Plato's Rave
What is a Platonic Form?
The forms are abstract, unchanging ideals/definitions to which real particulars aspire. They are more perfect than things found in the physical realm.
The 3 parts on the scale of Aristotelian virtue...
Give an example.
1. Deficiency
2. Golden Mean
3. Excess
The disciplines falling under material knowledge are...
1. Natural Science (Physics)
2. Ethics
Euthyphro justifies putting his father on trial because of which myth?
Zeus did it to his father, Kronos, and Greek society thinks Zeus is the best of the Gods
Aristotelian Voluntary Action
An action which the agent contributes to directly, and can be praised or blamed for.
What is the Ring of Gyges experiment and what is it meant to show?
The Ring of Gyges is a hypothetical magical ring described by Plato in his work The Republic that grants its wearer the power of invisibility.It's a thought experiment used by Plato's character Glaucon to argue that people only act justly out of fear of punishment and that, without fear of consequences, most people—even the just—would act unjustly to pursue their own self-interest
What is teleology?
Teleology is the philosophical concept of explaining phenomena in terms of their ends or purposes
"Telos" is an end
A maxim is...
A subjective principle of the will
In the Apology, Socrates is charged with...
1. Corrupting the Youth
2. Impiety
Ignorance
•Ignorance is a state in which I am unaware of one or multiple (though never all, unless I am mad) of the following:
•Who I am
•What I’m doing
•What the result of my action will be
•The means to obtain a result
•Intentions behind an action
•The way something is done (i.e., speaking harshly)
Give the major points of Glaucon's argument (representing Thrasymachus) regarding justice.
The argument proceeds in 3 steps (358c):
1.What is justice and where does it originate?
2.All who practice justice do so unwillingly, as something necessary, and not because it is good.
3.People have good reason to act in this way because the life of an unjust person is much better than a just one.
Explain what Aristotle means by an "incontinent" person.
A person who knows the right thing to do but still does the wrong thing out of weakness of will (akrasia)
Explain what an action from duty is as opposed to other kinds of actions.
For Kant, an action has true moral worth only when it is performed from duty, meaning the action is motivated by the recognition of a moral obligation and not by personal feelings, desires, or the anticipation of consequences.
What is the Euthyphro dilemma?
Issues with each horn of the dilemma?
The Euthyphro dilemma poses whether an action is good because God commands it, or if God commands it because it is good.
1. God's command is arbitrary
2. Morality is arbitrary and independent of God
Distributive Justice
This type of justice is concerned with fair dealings. Everyone gets an equal amount.
Explain the parent analogy in Crito. Why can't Socrates make a prison break?
Socrates compares the state to one's parents and says that just like a parent, the state raised him and provided for all his needs. Therefore, it would irreverent/ungrateful to go against its laws and bring it ruin by setting the precedent that one does not need to buy into the implicit contract one agrees to when one decides to stay in a place.
What are the three parts of the soul for Aristotle? What does each part do?
1. Rational (Logos) -
Concerned with thinking, reflection, language, storytelling, planning, etc.
Only humans have this.
Open to reason.
2. Appetite
Concerned with movement, emotions, desire, etc.
All animals have this.
Open to reason.
3. Nutritive or vegetative
Concerned with nutrition, reproduction, survival, etc.
All animals have this.
Instinctual and thus not open to reason.
What is the shopkeeper example? And what is it meant to show?
Kant's shopkeeper example illustrates that an action only has moral worth if it's performed out of a sense of duty, not for self-interest or inclination. A shopkeeper who doesn't cheat a customer to preserve their business reputation or make more money is acting in accordance with duty but not from duty, and thus their action lacks moral worth.
Explain the Socratic paradox regarding wisdom.
The Socratic paradox, often expressed as "I know that I know nothing," means that true wisdom comes from recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge, rather than claiming to possess absolute understanding. This profound self-awareness of ignorance, rather than a declaration of total lack of knowledge, highlights intellectual humility.
The Kantian good will
Is good without qualification
Explain the concept of the philosopher king in Plato's Republic. Identify a pro and a con of such a leader.
Plato believes philosophers are the most enlightened men in society and have a duty to share their knowledge with others (who are presumably in the darkness of the cave), whether they want to or not.
Aristotle rejects his mentor Plato's theory of the Forms. Why?
Aristotle rejects Plato’s theory of the Forms here, suggesting that the number of varied opinions on what is good/just means no entities inherently have these qualities, but rather, are granted them through social convention
At base, the Forms are not tenable because they are abstract, universal ideals that cannot be achieved or figured out, and Aristotle is only interested in understanding and explicating the attainable.
Difference between pure and empirical philosophy?
Pure philosophy (or pure reason) deals with a priori knowledge, which is independent of sensory experience and derived from logic and pure thought, while empirical philosophy relies on a posteriori knowledge, which is gained through sensory experience, observation, and research of the real world
Divine command theorists believe...
A divine command theorist believes that an action's moral status (whether it is right or wrong) is determined by the commands of a divine being, such as God
Reductio ad absurdem argument
Reductio ad absurdum, or "reduction to the absurd," is a logical method where one argues that a statement or idea is false by showing that its acceptance leads to an illogical, ridiculous, or contradictory conclusion