2nd charge against socrates
atheism; if one believes in spiritual activities, then one believes in spirits->spirits are the children of gods or gods
... [Show More] themselves->if you believe in children of gods, then you believe in gods.
ontology
study of what kind of things there are
metaphsyics
what is the fundamental nature of reality; appearance v. reality; beyond sensory observation
Sophists
itinerant (traveling) teachers of rhetoric,law, persuasive speech; nature vs. contention; charged "tuition"; ex. gorgas, protagoras
Pre-Socratics
main interest was metaphysics; Ex. Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Emidocles
agnostic
doesn't believe or disbelieve in god(s)
atheist
denies existence of God(s)
2 Traditions/Trajectories
1.System Makers/Answers-->explanations of reality, or unified theory of how things work 2. Questions themselves are most valuable, investigations, clarity of one's limits
Plato's Republic
-an attempt to draw a Utopian society;nature of knowledge,limits/sources of knowledge
epistemology
study of knowledge, wisdom
sensory observation vs. reason
gaining knowledge using the 5 senses or using reason to gain knowledge
empirical means OR rational means
both ways to gain knowledge, (rational meaning mind alone)
the "one" (Plato)
platonic form, with the thing itself/very essence of the thing, pure being, OBJECTIVE [from plato's republic]
the "many" (plato)
particular things ("sensible");manifestations of the form that appear and disappear; SUBJECTIVE
what does not exist..
is unknowable
divided line
between visible world and intelligible world, then further subsets of Forms, understanding, visible objects, and belief
Forms-
metaphysics;eternal, unchanging, absolute; subset=scientific objects [intelligible world]
Understanding-
epistemology;dialectic [knowledge] subset=thoughts/reasoning
visible objects-
becoming;manifestations (the "many"); subset=images, copies, reflections [visible world]
belief-
how we perceive them [opinion]; subset=imagination
all men naturally have an impulse to..
get knowledge
we could be said to prefer which of the 5 senses?
sight
Aristotle's 4 Explanations
Formal, material, efficient, final (telos)
Formal
essential character (essence, defintion)
Material
stuff of which it is composed/medium/parts that make it up
Efficient
what generated it? what brought it into being?
Final (telos)
purpose, function, goal/end state
the wise man
1.general knowledge 2.insight to complexities, understands difficult matters 3. accurate/teaching ability 4.in command over controlling sciences 5.knowledge for the sake of knowledge
Aquinas
God's existence is self-evident-->predicate contained in the subject of it;critique of Anselm's argument
self-evident in itself v. self-evident to us
using faith v. natural reason
Aquinas' 5 Proofs for Existence of God
1. Proof from motion 2.proof from efficient causes 3.proof from possibility and necessity 4.proof from gradations of perfection 5. proof from governance of things
3.proof from possibility and necessity
contingent things either get their existence from other contingents or a necessary thing; we need God to exist but He does not need us to exist.
anselm's ontological argument
1.definition:God is that which nothing greater can be thought, 2.It's greater to exist then not to exist. 3. God exists.;the fool: "there is no god."
first charge against socrates in apology
corrupting youth deliberately; wicked people harm others, while good people are a benefit to others. corrupting others deliberately makes one wicked, while no one really wants to be harmed.
Socrates' contributions to philosophy
1. aware of one's ignorance(starting place) 2.ethics:questions of character, virtue, the good life 3.dialectic:probing/questioning by way of exchange of thoughts (more than one voice)
Why doesn't Socrates fear death?
death is unknown to be good or to be bad (sleep or immortal), so he accepts his fate, as fear is contradictory to himself, because it's his duty to live. other should fear death, because they will be harmed by it.
1. Proof From Motion
location, change in feature
2. Proof from efficient cause
what brought it into being
4.Proof from gradations of perfection
must be levels of perfection, or something to compare to;God is this standard of perfection
5.Proof from governance of things
regularities in nature->God exists because of these things and these things' purpose
Ortega Y Gassett
different than Aristotle in that he believes the world is only fragments, and philosophy is not a useful pursuit, but is the highest form of intellect
Senses/perception with memory-->
Leads to experience, which then leads to knowledge [metaphysics]
I. A. Knowledge?
I. How (make a fire) I I. That (fire=hot); productive or practical; FACTUAL
II. B. knowledge?
Why (fire is hot); general principles that explain the "that" fact; EXPLAINING THE FACT
David Hume
natural religion vs. divine revelation, and a posteriori vs. a priori reasoning; thought= feature, part of the world; small, so cant explain everything -part does not explain the whole-
natural religion
understand nature of God through empirical means, not through direct communication/scripture (using reason, observation, experience) [Cleanthes argues for this and Philo is skeptical of this]
divine revelation
beliefs come from scripture, or from God indirectly/directly [Demea argues for this]
a posterirori
inductive/probable (through experience) [Cleanthes]
a priori
deductive, certain
Cleanthes' Argument for the Existence of God
just as human beings designed complex machines, God designed the cosmos. (greatest complex machine)
Stephen Crane, "God Fashioned the Ship of the World"
Is the world a mistake? Is it out of God's hands to fix the mistake? Is poem atheistic? -calls out God
Hymn, by A.R. Ammons
even if he finds proof of God, he is still separated from him by being on Earth
Jose Ortega Y Gassett, "Man Has No Nature"
man must earn his life. (metaphysically)
-giving it purpose
-seeking strength
-go out and get a life
-prove existence
Man: Human Being
natural beings vs. extranatural beings (Ortega)
natural beings
not problematic
extranatural beings
-aspiration -project of life
Self
devised program (Ortega)
Not Self
idea of devised program (Ortega)
Man's mode of being is characterized by...
potential, not yet being.
Sartrean
being in itself, existence is complete
Being-For-Itself
existence is not complete, trying to fill it.
Man has to earn his life:
1) figure out purpose, dream up (weightiest) [vision]
2)making yourself into that dream [implementation]
Camus
absurd vs. revolt; man can never understand his place in the world; we live through absurdity; man-divorce-the world
Absurd
is life worth living? is there a meaning of life?; no intelligible answer is given to humanity about what life is. (Camus)
Moments when we can see the absurdity
1. break with routine
2. aging-we belong to time
3. density of other people and things
4. image of yourself
5. DEATH
Taylor
life is essentially meaningless, as even when we have a purpose the purpose has to end; uses myth of Sisyphus as an analogy, pushing the boulder in a constant loop up the hill=objectively meaningless; when pushing the boulder to create temple=objectively meaningfull; being happy to push the boulder=subjectively meaningful (could be objective)
Nagel
Determinism vs. Free Will
Free Will
1. could have chosen x instead of y: (just then, as things actually were) my own will alone is what led me to choose y.
2. the options before you are open possibilities
3. Anything we "freely do", or will, cannot be determined in advance.
Casual Determinism [nomological]
1. for any thing, if it is found in the natural world, then it is governed by natural law.
2. A human being is found in the natural world.
3.Human beings, their behaviors are governed by natural law. [natural laws: physics, biochem, biosciences, etc.
Casuality [Efficient Cause] (Also determinism definition)
every event, action, or state of affairs is caused by some previous event, action, or state of affairs. (or some combo of them.)
theological determinism
1. If God knows everything (omniscent), then he knows what you got on the 2nd exam.
2. If God is omniscent, then he knows you are going to get an 86.
3. Thus, you are getting an 86. [Show Less]