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43 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Nous |
understanding - intuition, clear direct insight - not a haunch |
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Episteme |
Scientific knowledge - demonstration. |
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Sophia |
wisdom which is understanding + episteme... w/ respect to invariant objects - intellectual virtue |
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Phronensis |
Application, prudence practical wisdom - most relivant of intellectual virtues to moral virutes |
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Techne |
Art, craft, provides guidance of application |
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Intellectual virtues |
Invariant objects- sophia, nuos, episteme Variant objects- phonensis, techne |
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Invariant objects w. intellectual virtues |
Sophia, nous, episteme |
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Variant objects w. intellectual virtues |
phronensis, techne |
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Intellectual virtue most relevantto moral virtue is : |
Phronensis |
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phronesis |
Translated as intelligence, but really is prudence or practical wisdom. The general ability to determine the right role in situations. Virtue of thought that allows us to identify mean through observation. |
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3 kinds of soul does Aristotle identify in De Anima |
nutritive, sensitve, rational |
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Nutritive |
Nourishment, growth, reproduction-plants |
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Sensitive |
pleasure, pain, perception desire- animal |
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Rational |
intellectual- humans |
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His presentation of these degrees of the soul |
imply a hierarchy where the act of reasoning is greater than the act of perception and the act of perception is greater than nutritive and reproductive qualities |
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What is Aristotles general account of sense perception? Explain it by reference to the sense of sight. What does this sense require? |
-perception:passive state of image-always right-must have the quality potentially but not actually-object must have a range of potential -must be related to its object as the perceiving part is related to the objects perception |
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15. How does Aristotle distinguish sense perception from phantasia (“appearance” or “imagination”)? |
Phantasia is the ability to see things in your head, the state of being potentially aware of images. It is part of the rational degree of the soul. Sense perception is the actuality of this (Y) |
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What (partial) analogy does Aristotle see between sense perception and thinking? In what ways does he regard these capacities as disanalogous? |
-The analogy of the eye-the eye has the potential to be what it is looking at, therefore with the intellect it has the potential to take on the form of objects of intellect If intellect is like perception it needs to have the quality of the object potentially but not actually. For example, for an eye looking at a red tomato, the eye has the potential to be red. Whatever happens to the intellect when it perceives an object of intellect is analogous to the eye perceiving an object of perception. However it is disanalogous because intense exposure destroys sense organs but strengthens the mind. |
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What is nous pathetikos? What does it mean to say that its essence is potentiality? |
What puzzles does this introduce into Aristotle’s account of the soul?Nous Pathetikos is the passive part of the soul. To say that its essence is potentiality is to say that it does not take on any form unless acted on by the active mind, Poietikos. |
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What is nous poietikos? What does it mean to say that its essence is actuality? What puzzles does this introduce into Aristotle’s account of the soul? |
Poietikos is the active and creative mind. It is more valuable than Nous Pathetikos, and is unmixed in the body, it exists separate from it. This creates a problem, however, because Nous Poietikos is said to be part of the soul, which is of the body. Therefore, Poietikos cannot be part of the soul, since the soul is the first actuality of the body. |
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19. Why might someone argue that nous poietikos in De Anima is the same substance as the divine substance introduced in Metaphysics XII? If one were to reject this argument, how else might one understand the claims that nous poietikos is unmixed and separable? |
Nous Poietikos is said to be a force of actualization, and a soul is said to be the first actualization of a body that is capable of life. Death is the loss of this actualization. A deflationary interpretation would say that to say Nous Poietikos is separable means that it cannot be reduced down to anything of the body, it might depend upon bodily things, but it does not reduce to them. |
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*20. Present and explain Aristotle’s argument in Metaphysics XII for the existence of divine substance in terms of the actuality/potentiality distinction. What does it mean to say that divine substance is pure actuality? What is the activity of divine substance? |
Death is the loss of potentialities. The divine substance whose essence is actuality cannot die because it does not possess any potentiality. To say that divine substance is pure actuality is to say that it is the greater force that causes activity in all other things, a “great mover”. There needs to be something to actualize the potential of things to move, and this thing must have an essence of actuality. This actualized mover causes motion without being in motion. However it is not also a physical cause but will function as an object of understanding Do the best thing in relation to the best object. Everlasting unmoved substance that is separated from perceptible things. Without parts and indivisible. Without magnitude. |
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Explain the Epicureans’ commitment to hedonism; distinguish between kinds of pleasures. In light of this, what way of life do they prescribe? |
Avoid pain, seek pleasure. Two types of pleasure: dynamic and katastematic An example of dynamic pleasure would be eating tasty food. Concerns with this type of pleasure because they can undermine virtue, indulging them too much can lead to pain (in the form of a stomach ache or health problems, for example)Katastematic pleasure is something like the pleasure found in listening to music. Ultimate katastematic pleasure is found in thought. Not as reliant on external goods. This way of thinking about pleasure implies that they prescribe a lifestyle of temperance and moderation. |
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What is the Epicurean account of the soul? Be able to discuss at least 3 interpretations of their answer. |
The soul is nothing other than a compound of “nameless” atoms, heat, air and wind. The nameless atoms are the things that are considered responsible for sense perception and thought. Our ability to feel pleasure and pain is derived from these nameless atoms. |
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What is the Stoic account of knowledge? What role does the graspable presentation (kataleptic phantasia) play here? |
Stoic epistemology relies heavily on logic. They are empiricists in some ways like the Epicureans, but also believe that many answers can be found through logic and inquiry. They have a concept of a basic grasp, which is the natural conception of things which are universal.Knowledge begins with a presentation, assent to that presentation, grasp (being able to give an account of the presentation, explain it, understand it, work it into a conceptual framework.Kataleptic phantasia (a graspable presentation) is stamped in accordance with what is and cannot be stamped in accordance with what is not |
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Stoic wise man. What is the distinguishing mark of the wise man? |
The stoic wise man will never assent to a false presentation. He will always recognize when a presentation is graspable and when it is not graspable. |
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What is the Stoic account of the nature of the cosmos? What does this have to do with Heraclitus? |
Stoic account of the nature of the cosmos: Cosmos is a living, rational animal. Two principles (generated and ungenerated) operate at the level of the cosmos and everything within it. The Stoic God is also heavily involved with the cosmos down to the finest details. They also think that the universe goes through cycles of conflagration, and that the airy, fiery force of Pneuma shapes the universe, just as Heraclitus thinks that everything is fire. |
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What, on the Stoic view, are the active and passive principles that determine the cosmos? What role does pneuma play in accounting for different kinds of objects? |
Passive principle is unqualified matterActive principle is Reason, god, pneuma (which is defined as a sort of “hot breath”. Pneuma gives unqualified matter characterIt is responsible for hexis (giving bodies internal coherence), phusis (internal coherence of living bodies), and psuche (coherence of rational beings). |
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State the Stoics’ arguments for (i) the existence of god, (ii) the living and rational nature of god, and (iii) the fact that god governs the cosmos. Be able to present at least one argument for each of these. |
(i)The stoics say that god exists because our universe clearly shows signs of having been created, the work of a rational mind, for example the fact that planets and stars rotate in an orderly fashion. (ii) the cosmos is greater than human beings, and human beings are rational, so the cosmos must be rational as well. Also, nothing which lacks life and is not rational can create life that is rational and alive.(iii) Nothing is more impressive than the governance of the cosmos, and since the cosmos is a rational being (and nothing is greater than it) it must be able to govern itself. |
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psuche: |
coherence of rational beings governed by a coherent set of rational beings. Found in the cosmos of the soul |
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4 Elements: generated and destructible |
-elements are destroyed during the great conflagration-eternal recurrence -God is the force guiding this process and thus it is being done in the best of all possible ways, therefore there is no reason for it to change each time it happens. |
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What is the Stoic account of the human soul? How does this relate to pneuma? |
The stoic conception of the human soul has 8 parts.-5 senses-reproduction-speech-Hegemonikon (the “executive center” of the soul) (formed when you are either 7 or 14)Pneuma is the hegemonikon in rational animals. |
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*34. What is the Stoic notion of the final good? |
Living in accordance with nature(the gods) |
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What is the Stoic account of passions (emotions) as “diseases of the soul”? How does ataraxia fit into this view? |
Passions are considered unnatural motions of the soul, irrational. They cause one to disobey reason and therefore lose control. If one follows reason and steers their life using it, they will remain in control and at peace (ataraxia) |
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What is Aristotle’s definition of soul in De Anima? How does this definition suggest that Aristotle does not consider the soul to be a separate substance from the body? |
The soul is the cause and principle of the living body. It is three things: a source of motion, what something is for, and the substance of ensouled bodies. The second point refers to the fact that the aim of nature is the soul, natural bodies are considered organs of the soul since they are for the sake of the soul. Aristotle does not consider the soul to be a separate substance from the body |
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11. What is the distinction between first and second actuality? Explain it by reference to an example involving knowledge (e.g., of grammar). |
First actuality is the state of knowing, second actuality is the state of acting on what one knows. So if the first actuality is grammar, the second actuality would be composing a grammatically correct sentence. |
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10. What is the distinction between actuality and potentiality in Aristotle’s philosophy? How does this relate to his distinction between form and matter? |
Potentiality is having the capacity to know, actuality is knowing and acting on that knowledge. A soul is the first actuality of a body which has the potential to contain life. Actuality gives form to matter, which is potentiality. |
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***9. What account of happiness does Aristotle give in NE X? Is Aristotle’s account of |
happiness in NE X compatible with the rest of the NE? In NE X Aristotle says that the life of understanding is the pleasantest and happiest because understanding is most proper to the nature of a human being. Happiness is not a state, it is the activity of expressing virtue, and specifically of living a life of understanding and study, which Aristotle claims will lead to the happiest life. It differs from his earlier definition because previously happiness was defined as living in accordance with virtue, and now he fleshes out that definition by saying that a life of study is the most virtuous life. This account of happiness may not be compatible with the rest of NE because it implies that simply living virtuously is not enough if that life is not a life of study. (? clarification needed) |
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8. What is significant about phronesis (“intelligence” or “prudence” or “practical wisdom”)? |
Translated as intelligence, but really is prudence or practical wisdom. The general ability to determine the right role in situations. Virtue of thought that allows us to identify mean through observation. |
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7. What account of the human soul does Aristotle provide in NE? How does he distinguish between the two parts of the rational soul (R1 vs. R2)? Which parts of the soul are most relevant to his discussion of moral virtue? |
The definition of the soul is the first actuality of a natural organic body. R1: Virtues of thought with respect to invariant objects (first principles) R2: Virtues of thought with respect to variant objects (application of first principles) Recall that in NE Aristotle divides the soul into 2 parts, one rational and one non-rational. He then divides the rational part into 2 parts; we referred to these as R1 and R2. When it comes to moral virtue, the intellectual virtue most relevant is phronesis. This seems to involve R2 exercising some kind of control over the non-rational part. |
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What is Aristotle’s conception of intellectual virtue? What are the intellectual virtues? What are some of the relevant differences between/among them? |
The five intellectual virtues are the five ways the soul arrives at truth by affirmation or denial. R1: With respect to invariant objects (first principles), the virtues of thought are sophia (wisdom which is understanding +episteme), nous (understanding, “intuition” which is not a hunch but rather a clear and direct insight), and episteme (scientific knowledge, demonstration) R2: With respect to variant objectsPhronesis (application, prudence, practical wisdom)Techne (art, craft, provides practical guidance in application) |
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What is Aristotle’s definition of moral virtue (virtue of character)? Be able to explain it fully, and to give some specific examples of moral virtues. |
- The concept of the golden mean comes into play here: for every two opposite character traits, there is a middle point which one should aim for. For example, between cowardice and rashness there is courage. Adopting the golden mean of every character trait results in improved moral virtue. -Hexis (disposition, condition) to choose the mean between excess and deficiency according to the right rule (the rule of phronein (intelligent, prudent, practicality wise) man would employ) -maintaining good social relationships, friendship is necessary and fine. - Want to gain pleasure through abstaining from overindulgence. |
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What is Aristotle’s strict definition of eudaimonia (“happiness”) in NE I (1098a12-18)? |
-activity of the soul in accordance with virtue -if there is more than one virtue then it is in accordance with the best and most complete, over a lifetime -The human being performing its function excellently (virtuously), and that function is to exercise rationality. |
