Flashcards
PHIL-1000-Carleton University
Cards in this deck (51)
- 1The oldest accusations against Socrates- uses rhetoric and false arguments to make a weaker argument look like a stronger one
- impiety of some kind, either materialism or believing in false gods - 2Socrates found that the poets were capable of producing good works of art, but did not understand ___________?how they produced them, or their meaning
- 3Socrates' response to the charge of corrupting the youth includes the argument that (ps it is a 2 part answer)- No one will willingly corrupt those around them, for fear of being harmed by those they have corrupted
- No one will come forward to testify to how they had been corrupted by Socrates in their youth - 4Socrates' response to the charge of impiety includes the argument that (ps it is a 2 part answer)- The charge of materialism is an artifact of conflating Socrates' teaching with that of another philosopher, Anaxagoras
- The charge of atheism is inconsistent with Socrates' affirmation of spirits and spiritual activities - 5The verdict of Socrates' trial is that he is found_____? And his sentence was _____?- Guilty
- Death penalty - 6Epistemology is _____?- the philosophical theory of knowledge
- 7Give the "argument from our asking what is best", which Socrates offers as part of his case against the wisdom of fearing death1) We must distinguish the question "What can I do to avoid death?" from the question "What can I do to be a good person?"
2) For the first question must always be our first concern only if avoiding death is always the best thing to do.
3) But avoiding death is not necessarily always the best thing to do.
4) So our first concern must be with the question "What can I do to be a good person?" - 8Give Socrates' argument against the wisdom of pleading for mercy.1) It would reflect poorly if the case was to be resolved due to emotional manipulation, rather than consideration for what’s best.
2) The aim of his defense is not to plead, but to testify to the court as to what he has done and why it is for the best. - 9Understand the sense in which Socrates is called wise by the Delphic oraclea) Wisdom of self reflection
- matter of holding beliefs about the world, about politics, about religion
- self search
b) Wisdom of skepticism
- a knowledge about what it is one does not know - 10dogmatic philosophyhave found the truth -- followers of Aristotle and Epicurus
- 11academic philosophycannot be found -- followers of Cleitomachus and Carneades
- 12skeptic philosophystill searching
- 13The three characteristics of skepticism are? And define each one.- Questioning (inquires after the truth)
- Suspension (removes emotions)
- Aporetic (does not chose a side while inquiring) - 14Define equipollence and epoche- a state where alternative beliefs being compared are seen as equally plausible
- can neither be proven true or false - 15Define Ataraxia- possessing an untroubled and tranquil mind
- 16In addition to the guidance of nature and the compulsion of feeling, the four bases of the Pyrrhonist way of life includes?? (PS it is a 2 part answer)- handing down of laws and customs
- instruction in arts and crafts. - 17The goal of skepticism is______?- to achieve Ataraxia and moderate feeling about what cannot be avoided.
- 18State the four stages of the method of skepticism1) Oppose phenomena and noumena in any way whatsoever.
2) In order to produce equipollence among alternative beliefs
3) In order to produce epoche
3) In order to produce ataraxia. - 19Define phenomena Define noumena- things perceived by the senses
- ideas conceived by the mind - 20Give the skeptic critique of "the criterion"- In order for us to have an agreed upon criterion, we need to first decide the dispute about the criterion.
- 21Define criterion- a standard which we can distinguish knowledge from opinion and error
- 22Understand the criterion of what is acceptable in skepticism, according to Sextus Empiricus- We must suspend judgement when it comes to the criterion
- 23Methodological skepticism is___?- the attempt to find a foundation for knowledge
- 24Methodological skepticism can reveal a foundation for knowledge if it can show that there is _______?- a set of principles or beliefs which resists the skeptical exercise
- 25Foundationalism holds that we are able to have knowledge because _______?- all our knowledge rests upon an indubitable set of principles and beliefs
- 26"Dream skepticism" leads to doubt about _____ but not ______?- the testimony of senses
- math - 27The "cogito ergo sum" argument is meant to establish that we are a particular kind of thing; that is, a ______ ?- thinking thing
- 28According to Descartes' foundationalism, we are able to build the rest of our knowledge on the foundation of ____________?- appearance and reason
- 29State the argument of Descartes' "dream skepticism."1) Although it appears to me that I have this body, it is in this state, it is surrounded by other bodies, each in such-and-such a state, etc.
2) Nonetheless the same things have appeared to me in dreams, yet in dreams this testimony was false.
3) And I cannot distinguish with certainty whether, in a given moment, I am awake or I am dreaming.
4) So I cannot believe with certainty whether this testimony of the senses, that I have this body in this state, etc.is accurate. - 30State the argument of Descartes' "evil demon skepticism".-1) Whenever I judge whether a belief is true, false, or doubtful, I must use the power of my reasoning to make this judgment, but then this judgment is itself only reliable if the power of my reasoning is reliable.
2) However, an evil demon or some other such power may have contrived to make my power of reasoning itself unreliable or indeed thoroughly deceptive, and things would still seem to me the way they do now
3) But then I would be incapable of reliably judging whether any belief is true, false or doubtful, and things would still seem to me the way they do now.
4) Therefore I do not know now whether I am capable of reliably judging whether any belief is true, false, or doubtful, and cannot believe anything with certainty. - 31Understand Descartes' claim that "cogito ergo sum."1) The result of the skeptical exercises make me doubt my beliefs
2) To doubt my beliefs, I must exist
3) Therefore all skeptical exercises prove that the skeptic themselves exists
4) Therefore the belief that I exist is indubitable - 32What does calling something a "Moorean fact" tell us about its plausibility?- Because it is a common sense view of the world and is more plausible than a highly speculative premise in a skeptical argument
- 33Infallibilism is______? fallibilism is ____?- the view that to count as knowledge, something must be infallible
- the view that a belief we are fallible about can still count as knowledge - 34The JTB theory states that to count as knowledge, something must meet these three conditions (PS it's a 3 part answer)- it must be justified
- it must be true
- it must be a belief - 35Are our beliefs revisable? foundationalist answer and antifoundationalist answer- it is fixed and unrevisable
- all our beliefs are reversible - 36How are beliefs justified? foundationalist answer and antifoundationalist answer- hen other beliefs can be derived from them
- our beliefs are justified by a general coherence among them - 37State the skeptical argument from infallibilism- Because we cannot eliminate the possibility of error about any of our propositions. Therefore nothing we propose can be infallible.
- 38Understand reflective equilibrium- a method meant to show how our beliefs can count as knowledge
- The object of consideration is our beliefs
- It’s aim is to bring our beliefs into equilibrium
- It achieves this by modifying our beliefs - 39State the contextualist response to skepticism. (the four-point argument)1) Whether a belief counts as justified is a matter that is context-dependent.
2)The context of epistemology uses an unusually high standard for justification, whereas the context of everyday reasoning uses a much lower standard.
3) Therefore, claims to knowledge which are undermined by skepticism when we are doing epistemology are likely to still meet the standards of knowledge in the context of everyday reasoning.
4) Therefore, the skeptical argument does not undermine our claims to have extensive knowledge in our everyday reasoning - 40James' aim in The Will to Believe is to _______?- defend the reasonableness of adopting a belief in spite of it not being justified on logical and empirical grounds.
- 41Define "hypothesis"- Something which we may believe
- 42Define optiona decision between two hypotheses, regarding which to believe
- 43Define a live option- An option where both hypotheses are live
- 44Define forced option- Forced option is one where a decision must be made between two hypotheses.
- 45Identify and define the two sources of belief1) Our intellect -- logical and empirical procedures of justification
2) Our volition -- passions, prejudices, and social factors - 46James restricts a reasonable but faith-based or volitional choice in what to believe to matters that are ___________? and ___________?- genuine options
- cannot be decided on intellectual grounds - 47Define Genuine Options- an option which is live, forced and momentous
- 48Examples of genuine options that James thinks cannot be decided on intellectual grounds are ___________? and __________?- moral options
- interpersonal options - 49State James' argument for why we have to restrict faith-based belief to matters where there is a "genuine option".- Try to remember yourself
- 50Understand James' account of the relation between faith and personal action- A given fact cannot come to be unless a preliminary faith in it exists.
- Faith based on desire is lawful and possibly indispensable. - 51State James' answer to the question, "Can we really will to change our beliefs?"- Try to remember the answer