Philosophy

Discuss the first (non-epistemological) flaw with Kant's theory.

Common sense flaw - seem to be many cases where violating this theory is the right thing to do

Is Kant's theory similar to the Utilitarian's, or different?

Different/exact opposite/rejects it completely; Utilitarian = good of action contingent on effect, Kant = not about effect but inherent goodness of action itself

What did Immanuel Kant hold the Good to be?

Duty to the categorical imperative

What are the three "good passions" according to the stoics? What three "disturbances" do they replace?

Fear --> Caution Mirth --> Joy Covetousness --> Desire

According to Aquinas, who is the primary cause of your act of free choice, and who is the secondary cause?

God = primary agent; us = secondary agent

Does Aquinas think God is the cause of your very act of free choice, or only the cause of the power of free choice?

God not only gives you the power of free will, but is the cause of your very act of free choice

What two ancient positions are linked to Utilitarianism and how?

Hedonism - positive - pleasure Epicureanism - negative - absence of pain

For Kant, where does our knowledge of the Good come from? Or another way, what is it that we are coming into contact with when we know something as Good?

Knowledge of good comes through direct contact with the noumena - morality based on perception of right and wrong is not binding; must be a matter of objective judgment not subjective

Discuss how nature is both like and unlike your washing machine for Marx.

Like - unthinking - it just does what it does without thinking about it; Unlike - not unthought - someone designed the machine, so everything has its purpose and therefore its value

Discuss what it means to say that Marx "turned Hegel on his head."

Marx likes "dialectical" but not "God" - only physical matter exists/follows laws that result in things being produced not only because something plans it, but because that's just how it works - materialistic and atheistic - no intrinsic value for anything, especially individuals - final stage = war between proliterate and the owners of the means of production -> humans not driven by self-interest Hegel = every part of universe has value/worth because it contributes to final goal/end state

Discuss the effect Hegel's view has on morals, specifically addressing whether the moral status of certain acts can change over time.

Morality becomes a moving target - as God evolves, so do morals

What is the difference between Ontological Utilitarianism and Methodological Utilitarianism?

Ontological = good is identical to the product of the formula; hurt the few to benefit the many Methodological = good is not identical to product of the formula; guidelines

Name the two different types of value and explain how the distinction makes room for both philosophy/ethics and the social sciences/psychology.

Perceived value - psychologically and sociology Intrinsic value - philosophy and ethics

What are the eight major variations of Utilitarianism?

Positive vs. Negative Personal vs. Corporate Act vs. Rule Ontological vs. Methodological

Does Weber see his science as a complement to philosophy/ethics or as a replacement?

Replacement - don't study good and evil, start studying psychological states

Which two thinkers follow directly out from Nietzsche, and what sciences do they found?

Sigmund Freud - Psychology; Max Weber - Sociology

Using the Freudian model, explain how values are created. Do values have any objective and/or rational basis whatsoever? Do desires?

a) Id has its desires - goes out to satisfy desires and finds that it can't, so it creates the ego and commands the ego to create the superego (storehouse of a value system) and negotiate with other ids to create a value system that works for everyone so that the ids can get what they want/need b) No - simply tools/instruments that ego invents because they help feed the id - can be replaced if a new value system comes along and is more successful at feeding the id c) tell you nothing about yourself; they're just there

What are the three parts of the Freudian model of the soul? What are the "alternative" names?

a) Id, Ego, Superego b) Desiring Self, Acting Self, Ideal Self

What sort of Utilitarianism is implicit in American government? What is the principle used to limit the application of the Utilitarian formula? Can this principle be justified exclusively on Utilitarian grounds?

a) Methodological b) Doctrine of Natural Rights c) No - it assumes there is another/bigger theory beyond it that provides guidance - abstract and theoretical

What do the three "good passions" have in common? Is there a form of sorrow that has this trait, too? Would such a sorrow then be considered good?

a) Moderation b) Moderated sorrow c) Yes

Does Nietzsche think things have any intrinsic value? What is the ultimate source of values for Nietzsche?

a) No b) Us - something becomes valuable because it serves our purpose/is important to us

Does Weber think anything has truly intrinsic value? Can we compare one culture against another? Can we say that one culture is better than another?

a) No - buying into Nietzsche's ideas b) Yes - cultures are different - one is more adaptable than another c) No - descriptive over normative - more adaptable doesn't mean better

For Kant, did the Good thing to do vary by situation or circumstance? What name did Kant give to our obligation to do the good?

a) No. Never. b) categorical imperative - holds in absolutely every case no matter what and we experience it as a command/order

Does Nietzsche think any old person can create a value system? Explain why or why not.

a) No; culture creators are exceptionally rare, powerful people who can create value systems b) if value system is going to function as it needs to, it has to appear to you to be objective rather than subjective as it really is - now we understand how the process actually works, so we can no longer buy into the new value system

Does Kant think we know what or why something is good, or only that it is good? How does this affect his ethical theory?

a) Only that it is good b) Why his theory is categorical in nature - if you don't know why it's good, then you can't make an exception

In what way is Hegel's view of history/world right? How is it wrong?

a) Our understanding of things does seem to follow a dialectical process in many cases b) implication - just because our understanding evolves, doesn't mean that the thing itself evolves

List the three elements of the Hegelian Dialectic, give a historical example of it, and describe the ultimate end state toward which it is moving.

a) Thesis, Anithesis, Synthesis b) Abolition, Slavery, Segregation c) God resynthesizes himself into "pure becoming"

Nietzsche replaces good and evil with what? All prior philosophy since Socrates accepted one thing about the good that Nietzsche rejects; what is it? Does Nietzsche think good and evil exist?

a) Values/value systems - must exist in order for us to thrive - great cultures founded on good morals/culture creators b) Objectivity of morals - Nietzsche = subjectivity c) No

Does Nietzsche agree with Marx about nature? What does Nietzsche think about Marx's "final end state" and the dialectical process in general?

a) Yes - also atheist/materialist b) communism is not inevitable (because man is free; absolute freedom of man short circuits any inevitability) or good (because there is no inherent good in communism as it's a product of nature - it would only be good if we want it and we don't)

Weber

how value system functions within social order - how they're maintained/updated/defended

What were the two main reasons for the stoics saying that sorrow was incompatible with virtue?

1) a virtuous man would have nothing to be sad about - no evil in him to sorrow about 2) even if he did, he wouldn't be sad because sorrow is a disease to destroy the mind

Outline Aquinas' response to their two reasons

1) Four ways sorrow could be in the wise man a) Both body and soul exist b) We may be virtuous/good but we're not perfect c) A virtuous man, though not actually in a state of sin, may have been so in the past, and he is to be commended if he sorrows for that sin, according to 2 Cor 7:10 d) He may praiseworthily sorrow for another's sin, therefore sorrow is compatible with moral virtue in the same way as the others' passions are when moderated by reason 2) Sign of virtue that you sorrow over bad things; sorrow itself is not a bad thing if relegated by reason as well

List the alternative names Hegel gives for God.

Absolute Idea, Being, Weltgeist

Discuss the second (epistemological) flaw with Kant's theory.

World we experience is the product of interaction between noumena and our intuitions shaping those sensations into objects and defining how those objects behave - world we experience (phenomena) is a product of this By his own theory, we don't know if the thin in itself behaves in a causal manner - noumena causes morals to exist in us, so it must be causal - embedded in his own theory is a contradiction, because the theory requires the very thing that it denies

What is the major flaw in Utilitarianism? Does this flaw affect all forms of Utilitarianism or only some? If some, which one(s)?

a) Anything can be justified as long as it produces more happiness over time for more people b) Only some c) Ontological

Given Marx's understanding of nature, humanity, and human individuals, what sort of actions become moral? Do we have a moral obligation to act a certain sort of way, and if so, how should we act, and why?

a) Anything that advances revolution/brings closer to communism

According to Aquinas, who is the productive cause of your act of free choice, and who is the determining cause? Is there anything odd about this arrangement?

a) God = productive agent; us = determining agent b) Flipped of the Stoics - every other agent (besides God) has the primary agent be the determining agent

What is the good for the Utilitarian? Who are the three major Utilitarians mentioned in class?

a) Greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of time, typically for the greatest amount of people b) James Mill, John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham

Ficta

a) disciple of Kant until he pointed out the epistemological flaw - if you take out the contact with the noumena, then you have no reason to suppose that it exists, leaving only the subject b) turns the world of phenomena into a pure projection from the subject/self - absolute ("self") projects the other ("phenomena") to discover more about itself c) two problems i) solipsism - only my mind and its contents exist ii) intersubjectivity - even if I assume that there are other individuals out there besides me, how do we interact with each other? d) Hegel fixes problems - each of us part of larger projection coming from one mind on a voyage of self-discovery, trying to restore himself into something called "pure becoming," a synthesis of the fundamental contradiction that the concept of "being" includes "non-being"

For Marx the dialectical process is driving toward a final end state that is both _________ and _________. What is the name of the end state and what are the two characteristics?

a) unthinking; unthought b) Communism = inevitable (because it's driven by underlying laws present in universe) and good (because it results in no conflict)