The absence of things to hinder the power
C- correct answer- (Anselm On Free Will Ch. 3)
1. According to Anselm which of the following is not an aspect of power? a. Having power b. The item acted on by the power c. The lack of power d. The absence of things to hinder the power
C-correct answer-(Anselm On Free Will Ch. 3)
According to Aquinas, which of the following is NOT a concupiscible passion? a. Love b. Joy c. Fear d. Desire
C. Fear (Summa Theologica, Question 23 Article 1)
3) What is Anselm's definition of free will? (Anselm On Free Will Ch. 13)
Free will is the preservation of the rectitude of the will for its own sake.
2. Explain Augustine's claim that the vices seek to imitate God in some way.
Humans emulate God because he is omnipotent. The mortal understanding of God's omnipotence is that he does not have to adhere to any rules. In an attempt to be like God, humans seek an apparent good. Vices contain counterfeit beauty, which functions as apparent good. For example, the vice of ambition strives for honor and glory, while ignorance is disguised as innocence and simplicity. Souls that wander from God actually imitate him and by doing so, proclaim him creator because they emulate his perfection. (Confessions Bk. 2 Ch. 6, paragraphs 3-4)
2) Why is free will stronger than temptation when we often still choose temptation?
Temptation makes it hard to do the right thing but you can still choose to do the right thing. Only will conquers will. We always have the same power in our will; sometimes we just choose not to use it to the same degree. In other words, we always have the power or ability to choose to do the right thing; we just might not choose to use it in every individual act that we make. (On Freedom of Choice ch.6 and ch.7)
4. Briefly describe the three major reasons Augustine cites for stealing the pears?
1. Evil for evil's sake 2. imitation of God 3. Comradery Augustine states that he has eaten plenty of better pears in his life and that he stole the pears for simply the sake of stealing them. He describes himself as "feasting on sin," with only "the criminal act that lent it savor." The next reason he cites is that all forms of sin are an attempt to be more like God because we are not God. In this way, theft like all other vices is a reflection of a power recognized that God alone possesses. For Augustine, to get away with this theft mirrors the omnipotence of God Himself. The last reason Augustine cites from his crime is that of comradarie; he notes that he never would have completed the sinful task alone, and he loved his company with other sinners. In this way, Augsutine recognizes there was a group mentality, which severely influenced him. HE also states that it could not have been enough to want to steal the pears alone or to do it for evil's sake because if this were true he would have stolen the pears alone. Source: Confessions Book 2, Chapters 6 and 8
1) According to Anselm, what are the four parts of a power? a. Having the power, the thing seen, the medium which helps, and the absence of what hinders b. Having the power, the thing seen, the medium which helps, and the presence of what hinders c. Acknowledging the power without having the power, the thing seen, the medium which helps, and the absence of what hinders d. Acknowledging the power without having the power, the thing seen, the medium which helps, and the presence of what hinders
A-Correct [Anselm 'ON FREE WILL' Chapter 3]
2. How does Anselm distinguish the difference between the power of will and the individual act of willing?
A. Anselm explains the power of will with the analogy of sight, where the individual act of willing is seeing something. The ability to see does not determine if we will act and use our vision to see something. In another example, the power of will that is strength is the individual act of lifting something. Again, the ability to be strong and to have innate strength does not determine if we act and demonstrate this ability. (Anselm On Freedom of Choice Chapter 7)
2. According to Anselm, can temptation conquer free will? Why or why not?
According to Anselm no one is deprived of their rectitude of the will by temptation. The only thing that can deprive someone of their freewill is their own will. The example Anselm uses is when faced with either being killed or telling a lie and says that a man can be killed unwillingly because he cannot will to die; but he cannot will unwillingly because one cannot will to will against his own will. He wills to abandon his freewill by lying for the sake of his life, not for the lie. So he is not unwillingly abandoning his freewill. Answer: On Free Will chp 5
4) According to Aquinas what is a passion, what are the two classifications of passions, and what are the passions in each category? (Aquinas Summa Theologica Q23)
According to Aquinas passion is the movement of the irrational soul when we imagine good or evil. The two types of passions are Irascible, passions that regard good or evil as difficult, and Concupiscible, which regards good or evil simply. The Irascible passions are hope/despair, fear/daring, and anger. The concupiscible passions are love/ hate, desire/aversion, and joy/sadness.
2. Why does Augustine say that greed is the reason people usually associate with criminal acts?
According to Augustine, humans are drawn to the beauty of material goods or other goods they can grasp, like worldly rank and companionship, but these are beautiful things of a low degree as they cannot compare to God. Thus, when a criminal act is carried out, it is blamed on greed. This blame is placed because the criminal must have had greed to steal another's goods that he wished to be his, or he had a fear of losing his own goods. People trace most crimes back to this idea that the criminal was greedy for some sort of good. (Confessions, Book 2)
2. How does Augustine perceive the death of his mother, and how does he perceive his reaction to the death of his dearest friend in Book 4 at the time?
According to Augustine, people cry for two reasons after other's death. The first is that the death is suffering, and the second is that they perceive death as complete extinction. However, his mother neither died in misery nor died altogether. Monica died peacefully, and for both Monica (his mother) and Augustine, death is not the end. What gives him the sharp inward pain is that he felt pain over his mother's death (the "double sadness"), but not because of his mother's death. When he saw the dead body of his mother, he cried because his mother appeared to be died, but he understand that it is just the soul leaves the body behind, and body isn't of importance. He thought his reaction to the death of his dearest friend was boyish because at the time he believed death was the end. (Confession Book IX Chapter 8-12; Book IV chapter 8-9)
2. Which of the following is not one of the powers of seeing a body, according to Anselm? a. Having the power to see b. The object to be seen c. The medium which helps see d. The time of day e. The Absence of what impedes sight
Answer: d On Free Will chp 3
1. According to Anselm, why is it impossible to think God does not exist?
Anselm believes that God exists so truly that there is no way he cannot exist. If someone were to believe God did not exist, and instead believed in some greater being, then this person would be thinking of a creature that exists above its creator. If this were to occur, then it would be able to judge its creator. According to Anselm, this belief is absurd because not only is God the creator, but no one is able to judge Him because he possesses existence to the highest degree and is the one which no higher being can be thought of. (Proslogion, chapter 3-4)
1. According to Anselm, how can it be thought that God truly exists?
Anselm says that God is something in which nothing greater can be thought. He goes on to say that a fool may understand this in his mind but not in reality because it is one thing for an object to exist in the mind and another thing to believe that object actually exists. But, something that which a greater good cant be thought, exists both in the mind and reality. God so truly exists that he cant even be thought not to exists because he possesses existence to the highest degree. Answer found: Anselm- Chapter 2 and 3.
1. What are the four types of belief about God's existence that Anselm talks about in the Proslogion?(Anselm Proslogion)
Anselm says that the four opinions people could have about God's existence include atheism, Agnosticism, Theism, or that God is conceivable only as nonexistent. The Atheist believes that god does not exist and could not exist in any possible way. The agnostic would say that they do not really know, and that god could either exist or not exist. The theist believes that god exists necessarily. The last category is that god is conceivable only as nonexistent.
How does Anselm describe the final goodness that is god?
Anselm, through some fairly confusing language comes to the conclusion that God is whatever it is better to be than not to be. For example, if it is better to be wise than not wise, God is wise. Furthermore, Anselm defines go as he, who existing through Himself alone, makes all other beings from nothing. Anselm includes this section in order to declare that there is no being higher than or equal to god who has the power of creation. Anselm 5
Question 2 Which of the three appetites is the closest to a passion? a) Natural appetite b) Sensitive appetite c) Intellectual appetite
Answer b) Sensitive appetite
What is not one of the concupiscible passions? a) Love b) Hatred c) Joy d) Daring
Answer d) Daring (Summa Theologica: Question 23 - Article 4)
1. Which of the following is not of the 4 remedies of sorrow mentioned in the Summa? a. Pleasure b. Solitude c. Contemplation of truth d. Rest
Answer- B- found in the Summa Question 36 Article 38.
2. Which of the following is not one of the reasons why Augustine stole pears from a neighbor's tree with his friends? a. The sin itself b. Comraderie with his friends c. The thrill d. He was hungry
Answer- D- Confessions Book 2- Chapter 4,8,9
Which of the following does Anselm define as God, in his ontological argument? A. Something than which nothing greater can be thought B. The Highest Being C. The Father Almighty D. Creator of Heaven and Earth
Answer: A (Proslogion Ch 2)
1. For Aquinas, a passion causes 3 things in the soul of a patient. Which of the following is not amongst them? A. Desire B. Inclination C. Movement D. Rest
Answer: A (ST I-II Q 23 A 4 CO.)
2. According to Anselm, what concept is described as the power of preserving the rectitude of will for its own sake? a. Pleasure b. Free Will c. Grace d. Existence
Answer: B On Freedom of Choice, Chapter 13
1. Why does Augustine only feel half alive after his friend's death? a. He had been sick too. b. He felt they had been one soul in two bodies. c. He felt his friend took all Augustine's happiness with him when he died. d. He was being punished.
Answer: B (Confessions, Book 4, Chapter 6, line 20).
1. Which of the following is not one of the pairs of irascible passions laid out by Aquinas? a. Hope / Despair b. Anger / Happiness c. Fear / Daring d. All of the above are irascible passions
Answer: B (Summa Theologica, First part of the second part, Question 23)
1. Which of the following passions is not one of the six found in the concupiscible faculties? a. Love b. Aversion c. Despair d. Joy
Answer: C Summa Theologica, Question 23, Article 4
2. According to Anselm, what is the only thing that can overcome will? a. Temptation b. Truthfulness c. Will d. Evil
Answer: C (On Free Will, Chapter 5)
1) According to Augustine his young friendship with a Manichean fell short of true friendship because: a. They did not share common interests b. They did not wish good things to the other c. Goodwill has to be given by God in order to make each friend virtuous d. It was an unequal friendship
Answer: C Confessions Book 4 Ch. 4
2. Anselm defines Free Will as... a. The ability to act without consequences. b. Being an independent person. c. A strong temptation to act without any discretion. d. The preservation of the rectitude of will for its own sake.
Answer: D (Anselm, on Free Will, Chapter 13, Line 12)
2) All of these passions belong to the concupiscible except: a. Love b. Hate c. Desire d. Despair
Answer: D Summa Theologica Question 23 Article 1
3. According to Anselm, free will is defined as: a. The preservation of the rectitude of will for its own sake b. The ability to act at one's own discretion c. That than which no greater can be conceived d. Not applicable since Anselm did not believe in free will
Answer: a (Anselm - On Free Will Chapter 5)
4. Which of the loves is a passion according to Aquinas? a. Natural love b. Sensitive love c. Intellectual love d. Platonic love
Answer: b (Summa Theologica I-II, Question 26, Articles 1 and 2)
1. Which of the following attributes are not given to God by Augustine? a. He is hidden yet intimately present b. He is steadfast but elusive c. He is of an earlier time, but always new d. He is ever active but ever at rest
Answer: c, confessions chapter 4
2. How does Aquinas define free will? a. "the faculty of will and reason" b. "the pursuit of the good" c. "the ability to act for an end" d. "a god given gift"
Aquinas Q.1 a.1
3. Briefly describe Aquinas' three types of love.
Aquinas recognizes 3 types of love when asserting that love falls under the concupiscible power: natural, sensitive, and intellectual. Natural love follows the natural appetite, which seeks things that are suitable to objects according to their nature— teleologically. The sensitive appetite is similar to the natural appetite; however, the sensitive love is guided by reason to pursue those things that fulfill one's nature. This is different from the natural appetite because it requires the rational ability. Lastly, the intellectual love is derived from and relates to free will, because human beings share in freedom to choose as they obey reason. Source: ST I-II A 26 CO
2. According to Aquinas in the Summa Theologica, what is the definition a law and the 4 parts a law must have?
Aquinas writes that a law is an ordinance of reason for the common good made by the one who has care of the community and promulgated. Law is a rule and measure of acts that either induce a man to act or restrains a man from acting. A law must have the following four parts- it must restrain or direct, be aimed towards happiness (the final end), directed for everyone (common good), and created by the ruler or the person who has care of the whole people. Answer- Summa Theologica- Question 90
Describe Augustine's pear tree dilemma. What did he do, and why does he believe he did this?
Augustine and his friends stole pears from a neighbor's pear tree in their neighborhood. In his Confessions, he questions his motives and what caused him to commit this evil, and if at the time he knew it was evil. He questions whether it was for the camaraderie or gang mentality, and whether or not he would have done it alone. He figures out that though it is a possibility, it is most likely not the case, as those things have no true worth. He wonders if the sin was for the thrill or pleasure of stealing the fruit, or if it was for pride, honor, or independence and rebellion. The only real conclusion he comes to is that it is an example of sin for the sake of sin, crime for the sake of crime. At the time, he saw some good come of it, but does not make it justifiable looking back on it. Augustine regrets this situation, confesses, and apologizes to God in his writings of it. Source: Confessions Book 2, St. Augustine
1. Why did Augustine believe that crying over his mother's death was childish?
Augustine believed that crying over his mother's death was childish because he believed there were only two reasons in which it is ok to cry over someone's death. The first reason was if the deceased passed away whiling suffering and in misery. The second reason would be if death marked complete extinction and was considered a final end. Augustine did not think it was appropriate to be sad over his mother's death because she neither died suffering nor died altogether. He was only sad that he was feeling sadness at all over his mother's death. (Confessions IX, Chapter 12)
2. How did Augustine see great friendship with regards to the soul? How did this correlate to his emotions after his friend's death?
Augustine saw great friendship as sharing one soul between two bodies; a friend is half one's own soul and one is half a friend's soul. After his friend's death, Augustine feared death more than anything because he wanted to keep half of his friend alive. However, at the same time Augustine felt miserable because he was only half alive himself. (Confessions Book 4 Chapter 6)
2. Which of the following can be considered a concupiscible passion according to Thomas Aquinas? a. Fear b. Love c. Daring d. Hope
B- Source: Aquinas. Summa Theologica, Q. 23.
2. Which of the following is not an irascible desire according to St. Thomas Aquinas? a. Hope b. Joy c. Fear d. Daring
B- correct answer-(Summa Theologica Q23 A.1)
According to Thomas Aquinas, is love in the concupiscible or irascible power? Can it be considered a passion? Explain
Concupiscible passions are based on absolute goods and evils. Aquinas begins his explanation by comparing Love to the appetite. There are three types of appetites: Natural appetite and sensitive appetite and the rational appetite. He relates love to these appetites by saying that Love represents the movement made according to each appetite that facilitates the reaches of Love's final end. As a result, Aquinas concludes that Love must be concupiscible because it regards the good as a final end. Once again, Aquinas uses the appetite to determine whether love is a passion. He determines that passions are the effect that an agent has upon a person, and appetite gives movement towards the search of appetible things. Since the movement of Love consists of moving towards appetible things, it is a passion. He explains his deep sorrow not because his mother had died, but because Source: Summa Theologica I-II, Q.26. a. 1-2.
1. Define what Aquinas meant by passions being either concupiscible or irascible, and give a few examples.
Concupiscible passions are the passions that are about the sensible good or evil absolutely, which causes pleasure or pain. Some examples of concupiscible passions are love/hate, desire/ aversion, and joy/sadness. Irascible passions are still about what is good or evil, but it is also about how difficult it is to obtain or avoid them. Examples of irascible passions are hope/despair, fear/daring. Aquinas says that since passions are movements of the sensitive appetite, the passions of the concupiscible are distinct from that of the irascible. A comparison is as follows: If an object is good you will want it, and if it is bad you will hate it (concupiscible). Once you've identified something you love, you see that as a good that is either difficult to obtain or an evil that is difficult to avoid (irascible). Answer: Summa Theologica I-II: Q.23, Article 1.
1. According to Aquinas, what are the concupiscible loves and the irascible appetites?
Concupiscible: Love/ Hate Desire/Aversion Joy/Sadness Irascible: Hope/Despair Fear/Daring Anger
Augustine uses what recurring example from his childhood when discussing evil and motivation? a) Stealing from the pear tree b) Learning bad words from peers c) Disobeying his parents d) Fighting at school
Correct Answer: A Source: Confessions Book 2, St. Augustine
2. According to Anselm, which of the following is not included in the power of seeing a body? a) The distance between the object and the one seeing b) The one seeing c) The thing to be seen d) What helps e) What does not impede
Correct Answer: A Source: The Major Works on Free Will (Chapter 3), Anselm
1. Which of the following is not the three types of love pertaining to appetite according to Aquinas? A. Natural Love B. Sensitive Love C. Irrational Love D. Intellectual Love
Correct Answer: C (Summa Theologica Q26 A1)
2. Which of the following is not one of the four powers of seeing a body according to Anselm? A. Having the power of seeing B. The medium which helps C. The things seen D. Having the knowledge of the object
Correct Answer: D (Proslogion: On Freedom of Choice; Chapter 3)
1. Which of the following is NOT one of Augustine's motivations for stealing the pears? A. Camaraderie B. Emulation of the perfection of God C. A need for food D. The thrill of performing a forbidden act
Correct answer: C. (Confessions Bk. 2 Ch. 4, paragraph 1)
2. Which of the following is NOT a correct pairing of concupiscible passions? A. Love/hatred B. Desire/aversion C. Hope/despair D. Joy/sadness
Correct answer: C. (Summa Theologica Q. 23 A. 4 "I answer that" paragraph 4)
1) According to Aquinas, is sorrow contrary to contemplation?
If you think of the object contemplated as either a pleasant object or a painful object, then sorrow can contrast contemplation. But if you mean the act of contemplating that contemplation is perfection in itself. Therefore contemplation is not meant to destroy an alternative or evil, because it is impossible not to think. This is true for God, but for humans who are attached to bodies anything that harms the body will be a sorrow that contradicts contemplation. (Summa Theologica Question 35 Article 5)
What argument does Anselm give as the proof for God's existence?
Initially, Anselm distinguishes between what is in the mind and what is in reality. From this, he claims that what is in reality is greater than what is in the mind; just having a dog in real life is better than only have a dog in your mind. Because of this proof, Anselm says that since God is the greatest conceivable being possible, God must exist. If you can believe that there is something that is far greater than anything else, it must also be in reality because what is in reality is greater than what is in our mind. Anselm claims that this is the only proof that someone would need to prove the existence of God if you claim that the concept of God is the greatest conceivable being. (Proslogion: Chapter 2 -3)
What is Thomas Aquinas's definition of law, and what are the four types of law?
Law is an "ordinance of reason for the common good, made by he who has care of the community, which is promulgated." Any law which is not all of those things is not considered valid to Thomas, and one needs not be held accountable for it. The four types of law are eternal (laws of the universe), natural (laws of reason, which apply to humans), human (law as we know it), and divine (God's law, directs to our end). Source: Summa Theologica Q90, Thomas Aquinas
1. What are the four parts of a power according to Anselm?
The four parts of a power are: having the power, the thing being seen, a medium that helps, and the absence of that which hinders sight. Anselm further explains this by describing a man seeing a mountain. If there is no mountain, he cannot see it, though he may have sight. Similarly, if it is dark, he cannot see it. If both the mountain and light are present, but there is an obstruction blocking his view, he still cannot see it though he has sight. (On Freedom of Choice Ch.3 pg. 180, paragraphs 4-6)
2. According to Anselm, what four powers are needed for seeing a 'body?'
The four powers involved in seeing a body include having the power to see it, the presence of the object itself, the medium through which you are able to see it, and the absence of what hinders us. He defines the first two as the one seeing and the thing being seen, respectively. The medium is neither the thing seeing nor being seen so one must distinguish between the medium that helps (and use it) and making sure what impedes does not impede. (Anselm, on Free Will, Chapter 3, page 181).
1. According to Anselm in On Free Will, which of the following is NOT a part of the power of seeing a body? a. The thing seen-rectitude of the will b. The medium which helps c. The ability to reason d. The absence of what hinders
Real Answer: Having the power to see. Source: Anselm, On Free Will. Ch 3. How free will is had after they have made themselves slaves of sin and what free will is. not sure whats happening with this one
2. In Anselm's writing On Freedom of Choice, what are the four powers of seeing a body?
The four powers of seeing a body begin with the power of seeing in the one who sees. The second power is in the thing to be seen. The third power is in respect to what is in the medium, which helps to see, an example being light. Last is the absence of what hinders us from sight. It is the power consisting in the fact that nothing is obstructing the view. If one of these four powers is missing, the other three are unable to accomplish the proper result. One can only see a body when all four are present. (On Freedom of Choice, Chapter 3)
1. What are the 11 passions that the irascible and concupiscible passions divide into?
The irascible passions have an inclination to seek the good or shun the evil and involve a difficulty in obtaining or avoiding something. There are five irascible passions -- they divide into fear and daring, hope and despair, and anger which does not have a contrary passion. There are six concupisible passions and they are about good and evil simply and each have a contrary passion. They divide into love and hatred, desire and aversion, and joy and sadness. (Summa Theologica, Question 23, Article 4).
1. Briefly describe how love is properly divided into love of friendship and love of concupiscence according to Aquinas.
The movement of love has two definitions. The first definition of love is to wish good to someone, which means to love the "someone" you wished good to, and that definition applies to love of friendship; the second definition of love is to love the things you wish to that person, and that definition applies to the love of concupiscence. Then the love is divided to primary love and secondary love. The love of friendship is loved simply and for itself, so it is the primary love. The love of concupiscence, on the other hand, is not the love for itself but the love of something for that person. You simply cannot have the love of concupiscence without the love of friendship, so the love of concupiscence is relative love. (Summa Theologica: Q26 A4)
1. What are the 11 passions of the soul according to Aquinas?
The passions can be broken down into pairs of good and evil according to both types of faculties. The concupiscible faculty's three passion pairs are: love/hate, desire/aversion, and joy/sadness. The irascible faculty's three passion pairs are: hope/despair, fear/daring, and anger with no contrary. All passions of the soul are contained in these 11 passions. (Summa Theologica I-II, Question 23, Article 4)
What does Augustine mean when he states "one soul in two persons"?
When Augustine is referring to "one soul in two person" he is claiming that through his time with his friend, he has become extremely close to him, so close that he claims they now share a soul together. It is like his soul is split between him and his friend, and his friend's soul is split between him and Augustine. This becomes a large part of why he is so distraught at his friend's death and later his mother's death. He claims that when he lost his friend a part of him also died because the two of them were attached to each other so closely so that by living, his friend is also living on. Augustine uses this phrase to show how close he is with those close to him. (Confessions: Book 4 - Chapter 6)
How does Augustine explain his theft of the pears during his adolescence?
When Augustine recounts the anecdote of how he stole pears from a neighbor's tree, he explains his possible motivations behind it. He suggests that perhaps theft might be justified if it is really needed, but he admits that he did not need the pears he stole. He only did it for the thrill of stealing something. He admits that although the pears that he stole were beautiful because they were a creation of God, he possessed better things and did not have a need for them. He even admits that it lacked a "shadowy beauty" of vice. During his recollection, he suggests that he might have stolen the pears to feel omnipotent in breaking the law. Another possible reason he cites is the feeling of camaraderie that he felt when he stole the pears with his friends. He reinforces this notion by stating that, had he been alone, he would not have stolen the pears. These are the possible explanations he provides for his theft of the pears. Source: St. Augustine. Confessions Book II, Ch. 5,6,8.
1. Briefly explain Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine's views on evil.
a. Plato argues that the only reason to do something evil is if you are wrong about the good, which is ignorance. The solution, according to Plato, would be education. Aristotle argues that human's are defined by akrasia that is moral weakness. Aristotle writes that we desire the apparent good and act on it, but sometimes are overcome with passion. This is the irrational overcoming the ration. We know something is good but we cannot do it because we are morally weak. Augustine believes that evil is the absence of a good that ought to be there. Thus, evil is not a thing that exists, rather a lack of what should exist. (Plato and Aristotle's readings, Confessions Book II)
2) In Augustine's Confessions, he reflects on the times he sinned with his friends as a young boy, such as when he would steal pears. List the four reasonings he provides as to why he may have committed such sins.
a. [Found in Augustine's Confessions Book II, Chapters 6, 8, and 9] 1) Doing it for no apparent reason at all, but just as something to do 2) Doing evil just for evil's sake 3) Doing it for the apparent good of being, or trying to be like God (the emulation of a perfection of God's omnipotence); being that God is omnipotent and doesn't have to follow any other being's rules, in not listening to the rules, Augustine would be 'imitating' God 4) Doing it for the apparent good of friendship, or camaraderie - bringing Augustine and his friends closer together.
1) How do the 'irascible' and 'concupiscible' passions differ? What are the concupiscible and irascible passion contraries?
a. [Found in Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica Question 23 Articles 1, 3, and 4] The irascible and the concupiscible are two powers into which the sensitive appetite is divided. The passions of the irasicible faculty are specifically distinct from those of the concupiscible part. Whatever passions regard good or evil absolutely, belong to the concupiscible power, whereas those passions which regard good or bad as arduous, through being difficult to obtain or avoid, belong to the irascible faculty. The contrary passions of the concupiscible faculty are love and hate, desire and aversion, and joy and sadness. The contrary passions of the irascible faculty are hope and despair, fear and daring, and anger, which does not have a direct contrary.
