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34 Cards in this Set

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Why does Rubenstein say of the prospect of discovering "a body of learning so powerful... it would revolutionize our thinking and transform our lives" that for us "the notion is utter fantasy?"
knowledge is cumulative. nothing could be so new that it would change our lives, mainly because that discovery has somehow already been incorporated (ex/ dead sea scrolls)
How do you understand the distinction that Rubenstein makes between "hard" scientific knowledge, and "soft" learning? Is this dichotomy valid?
hard is fact, something that can be tested and proven again and again; soft is personal and unprovable, such as faith and personal philosophy
Rubenstein argues that the rediscovery of Aristotle had "a slingshot effect, accelerating the pace of scientific and philosophical inquiry." What does he mean by this?
rediscovery doesn't change the world like it did initially, but rather the methods and ideas can rapidly increase inquiry because the basics have already been laid out before hand
What is the "myth of cultural authenticity," and how does it affect our understanding of the development of Western Civilization?
the notion that a particular civilization developed on its own from original sources rather than being borrowed from or imposed by outsiders; it skews it so that we forget how much we depended on others
What did William of Ockham believe about the relationship between science and religion?
science and religion would be better off if they separated
To what extent do modern divisions between modernists and post-modernists on the one hand, and traditionalists and fundamentalists on the other hand echo earlier ideological conflicts?
they echo the conflict that made Europe's universities and churches an intellectual (and sometimes physical) battleground in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
Why is it "hard not to think of twelfth-century Spain as a scholars' paradise?"
coming together of diverse minds and peoples to pour over diverse manuscripts
What was the "Reconquista?"
a lengthy struggle to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims who had ruled it for more than three hundred years.
Rubenstein asks: "How had the former horsemen of the Arabian Peninsula managed to develop such remarkable competence in science and philosophy?" What answer does he give?
the Muslims and Jews had already translated every important work of Greek learning (as well as monuments of ancient persian and indian culture) into arabic. they had also commented on aristotle, plato, and the greek scientists, and interpreted the thinking to follow monotheism
What was the role of Archbishop Raymund of Toledo in this rediscovery by Christian Europe of the lost knowledge of the ancient world?
created a translation center in Toledo, Spain and ordered the best minds from all facets of the world to add to the knowledge base
Who was Aristotle of Stagira?
son of a real doctor; mentor plato;
How did the theories of Hippocrates regarding epilepsy and other afflictions challenge the medical theories of the day?
doctors in those days used the gods as excuses for their failures. Hippocrates created explanations based on theory of bodily "humors" and proposed using science to test that theory
Why did Speusippus - and not Aristotle - succeed as director of the Academy on Plato's death?
Speusippus was older, better-established, and plato's nephew
What factors may have persuaded Aristotle to join the Macedonian court of Philip II?
familial ties and the similarity between philosophical beliefs of artistotle that resonated in the Macedonian urge to stabilize greece
How did the curriculum of the Lyceum differ from that of the Academy?
lyceum curriculum was more extensive and scientifically oriented
How did the sudden and unexpected death of Alexander the Great cause "the Philosopher to find himself in terrible trouble?
macedonians were glad to be free of "protectors," attacked Antipater, massive rebellion ensued, new government did not approve of some of Aristotle's works
What fate befell Aristotle's manuscripts after his death?
gave them to his bf and brightest student, Theophrastrus, who had succeeded him at the Lyceum. they were then given to Neleus. They were then hidden away for over 200 years
What are the qualities that characterize the writing of Aristotle?
one loses the sense of "all-too-human" inferiority inculcated by most of the old religions and many modern sciences. Sense perceptions provide us with the evidence that permits us to reason with each other on the basis of common experience.
Did Aristotle believe in God?
yes - he believed there is a supreme being who is single, immaterial, unchangeable, eternal, and perfect. and no - god is neither a creator or a redeemer. he is merely a feature of the universe. heart or brain
What was the explanation offered by Augustine of Hippo for the catastrophic decline of the Roman Empire?
our life on earth, with its inevitable confusion and suffering can only be understood aright form the standpoint of the truths revealed by God to his people. Rome fell because of her people's sins
How does Rubenstein characterize the differences between Aristotelian epochs and Platonic eras?
Aristotelian - realistic, inspiring. economic growth, political expansion, and cultural optimism color the intellectual atmosphere ; Platonic - make obvious sense to thinking people, are filled with discomfort and longing
How did Clement of Alexandria see the role of philosophy in the pagan world?
Philosophy brought the greek mind to christ. philosophy was a preparation, paving the way toward perfection of christ
What parallels exist between Christian ideology and Platonic thought?
plato affirmed the existence of a supreme god - unitary, immaterial, perfect, and timeless - and also gave precedence to spiritual over material values, argued for the immortality of the soul,
How did Augustine derive his theory of knowledge from Platonic philosophy?
knowledge could be harmonized with the concept of man's fall; human knowledge was the result of a divine "illumination" not the product of unaided human reason
What was the role played by Boethius in the preservation and transmission of Aristotelian thought in the West?
translated and commented on Aristotle's works
How and why would Boethius have disagreed with Mark Twain's definition of faith?
he rejected the idea that most religious doctrines are inexplicable (agree), but he was not interested in providing naturalistic reasons for supernatural events or divine ordinances (disagree)
How did Cassiodorus play such a vital role in the preservation of the legacy of Boethius?
preserves Boethius's translations and other writings, accumulates a collection of greek and roman manuscripts, and lobbies the pope to create a university in rome
How did the fifth century struggle over the personhood and nature(s) of christ contribute to the "murder" of Lady Philosophy?
they accepted past theories as fact/past and did not explore them or add to them
Why did the Emperor Justinian close the Platonic Academy in Athens in 529?
philosophical speculation had become an aid to heretics and an inflamer of disputes among christians
In what ways would the first encounter with Aristotle's works for a Christian newly arrived in Toledo in the era of Archbishop Raymund have been profoundly shocking?
you would be confused to why aristotle isn't aware that the world of the sense is a place of suffering and unreality, or that there is a better, more real world to come
What contribution was made by the Islamic philosopher Avicenna to the task of reconciling Plato and Aristotle?
his method was to spiritualize aristotle at certain key points by reading platonic ideas into his thinking
How had it come about that "falsafah" was dying in the islamic world just as it reached a takeoff point in europe?
"Could Christian believers make sense of the Universe, as Aristotle had attempted to do, and still remain believers?" muslim and jewish philosophers had not answered this question either
what was the role of al-Ghazali in islamic intellectual history?
he brought forth the idea that: cause and effect is a man-made illusion, since god, not nature, produces every effect, and since he is free to produce any effect he chooses
why did the rabbis of Provence ask the Inquisition to burn "The Guide to the Perplexed" by Moses Maimonides?
they had turned away from scientific inquiry