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54 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Basic principles of philosophy |
Ethics = right v wrong Epistemology = study of knowledge Metaphysics = above the physical/nature of causality Ontology = study of existence Aesthetics = nature of beauty Logic = rules to apply to analysis - method |
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Morality vs Ethics |
ethics are rules that RESULT FROM the moral beliefs help by people |
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Socratic Method |
questions and answers that lead to more questions and answers focuses on questions and broadening thinking |
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Plato: Sun Analogy |
Just as the sun is to the eyes and the eyes are to the visible world, |
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Plato: Line Metaphor |
the more you learn and perfect your knowledge, the closer you are to seeing the absolute Forms in the world all we see are ideas, imperfect representations of the absolute |
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Plato: Allegory of the Cave |
humanity trapped inside a cave, one man escapes, goes outside and sees the sun as the source of light so he can see - tries to show the others, they refuse to leave like twins in the womb, once you leave you can't go back, you can't un-learn what you learn |
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Relationship between individual and state |
an implied social contract (the understood rules people follow when forming a group) - by living in a nation/society, you agree to abide by their rules |
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Plato: Phaedo - Argument of Opposites |
all living things come from dead things - the body dies but the soul lives and returns to a new body after a time |
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Plato: Phaedo - Theory of Recollection |
everything we learn, our souls have already learned before us - living is simply re-learning everything our souls learned before we were even born |
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Plato: Phaedo - Argument of Affinity |
soul never dies, body does - soul needs a body to function, soul is not a physical thing and therefore needs a physical body to be understood, interacted with, etc. |
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Descartes' famous phrase |
"I think, therefore I am." - knows he exists because, as a thing that thinks, he must exist in order to be thinking in the first place - reality is found in thought |
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Mind-Body dualism |
mind and body are 2 distinct, different things - physical vs non-physical, but connected |
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Substance - wax example |
Substance of a thing never changes - wax could be in the shape of a tree or a sword, but it is still wax |
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G-d Exists! Why? [Ontological] |
the idea of perfection must have come from somewhere - humans are not perfect, so cannot have imagined something perfect |
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G-d Exists! Why? [Ideological] |
the perception of the infinite is prior in me than the perception of the finite - before we can define ourselves as people, we can accept that there is a higher power watching over us, etc. |
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G-d Exists! Why? [Cosmological] |
If reality is a series of causal events, there must have been a FIRST event - G-d was the first event |
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Types of Reality - Eminent |
something cannot come into being from nothing - creator of objects - can cause formal reality |
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Types of Reality - Formal |
something that exists in its own right - an object can cause something to have objective reality |
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Types of Reality - Objective |
ideas - a clear thought/image of an object - what is distinct and clear - where we find knowledge |
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Machiavelli on acquiring states |
1. force of arms - military presence or violence 2. good fortune - luck, happening upon something 3. virtue or ability - the support of the people puts the person in power |
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Puppet Government |
A government put into place that does not change the customs or laws of the state, sticking to the status quo - but the ruling power changes |
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New Monarchies |
won by violence - new ruler taking over hereditary monarchy - has trouble maintaining power - one mistake and the people rebel - support of the people is KEY |
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Ruler Residence |
a future ruler living among the people - gains support by being seen as caring for them, being available to resolve problems - establishes personal connection to the public |
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Centralized State |
ruler has all the power - strong, difficult to conquer - subordinates rely completely on the single ruler for their authority |
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Decentralized/Distributed power |
subordinates have control over their own departments/regions - ruler must adhere to status quo - but lower level authorities are harder to control - mutually beneficial when ruler and subordinates support each other |
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Establishing Colonies - it's a process |
a way to maintain power - creates cultural, economic and social foothold in new territory |
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Military Occupation - why it doesn't work |
not beneficial long term - can solve small problems but should be removed quickly - military personnel can cause unrest and hatred for ruling power if treating public poorly |
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Use of Discord |
Cause a problem, become the solution |
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Well-committed Cruelties |
can be reconciled among the people - to be used rarely and can be only threats |
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Ill-committed cruelties |
those that are repeated and overused - can turn fear among the people to hatred |
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Cruelties - how and when? |
should be committed quickly and effectively, well and at once to minimize backlash - but rewards/benefits to be distributed slowly for foster favour among people |
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Better to be feared or loved? |
one's authority should not be tied to the feelings of the people - a ruler can control the fear experienced by the people, they know ruler is willing to do what is necessary |
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Fight like a fox |
cunning - using human laws to outsmart the opponent - ruler should seem to be acting like a lion |
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Fight like a lion |
force - following "beastial" law - willing to use if necessary - ruler should seem to be acting like a fox |
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Kant: Rational, speculative knowledge |
apriori and aposteriori - purely conceptual vs empirical |
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Kant: Rational, practical knowledge |
morality, pure reason, what we ought to do |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #1 |
natural qualities of a living creature will develop in accordance with that creature's final purpose - everything in nature has a purpose |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #2 |
humans are the only rational creature on earth, but the full recognition of reason can only be reached by a collective/group |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #3 |
nature wills for humans to surpass the intelligence of animals through reason - reason helps realize full potential |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #4 |
natural antagonism - the tendency for people to be part of a social group but also want to isolate themselves - what fuels the development of humans' inherent qualities |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #5 |
civil society - biggest human problem is establishing one based on political justice - but only in a social state can humanity's purpose be accomplished |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #6 |
humanity needs a master to control it's will - but as the only rational beings, the master must be human, thereby needing a master himself |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #7 |
in order for a constitution of society to be perfect, it must extend beyond borders - though a system of international relations is impossible to maintain |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #8 |
nature has a systematic plan |
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Kant: 9 Thesees - #9 |
philosophy of history - kant sees it as progressing, machiavelli sees it as cyclical |
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Kant's Moral Philosophy - what make actions moral |
actions moral if: - adheres to moral law - is done for sake of moral law - if the motive is rational obligation or intention/emotion the ends do NOT justify the means |
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Kant's Moral Philosophy - freedom |
to be moral is to be free |
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Kant's Moral Philosophy - publicity + transparency |
all claims to justice must be made PUBLIC and TRANSPARENT - laws are only just if fully exposed and accessible to the people, gov't only just if so - a law being secret undermines itself |
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Kant's Moral Philosophy - theory of right |
every person has their own intrinsic/inherent value as people - cannot infringe on people's rights by doing things in secret |
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Kant's Moral Philosophy - categorical imperative |
1. only act if motive is one that should be accepted by all rational beings as universal law 2. do not treat humanity as a MEANS to an end, but as the end itself 3. for a will to be in harmony w/ pure practical reason, it must be a universal will of every human 4. kingdom of ends - union of different people in a system of universal law--called for by moral law |
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Kant vs Machiavelli - similar |
- people are irrational and self-interested - nature will through obstacles at you, it's your job to over them |
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Kant vs Machiavelli - different |
- history is a [K] grand progression or [M] cyclical - morality is [K] freedom; ultimate good or [M] only relevant as a tool of deception to manipulate - people have [K] intrinsic value as people or [M] are simply a means to an end to be used (instrumental value) |
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A priori |
innate knowledge - ideas known without or prior to any experience |
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a posteriori |
knowledge gained through perception and experience |
