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78 Cards in this Set
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Who devised some famous paradoxes, like that of Achilles and the Tortoise & what was he trying to prove? (Pre-Socratic)
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Zeno of Elea, a disciple of Parmenides, believed that CHANGE/motion is an illusion. He used the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise to prove it. (Pre-Socratic)
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Describe Zeno's paradox of the race between Achilles and the Tortoise?
(Pre-Socratic) |
The Tortoise is given a head start in the race; before Achilles can catch the Tortoise he must cover half the distance between the two starting points; as he reaches each point, the Tortoise steadily continues to advance toward the goal. Achilles can never catch the Tortoise. (Pre-Socratic)
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Who said "Panta Rhei" and what did he mean by this saying? (Pre-Socratic)
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Heraclitus of the Ephesian School of philosophy said "Panta Rhei" which means EVERYTHING CHANGES; CHANGE IS THE ONLY REALITY. He believed that all things orginate from FIRE and return to it by a never-ending process of develpoment. Therefore, all things are in a perpetual flux. "EVERYTHING IS FLUX" (Pre-Socratic)
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Who is said to be the first philospher on record and what did he think everything came from? (Pre-Socratic)
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Thales of Miletus is reputed as the Father of Greek philosophy or the 1st philospher on record. He declared WATER to be the basis of all things. (Everything comes from water). (Pre-Socratic)
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Who was Parmenides? What was his central teaching? (Pre-Socratic)
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Parmenides is a Greek philosopher of Elea, Southern Italy. He attended The Eleatic School which emphasized the doctrine of the One. His central teaching is "ALL IS ONE" unchanging being. (Pre-Socratic)
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Who maintained that four elements are the source of all things; and what are the elements? (Pre-Socratic)
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Empedocles, a Greek philosopher from the Pluralistic School, who's credited with first establishing philosphy at Athens, maintained that EARTH, FIRE, AIR, and WATER are the source of all things. He died by trowing himself into a crater of the Volcano Mt Etna. (Pre-Socratic)
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Who said, "There are atoms in the void" and what are these atoms. (Pre-Socratic)
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Democritus, the pupil Leucippus (who formed the first explicitly materialistic system The Atomist School) said, "There are atoms in the void" and that the atoms were miniscule, ultimate, INDIVISIBLE particles of matter, all of the same stuff but differing in shape. (Pre-Socratic)
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What does hylozoism mean? Name one philosopher who believed in hylozoism.
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(hylo - living; zoism - matter) Hylozoism means living matter; the basic stuff of the universe is alive. Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes and Heraclitus were all hylozoist. (Pre-Socratic)
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Who might be said to be the first "vegan" on record? What did he consider to be the fundamental nature of reality? (Pre-Socratic)
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Pythagoras of Samos, introduced the practical side of philosophy; he might be considered the 1st vegan on record. He regarded the world to be in perfect harmony depending on numbers.The fundamental nature of reality consists of numbers/mathematical harmony. (Pre-Socratic)
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Who taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls and what is it? (Pre-Socratic)
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The Pythagoreans, a semi-monastic Brotherhood, taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls which is defined as the passage of the soul, that is, from one animal body to another. They were vegetarians who later gained political control over places in southern Italy. They tried to place dietary restrictions (including beans) on the people. The people rebelled, destroyed the centers and survivors scattered. (Pre-Socratic)
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Name two pairs of extremes or opposites that can be said to define two classic problems of philosophy. (Pre-Socratic)
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Two pairs of extremes or opposites that can be said to define two classic problems of philosophy: One vs Many; Change vs Permanence; Sameness vs Difference; Appearance vs Reality; or Sensation vs Ideation/ Thought(Pre-Socratic)
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To whom might this frivolous expression be said to apply, "Rub-a-dub-dub, go live in a tub.? What was he trying to prove? (Pre-Socratic)
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By living in a tub, DIOGENES was trying to prove that living simply and virtuously is the purpose of life. He was the 1st cosmopolitan who replied, "I AM A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD" when asked what his country was. He believed in VIRTUE saying that the difference btw true values and false values was the only distinction that mattered. Alexander the Great visited/stood at the entrance of his filthy hole and asked if he could do for him. Diogenes replied, "Yes, you can stand out of my light." Practical good, was the chief aim of his philosophy. He once walked thru Athens during the day with a lighted lantern; he said he was looking for an honest man.(Pre-Socratic)
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Who is Anaximander?
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Anaximander: apeiron/BOUNDLESS - a hylozoist and a pre-Socratic philosopher of the Milesian School. He assumed as the first principle, an undefined, unlimited substance without qualities, out of which the primary opposites of hot and cold, moist and dry, became differentiated.
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Who is Anaximenes? (Pre-Socratic)
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Anaximenes: a hylozoist and a pre-Socratic philosopher of the Milesian School. He said, "ALL THINGS ARE AIR"
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Name the first 12 ("Dirty Dozen") Pre-Socratic philosophers and their central teachings; basis of their fundamental nature of reality; or what they believed is the source of all things.
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AAADDEHLPPTZ (addlepatz)
1. Anaxagoras - Seeds; infinite in number, each contain a little part of the universe; believed the mind can be explained materially; was a pluralist. Established the difference between matter & mind. 2. Anaximander - was the first "writer" on philosophy. Apeiron/Boundless; undefined, unlimited substance without qualities; primary opposites differ ie hot/cold; wet/dry. 3. Anaximenes - "All Things Are Air." believed that the sun, moon and other heavenly bodies are supported by the air. soul=air. 4. Democritus - atoms; "There are atoms in the void" that are infinite in number, indivisble, and tiny (this is the pluralist ultimate extreme); sensation vs. thought. 5. Diogenes - Virtue; famous for living in a tub at the gate of Athens. 6. Epedocles - Earth, Air, Fire, Water are the source of all things. 7. Heraclitus - Fire; Change is the ultimate nature of things/is the only reality; in an endless state of flux. a hylozoist. 8. Leucippus - atoms (teacher of Democritus) 9. Parmenides - Permanence; "All is One" all change and all differences are illusion, and everything is an undifferentiated oneness; sameness; appearance without reality. 10. Pythagoras - dualist; numbers/mathematical harmony; vegan; believed in the transmigration of souls. 11. Thales - all things come from WATER; The father of Greek philosophy; monoist. 12. Zeno - wrote Paradoxes; a Parmenides disciple; "Permanence Is The Only Reality." tried to prove that change is an illusion |
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What is "Epistemology"?
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Epistemology is the thoery of knowledge, that branch of philosophy concerned with what sort of thing, if anything, we can know, and how, and what knowledge is. In practice, it is the dominant branch of philosophy.
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What is "Metaphysics"?
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Metaphysics - The branch of philosophy concerned with the ultimate nature of what exists. It questions the natural world "from the outside", as it were, and its questions can therefore not be dealt with by methods of science. Philosophers who take the natural world to be all there is use the term metaphysics for the broadest, most general possible frameworks of human thinking.
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What is "Monoism"?
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Monoism - A view of something as formed by a single element; for example, of human beings, the view that they do not consist of elements that are ultimately separable, like a body and a soul, but are unitary, on one single substance.
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What is "Naturalism"?
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Naturalism - The view that reality is explicable without reference to anything outside the natural world.
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What is "Ontology"?
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Ontology is the branch of philosophy that asks what actually exists, as distinct from the nature of our knowledge of it. That latter is called Epistemology. Combined, they constitute the central tradition of philosophy and its history.
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What does it mean to be "Agnostic"?
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Agnostic means neither believing or disbelieving, but suspending judgement.
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What is "Philosophy"?
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Philosophy is "The love of wisdom."
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What is "scepticism"?
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Scepticism is the view that it is impossible to know anything for certain.
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What is a "Sophist?"
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A sophist is someone whose aim in argument is not to seek the truth but to win the argument. They are manipulaters. In ancient Greece, a sophist was a paid teacher who trained young men aspiring to public life in various methods of winning arguments. (A used car salesman would be a good example.)
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Who was the first to propose the theory of evolution? (Pre-Socratic)
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Anaximander was the 1st to write on philosophy; drew the 1st known map of the world; 1st to propose the theory of evolution - that living creatures arose from moist element that had been evaporated by the sun. from fish to shark to...man. The ultimate nature of things is boundless.(Pre-Socratic)
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What is "Empiricism and what is the Empirical World"?
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Empiricism is the view that all knowledge of anything that actually exist must be derived from experience.
The Empirical World is the world revealed to us by our actual or possible experience. The contrary view is rationalism - it uses reason and not sense-perception. |
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What famous quote is attributed to the sophist, Protagoras and what did he mean by it? (Sophist)
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PROTAGORAS was a sophist who said, "MAN IS THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS; of things that are that they are, of things that are not that they are not." The meaning is uncertain but probably means that TRUTH IS RELATIVE to the individual's viewpoint.
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Who said, "Nothing exists; if anything existed, it could not be known; if anything were known, it could not be communicated" and what is this viewpoint called?(Sophist)
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GORGIAS, was a sophist who believed in NIHILISM. He said, "NOTHING EXISTS; if anything existed, it could not be known; if anything were known, it could not be communicated". This viewpoint is called nihilism. (Sophist)
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What did the sophist Hippias say about the law and what did he say about the obligation to obey the laws? (Sophist)
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HIPPIAS, a sophist, said "LAW IS THE TYRANT OF MANKIND and often compels us to do many things which are against nature." There is NO (moral or ethical) OBLIGATION TO OBEY LAWS since there is such variety and variability in or among laws. (Sophist)
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Who regarded the gods as personifications of the sun, moon, rivers, and whatever else contributes to human well-being. What is this viewpoint called. (Sophist)
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PRODICUS - regarded the gods as personifications of the sun, moon, rivers, and whatever else contributes to human well-being. He was an atheist. This viewpoint is called NATURALISM. (Sophist)
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What did Socrates regard as his "divine mission" and how did he carry it out?
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SOCRATES said his "DIVINE MISSION" was to disprove the Delphic Oracle's statement, that "NO MAN IS WISER THAN SOCRATES". He did this by systematically QUESTIONING THE "EXPERTS" who claimed to be wise and revealed their ignorance and confusion.
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What was the main defense that Socrates offered when he was tried for impiety and corruption of the youth? What was the action of the judges?
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The main defense that Socrates offered when he was tried for impiety and corruption of the youth: he said he PERFORMED A GOADING Athenians into CONSIDERING THEIR ACTIONS in terms of their STATED IDEALS and he should be rewarded for it. The judges found him guilty of impiety and corruption of the youth by a vote of 280 to 220.
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Briefly describe Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". What does the cave signify?
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In Plato's "Allegory of The Cave", humans are imprisoned in a cave and CAN ONLY SEE SHADOWS on the wall of images (statues, etc.) of real things. This shows the difficulty of knowing reality fully - - HUMANS KNOW DIRECTLY ONLY SHADOWS of images of things, NOT THE THINGS THEMSELVES.
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What was Plato's doctrine of Ideas or Forms? Which view of the "really real" does it support: the primacy of the natural world of sensation or the rational world of concepts?
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Plato's doctrine of IDEAS or FORMS ("horseness," "treeness," "whiteness" etc.) EXIST SEPARATELY from the natural world in a state of eternal, unchanging perfection. The "REALLY REAL" IS THE TIMELESS "WORLD" of intellectual ideas or rational concepts.
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How did Aristotle attempt to resolve the problem of Change versus Permanence?
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Aristotle used the doctrine of FORM & MATTER (the doctrine of unchanging, perfect form, embodied or incorporated in changing, varrying matter) to attempt to resolve the problem of change versus permanence.
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What was Aristotle's view of universals (Idea or Forms)? How did it differ from Plato's view?
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Aristotle's view of universals (Ideas or Forms) differs from Plato's view. UNIVERSALS EXIST, but only particular individuals. The concept or idea of a universal or form is a MENTAL ABSTRACTION FROM INDIVIDUAL INSTANCES of it. (From seeing many different trees, one can abstract the idea of "treeness" as a mental concept.) Unlike Plato, ARISTOTLE SAYS, there is ONLY ONE WORLD OF INDIVIDUAL THINGS composed of Form and Matter, NOT TWO WORLDS; - One of things; another of Ideas or Forms.
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Describe Aristotle's four-fold division of cause as the explanation for the being of things that are not their own reason for being. How would this apply to a chair?
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ARISTOTLE'S FOUR-FOLD DIVISION OF CAUSE (as the explanation for the being of things that are not their own reason for being) as applied to a chair:
1. FORMAL CAUSE - the Idea or Concept - The chair 2. MATERIAL CAUSE - What the thing is made of - wood 3. EFFICIENT CAUSE - The producer/maker - Carpenter 4. FINAL CAUSE - It's purpose - Seating. Causes of things are in two groups: 1- Internal/intrinsic (to the thing) - it's form and it's matter; 2- external/extrinsic - it's efficient and final causes. |
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What does Plato say humanity is like in regards to the Allegory of the cave? What do his viewpoints signify?
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Plato says, humanity is like people chained together at the bottom of a cave; they see shadows of images of real things. Which signifies that humans don't know reality or see the real world; they don't know the difference between APPEARANCE and REALITY.
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What are the ways of being of things considered in themselves, as separate entities? (Hint: These are what Aristotle called the categories of being.)
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Aristotle's Categories of Being: can be internal/intrinsic to the thing, it's form & matter;
or external/extrinsic - efficient and final causes. 1) SUBSTANCE - separate/independent existence ACCIDENT - beings nature exists in another; classifications are QUANTITY - mass QUALITY - characteristics RELATION - connection with other beings TIME - duration PLACE - extension POSTURE - disposition of parts ACTION - as agent/actor PASSION - as receiver HABIT - vesture, ornament, |
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What are the ways of being common to all things, that have been called the "transcendentals" of being? Briefly describe each one.
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Transcendentals of Being:
UNITY/INTEGRITY - intrinsic coherence, consistency TRUTH - as grasps by intellect, accurately knowable GOODNESS - as sought by will, when known, is desired BEAUTY - incorporates goodness and truth; known by intellect, sought by will, and pleases |
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Briefly describe the aspects of being from the standpoints of intelligibility, existence, and action (or change).
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The aspects of being from the standpoints of:
INTELLIGIBILITY - Existence - knowing that it is - Essence - knowing what it is EXISTENCE - Substance - as it exists in itself Accident - as it exists in other things, unable to exist in itself. ACTION/CHANGE: - Act - as it actually is - Potency - as it has the potential to become - Change - from potential to actuality (transition from what it is to what it can be) |
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What are the five ways to achieve through reason alone some knowledge of the possible or likely existence of a supreme being? Explain 2 reasons.
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Five ways to achieve through reason alone some knowledge of the possible or likely existence of a supreme being:
1. From motion/change - need for a "PRIME MOVER" 2. from Causality - need for an "UNCAUSED CAUSE" 3. from Contingency - need for self-subsistent being or "ground of being" 4. from Imperfection - need for a perfect, all/totally good being 5. from Order - need for a Supreme Law Maker |
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Define "pantheism"?
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The Supreme Being is the whole universe itself.
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What is evil?
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The lack of goodness something should have.
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Which perspective says "there is an ultimate substance of some kind" and who adopted it?
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Monism - says there is an ultimate substance of some kind. This perspective was adopted by Thales, and ...
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What is Plato's divided line?
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the path from OPINION to KNOWLEDGE.
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Who were the "sexy six" Sophist?
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The 6 Sophist are:
1. PROTAGORAS - Agnostic; "Man Is The Measure of All things." TRUTH IS RELATIVE to the individuals viewpoint. 2. PRODICUS - NATURALISM, came to Athens as an ambassador from Ceos; a speaker and teacher; interpreted religion through the frame work naturalism; at times charged with atheism. 3. HIPPIAS - "Law Is The Tyrant Of Mankind" and often compels us to do many things which are against our nature. Because of this, there is NO OBLIGATION TO OBEY LAWS but obey them because it is convenient. Law is not an absolute ... Thrasymachus - demanded to be paid before speaking; BELIEVED might is right; laws are imposed by the strong to dominate the weak. "JUSICE IS THE ADVANTAGE OF THE STRONGER" and that "injustice, if it is on a large enough scale, is stronger, freer, and more masterly than justice. oppsed to Socrates and philosophy in general. 5. Callicles - AMORALISM; laws are for the weak: Laws tie down the strong as a conspiracy of the weak and were not established by gods but by men who were naturally looking after there own interest. 6. Gorgias - "Nothing Exist"; No reality; Nihilism; a rhetorician. |
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What was Plato's doctrine of idea?
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Plato's doctrine of ideas: CONCEPTUALISM: Ideas exist separately from the real/natural world. This supports the "really real" view of "THE RATIONAL WORLD OF CONCEPTS".
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According to Socrates, what is justice?
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Be true to yourself.
Other FYI:He was a sceptic; the only thing he knew was that he did not know anything. believed knowledge was possible and intently pursued it. |
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What is determinism? Briefly explain why you agree or disagree with it.
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Determinism is the theory that one's actions are entirely due to external influence. Disagree: It is inconsistent, saying one's actions can be influenced or directed by the efforts of others but not by one's own effort.
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According to Aristotle, in the process of knowing "the knower becomes the thing known". Briefly explain this.
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According to Aristotle's process of knowing, the knower abstracts or EXTRACTS the UNIVERSAL FORM from the particular thing and ASSIMILATES it mentally so that it exists intentionally in the mind of the knower.
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Describe two theories about the nature of ideas or "universals".
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Theories about the nature of ideas or "universals". (know 2)
1. Realism: Plato - ideas or forms exist on their own in a separate, "ideal" world. 2. Conceptualism: Kant - only ideas exist, and only in the mind. 3. Nominalism: No ideas exist at all, just sense impressions. 4. Moderate Realism: Aristotle - ideas are forms, universal in the mind, individual in particular things in the real world. |
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What are the four stages in the process of sense knowing, according to Aristotle?
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1. Sensation: stimulus from physical object to sense organ.
2. Unifying Sense: integration of sensory data from physical object 3. Imagination: recall of previously received sensory information 4. Estimation: warning function; calls attention to good/evil aspects |
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What are the roles or functions of the agent intellect and the possible intellect in the initial stages of intellectual knowing?
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Agent Intellect: raises or abstracts forms from sensory data.
Possible Intellect: receives the forms thus is raised to immateriality. |
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What are the three main phases of intellectual knowing? Briefly describe them.
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1. Simple Apprehension: the mind grasps the form of thing known concept.
2. Judgement: the forms thus known are examined then referred back to reality. 3. Reasoning: is the new knowledge developed or derived from what's already known. |
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What are the differences between inductive and deductive reasoning?
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Inductive: bottom-up; general knowledge is developed from many particulars
Deductive: top down; consequences of known truth are drawn out or complex judgements are resolved into simpler constituents. |
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What is the system of formal reasoning developed by Aristotle? What is it's basic methodology?
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The system of formal reasoning developed by Aristotle is called SYLLOGISM. It's basic methodology are the THREE PROPOSITIONS linked together:
1 - major premise 2 - minor premise 3 - conclusion The premises lead to the conclusion. |
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What are the four kinds of propositions involved in Aristotelian logic? Briefly describe each one.
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The four kinds of propositions involved in Aristotelian logic are:
A: Universal Affirmative - all A are B E: Universal Negative - No X are Y I: Particular Affirmative - some A are B O: Particular Negative- some X are not Y |
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How can we know that what we think is real is not just a dream?
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We can know that what we think is real and is not just a dream by-
Consulting our senses: to ask a question presupposes a known difference between being awake and dreaming; the senses function during wakefulness. Also, consider the consistency or coherence of the experience; *Dreams are inconsistent or incoherent compared to the wakeful experience. |
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What are the basic emotions of the concupiscible appetite toward a perceived goal?
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The basic emotions of the concupiscible appetite toward a perceived goal are:
Love for a perceived good. Desire - if it is absent Joy - if it is attained or possessed |
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What are the basic emotions of the concupiscible appetite toward a perceived evil.
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The basic emotions of the concupiscible appetite toward a perceived evil are:
Hate for the perceived evil. Aversion - if it is absent. Sorrow - if it is imposed or inflicted. |
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What are the basic passions of the irrascible appetite toward a perceived difficult good?
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The basic passions of the irrascible appetite toward a perceived difficult good are:
Mixed love and hate - for absent difficult good. Hope - if good seems attainable. Despair - if absent good seems unobtainable. Joy - if the good is ultimately obtained. |
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What are the basic passions of the irrascible appetite toward a perceived difficult evil?
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The basic passions of the irrascible appetite toward a perceived difficult evil are:
Mixed love/hate - for absent evil seen as difficult to avoid. Daring - if absent evil seems avoidable. Fear - if absent evil seems unavoidable. Sorrow - if the evil is inflicted and seems irresistable. Anger - if the evil is inflicted and seems resistable. |
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What is virtue? Give an example?
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Virtue is: A good habit; the habitual ability to act reasonably in reaction to emotional impulses; An example is courage. Courage is the mean between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness.
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What are the main divisions of the virtues? What human power does each deal with?
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The main divisions of virtues and the human powers that each virtue deals with:
Intellectual Virtues - perfecting the knowing powers (intellect). Moral Virtues - affecting the choosing powers or the will. |
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What are the virtues of the Speculative Intellect? Briefly describe each of them.
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The virtues of the Speculative Intellect:
1. Knowledge: ability to grasp immediate causes of things. 2. Understanding: ability to grasps underlying causes of things. 3. Wisdom: ability to grasps ultimate causes of things. |
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What are the virtues of the Practical Intellect? Define them.
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The virtues of the Practical Intellect are:
1. Art - knowing how things are made or done in practical order. 2. Prudence - knowing how things are done in the moral order. |
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Define justice. What is the human capability that it perfects?
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Justice is the habit of choosing so that each one is given his/her due.
It perfects the capability to choose - the will. |
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What are the virtues of the sensual appetite? Define them.
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The virtues of the sensible appetite are:
1. Concupiscible Appetite - perfected by temperance; the habit of moderation in using physical goods or satisfying sensual desires. 2. Irascible Appetite - perfected by fortitude; the habit of properly struggling to overcome obstacles to obtaining difficult goods or impediments to avoiding difficult evils. |
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What is Moral Relativism?
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Moral Relativism: Live and Let live - Do not do to others what you will not have them do to you.
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What is the Paradox of Tolerance?
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The Paradox of Tolerance is complete total unconditional/unrestricted tolerance;
1. Condition - The basic requirement of all ethical systems is to be tolerant of other ethical systems |
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Who is Locke and what did he say was the basic state of nature?
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According to Locke, the ultimate goal of the state is the protection of property rights.
State of Nature: 1. "All men are free and equal" 2. (They expect to have) life, health, liberty, and possessions respected 3. without a common authority- conflict results, (leads to a) state of "war" (which is natural) 4. Principle Concern: protection of possessions. PROPERTY is the essential right; a. everybody has their own body (property) which they own & control and have the principle right to use. Whatever is needed to support that body is their right. |
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Who believed that man is anti-social by nature?
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Thomas Hobbes believed that man was antisocial by nature. He envisaged man in the state of nature as living solely according to his passions and instincts. Man is a predatory animal, and the natural state of man is a state of war.
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Who is Thomas Hobbes and what did he say was the basic state of nature?
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Thomas Hobbes (wrote Leviathan - likened state to a whale) man as antisocial; envisaged man in the state of nature as living solely according to his passions and instincts; Safety is the principal reason for government.
State Of Nature: consisted of every man for himself in the most extreme sense. Total WAR - each against all; every man is enemy to every man. Every mans has a right to every thing. There is no security to anything. *LIFE: is nasty, poor, brutish and short. Result: 1st rule - People seek peace; fight as needed. To seek peace, lower the conflict level by agreement 2. People seek AGREEMENT (on mutual restraint-contract) to give up natural freedom to secure benefits of peace based on a 3. CONTRACT that will be observed/obeyed/honored. People create a sovereign who has absolute power. The monarch is the most efficient means of getting peace. 4. Enforcement of contract requires force by a sovereign who Purpose: SECURITY - purpose of social contract enforced by sovereign |
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Who is Jean Jacques Rousseau and what did he say was the basic state of nature?
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Per Rousseau, "Man is a noble savage". He believed that the natural state of man is a state of total, unrestricted liberty
State of Nature: Self-Preservation (is the 1st law of nature per Rousseau) *Man is born free (but now lives in chains) 1. Chief aim: Self-preservation (but can't be done by individual alone) 2. United - direct their powers; "social contract" - Supreme Will 3. People agree to create a GENERAL WILL (that is sovereign) - which forms a commonwealth that enables everyone to cooperate. It has absolute supreme power to do good. a. The "social contract" enables cooperation which people are naturally inclined to do; by living in the state i. you accept the social contract ii. Give up natural liberty (grab everything) but gain civil liberty 1) Slavery is the mere impulse to appetites (lawlessness) 2) Freedom is conforming to laws |
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What is a society?
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A society is a moral union of persons for a common end.
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Write an essay regarding the Individual vs Community Discussion.
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Individual v. Community:
Regarding the Individual: •Is a singular force. All communities begin with an individual, and not the other way around. •Communities cannot “feel” or “know” for a person therefore a community is not a thing in and of itself but a collection of individuals with their own ideas, feelings, and personalities. •People are not borne a community, but are borne individuals who choose to enter into a social order—and do so without sacrificing their individuality. (John Stuart Mill) •Pain cannot be shared by a community. We are not groups but single objects created with unique features. (John Locke) Regarding the Community: •We enter into the world a product of collective action. Two people came together to create this single individual. Without that relationship the individual could never have existed. •No action is palpable without organization. A single person can spark an act, it is true, but without people willing to follow, the act would be meaningless. •The value in community is politics. True politics as understood by the Ancients (Plato and Aristotle; later Rousseau) was of a gathering of people to reason over matters important to the whole. As individuals we take our case before our peers for discussion and resolution. The benefit here is, in a community we seek to resolve matters important to individuals and communitarians alike. •We do not “share” pain per se but support groups exist for people to share their pain with likeminded sufferers. Here the burden is equally distributed between the individual and the group. |
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What is the difference between the Ultimate State and the Just State?
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The Ultimate State:
has to have a basic social virtue that perfects the will - it is called JUSTICE. The diff btw a trusted gov't and an elite ship of a band of thieves - is a legal system that has a specification of the rights and duties based on justice The Just State: gives people their just due which is the right to live, the right to self preservation, the right to develop their abilities to the fullest extent; that the gov't doesn't oppress them; They are free to pursue what they conceive is conducive to their happiness. Don't do to other what you don't want them to do to you. Limit - slavery; |
