SCI 210 Exam 1 (NCC Dr Kelley Winter 2019)

what was socrates thoughts about understanding?

"understanding cannot be given, it must be created though dialogue"

who formalize "natural philosophy"?

Aristotle

who created metaphysics? why?

Aristotle; he didn't agree with Plato

what did hippocrates say about food and medicine?

"our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food"

define epistemology

"study of knowledge"/ how knowledge is obtained

Who is aristotle?

(384-322 BCE), 17 years old, studied under plato

Explain sociological change

- change in Zeitgeist - social forces shape our "normal science" - change happens when society is ready - most ideas existed long before someone great "discovered" them

define teleological

- "telos"= end; "logos"=reason - change= the movement from potential (what is) to actual (purpose or goal state)

Nazi Germany example of "normal" science

- Aryan Physics= focus on applied physics (engineering) - do not fun to teach theoretical physics - remove the problem of theoretical (jewish) physics= Albert Einstein & other scientist fled to USA -> Manhattan project)

What was Platos goal?

- Plato was depressed after execution of socrates - he left athens - returned on mission to "pursue the truth"

How does Plato say we achieve truth?

- THINK (about the right things)

what is the Demiurge?

- a craftsman city who fashioned the physical world in the light of the eternal truths, creating 2 realms (Plato) - takes chaos and organizes/arranges it according to the models of eternal forms

define allegory

- a story where everything means something else

why was it important for plato and Aristotle to establish schools?

- credentialing people who are educated in their kind of education/thought - established groups control education, publication, and money

why is funding important?

- exploration is expensive (money and resources drive science) - controlling funding= controlling topics - scientist working within the boundaries of established science are more likely to get funding

What is Plato's cave?

- from Plato's Republic, Book 7 - an allegory - it is a dialogue/converstaion between socrates and a student names Glaucen (Plato's older brother)

Babylonia?

- in fertile crescent (between Mediterranean sea and Persian gulf) - farming (good land) -> rise of agriculture

what did Jean Piaget say about how kids understanding changes?

- it is not a linear (continuous) model that starts at 0 at birth - it is more like a stair (discontinuous) model

what are critical periods?

- it is when their is a jump" up of understanding on the start model - point in time when an organism (humans?) are ready to change

define civilization

- latin "civilis" = citizen; "civitas"= city - a complex society characterized by urban development, social stratification, symbolic communication forms (write and math) - control over natural environment

Why does plato say we need to think about math?

- math=universal language - math=never changing

key points to Plato's cave

- mistake appearance for reality - sensible world only gives us opinions (opinion=shadow of truth, sophists teach how to express opinion forcefully) - true knowledge only comes from intelligible - liberations from the chains of sensation is difficult - others will reject you for trying to shoe them the truth

Explain key analogies of Plato's cave

- people chained to wall= us - chains= sense perceptions - shadows on wall= our reality - outside the cave= ideal world

Who is Jean Piaget?

- swiss - understand how kids change

Plato's opinion on the perfect dog?

- the ideal dog exists in the form/ideal world - all different breeds in material world are imperfect representations of the perfect dog

what is a sexagesimal system?

- used in babylonia - base 60 (easily divisible by 1,2,3,4,5,6,10,12,15,20,30,60) - used still (60 sec, 60 min, 12 month, 12 hours)

is soul weight scale real? (for fun)

-Duncan MacDougall (1907) - deathbed scale to measure weight before and after death - human soul= 21 g - dog soul= 0 g - sheep= soul sucker (gained weight after death)

what are the 4 types of math?

1. Arithmetic- study of numbers and operations on them (add, sub, must, div) 2. Algebra- "reunion of broken parts"; use of abstractions, letters, to stand for numbers that are either unknown or allowed to take on many values 3. Geometry- question of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space 4. Analysis (Calc)- branch of math deal ing with limits, differential, and integration

3 ways to deal with new information

1. Assimilation- make new info fit into existing schema 2. accommodation- chain schema to fit new info 3. ignore

4 elements as told by medicine

1. Blood/liver- (hot, wet) 2. Yellow bile/spleen (hot, dry) 3. Phlegm/brain/lungs (cold, wet) 4. Black bile/ gall bladder (cold, dry)

2 parts of a paradigm

1. Core Assumptions- how we define & answer the "big" questions 2. Methods- models of acceptable research, how we acquire and explain evidence.

what are our two competing paradigms?

1. Disciplinary matrix (aristotle) 2. shared examplars (plato)

what are the 2 types of facts (and define)?

1. Empirical- directly observable 2. Philosophical/conceptual- those which are logically inferred

4 terrestrial elements and their properties

1. Fire (hot, dry) 2.Air (hot, wet) 3. Water (cold, wet) 4. Earth (cold, dry)

What 2 things do you need to understand something? (aristotle)

1. Form- what is appears to be (look like) (ex. color, weight, texture, shape) 2. Terrestrial Matter- what is is composed of

what two types of maths were used in Babylon?

1. Geometry 2. Arithmetic?

5 types of evidence, define, limitation, strength

1. Intuition: "gut feeling" - strength: act fast - limitation: emotions 2.Tenacity- relying on tradition - strength: it's always worked - limitation: resistant to change/ not always relevant 3. Authority- people who are supposed to know more than me - strength: people who specialize in something - limitation: corrupt people/ blind faith 4. Rational- are the things rationally connected? - strength: makes sense - limitation: connected dent always mean true 5. Empirical- tests to observe and measure - strength: numbers don't lie - limitation: doesn't factor everything

Aristotle's 4 components of change (and explanation)

1. Material (what something is made of) 2. Formal (what something looks like) 3. Efficient (agent that brings about the change) 4. Final (purpose that is served by the change)

5 class policies

1. Principle A: Beneficence & Nonmaleficence - "do no harm" 2. Principle B: Fidelity & Responsibility - attendance 3. Principle C: Integrity - honesty 4. Principle D: Justice - communication & trust 5. Principle E: Respect for People's Rights & Dignity - professional behavior, repeating the worth of others

2 disagreements that aristotle had with plato

1. Sensible objects have an autonomous existence (autonomous= existing, reacting, or developing as an independent, self-regulating system) 2. Knowledge is empirical (nothing can be known apart from existence- and experience must be carefully measured and classified)

3 models of change

1. Structural- change in process (models) of science/NP 2. Psychological- change in the individual 3. sociological- change in a group (system change)

2 underlying dimensions (unseen qualities) of matter

1. Thermal Property (Hot <--> Cold) 2. Humidity Property (Dry <--> Wet)

What is the quest of this class? (3 parts)

1. adventure through the past 2. appreciate and understand the present 3. move towards a better future

5 step process for imposing order

1. describe 2. explain (understand) 3. predict 4. control 5. decide

2 realms according to plato

1. form/ideal world- exists apart from the chaos 2. material world- the physical world that we see

process of creating (as explained by a table)

1. imagine the perfect table (ideal realm) 2. construct an inaccurate representation of the perfect table (material world can never reach perfection)

4 components of change- rock on mountain

1. material: 2. form: change in shape as pieces break off as it falls 3. efficient: the wind pushed the rock 4. final: a rock falls because it's goal (potential) is to be closer to the home element, earth

what are the different levels of soul

1. rational (movement towards potential; humans) 2. Sensory locomotive (sense and move; animals) 3. vegetative/ nutritive (growth and reproduction; plants)

what are the guides (3) for appropriate questions?

1. reasonable (fit) 2. answerable 3. useful

define CE and BCE

CE: common era BCE: before common era

Plato's Paradigm

Core Beliefs - there is an external model of truth/perfection - unchanging truth Methods - quiet contemplation - think about math

explain aristotle's paradigm

Core Beliefs - truth is in the reality - sensible objects have an autonomous existence Methods - careful observation, description, and classification

T/F: operational definitions are always true

False- they don't have to be true but they have to be quantifiable; operation definitions can change form person to person

T/F: Aristotle advocated for experimentation

False; aristotle said that experimentation/manipulation changes nature, and we thus observe the artificial

T/F: new ideas/things can come into being

False; they can be newly discovered but have been around

why was geometry important in Babylon?

Land - how much is owned? (planning, use, buying) - crops: sell, seed, save for self - taxes: based on land - town/city planning - maps

highest form of reflection according to Plato

MATH

who codified the rules for "science"/ (year?)

Newton, 1687

plague example of 5 step process for imposing order (God)

Nimord has the plague 1. describe: he has black spots and tumors 2. explain: this is a punishment from God for unreported sins 3. predict: he will die and we will catch it 4. control: win God's favor by confession and repentance 5. decide: what do we do?

plague example of 5 step process for imposing order (medical)

Nimrod has the plague 1. describe: he has black spots and tumors 2. explain: "plague" is in the blood 3. predict: don't go near his blood, or you will catch it 4. control: remove the bad fluids- bleed him so that the disease leaves his body 5: decide: what do we do?

who are the center characters of Raphael's paining "School of Athens"? what are they each doing?

Plato- pointing to the sky (form realm) Aristotle- Pointing out (sensible world)

change=_______ (plato vs aristotle)

Plato: imperfection, not truth Aristotle: natural state of being, we need to understand the process of change

how to understand dog (plato vs aristotle)

Plato: to understand dog, separate yourself from dog, s not to get fooled by appearance, and think about the ideal dog Aristotle: to understand dog, carefully observe, think rationally, then you can understand and predict

who gave us our first paradigm? when?

Plato; 427-347 BCE

describe structural change/revolution diagram

Pre-paradigm (random fact gathering -> normal science (working a paradigm) -> anomaly -> normal science -> anomaly -> CRISIS -> Revolution --(change in view of science)--> normal science

who mentored plato?

Socrates

Prior to plato, who ran the education in athens? what was their focus?

Sophists- focus on eloquence of speech

what is the problem with the correspondence theory?

reality is objective and not verifiable

form world is ___________; material world is ____________

reality, imperfect

who gave us a model and contraction of the rules that we use (science)?

Thomas Kuhn- "The structure of scientific revolution"

Who/when was the word "science" first formally used?

William Whewell 1834

define paradigm

a general framework for defining the parameters of scientific inquiry

Define science/natural philosophy

a rule governed process for understanding the world

define world view

a system of interrelated and intertwined beliefs (jigsaw puzzle analogy). similar to a paradigm but includes peripheral beliefs

define fact

a thing that is indisputably the case

explain coherence theory (define coherence)

if a belief is true, it fits with other beliefs (being logical and constant, unified whole)

define truth

an accurate representation of reality; an indictable fact, concept, or construct

who tutored alexander the great?

aristotle

assumption and problem of coherence theory

assumption: the reality/belief system is a unified whole problem: the belief system can "create" the reality

zeitgeist is ______ picture and ortgeist is ________ picture

big, small

define parameters

boundaries of interest

define metaphysics

branch o philosophy that deals with the first principle of things or reality, including questions about being, substance, change, and identity

problem with scientific change

change threatens the established social order- threatens the people in charge who established the current ideas

define schemas

cognitive structures that organize info

what is necessary for us to impose order on a chaos of sense perceptions?

communication; most problems in our lives are caused by problems in communication

define corollary fact- which type of fact are corollary facts (amp. or conc.)?

def: a natural consequence; a proposition that follows, with little or no further reasoning, from the proof of another corollary facts are philosophical/ conceptual facts

define core belief w/ example

def: a necessary or fundamental concept ex: God created the universe

define necessary w/ example

def: event A cannot exist without quality B ex: humans (event a) cannot exist without air (quality b)

define sufficient w/ example

def: if the quality B is present, A must exist ex: "I think therefore I am"

define peripheral belief w/ example

def: important, but replaceable ex: God created the universe with the snap of his fingers (my core belief that God created the world can stay intact even if I am wrong about HOW he did it)

What is alchemy? who did alchemy?

def: science that studies the composition, structure, properties, and change of matter Aristotle

define ortgeist

def: spirit of a place (more localized than zeitgeist)

define zeitgeist & an example

def: spirit of the times ex: if we want to understand why ancient greeks believed what they did, it would not be correct to assume that they read it on the internet, because the internet did not exist

Operation definition & example

def: to make things measurable ex: "write a short paper"- I would write a 1-2 page paper, when Dr kelley wants a 10 page paper

is having a soul=life, how are their different types of lives? (human, dog, plant, etc.)

different "levels" of soul are used to classify life

Change is often not ______, _________, or ________

easy, linear, or clean

royal decree establish what in Babylon?

established fixed units of measurements - length: finger, foot, cubit, pole, league - weight: grain, shekel, talent - capacity: bushel

Why did aristotle leave plato?

he wanted to DO something, not just sit around and think

explain correspondence theory (define correspondence)

if a belief is true, it corresponds to reality (correspondence= consistency or agreement between 2 or more things)

(plato) change=_________________= ___________ of truth

imperfection, shadows

define ineffable

incapable of being expressed in words (these qualities are lovely, but not functional)

difference between incubbi and sucubbi

incubbi= male sucubbi= female

4 components of change: baking a cake analogy

material: ingredients formal: change from flour & eggs -> batter efficient: baker final: cake

"causes of change= ________ of ___________" - Aristotle

modes of explanation

Ancient greeks taught ________________

natural philosophy

Aristotle: "it is important to carefully ________"

observe

who is common sense "common" to?

only to those who share a similar set of beliefs (paradigm) about the world

what dos it mean to be entrenched normal science?

practitioners become overly vested in their ideas and the way things are

define core assumptions

provide necessary and sufficient explanations for our understanding

define confirmatory bias

seeking information that supports what we want to believe (easier to assimilate)

define anomaly

something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected

who was aristotle a median between?

sophists and plato

define soul (aristotle)

the "essence" of life that interacts with but separate from the physical

why is it hard to change normal science?

the longer things exist, the harder they are to change

how do we understand (aristotle)?

we must focus on the properties fo things and the process of change

understanding (defined by aristotle)

the nature of a thing must be discovered in an unfettered state (unfettered= clear, not restricted, in a natural state)

define common sense

the sum of original principles found in all normal minds; the ability to judge and reason in accordance with those principles

according to aristotle, what does it mean to be alive?

to have a soul

Why are we here (in this class)?

to impose order on a chaos of sense perceptions

Which is the best type of evidence?

trick question, it depends on the question at hand and the person

T/F: natural philosophers and scientist have basically the same goals

true, same goals but different techniques

T/F: the content and process of science/ natural philosophy can change?

true, science/ NP are social creations

What is truth according to Plato?

truth is eternal and unchanging; it is the true essence of anything that exists- it's being. We must be careful not to be fooled by imperfect representations of truth

to become civilized, we must......

we must work together, which requires communication, which requires a common language and common understand of the manning of words