Philosophical Inquiry (Exam 1)

In this philosophy, "Every pleasure is good, but not every pleasure is desireable. We must carefully judge the pleasure we seek so that pleasures are not followed by pain."

Epicureanism

Aristotle's four virtures

1. Honesty 2. Humility 3. Courage 4. Temperance

Teleological thinking

A way of understanding a thing in terms of its ultimate goal or final cause. It understands that all parts are related to the whole

What does Plato seem to mean by his foundational term of "Forms"?

Abstract, unchanging 'essences', like virtues and properties, which are independently existing 'truths' or 'ideas'. They are intelligible, and they are not physical, changing, subjective things

Eudamonia

According to Aristotle's ethics, this is the goal of human life (or the state of having a fully realized existence as one who is fully awake to life)

Aristotle's popular work Politics argues that governments ought to:

Allow participation of many men, so that their best qualities may combine. Yet it will also limit the functions of those without virtue

Augustine's ethical formulation classifies him as

An extreme intentionalist

Plato's ideal government has been called an __________, because only one certain kind of people rule, the people deemed "the best"

Aristocracy

In this Philosophy, "Thsi natural world is important; it is reality. Everything in this world is composed of both matter and form. As humans, our telos is eudamonia, which we can achieve through moderation ('sophrosyne')"

Aristotelianism

In the opinion of this author, we should interpret and adapt non-Christian philosophy in light of the revealed truth of God. For example, the four virtues elucidated by Plato should be seen in light of Paul's engagement with 'faith, hope, and love' (especially love). For example, to this philosopher, 'courage' is actually "love bearing all things readily for the sake of God."

Augustine

Early Christians on philosophy

Christians had different opinions regarding the philosophical endeavor

In the writings of this author, since God is the wource of all that is good, if philosophy teaches anything good, it must be because it participates in the ultimate Truth that is God. Even if 'pagan' philosophy does not present the fullness of truth, philosophy is a preparation in that it helps cultivate the mind for truth-seeking (which is then fulfilled by the Truth that is Christ).

Clement of Alexandria

According to Plato, the world of Becoming is...

Correlated with opinion and with that which changes

In this philosophy, "Immediate pleasure is the principal motive for living."

Crenaic Hedonism

In this philosophy, "The life you call 'civilized' is full of hypocrisy and vulnerability. You ought to pursue rational control of your desires, a simple life, and a rejection of all that is conventional. Convention is corruption."

Cynicism

Telos

End/Goal/Purpose

True or False: Antisthenes and Diogenes are the founder and the most famous proponent, respectively, of the philosophy of Epicureanism

False

True or False: Aside from a brief time as a soldier in his teenage years, Aristotle remained in Athens throughout his life; he took over as head instructor at the Academy upon Plato's death

False

True or False: For Aristotle, the basic principles and fundamental laws of our social and ethical life are determined by context. There are no consistent, timeless, or 'basic' laws, but rather, human laws are derived from the era "in which they are necessary."

False

True or False: In Plato's Cave allegory, the Sun is the first object seen by the man emerging from the cave. He is captivated immediately with its perfect brightness and thus knows 'the truth'.

False

True or False: In Plato's theory of the Forms, every particular thing in the world of Becoming (a human, a courageous deed, a triangle) is a perfect, mirror-like copy of reality in the world of Being

False

True or False: Marcus Aurelius is a famous Roman Cynic

False

True or False: Opinion, perception, knowledge, and understanding are all essentially the same thing for Plato

False

True or False: Plato's Republic argues that Democracy is clearly the best ('most wise and just') form of government

False

True or False: The school founded by Plato in Athens was called The Republic

False

True or False: To Aristotle, "character" refers to who a person is in his/her heart; it is the inner condition and motivation behind things. It is part of our purpose (telos) and is what we are by nature. Our character is separate from (and more important than) our actual actions, which matter little

False

True or False: To Aristotle, "happiness" is a state that cannot truly be achieved in this life

False

True or False: To Augustine, a human person is essentially 'soul'. Though a person has a body, the body is metaphysically inferior and has no part in eternity

False

True or false: For Plato, everything we know we must learn through experience and rational thought; our minds are a "tabula rasa" (blank slate) at birth

False

According to Aristotle, _________ makes a substance (like a whale) what it is

Form

Aristotle defined virtue as:

Habitual actions that manifest character. Both intellectual and moral, and requires experience, time, and habit to develop. A perfect midpoint (or balance) between extremes of excess and deficiency

In the opinion of this author in the reading, all humans have the gift of the capacity to reason; therefore many philosophers have written or spoken some truth. Even if they did not fully understand, or if their idea of truth was not in full, they still were able to see some aspects of the truth, because all people were given the capacity to reason from God.

Justin

Which early Christian philosophers were favorable towards the philosophical endeavor, teaching that philosophers prior to Christ had some insight as to truth, even if that insight was limited?

Justin and Clement of Alexandria

The Stoics used this word to imply fate as well as the force that keeps the world rational and ordered. We have an intimate connection to this force

Logos

To Augustine, the ultimate ethical task is to rightly order one's______

Loves

To Aristotle, ________ is the material stuff found in a variety of things; it has no distinct characteristics until the form in it is actualized

Matter

Augustine defines virtue as...

Perfect love of God

Cynicism

Philosophy that advocates that 'civilization' actually undermines individual existence. Conventional facets of a 'civilized' life, such as wealth, family, material items, and manners are all actually entrapments that lead to frustration according to this philosophy

Cyrenail Hedonism

Philosophy that advocates the unreflective pursuit of immediate pleasure; it makes no qualitative distinctions among pleasures and advocates the enjoyment of the immediate moment

Epicureanism

Philosophy that distinguishes between that which is desired and that which is actually desirable. It is a thoughtful sophistication of hedonism in that it focuses on the quality of pleasure, not just the quantity

Stoicism

Philosophy that values self-control, detachment, and acceptance of one's fate, all under the use of your ability to reason objectively

In this philosophy, "This world is not full reality. It is like a cave, full of fleeting shadows or 'things.' You must use your intellect to recall the Form, or the World of Being, which is eternal, unchanging, and true reality."

Platonism

Plato is a rationalist, which means that the thought that ______ is the basis of true knowledge and distinguishes humans from all other life forms

Reason

In Plato's allegory, the prisoners in the cave are convinced that the ________ they see were real things, because this is all they ever saw

Shadows

Plato wrote the Republic primarily to...

Show that the levels of reality correspond to types of people, and only one kind of person is actually qualified to rule the state. Plato is depicting a political philosophy based on a metaphysical and epistemological philosophy

In the opinion of this author, all aberrant thinkers derive their false notions of truth from philosophy. Indeed, in his writings, philosophy is that which leads thinkers astray and never settles on any firm notion of truth. It's just a lot of quarrels. The church and the philosophical schools have nothing in common.

Tertullian

In this philosophy, "Remember that you are like an actor in a play controlled by Fate. Life simply happens as fate has it happen; all you can control is your reaction to it and control your emotions."

Stoicism

"Aristotle is sometimes said to have brought philosophy down to earth," a contemporary philosopher has written about Aristotle. What does he imply by this?

That Aristotle's metaphysic of hylomorphic composition contributed in a major way to the history of philosophical thought: he brought the Forms into the natural world.`

In 'The Republic', Plato uses different analogies to explain...

The Distinction between the World of Being and the World of Becoming and the theory of the Forms

The relationship of Plato's 'being' to 'becoming'-as well as that of knowledge to opinion, realilty to appearance, and metaphysics to epistemology-is illustrated by:

The Divided Line Analogy

Plato's Epistemology

The Doctrine of Recollection: Our minds are "born knowing," but forget truth over time. Thus, we actually "remember" truth and never newly acquire it.

As Plato pondered the nature of truth and the Forms, he decided that all Forms derive their being from one highest ultimate Form. This Form is beyond all being and beyond all knowledge. He uses a symbol of the sun to explain it. What does he call this ultimate Form?

The Good

Augustine defines 'evil' as:

The absence of the good Having lesser existence (less 'Being') than God The turning away from infinite good A potential choice that can be embraced, since we have free will

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge is acquired through sense experience

Epistemological Theory

The philosophical term for a theory about the basis of knowledge

True or False: To Augustine, God is creator of all things that have existence. As such, only He is pure existence (created things have lesser existence than Him). God is, in other words, Being itself.

True

True or False: To Augustine, God is outside of time, since God is unchanging and eternal

True

True or False: To Plato, all evil action stems from ignorance, whereas wisdom, which includes living justly, is a result of knowledge. Those who are enlightened will live justly, with regard to truth and goodness.

True

Plato used the Divided Line analogy to illustrate:

The relationship of appearance and reality, or put another way, the different ways of apprehending reality in the world of being and the world of becoming

Epistemology

The study or theory of knowledge

Metaphysic

The study or theory of reality; sometimes used more narrowly to refer to transcendent reality-that is, reality that lies beyond the physical world and cannot therefore be grasped by means of senses

Plato's view of reality is divided into two levels: the ever-changing world around us, and an eternal changeless reality beyond space and time. What does he call the transcendent, eternal reality?

The world of Being

Who always lives in Plato's allegorical 'cave'?

Those chained to their own illusions or roaming only with their perceptions and opinions

True of False: To Aristotle, natural law is the foundation of all social, political, and ethical structures. He defines natural law as universal rules of conduct that can be derived rationally from nature itself.

True

True of False: To Aristotle, nature is purposeful. In other words, goal-oriented principles give order to all of reality

True

True or False: "Hylomorphic Composition' is the philosophical view that reality is two-fold. Everything in reality consists of both "matter" (physical stuff) and "form" (the essence of that thing).

True

True or False: Aristotle was bothered by Plato's "Forms" because he saw them as irrelevant to pressing moral, political, and social problems. Aristotle did not admire Plato's "chasm between the actual and the ideal."

True

True or False: Epictetus is among the most influential and famous stocis. He is known for his teachings, his writings, and his motto, "bear and forbear"

True

True or False: For Plato, 'The Good' (or the ultimate Form) is like the unreachable sun. The Good cannot be experienced with the five senses and can only be know through thought or intelligence

True

True or False: For Plato, the soul (but not the body) is preexistant and immortal

True

True or False: Hedonism stresses that pleasure is good and pain is bad. There are two types of Hedonism, one that stresses only the pursuit of pleasure, and the other that stresses the avoidance of pain

True

True or False: Plato believed that most people are unfit to make the difficult and necessary decisions that would result in a just society. The 'average person' lacks restraint and has not reached 'enlightenment.'

True

True or False: Plato's "Forms" are a way of indicating that objective knowledge is possible and unchanging absolute truths do exist

True

True or False: Plato's Forms are nontemporal, unchanging, and independently existing; we could call them 'abstract' as opposed to physical

True

True or False: Stoics value personal detachment from external conditions. Stoicism values courage, dignity, maturity, and peace of mind

True

True or False: To Aristotle, a life that achieved entelechy would be a life that fulfilled its ultimate purpose

True

Why was Socrates not afraid of death?

Upon death, the soul is freed from the prison of the body. When this happens, The Good is finally knowable

Augustine articulates a philosophical engagement with human warfare. In sum, he articulates that:

What makes warfare right or wrong depends on the intention. There is such thing as evil warfare, and there is such thing as just warfare