Thinking Philosophically
___________ is the formal study of the principles of correct and reliable reasoning. It investigates how to evaluate arguments, draw valid inferences, and distinguish between sound, rational ideas and flawed ideas
What is Logic?
If a teacher corrects a student's behavior privately in the hallway instead of yelling at them in front of the whole class, the teacher is protecting the student's ____________.
What is Dignity (or Self-respect / Pride)?
Tony (Iron Man) often displays this deadly sin when he believes that his intellect makes him uniquely responsible for the safety of the world. Instead of trusting his teammates or global institutions, he plays God with technology. His tragic flaw is believing that his genius can outsmart consequence, which almost always backfires and endangers the people he loves.
What is pride?
Thor would view the ____________ as a petty squabble. To a god who has lived through millennia of epic, brutal conflicts, the ideological stalemate between the US and the USSR would seem entirely absurd - a childish refusal to unite as "mortal men" under a greater, shared destiny.
What is the Cold War?
This Soviet dictator built a massive "Cult of Personality" by putting his face on posters, naming cities after himself, and altering history books to make himself look like a hero.
Who is Joseph Stalin?
You see your classmate cheating on a test. You decide not to tell the teacher because you believe that keeping your friendship intact is more important than following the rules. You are prioritizing this specific type of ethical duty.
What is Loyalty?
In The Avengers, the Hulk constantly struggles with this virtue, showing what happens when a person loses their ______________ and flies into a rage.
What is Temperance?
When ________ takes over in the form of the Hulk, all moral alignment vanishes. This sin makes no distinction between friend and foe. In this state, the Hulk will just as easily smash an evil enemy as he will terrorize a terrified civilian populace or attack his fellow Avengers.
What is Wrath?
In the 1960s, Marvel actually used the Cold War to create villains. Black Widow started as a Soviet spy trying to steal American ____________ from Tony Stark before she eventually flipped sides and joined the good guys!"
What is technology?
Guided by a racist ideology of ________ supremacy, this government ordered the systematic state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of European Jews, Roma, and people with disabilities.
What is Aryan?
You have one slice of pizza left and two starving friends. Instead of flipping a coin or keeping it, you cut it perfectly in half so they both get an equal amount, acting out this basic concept of fairness.
What is Equality?
A student sees a group of popular kids making fun of a new student in the cafeteria. Even though they are terrified of becoming the next target, they stand up, walk over, and tell the group to stop, showing this virtue.
What is Fortitude (or Courage)?
Batman emphasizes this virtue by refusing to use lethal force, believing that crossing that line would make him no better than the criminals he fights.
What is Justice (or Mercy/Sanctity of Life)?
An individual who actively promotes or participates in the forcible overthrow of a government or political system is called a ____________________
What is a Revolutionary?
_____________ mobilized workers and peasants under the slogan "Peace, Land, and Bread," leading a coup that successfully seized power in November 1917.
Who is Vladimir Lenin?
An ____________ is a logical conclusion or educated guess reached by combining observed evidence with your own background knowledge and experience. It is often described as "reading between the lines" - taking facts that are directly stated and using them to figure out unstated details.
What is an inference?
While walking home in the rain, you notice an elderly neighbor struggling to carry their groceries up their driveway. Without being asked, you run over, hold the umbrella over them, and help them carry their shopping bags into their home because you have this virtue
What is Benevolence?
As a master spy, lies and deception are Natasha’s (Black Widow) second nature. Yet, her journey toward _____________ is marked by a commitment to truth - specifically, exposing the institutions that corrupt people.
What is redemption?
Capitalism is to Communism what Democracy is to _____________________
What is Totalitarianism?
_____________ was Mao's attempt to rapidly transform China from an agrarian economy into an industrialized, communist society that killed close to 55 million people.
What is The Great Leap Forward?
You argue that schools should offer healthier lunch options. Your opponent responds by screaming, "So you want to ban all snacks and completely starve our children!" Your opponent has committed this fallacy by attacking a fake, exaggerated version of your argument.
What is a Straw Man fallacy?
A student is offered a high-paying part-time job that requires working 30 hours a week. They know they need the money, but they also know their grades will drop. They use their ____________ to understand the long-term consequences, and their ____________ to make the careful choice to decline the job.
What are Wisdom and Prudence?
Logan/Wolverine has lived for over a century, surviving world wars, experiments, the loss of countless loved ones, and literal torture. He demonstrates the virtue of ___________ with his ability to wake up every single day, carry the crushing weight of that trauma, and still choose to fight for a better world rather than succumbing to nihilism or madness.
What is Fortitude?
Metal-armed assassin Winter Soldier was created by the Soviet Union during the Cold War as a direct counter-response to ________________.
Who is Captain America?
In fascist systems, a _______________ is primarily used to eliminate political opposition, enforce absolute ideological conformity, and terrorize the general population into submission.
What is secret police force?