Compare and Contrast
What group was Socrates morally opposite of?
The Sophists
What is freedom?
The ability to decide and choose between various options.
What percent of adults did Kohlberg think reached moral maturity?
Five percent
What does Aristotle believe is the way to do the most good?
To choose well and find the middle ground in each situation using practical wisdom (prudence) which we get through experience.
What would be the middle ground of being too talkative or talking too little?
It would be talking just enough at the right time.
Socrates compared his work to the work of a who?
Midwife because they help deliver babies and Socrates helps deliver information from within his disciples.
What defines human behavior?
Being open and free, as opposed to animal behavior that seems preprogrammed or determined.
Explain how moral character and language are similar.
Who said this quote "I only know that I know nothing"? Explain what he meant.
Socrates
This quote explains how he believed that everyone knows things without being aware of it, and he helped his disciples to get this information from deep within them.
What is ataraxia?
The absence of pain and disturbances both in the soul and in the body. It is about achieving the greatest possible tranquility and serenity.
What is the difference between Socrates and Aristotle on what they believe makes us good and virtuous?
Aristotle believes that the habit of doing good things makes us good and Socrates says that just the knowledge of virtue makes us virtuous.
What is an ethical theory?
It is a a philosophical reflection that establishes a series of norms and values and justifies them
What is moral conscience and how is it formed?
It is an intimate and personal voice that grows with us, that evaluates our own standards and actions, and thus makes moral progress possible.
It is formed over the years as a result of the interaction between the values and moral norms that are transmitted to us and the way of being and thinking of each one.
Who said this quote, and explain the significance.
"Man is the measure of all things"
Said by Protagoras, the most famous Sophist.
It means that it is each human being who establishes what is good and what is just; there are no absolute standards that apply to all men. Each society and each individual establishes what they consider good or bad according to their circumstances and their interests.
What is moral intellectualism?
He who acts incorrectly does not do so out of evil, but out of ignorance, because he has not discovered and understood what good is. We cannot say that there are bad people, but rather ignorant people who do not know what good behavior consists of.
Describe the differences between ethics and morals.
Morality refers to a set of norms and customs that govern the life of an individual or a group and that establish what behaviors are acceptable and what are not. Ethics is a critical and rational reflection on the norms of morality.
What is moral universalism?
It states that there are objective values that are universal, that is, equal for everyone and in all circumstances.
Who developed the three phases of moral development? Identify the three phases and briefly explain each.
Jean Piaget
1) Premoral phase - first five years. No norms taken into consideration.
2) Heteronomous phase - 6-10. Begin to differentiate between good and evil and assume the rules imposed on them from outside as something unquestionable and unalterable.
3) Autonomous phase - 10+. Rules are the product of an agreement, they begin to question them and want to be governed by rules that are consciously, freely and autonomously assumed.
Who believed this? And explain it.
"The recognition of one's own ignorance is the fundamental step in acquiring any knowledge"
Socrates
Since no one seeks what they believe they have. From here, they tried together to find the truth about what are the values and standards that should guide our conduct. In this regard, Socrates believes that we must lead a life in which rational self-control prevails over impulses, emotions, feelings or passions.
What is the last step in getting knowledge according to Socrates?
The recognition of one's own ignorance is the fundamental step in acquiring any knowledge
Explain skepticism and what the Sophists think about it.
Skepticism calls into question the possibility of reaching an absolute and objective truth.
The sophists recognize the inability of human reason to access the understanding of reality.
Explain the emotional progress from the first stage of forming moral conscience to the last stage. What are the changes in rule following specifically? Try to give an example if possible.
In the first stage, rules are followed solely out of fear of punishment, whereas in the last stage, rules are chosen freely and rationally normally aligned with universal values.
Who said, "Seek pleasure and flee from pain" and explain how this quote helps to define the ethical theory of hedonism.
Epicurus said this quote to explain that happiness is identified with pleasure and the absence of pain. Hedonism seeks to navigate pleasures to reach the ultimate goal of happiness.
Explain eudaemonistic ethics.
It belongs to the group of ethical theories that consider happiness to be the end of human life and the greatest good to which one can aspire (in Greek happiness is eudemonia). The maximum happiness consists of the contemplative life, that is, a life dedicated to the exercise of reason and wisdom.