PHIL MID TERM
What are the differences between "doing" and "having" a philosophy
"Having" a philosophy is the set of beliefs one holds to guide their actions. "Doing" philosophy is critically thinking about one's set of beliefs.
Descartes' famous first principle, cogito, ergo sum, means _______. the mind is not a physical thing the self must be an immaterial thing "I think, therefore I am" human identity is defined by scientific proof
"I think, therefore I am"
What is the most famous phrase attributed to the teachings of Socrates? "The unexamined life is not worth living." "The truth is out there." "We should strive for competence in all areas of life." "Everyone knowlingly does evil."
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
Heraclitus' view
"all is change" and "change alone is unchanging"
Parmenides' view
"all is one" and "change is an illusion." Plato offered up a solution to these conflicting views of reality
The word "philosophy" comes from two Greek roots that mean ________. "love" and "wisdom" "passion" and "commitment" "critical thinking" "dialectical certainty"
"love" and "wisdom"
Buddhist Concepts of the Self
"no-self" or anatta. It is composed of five aggregates or elements: physical form, sensations, conceptualization, dispositions to act, consciousness Anatta is comprised of the continual interaction of these five elements and there is no substance or identity beyond the dynamic interplay of these five elements
Socrates proposed that to care for the soul is to adhere to the following principles:
"the unexamined life is not worth living" "the truth lies within each of us" "we should strive for excellence in all areas of life" "no one knowingly does evil" "it is better to suffer wickedness than to commit it"
Psyche
(Greek for soul) is the identity of a person; it is immortal and imperishable
The self can be understood in light of the following beliefs:
A unique personal identity that remains the same over time. The same as "soul." Something different from "body." Something that can be understood using reason. Something that will continue to exist after the body dies. Something that connects with other selves in a personal way
What did Aristotle argue
Aristotle argued that our soul is inseparable from the body and reality is the natural, physical world.
Who is a Determinist and holds that humans are "connected to universal nature" and subject to "necessary and immutable laws that she imposes on all the beings she contains." Mill Freud Skinner Baron d'Holbach
Baron d'Holbach
The Self is How You Behave: Ryle
Behaviorism -focuses of behaviors of people Ghost in the Machine Our Knowledge of others person's minds can only be inferential at best
The divided line analogy illustrates Plato's metaphysics and epistemology
Below the divided line or the world of becoming are images and sensible objects. This includes our imagination and perception. Above the divided line or world of being are lower forms and higher forms. This includes our reasoning and understanding.
Who argued that human freedom is "an evolved creation of human activity and beliefs and an objective phenomenon, distinct from other biological conditions and found in only one species, us?" Grimshaw Dennett Schlick Stace
Dennett
An argument is unsound if it has true premises or reasons that are valid. True False
False
Arguments are evaluated through a process that examines the truth of the reasons, but not the validity of the conclusion. True False
False
Belief in compatibilism prevents people from participating in a revolution. True False
False
Belief in indeterminism prevents people from choosing their spiritual destiny. True False
False
Causal reasoning is not considered a type of inductive argument. True False
False
Descartes, an empiricist, developed a "method of doubt" in which one could objectively evaluate all that one knew or believed to be true. True False
False
Eliminative materialists argue that the self consists of mental and physical components. True False
False
Empirical Generalization is a form of deductive reasoning in which a general statement is made about an entire target group based on observing members of a sample group. True False
False
Epistemology is the study of the ultimate characteristics of reality and existence. True False
False
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that seeks to establish the rules for correct reasoning, clear understanding, and valid arguments. True False
False
Existentialism is the Philosophical and literary movement that focuses on the randomness of each human individual. True False
False
External constraints are limitations to our autonomy imposed by ourselves. True False
False
Freedom is the ability to do whatever one wants. True False
False
Internal constraints are those imposed by your environment and circumstances. True False
False
Phenomenologists argue that the self is purely physical. True False
False
Reality and all things in reality do not contain entelechy. True False
False
Socrates asked the people of Athens to "come down from the heavens" and think for themselves. True False
False
There is no difference between certain cue words that signal premises or reasons and certain cue words that signal conclusions True False
False
The Oracle of Delphi was a blind man True False
False (blind woman)
The Buddhist concept of the self is called "anatta." True False
False (no-self is called anatta)
Descartes' Modern Perspective on the Self
Given this method of doubt, Descartes was able to conclude through the use of reason that since I think, I am. Cogito Ergo Sum The immaterial soul is governed by God and the laws of reason
Descartes was aware that doubting every individual belief was impossible, so doubting the following core beliefs was sufficient:
How is it possible to be certain of what I think I know? What is the reason for believing (or not believing) in a God? On what basis should I make ethical decisions? How do I know that there is a world that exists outside of my experience?
We Construct the Self: Kant
Kant argued that through a priori categories of the mind, our experiences are arranged and given order by the conscious self, i.e., the world is constructed by the mind.
As the term is used in philosophy, which of the following represents the view that humans are able to make authentically free choices, i.e., that even though we make one choice, we could have made a different one? Compatibilism Determinism Libertarianism Creationism
Libertarianism
The Self is Consciousness: Locke
Locke held that the mind or soul was a tabula rasa (blank slate) It is memory that connects our self at one moment to our self at other moments.
Which feminist philosopher used the analogy of the birdcage to explain the necessity of a macroscopic view of oppression? Marilyn Frye Sara Lee Barthke Sheryl Sandberg Gloria Steinem
Marilyn Frye
Aristotle's metaphysical framework consisted of "The Four Causes"
Material cause—what something is made of Formal cause—the embedded essence of something Efficient cause—what sets something in motion Final cause—the ultimate purpose of something
The Self is the Brain: Physcialism/Materialism, Paul Churchland
Materialism is the ontological view that all facets of the universe are composed of matter and energy and can be explicated through natural laws
There is No Self: Hume
Memories and experiences consist of impressions and ideas, which are distinct and variable. Due to the discontinuity of our memories and experiences, there can be no impression or idea of a self or personal identity.
What did William James believe provided the best evidence for free will? People are shaped by their environment, conditioned by their experiences to be the kind of people they are. People are governed by psychological forces, many of them unconscious, that cause them to think, feel, and act in certain ways. People are born with certain basic instincts that influence and determine how they behave. People live their lives with the assumption of personal freedom and responsibility/
People live their lives with the assumption of personal freedom and responsibility/
Why study philosophy?
Philosophy allows one to confront the deeper questions of the world and life. Philosophy helps students enrich their understanding of the world and their own lives.
Define Philosophy
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom. Philosophy begins with wonder. Philosophy is a dynamic process. The ultimate aim of philosophy is complete liberty of mind, independence of any prejudice, morality, freedom, and to answer "what is it all about?"
Who argued that, "we are free when our actions are a result of our own unimpeded rational desires?" Dennett Schlick Stace Mill
Schlick
The Soul is Immortal: Socrates and Plato
Socrates believed reason was the way to know who we are, who we should be, and who we will become. He argues that the soul survives the death of the body. This intellectual world consists of concepts such as truth, goodness, and beauty. According to Plato the soul consists of reason, physical appetite, and spirit or passion. Happiness is attainable if and only if reason rules physical appetite and spirit
The oracle at Delphi pronounced that ___
Socrates the wisest of men and Socrates spent most of his time trying to question the meaning of the oracle since he believed he was ignorant. Thus, Socrates concluded that wisdom is the recognition of the limit of one's understanding of the world and life and remaining true to the qualities of a critical thinker
Who argued that, "If human reactions are the result of internal motivations and not the product of external constraints, then they are considered 'free'?" Stace Dennett James Mill
Stace
What is the title of Socrates' trial by Plato: The Apology A Declaration An Affirmation A Dissertation
The Apology
The Trial and Death of Socrates
The Apology is the account of Socrates trial in which he defended himself against the charges of "corrupting the youth" and "not believing in the gods whom the state believes in, but in other divinities." Socrates was sentenced to death after his insistence that it is right to think independently and pursue truth
Plato argued that there are two realities or worlds:
The world of becoming is the physical world we inhabit and take in through the senses. It is constantly changing, evolving, and disappearing. The world of being is the intellectual world or "reality." It is eternal, unchanging, and knowable through the faculty of reason. This world consists of Eidos (Greek for Forms, ideas archetypes, or essences).
Making Connections: Creating a Synthesis
To increase personal freedom, one must confront and analyze external and internal constraints, thus creating options from which to choose
"Causal Reasoning" - A form of an inductive argument in which one event is claimed to be the result(s) of an occurrence of another event. True False
True
According to Descartes, the distinction between the awake state and dream state is unknowable. True False
True
Belief in libertarianism does not allow people to avoid responsibility for their actions. True False
True
Chaffee argues that studying philosophy will help you develop the understanding and insight needed to make intelligent choices and fulfill your potential as a person. True False
True
Descartes became aware that doubting every individual belief was impossible. True False
True
Descartes began to doubt his own doubting existence and experience. True False
True
Kant argues that the self transcends the senses and unifies our experiences. True False
True
Kant believed, "We construct the self," or the world is constructed by the mind. True False
True
Materialism is the view that the universe is explainable in terms of the physical laws. True False
True
Neurophysiologists believe the self is inseparable from the brain and body's physiology. True False
True
Phenomenology attempts to clarify our understanding of experience and how we experience the world. True False
True
Philosophy allows one to confront the deeper questions of life True False
True
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom True False
True
Physicalism means - Everything is physical, that there is nothing over and above the physical world. True False
True
Psychic coercion is an internal constraint that compromises one's autonomy and limits one's personal freedom. True False
True
Rationalism is a view that reason is the primary source of all knowledge. True False
True
Which of the following is only understood by a Stage 3 critical thinker? Understanding that viewpoints have different values based on evaluative criteria. Rejection of authority Understanding the world in black and white Understanding right and wrong as defined by our authorities
Understanding that viewpoints have different values based on evaluative criteria.
Making Connections: In Search of the Self
What is the self? An innocent question that is anything but innocent. Socrates' adage "know thyself," what a wonder, a miracle, and an extraordinary creation
Irony
a form of rhetoric that has at least two conflicting—not contradictory—levels of meaning; an obvious and a hidden meaning
What is Plato considered to be
a rationalist
What was Descartes was considered to be
a rationalist
The goal of dialectic is to ___
achieve a deep, clear, rationally founded understanding of the most significant areas of human experience: knowledge, justice, morality, religion, beauty, goodness, and the traits of good character
What was Aristotle was considered to be
an empiricist
What do beliefs represent
an interpretation, evaluation, conclusion, or prediction about the world we endorse as true
The term dialectical means _______. something that is always changing creating new ideas by combining old ones controversial conversation analyzing ideas in relation to their opposites
analyzing ideas in relation to their opposites
Fallacies of Relevance
appeal to authority/tradition/bandwagon, appeal to emotion, appeal to personal attack, red herring
Anaximenes
argued that air is the primary substance
Democritus
argued that all matter is composed of indivisible atoms
Heraclitus
argued that all things are in a constant state of change and the universe is governed by logos
Parmenides
argued that reality is unchanging and eternal, and the world of change is an illusion
Pythagoras
argued that the fundamental principles of the universe are mathematical relations and the human soul is immortal
Anaxagoras
argued that the universe is composed of matter and governed by nous
Thales
argued that water is the primary substance
A Feminist Analysis of Freedom
argues that repressive social forces can erode an individual's psychological autonomy. She holds that this psychic coercion has forced women to think they are inferior to men.
Long ago, the field of philosophy was _______ than it is today. broader less difficult more difficult better
broader
Inductive arguments
casual reasoning, empirical generalization
Deductive argument forms
categorical syllogism, modus ponens, modus tollens, disjunctive syllogism
Philosophy provides the _______ required to craft a life inspiring in its challenges and rich in its fulfillment. conceptual tools unconscious motivations emotional currents precepts
conceptual tools
Philosophy can, most of all, help a person to think more _______. critically easily quickly narrowly
critically
process of critical thinking
develop your point of view, support your point of view, consider other points of view, arrive at a conclusion, consider the consequences
According to Plato how do we get genuine knowledge
discovered or recollected by examination of our innate ideas
The branch of philosophy that considers questions about what we can and cannot know is: all of these metaphysics ethics logic epistemology
epistemology
W.T. Stace argued against hard determinism by claiming that _______. we can tell that determinism must be false even hard determinists behave as though they believe in free will not all events are determined by their causes hard determinists do not understand free will
even hard determinists behave as though they believe in free will
The role of premises in an argument is to _______. give reasons for a conclusion clearly state what one believes take part in a dialogue give the rules for argumentation
give reasons for a conclusion
Fallacies of false generalization
hasty generalizations, sweeping generalizations, false dilemmas
Determinists hold that ___
human freedom is inhibited by external and internal constraints. External constraints are those imposed by your environment and circumstances. Internal constraints are the limitations to our autonomy imposed by ourselves
Common causes as put forth by determinists are:
human nature, environment, psychological forces, social dynamics
Compatibilists argue that ___
if human actions are the result of internal motivations and not the product of external constraints, then they are considered "free."
"allegory of the cave"
illustrates the different realms of reality from lower to higher or less to more
St. Augustine's views on the self _______. were very different from the Platonists were totally original incorporated the Platonist view of the self as a separate immaterial thing presaged more contemporary views about the mental and the physical
incorporated the Platonist view of the self as a separate immaterial thing
"Philosophy," literally defined, means: love of knowledge none of these love of wisdom critical thinking love of rhetoric
love of wisdom
Reality and things in reality fall into two categories:
matter and form
Locke thought that identity of a self through time could be established on the basis of _______. experience memory the will matter
memory
Functionalism is the view that _______. the brain has functions that can be experienced as the mind the function of the brain is to generate the mind mental states have physically-definable functions the mind works in essentially the same way as the brain
mental states have physically-definable functions
Which of the following is/are considered a deductive argument form(s)? disjunctive syllogism causal reasoning generalizations modus ponens modus ponens and disjunctive syllogism
modus ponens and disjunctive syllogism
Of the following, which is not considered a fallacy of relevance? appeal to authority appeal to personal attack appeal to emotion none of these red herring
none of these
Of the following, which is not considered a quality of a critical thinker? open-minded mentally active self-aware none of these passionate
none of these
The ancient Greek idea of eudaemonia (happiness) is based on achieving _______. a comfortable lifestyle greatness what one's parents expect one's full potential
one's full potential
qualities of a critical thinker
open minded, knowledgeable, mentally active, curious, independent thinkers, skilled discussants, insightful, self-aware, creative, passionate
According to Socrates, in order to live a life of purpose and value, we must begin to examine _______. natural wonders scientific discoveries various cultures our self
our self
Libertarians believe that _______. people are able to make genuinely free choices by exercising their free wills. determined actions are simply random undetermined actions are simply random human freedom is an illusion governed by universal causal laws
people are able to make genuinely free choices by exercising their free wills.
A deductive argument's purpose is to _______. indicate that a conclusion is likely prove that a conclusion is true show that a conclusion is plausible state a conclusion as precisely as possible
prove that a conclusion is true
Causal fallacies
questionable cause, misidentification of the cause, post hoc ergo propter hoc, slippery slope
Characteristics of the Sophists are:
relativists, skeptics, rhetoriticians, egoists, pragmatists
Logic
the branch of philosophy that seeks to establish the rules for correct reasoning, clear understanding, and valid arguments
entelechy
the creative drive or inner urge that impels all things to achieve their purpose in life
Form
the essence of things
Metaphysics
the philosophical investigation of the nature, constitution, and structure of reality (the world, i.e., the domain all experience; past, present, and future). Is reality many or one?
Matter
the physicality of things
The Self is Embodied: Husserl and Merleau-Ponty
the self is the unity of mental and physical, a natural synthesis that forms our experience, i.e., the lived world (lebenswelt)
Aesthetics
the study of beauty, art, and taste
Epistemology
the study of knowledge, identifying and developing criteria and methodologies for what we know and why we know it.
Ethics
the study of moral values and principles
Political and social philosophy
the study of social values and political forms of government and the nature of justice
Epistemology
the study of the nature of knowledge, justification, and truth. Can we achieve genuine knowledge and understand ultimate truth?
Metaphysics
the study of the ultimate characteristics of reality or existence.
Compatibilism
the view that all events, including human actions are caused. However, we can consider human actions free if they are a result of internal motivations, not the product of external influences or constraints
Determinism
the view that every event, including human actions, are brought about by previous events in accordance with the natural laws that govern the world. Human freedom is an illusion
Libertarianism
the view that humans are able to make authentically free choices that are not determined by previous events in accordance with the natural laws that govern the world. In other words, given a choice, "we could have done otherwise."
Indeterminism
the view that some events, including human actions, are not necessarily determined by previous events in accordance with the natural laws that govern the world
Socrates believed that ___
through the Socratic method, individuals can explore profound questions, enabling theme to "give birth" to their own understanding as a midwife assists those women in giving birth to infants
The Self is Multilayered: Freud
unconscious, conscious, ego
The final step in the reasoning process is to Consider the Consequences, which means _______. understanding who will be punished as a result of the conclusion determining whether a conclusion is true or false by putting it into practice understand what is likely to happen if the conclusion is adopted understanding the reason one will be punished for accepting a false conclusion
understand what is likely to happen if the conclusion is adopted
