-general theory about how/why activities should be  done

-higher learning ex. PhD 

-discipline study

-umbrella of metaphysics, epistemology, logic,  aesthetics, and ethics

-about reality and existence

-existence of religion and gods

-mind and matter

-metaphysical questions are about existence EX. Is  everything a dream? Is there a past? Do colors exist?  Do we have more lives? 

-about truth and knowledge 

-philosophers study most about the definition of  knowledge 

-"I think therefore I am"---I can't be mistaken about    existing by Rene Descartes

- EX. Is there anything we know for sure? 

-reasoning 

-deals with art and beauty

-the criticism of both 

-EX. How do you distinguish if something is art or  beautiful? Who decides? (Mona Lisa Smile, Julia  Roberts) 

- deals with "goodness" and "badness"

-"right and wrong"

- morality

- rational inquiry into how to act and how to lead one's   life 

The main points of the Golden Age of Greece 

500-300 B.C.

-most impressive cultural expansion 

-there was no nation of Greece, only...

-Polises - is an independent city of highest level of  political organization  

-Athens had 250,000 people 

-common culture, literature, language, and the  Olympics united Polises 776 B.C. 

-historians find that people used "Olympiad Years" 

-polytheism-the belief in many gods

-people took religion very seriously

-there were gods and goddesses for each important  aspect of life, immortal, "Olympians" 

-Zues (Jupiter)- in charge of sky

-Aphrodite (Venus)- love and infatuation 

-Dionysus (Bacchus)- wine

-Poseidon (Neptune)- sea

-Ares (Mars)- war

-Artemis (Diana) - hungting 

-Apollon (Apollo)- law and order

-Hera (Juno)- marriage 

-According to greeks after death appear on a bank of  water foggy morning, Charon brings boat to  Underworld (Pluto or Hades) give coin to cross 

-mass production was difficult, oral or handwritten

-sharing through poems & theatre 

-Illiad by Homer was popular

-Theogany - by Hesiad Theo means God

Socrates 

Athens

469-399 B.C. 

-led discussions about philosophy in town 

-Agora - town square 

-nicknamed "Gad Fly" 

-persecuted by town, charged with "corrupting the  youth of Athens" found guilty; death sentence 

-Socrates refuses to escape out of respect, drank  hemlock poison and died

Plato

Athens

427-348 B.C. 

-student of Socrates 

-wrote in dialogue form

-he had elaborate theories 

-named his school "Hekadia" "Academic" after  Hekademus statue, a supernatural hero

-The Republic - a Socratic dialogue  

Aristotle 

Athens 

384-322 B.C. 

-named his school "Lyceum"

-he wanted to teach his own theories

-Alexander the Great was a student that went on to  conquer many cities

-wrote Nichomachean Ethics 

-also sentenced to death but escaped 

The Hellenistic Period 

End of the Golden Age to 0 

-Rome takes over, becomes huge empire, rules over  Polises 

-Cleopatra took her own life, the end of the Roman  takeover in 30 B.C.

Movements of Philosophy 

(3) 

-Epicureanism- taught by Epicurus, emphasized the  goal of a happy and content life 

-Stoicism- physical, ethical, logical; indifference to  pain and pleasure; non-attachment 

-Hedonism - a life devoted to pleasure 

Epicurus 

near Athens 

341-270 B.C 

-taught philosophy in his garden 

-avoided Athens because the satisfying life is without  many people

-Epicure -someone who likes elaborate food and wine,  the opposite of how Epicurus was as a person 

Epictetus 

Rome 

Cerca 50-130 A.D. 

-most influential Stoic philosopher 

-sold into slavery as a child

-given an education and excelled, he was freed 

-interests in philosophy were limited almost  exclusively to ethics 

-The Encheiridion (Manual)- was edited from notes  taken from his lectures 

-tried to create a perfect Polis

St. Augustine 

Rome, Milan, North Africa

354-430 A.D. 

-one of the greatest of all the Christian theologians 

-devoted his life to strengthening the church 

-was appointed bishop of Hippo

-Confessions of St. Augustine - about his sinful youth  and conversion to Christianity 

The Dark Ages 

476-1000 A.D. 

-the fall of the Western Roman Empire 

-a period of religious struggle 

-much less art, architecture, and literature 

-have to become a monk to study philosophy

-culture flickered

-Emperor Justinian closed Plato's school on 539  A.D. 

-development of Islam 

St. Thomas Aquinas 

Present Day Germany 

Cerca 1225-1274 A.D. 

-theologian-philosopher

-most important intellectual figure of high medieval  civilization 

-born to a noble family

-family didn't want him to study so father locked him  in a tower, mother helped him escape

-studied under Albertus Magnus 

-very popular lectures 

-greatest student and admirer of Aristotle

-became very influential to catholic church 

The Renaissance Era

Cerca 1300-1500 A.D. 

-rebirth 

-cultural movement, not much philosophy

-art, literature, music, architecture flourished

Thomas Hobbes

England and France 

1588-1679 A.D. 

-Leviathan - book about society, foundation for  Western political philosophy 

-famous political absolutism- believes one ruler for all,  society can only work this way

Joseph Butler

England

1692-1754

-embraced the Anglican communion and was  ordained  into the clergy

-just before death he became bishop of Durham 

-The Analogy of Religion - reasoned defensive of  orthodox Christianity

-15 Sermons Preached at the Rolls Chapel 

-honored defender of England

-represents the "conscience theory" of ethics

David Hume 

Scotland 

1711-1776 

-diplomat, successful historian, popular after  death, empiricist- studied epistemology 

-Treatise of Human Nature -raises searching  questions about  the nature and scope of human  knowledge 

-denies that knowledge and morality have a rational  basis, knowledge comes from experience 

Immanuel Kant 

East Prussia 

1724-1804

-moral philosophy (ethics) 

-Critique of Pure Reason - epistemology and  metaphysics 

-private tutor, lecturer, professor

-never traveled more than 40 miles from birth city

John Stuart Mill

England

1806-1873

-utilitarianism- believed moral worth of an action is determined  by if results provide happiness or pleasure

-married to Harriet Taylor, women's rights advocate

Frederick Nietzsche 

Switzerland 

1844-1900 

-highly controversial  

-forerunner of existentialism-individual existence,  freedom, and choice 

-principle works on morality 

Karl Marx

Germany 

1818-1883

-ideas play significant role in modern communism and  socialism

-dialectical materialism- matter is the only reality, thought, will and feeling can only be explained in the sense of matter 

-Communist Manifesto - the class struggle and  problems with capitalism 

G.E. Moore 

England 

1873-1958

-professor at Cambridge 

-Principia Ethica  - one of the main inspirations for the  movement against ethical naturalism-a theory of moral  behavior according to which ethics is an empirical science

A.J. Ayer 

England 

1910-1989

-taught at Oxford University for many years

-Language, Truth, and Logic - argues for the  verification of logical positivism-form of empiricism that  bases all knowledge on perceptual experience 

Paul Ziff

USA

1920-2003

-artist and philosopher

-semantics and aesthetics 

-Semantic Analysis

Jean-Paul Sarte 

Paris 

1905-1980

-existentialism- stresses the individuals unique position  as the self-determinging agent responsible for the  authenticity of his/her choices

-awarded Nobel prize for literature 

John Rawls 

USA

1921-2002

-A Theory of Justice - systematic treatment of social  justice that addresses questions of political philosophy  such as basic rights, freedoms of individuals, equal  opportunity, and fair distribution of social and  economic advantage  

Absolutism- moral does not bend to time and place, it's moral or it's not 

Relativism- what is moral varies from time to time and place to place 

Deontologist- it is moral rules that make actions right or wrong

Consequentialist- the consequences of actions say if an action is moral or immoral  

Cognitivist- use words like statements (can be true or false) 

Non-cognitivist-there are no statements, there are no facts; Lying is immoral--->Don't anybody lie. Thats was a good book--->Hooray for that book!  

Analytical statements, truths, etc.- can't possibly be false 

Synthetic statements, truths, etc. - can't possibly be true 

Intrinsic Goodness- good in itself "virtue"

Instrumental Goodness- a means of getting something else "money" 

Virtue

mass nouns vs count nouns 

mass nouns-cannot pluralized  

count nouns-can be pluralized 

-terms used to talk about rules-"What is not prohibited is  permitted." 

-Right-there are rules that permit them to do it, rules that permit  them to have it 

-privilege- right for special people 

-Duty- what rules make you do EX. obligations, contracts 

Utterances 

(5)

commands, invitations, questions, promises, statements (capable of being true or false) 

-subjective statements are when it's all about the  person's consciousness at the time the statement was  made EX. "I am happy." + cannot be mistaken, but  can be a lie 

-objective statements- "I was born in Wisconsin." "I  have hazel eyes." + can be wrong 

-similar to consequentialist 

-states that nature has purposes (believed by Aristotle  and later his admirer St. Thomas-intelligent design) 

-EX. speaking teleologically - "Why is that giraffe's  neck so long?" "So that he can reach his food." 

-Socrates 

-The forms are abstract essences (truth, beauty, piety,  justice, virtue) and one can access them by using  reason 

What is the pious thing to do? 

pious in terms of religion

What is pleasing to the gods is pious. What is not pleasing is impious. 

Which philosopher created the 2 realm theory?

Explain the theory. 

-Plato, reality has 2 parts 

-Realm of Being- abstract essences (accessed through reasoning)

-Realm of Becoming- nature, trees, humans, physical (accessed through senses) 

-he believes that perfection can only be found in the  realm of being, as well as "largeness" 

Plato's Theories 

The Republic

-The Republic is about justice in terms of virtue 

1. rulers-make rules

2. guardians-enforce rules

3. commercial sector-providers of goods/services 

1. reason-figuring out what is true

2. spirit-provides drive to do things

3. appetite- "I want" desires, yearning 

-Abscond the

-Avoid adultery

-not fail in religious practices

-be temperate and courageous

-

-the reason for being just and virtuous is to avoid  harmonic turmoil