Examined Life

theoretical inquiry which poses and attempts to answer certain basic and universal questions of existance

issues fundamental to all human thought and action

pertain to human existence as they raise issues of ultimate concern for the conduct of our lives

metaphysics answers this question

part of metaphysics that deals with characteristics of reality in general

maintains that reality is constituted by one single process or kind of thing (either matter or spirit)

reality is made up of both matter and spirit

reality is composed of many different kinds of things or processes

branch of metaphysics that ponders the question of what is ultimately or absolutely real

branch of metaphysics (under Philosophical Theology) treats the question of the existence of God as an open question to be answered by whatever evidence is available

branch of metaphysics (under Philosophical Theology) that assumes God can be known in certain traditional religions and is an authoritative revelation

God does not exist and this fact can be almost certainly known

there may or may not be a God, rational evidence isn't enough to answer the philosophical question

belief in many gods

God is either the sum total of all things or, alternatively, a benevolent power within the universe

there exists a God who is the First Cause of the universe, but he isn't active in the world he created

there is a God who is the creator, sustainer and the end of all things, he is concerned with cosmic and human history

fundamental branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and destiny of the human person (Question of Human Nature)

maintains that the human person is fundamentally one kind of thing or process (wholly material or wholly spiritual)

human person embraces two distinct levels of reality, spiritual and material (mind and body)

one of the questions of human nature that answers what makes life worth living and striving for individually and socially

answering the question of intrinsic value (under the Question of Value)

there are no objective standards of moral value or obligation

there are objectively valid, and universally applicable standards of moral value and obligation

ethic theories determine the rightness or wrongness of human character by appealing to universal rules

defines the rightness or wrongness of human conduct by appealing to certain ends, goals or consequences

philosophy that is concerned with the question of what constitutes "the good" for larger human communities such as societies and states

seeks to determine the factors that make a perfectly just state and then judge past societies by them

define a just state in terms of what succeeds in actual practice in establishing social harmony and promoting individual happiness

attempt to evaluate actual political and social arrangements by appeal to universally valid principles of justice and goodness which are founded upon human nature

evaluate actual political and social arrangements by showing how far they protect the basic rights of every individual

(under the question of value) branch of value-theory dealing with beauty and art

epistemology

branch of philosophy concerned with the question of human knowledge

all claims to know are nothing more than expression of an individual's subjective needs, desires and perspectives (objective knowledge is impossible)

objective knowledge must be possible because everything else would be meaningless (the skeptical position is self-refuting)

true knowledge is a result of experience

knowledge requires universality, necessity and certainty

Methedology

The system of principles of reasoning used to reach valid conclusions or make inferences

seeks to establish sound methods of textual interpretation

seeks to establish criteria of meaningful discourse

shows how the resolution of one question has implications for the resolution of others

in the philosophical system, this aspect encounters the fewest contradictions

in the philosophical system the most plausible world-views are those in which basic beliefs "fit together" harmoniously

in the philosophical system the most plausible world-views are those whose theories do not violate, but rather illuminate, the total sum of human experience as it is concretely lived

observation--> reflection--> insight --> interpretation--> verification (one must formulate and then verify)

this is a reasoned explanation or interpretation of a broad range of phenomena which permits testing by methods established

Plato's answer to Meltus' question "What is piety?"

Plato's answer to the question "Can virtue be taught?"

If we are ignorant, how can we begin the search? But if we have prior knowledge, why do we need to search? -Meno

wisdom and true knowledge

opinion

virtue

wisdom, courage, justice, temperance/moderation

Plato's response to being told to run away before being killed

branch of metaphysics that dealt with the question of origin, nature, and destiny of the physical universe

Socrates

wise men who offered their services as counselors and political strategies for a fee, key to human happiness was indulging themselves

theory that knowledge of objective truth is unattainable by human minds because we are too subjective to our own needs

each group or person measures what is right and wrong

politics is defined by "expediency", by works rather than by what is intrinsically just

this is why Socrates believes it is his duty to teach and raise important questions

genus

species

aporia

way of teaching developed by Socrates that used a question-and-answer format to force students to use their reason to see things for themselves

based on the idea that people want good things, and therefore will act according to what they think is good. People do wrong things because they don't fully know what is good ("to know the good is to do the good.") ("know yourself")

value-theory

an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good

=ring of power= A ring that cam make the wearer invisible, therefore good ppl can commit bad actions without being caught

Sophists believe that ______ is evil and _____ is good

Plato believes that _____ is evil and _____ is good

"led out from the cave of intellectual darkness into the true light of knowledge" -Plato describing ______

(Plato) the intellect, the "spirited" element, apetite

constitutes our capacity for aprehending Eternal Truth

world of forms

tymos, the faculty of the human soul which effects action and disciplines desire

(plato) desire and feeling, purely physiological processes of the body unless under control by the higher facilities

highest class in Plato's "Republic", the people Plato sees as the perfectly wise ruler of the Ideal State that has attained perfect knowledge of the "form of the good"

second class in Plato's "Republic", provides the Ideal State with its means of self-discipline corresponding to the "spirited element" in the individual soul

lowest class in Plato's "Republic", corresponding to the appetitive function in the individual soul

True knowledge does not come from a sense-experience but from reason alone

Plato's solution to the appearance and reality

beyond space, time and matter in which there is no change, no motion, no imperfection- accounts for how knowledge of eternal truth is possible

physical universe, shadow on Plato's "allegory of the cave", imperfect and pale reflection of the intelligible world

intelligible world and the sensible world (plato's idea)

Aristotle

Aristotle's teacher

Aristotle divides the domain of human knowledge into ____ _____ __ ______ _______

Theoria, universal truths simply for the sake of contemplating them, not for their practical applications

Theoretical Inquiry

Practical Inquiry

Praxis, pursues knowledge for the sake of responsible action, politics and ethics

Productive Inquiry

pursues knowledge for the sake of being able to make, build or manufacture something

Aristotle, inquiry begins with observation in order to discover universal and eternal principles that explain the world of our experience

"first philosophy" answers "What is being?" and "What are the first principles (universal laws) which govern all that is?"

actual entities, things and objects- Aristotle's Metaphysics

properties, characteristics- Aristotle's Metaphysics

those characteristic features of a thing which define what it is, such as a human being's "rationality"- Aristotle's Metaphysics

those particular features of a thing which are incidental to its nature, which as a human being's date of birth, nationality, race, height, weight, temperament, etc- Aristotle's Metaphysics

Aristotle's Metaphysics, characteristic which sets this species apart in the genus

material, formal, efficient, final

aitia

what the substance is made of

refers to it's definable nature, what is the fullness of its being

conditions which produced that substance or event (for a human it would be conception)

actualization of a substance or things form or nature, the end goal or purpose

Aristotle's first reason for the reason God exists (_____ ______)

Aristotle's reasons for God- it must have no unrealized potential

Aristotle's reasons for God-matter is the principle of potentiality, immaterial, outside of time and space

Aristotle's reasons for God- it has every positive attribute to the highest degree, absolute mind

Aristotle's reasons for God- it produces all change in the world, and everything strives to be like it

Aristotle's final reason for God- ultimate "attractive" force that moves all things, but not the "first" cause, cannot interact with the world

Part of Aristotle's Psychology- aspect of human life-principle accounts for the several functions we have in common with lower biological species, composed of the vegetative and sensitive function of the human soul

Part of Aristotle's Irrational Element- soul is responsible for the processes of growth, nutrition and reproduction

Part of Aristotle's Irrational Element- soul is responsible for the processes of sensation, locomotion and desire

aspect of the human life-principle accounts for those functions which are unique to our species, composed of the theoretical and practical intellect

Aristotle's Rational Element- responsible for grasping universal truths by reflecting on sense experience, and for the process of "abstraction" involved in concept-formation

Aristotle's Rational Element- responsible for applying rational principles to conduct to discern ends or purposes worth pursuing and realizing those ends

313 AD, this established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire

ecumenical council brought together in 325 AD to deliberate upon the doctrine of the Trinity

claimed that the three Divine Persons were merely three roles played in the history of revelation by the One God- no trinity

Council of Nicea consolidated Christian doctrine in 325

there is a personal God

Jesus=truth

faith does not equal reason, seemed like a reversion to sophism but it was true faith to Christians

Christians believed that the universe had a beginning and an end determined by God ex nihilo

human history is a "static cycles", divinely-initiated events have irrevocable impact upon everything which follows

we are created in the image of God and called to supernatural destiny, heir to the corrupting effects of original sin

we are unable to achieve holiness or please God without Divine assistance

resurrection of the entire person according to the Christians

Augustine was from ___ ____

founded by Mani, theological dualism, two equal and opposite Gods at war in the universe

the search for true knowledge of reality

argument from experience, desire, the epistemological argument and the ontological argument

something must exist beyond this world in which perfect happiness is found (Augustine's argument for God)

eternal truths must have their source in an Eternal Intelligence (Augustine's argument for God)

If we think it, it must exist- if we can think of every perfect attribute there must be something that holds these perfect attributes (Augustine's argument for God)

God possesses all positive attributes to the highest degree (Augustine's nature of God)

God cannot possess any attribute that is incompatible with all positive attributes (Augustine's nature of God)

there cannot be absolute thoughts without an absolute thinker

God is not simply and Absolute Being nor yet simply and Personal Truth. God is __-_____.

out of nothing

God created order (Augustine's idea about God concerning the Created World)

Augustine says this is the result of voluntary rebellion of God's intelligent creatures

the state in which our love for and knowledge of God is perfected in everlasting communion with Him

the theory that the intellect is the human person's central and controlling function

physical, moral and noetic

it is the distortion of our intellects so that it becomes impossible for us, apart from God's Revelation, to know all of those truths which pertain to our salvation

humility, stewardship, admiration, reconciliation, contemplation, charity and moderation

prde, greed, envy, sloth, anger, lust, gluttony

divine assistance

that Divine assistance which "comes before" conversion

purification of our wills and restoration of our minds

sensation, scientia and sapentia

true knowledge is the first stage in the knowing process

question, second stage in the knowing process, when the mind judges the world in the light of eternal, universal and necessary truths

"wisdom", final stage of the process of knowing, involves the contemplation of eternal truth without reference to worldly things or sense-experience

without a special Divine empowerment we cannot know truths

these are acknowledged on the basis of the sufficiency of the evidence for them

these are acknowledged on the basis of faith in Divine Authority

"What is "faith"?" according to Augustine (____ and ____)