Play-Dough?
A story which reveals both the origins and destiny of human life
What is a myth?
The greek word for virtue, and another translation of it:
Arete, Excellence
Define courage and its extremes.
-the virtue by which man knows what ought to be feared.
Excesses: Cowardice and Recklessness
Why is friendship (of the good) superior to justice?
Those who are friends have no need of justice, but when people are just they still desire friends.
Why was Boethius condemned to death?
As the master of ceremonies he was very close to Theodoric. At the time, there were rising tensions between Rome and Constantinople as Catholics in the east wanted to take what had become an Arian empire ruled by the Goths.
This made the Goths fear that Christians in their empire would betray them to help reunite the roman empire. Hence, Boethius was accused of treason complicitly with a few senators after trying to defend a few of them who were accused of betraying the Emperor
What are two myths that Plato wants to bring into his city?
the Noble Lie- that All greeks are brothers and that their education was a dream while they were being molded in the earth who is their mother. (2) Socrates wants to keep the myth of Er- Story that basically tells of an afterlife where the unjust are punished for their crimes, but almost all have a chance for a second life they get to chose, but only those who are philosophical and have sought what is good will actually chose something that makes them happy.
What is the purpose of the Nicomachean Ethics?
To teach man how to become good.
Distinguish distributive and corrective justice
Distributive justice- giving money/honors or other things belonging to those who share in a regime
Corrective justice- occurs in transactions between individuals
Distinguish the three types of friendship.
Why is one type considered "friendship in the primary and authoritative sense"?
friendship of use, of pleasure and and of the good.
Friendship of the good is the form of friendship which includes the other two, seeks the good of the other, and pursues the good with the other, while the others are merely privations
what are the three Paradoxical things about Lady Philosophy's appearance when she first comes to Boethius?
-she appears "vital and glowing, yet she seemed too full of years to belong to this world".
-she appears of normal height at one moment, and then appears to strike the clouds with her head
-she has a beautiful and imperishable dress, yet it has been ripped by violent men.
What are 4 points to help us understand the ring of Gyges story
He is a shepherd… or is he a hired hand, bc he leaves the sheep
Is he moved by curiosity or wonder? Which leads us to evil
Curiosity-using something for ourself
Hollow horse (like trojan horse)=red flag
Naked and bloated corpse=shameful/pleasure consumed
Ring- when inward person is invisible- just like our thoughts are invisbleHe seduces+kills- the ring becomes a shackled. He does evil simply bc he can. He is ruled by the beast/his desire for pleasure, power, possessions
Explain the terms in an example: means, intermediate ends, ultimate ends.
What is man's ultimate end?
means- something that is done for the sake of another thing
intermediate ends- a goal that is achieved for the sake of achieving another goal.
ultimate ends- a goal that intended, and for the sake of which many other things are sought to achieve it.
This part of the intellect allows man to make prudential decisions when perfected.
What is the calculative/deliberative part?
Should a man love himself or be a friend to himself? Explain why the answer is yes and no.
The virtuous man should love himself and pursue his noble desires, while the vicious man should deny his desires which make him unhappy
What is the most beneficial thing about bad fortune?
She makes men realize that the goods she offers will not truly make them happy.
What are the 4 stages of people in the allegory of the cave and what do they symbolize?
Man 1 (515a-b) is bound in chains and only sees the shadows. Any noises the carriers make he things are from the shadows
Man 2 (515d) is released from chains in cave and turns to see those holding the objects that make shadows- he then thinks that the shadows were more real than the objects because of his familiarity. He also sees the fire (515e) and his eyes hurt to he flees to what he can actually see
Man 3: (516a paragraph) Is dragged by force up the path out of the cave into the sunlight. Now he can see real things but he doesn’t believe they are real and is blinded. He can then only look at reflections of things in the water
Man 4: (516c-d) has allowed his eyes to adjust to daylight and now sees real objects and the Sun and knows what things truly are.
What does it mean that virtue is "relative to each person"
It means that it is based off of the strengths and weaknesses that each person has.
Distinguish the similarities and differences between the licentious person, and the lacker of self restraint?
The licentious person “is led on by what he chooses, holding that he ought always to pursue the present pleasure”
The lacker of self restraint chooses the pleasure before him, but knows that it is not actually what will make him happy.
What is contemplation?
Why is it the most excellent activity?
It is an activity of the rational part of the intellect, by which man abstracts truths about the universe.
It is most excellent because it:
can be done most continuously and does not depend upon external goods.
it has pleasures which are the most pure and stable of any of the sciences
as a rational animal, man essentially is his intellect, so perfecting it perfects himself
How does Lady Philosophy free Boethius from his attachment to the goods of fortune?
She helps him see how unsatisfying her goods are. And then she leads him to see how wisdom and happiness reside in virtue and God in reality
How do the 4 cardinal virtues perfect the tripartite soul?
A capacity belonging only to rational animals by which after deliberation the most fitting way to accomplish a particular end is executed.
What is a choice?
Is pleasure the greatest good? Provide one reason why it is, and two reasons it is not.
Yes- something pleasant must be the best thing, because if not the happy life could not be said to be the best.
No- many pleasures are entirely wicked, and bodily pleasures can easily fall into excess or disorder.
What is happiness to Aristotle? What is needed?
it is an activity of the soul in accord with reason; which is not without external goods.
It needs: contemplation, virtue, friends, some material goods.
What is one important way this text builds off of Plato?
What is one important way this text builds off of Aristotle?
How does this text go beyond both of them?
-Boethius is referred to as being in darkness, lost, imprisoned when he is enslaved to fortune, but brought into the light once he has been set free.
-Happiness is identified as the thing which all men seek. Friendship is identified as one of the greatest goods for man to seek. pleasures and earthly goods are rejected as mans true end. Rather wisdom must be sought for itself.
-Boethius goes beyond these two philosophers by identifying possessing and pursuing God who is love and the source of order as the thing which will actually satisfy man's desires.