Philosophy Midterm Study Guide
Cogito Ergo Sum
"I think; therefore, I am." - Rene Descartes
What is the purpose of a deductive argument?
Arguments try to provide logical certainty. Valid/Invalid Sound
What is the purpose of an inductive argument?
Arguments try to show a good probability Strong/weak Cogent
What is compatibilism?
Compatibilism is the thesis that free will is compatible with determinism.
Know the branches of philosophy and what they mean
Ethics = Is there a highest good for human beings?; is there and absolute good? Political philosophy = the best form of gov't; what are the principles that justify gov't? who should have power or control? Logic = from the greek word logos; means to reason or what something means; the soundness of your own argument; the principles of valid reasoning; How can one recognize reasoning which is not valid?
What did the ancient Greeks believe happiness (eudaemonia) was based on?
For Aristotle, eudaimonia was achieved through living virtuously - or what you might describe as being good.
What is the "Garden of Eden" thinking?
Garden of Eden thinking, we see the world in terms of black and white, right and wrong. We submit to "authorities," like parents or teachers. We should one day become dissatisfied with this stage when we cannot rely on authorities anymore, observing that they often disagree.
Know William James' belief in freedom
James emphatically chooses to believe that he has free will — and not only to believe it but to act with it and believe in his individual reality and creative power.
What do libertarians believe?
Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's encroachment on and violations of individual liberties; emphasizing the rule of law, pluralism, cosmopolitanism, cooperation, civil and political rights, bodily autonomy, free association, free trade, freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom of movement, individualism, and voluntary association
What was Sartre's first principle of existentialism
Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.
What word pictures did Socrates use to describe himself? And, why?
Midwife and Gadfly; thought of himself as one without wisdom
What purpose did the Greek's ancient stories of the gods serve?
Myths are stories created to teach people about something important and meaningful. They were often used to teach people about events that they could not always understand, such as illness and death, or earthquakes and floods.
Did Kant agree w/ Hume on the self? Why or Why not?
No. Kant was alarmed by David Hume's notion that the mind is simply a container for fleeting sensations and disconnected ideas, and our reasoning ability is merely "a slave to the passions."
Philosophy means what _____________?
Philosophy, or the love and pursuit of wisdom, is as much a way of living and process of thinking as it is a body of knowledge.
What were the pre-Socratic philosophers most concerned with?
Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe.
Did Socrates believe people would knowingly do evil? Why?
Socrates believed that no one does wrong voluntarily. Evil is the result of ignorance. If people knew what was the right thing to do they would do it. We always choose what we think is the best or good for us.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
The main idea of this allegory is the difference between people who simply experience their sensory experiences, and call that knowledge, and those who understand real knowledge by seeing the truth.
On what basis did Darrow and Holbach argue for freedom?
The will is subject to natural forces just like everything else.
Determinism is the thesis that?
all events in the universe, including human decisions and actions, are causally inevitable.
As an empiricist what did Locke believe about the self?
all knowledge comes from experience and that there are no innate ideas that are with us when we are born.
How did Hume argue for freedom ?
by liberty, then we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may.
Know the term dialectical
discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned argumentation.
Know the significance of the clothing of Plato and Aristotle in the painting "School of Athens"
emphasizes the disagreement in the philosophical discourse. The two men had different pursuits, Plato being engaged with such spiritual ideas as truth, beauty, and justice and Aristotle being concerned with worldly reality.
W.T. Stance's argument for determinism
every event in one's life is inevitable and is the result of past affairs
On what did Hume base his ideas about the self?
our natural habit of attributing unified existence to any collection of associated parts
What was Plato's concept of the three part self?
rational, spirited and appetitive parts
What was St. Augustine's views of self based on?
reason's self-recognition
Why did Socrates believe people needed a "physician of the soul?"
someone that cares for the soul, he means he is a teacher who is teaching others to become good thinkers and an ethical person. He believed it was very important to continually learn and improve yourself because your soul is eternal.
What do Buddhist philosophers believe about the self?
the idea of "individual self" is an illusion. It is not possible to separate self from its surroundings.
Why did Socrates believe the soul was immortal?
the soul is immortal because it has life essentially, the way fire has heat essentially. It is plain that both of these arguments apply to the souls of all living things
What did Socrates say about the unexamined life?
the unexamined life is not worth living
What was Rene' Descartes overall philosophical project?
to build a theory of knowledge, a theory that would apply to our knowledge of the ordinary physical objects and events around us.
