Term
| State the Rationalist Credo |
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Definition
1. The universe is orderly.
2. The universe is knowable.
3. The universe is knowable best by human reason. |
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Term
| State the etymological definition of philosophy |
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Definition
| Philosophy is the love of reason |
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Term
| What is the difference between intuition and innate knowledge? |
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Definition
| Intuition is knowledge that comes from immediate apprehension. Innatism comes from inborn universal truths. |
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Term
| Explain what is meant by "the knowledge is only as good as the source"? To which epistemology does this most relate? |
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Definition
| The epistemology is authoritarianism. One of the problems with authoritarianism is that there can be a confusion between power and authority. Just because someone has power doesnt mean they have legitimate authority of the knowledge. Since one is not reasoning for oneself then the knowledge is only as good as the source. |
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Term
| What is a myth? How are they useful? What are some problems with myths? |
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Definition
| A myth is a sotry that explains the unkown in terms of the known. It can help overcome fears and make us feel like we have control of our lives. The problem with a myth is that they apply only to a localized area and can conflict across cultures. Also, They are essentially authortarian and are only as good as the source. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast Egyptian and Greek art in regard to the values they reflect? |
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Definition
Egyptian: things were BIG to show power and worth and that you are little and have no value and shouldn’t be here. Very authoritarianism; Ramsey statues
Greek: focused on reason and beauty and the worth of human beings; wanted to make things that looked good. Ex: Parthenon |
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Term
| Explain the difference between the classical period in Greece and the Hellenistic period. What was different in the thinking? How was this reflected in the art? |
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Definition
Classical (Hellenic): art was influenced by reason. the Parthenon was rational and was designed to look good to people. Scultures showed reason and rationality in their face. There was also a humanistic value to this art that showed humans had worth. the extreme form of this was that man was the measure of all things.
Hellenistic (greekish): said that passion was the measure of all things and there was passion, movement, and energy in the art (especially sculptures) |
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Term
| How are the Forms related to each other and to the physical world? |
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Definition
| Forms are the eternal unchanging idea which lie behind the changing temporal world. Each Form has its own reality but also partakes of the form above it in a hierarchy. Froms and physical things are systematically interconnected, leading up from the physical, stiving to be Good, moving from more particular to more general. Example - Good-Beautiful- Plantness-Flowerness- Flower |
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Term
| Relate the elements of the "Myth of the Cave" to Platos metaphysics and epistemology? |
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Definition
Metaphysics is: “study of the ultimate nature of reality” or “the study of what is really real”
- Plato’s beliefs are there are two realities, the one that is present in this physical world, and the idea of what is present that is really real. People know the ideas to apply to the physical aspects from a former life. This is the epistemology of innatism
- The myth of the cave presents the idea that the physical world is a the world of shadows where we see things and get the sense of their true form, but what we are seeing isn't really real. the truth is in another dimension, or outside the cave of shadows |
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Term
| Explain how Plato's dialogue about the equal sticks "proves" the theory of Forms. |
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Definition
| Equality itself--something that is independent of any particular case of equality such as equal sticks or equal stones. However, Socrates points out, equal stones or equal sticks may look equal from one point of view and unequal from another. The idea of Equality, however, can never be unequal. If the equal things are different from Equality and yet can bring Equality into our minds, they must somehow remind us of the Form of Equality. |
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Term
| How does Plato bring together Parmenides and Heraclitus? |
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Definition
| Plato solved the problem of permanence and change with dualism. The idea that there is this world, the physical world, that is always changing like the belief of Heraclitus, but that there is also a separate world of Forms that is the true reality and is unchanging and lies beyond the changing temporal world. |
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Term
| Explain Platos view of the functions and virtues of the soul. What is the key to being a good person? |
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Definition
Functions are Reason, Spirit and Appetietes (bodily urges). Virtues are Wisdom, courage and moderation.The key to being a good person is,
to know the good, is to do the good, if you know what the right thing is, you will do it. |
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Term
| Explain Platos statement "the state is the soul writ large" |
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Definition
| The divisions of the state correspond to divisions of the soul. But since the soul is difficult to analyze, in the dialogue Socrates says that he will first speculate on the state, and then rely on his speculations to illuminate the nature of justice in the individual. What is good for the sould is good for the state. |
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Term
| Explain the process by which we come to know universals through particulars. |
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Definition
Material Cause: that out of which something is made
- what is the matter it is made out of
- ex. A knife→steel
Formal Cause: that into which something is made
- ex. what the steel is being shaped into
Efficient Cause: that by means of which something is made
- the maker, the tool, the energy by which something is made
FINAL Cause: that for the sake of which something is made
- the reason that something is made
- we judge by how well it performs its function/carries out its final cause...entelechy |
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Term
| Compare Aristotle’s use of form with Plato’s Form. |
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Definition
| Aristotle believes in forms but thinks they exist in the things that have them. They are located in this world. Plato refers to Forms as the eternal unchanging ideas which lie behind the changing temproal physical world. They are not located in this world. |
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Term
| What does Aristotle mean by 'happiness' (both kinds) How does he think we can achieve happiness? |
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Definition
Euphoria- Good Feeling
Eudaimonia - Good Spirit/Good living
This can be achieved by virtuous living. Intellectual virtue- Practical wisdom,knowing good. Moral virtue- Character, doing good. |
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Term
| Explain Aristotles Doctrine of the Mean and illustrate it with at least one virute (and corresponding vices) |
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Definition
| The golden mean is finding balance between two extremes. All things in moderation. For example, balance would be courage, however to little of it would be cowardice and too much of it would be rashness. |
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Term
| Are the Sophist rationalist? Why or why not? |
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Definition
| No. Sophist are not rationalist. They do not fit withing the rationalist credo. They don't believe the universe is orderly but we impose order through nomos. The universe is not knowable in itself, all we know are our perceptions. The universe is not knowable best by human reason though we can know something of nomos. |
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Term
| What do Stoics mean by 'happiness'? What are the 2 conditions for achieving it? What are the obstacles to achieving it? |
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Definition
| Stoics believe that teh great aim in life is eudaimonia. This can be attained by living in harmony with nature. Specifically wisons of knowing what is in your control and Apathy. The obstacles are ignorance and fear. |
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Term
| What were the key theological issues at the council of Nicea and the council of Chalcedon? |
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Definition
Nicea-Assertation of christ's divinity, the virgin birth ane the holy trinity. This became the basis of all church doctrine.
Chalcedon-Christ exist as one person, with two natures. One human and the other divine. |
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Term
| Why is the docrine of the bodily resurection of Jesus so foundational to the Christian faith? In what ways did the gnostics disagree with these claims? |
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Definition
| If we have good reasons for believing in Christ's resurrection, then, having accepted the historicity of Christ's resurrection, it takes but a small step to show that the God of the Bible exists.The physical resurrection is pointless and unnecessary because through gnôsis we become as eternal and pure as Jesus, need no physical body, and don't have to believe anything that we cannot know directly. |
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Term
| In what ways is Aquinas similar to Aristotle? How does Aquinas differ significantly from Aristotle? |
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Definition
| Aristotle and Aquinas have many similar thoughts on the way that the human person should live. Both of them believe that humans are rational beings. They also believe that because humans are rational they can follow their instincts and live a life of moral goodness. Aquinas however, believed that God was leading human beings to a rational, moral life, while Aristotle believed that being moral was naturally inherent in human beings. The most significant difference is that Aristotles unmoved mover is Aquinas God. |
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Term
| Explain what is meant by the phrase Credo ut Intellgam? Doctrine of illumination |
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Definition
| Credo ut Intellgam = I believe that I might know. Wisdom comes from eternal ideas under a cloud of sin. In general illumination the cloud of sin fogs the ability to see, with faith, the cloud of sin is removed giving the abilyt to see the light. It does not give sudden knowledge, only the capability of knowing. |
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Term
| How does Augustine explain the problem of evil? |
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Definition
| Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good.Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast Plato and Augustine |
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Definition
Similar
two worlds - the other world is more important
Innate truths
Evil as the lack of good
Differences
Plato- Ignorance is evil Augustine-freely choose a lesser good.
Plato- Truth is through desire and reflection- Augustine - Truth is through faith
Plato- world is imperfect forms- Augustine - there are no forms. |
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Term
| Describe Calvins view of reason, contrasting the roles of aided and unaided reason. |
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Definition
Unaided Reason -
limited usefullness, glimmer of innate understanding, knowledge is puffed up and god is not needed
Aided Reason - found entirely in scriptures, allows us to see gods truth, gods illumination |
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Term
| Describe Mysicism and its common characteristics. |
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Definition
| The mystical experience includes immediate contact with the infinite. It has extra ordinary insight including ecstady and enthusiams. The mystical experiences is completely intuition. There is no proof needed. |
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Term
| Describe the sophist challenge to Plato and Aristotles belief in universals. |
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Definition
| The sophist were moral skeptics since they traveled widely throughout the Greek world and observed a variety of cultural practices that varied from city-state to city-state. They instead believed that what we know is only our perception of things. |
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Term
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Definition
Innatism
Faith to Reason
Gods ideas in head
cloud of sin in way
removal allows illumination
can begin to understand and exand on gods ideas |
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Term
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Definition
Empricism
Reason to Faith
Blank slate
Two books - Nature and scripture
Can know god by nature alone
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Term
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Definition
Intuitionism
Nothing in mind
Reason not needed
Knowldege from immediate apprhension
Enters heart
Religion and church are merely guides
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Term
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Definition
Authoritarianism
Authority of god chooses to give faith through bible to know god
Faith to Reason
Unaided- Born with dim knowledge, rationalize bad choices, think we are self sufficient
Aided - Awakening, able to see gods truths through scriptures |
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