PHIL 101 - Quiz 2

What does “philos” mean?

Loving

What does “sophia” mean

Wisdom

What does the word philosophy mean?

Love for wisdom

In the Apology, what was Socrates accused of?

Atheism/impiety and corrupting the youth

Does Socrates consider himself a teacher?

No, for he has nothing to teach. He doesn’t have the knowledge people would pay for.

What does Socrates consider himself?

A mid-wife

Why does Socrates consider himself a mid-wife?

He is delivering the truth that people already have within them, like a mid-wife delivering babies.

How does Socrates response to the Oracle’s claim that “No one is wiser” than Socrates

He questions authority - poets, politicians, artisans - and realizes that their ignorance to their limit of knowledge is what makes them not wise.

In what way is Socrates wise?

Because he is aware of his limit of knowledge (self-knowledge), while others are not.

What are the reasons, according to Socrates, people turned against him?

Because they are ignorant and their status quo is being questioned.

What is the analogy Socrates uses to argue against one of the charges against him.

He uses the analogy of horses, flutes, and gods.

What does the horse, flute and god analogy mean?

He cannot talk about such things and not believe in God as these things are spiritual/created from God - therefore he does believe

What is Socrates’ mission

To rid what’s false within other’s and care for the soul

How does the Apology concern Epistemological Philosophy

Ignorance, knowledge, wisdom, justification, and reasoning for belief

How does the Apology concern Metaphysical Philosophy

Existence of divine/superhuman beings, soul/body, after life

How does the Apology concern Ethical Philosophy

Focus on being good and what that is, duty to oneself and others

How does the Apology concern Existential Philosophy

Care for one’s soul, true to oneself, being authentic, a life worth living

What does Socrates believing/argue in the Apology?

• Live according to what is good, not according to what is feared

• Fear presumes something known to be feared, but death is an unknown

• Committing harm injures the soul of the one who commits it, not the soul of the one who receives it. Nothing can harm a good soul.

• Socrates is needed to provoke and wake Athens from its slumbers

• The examined life confers substance and meaning, enables on to live well in the world, not just exist in it

• Death could be good: (1) eternal sleep or (2) reunion and communication with the dead

What is Socrate’s argument against the charge of corrupting the youth?

No sane man would want to be around people who he’s corrupting because they will turn on you → if he does corrupt them, he does unintentionally, so he shouldn’t be taken to court

How should a man “good for anything” live his life?

• ought to not calculate the change of living or dying

• ought to only consider whether what he is doing is wright or wrong

What does Socrates do if he sees no virtue in an individual who claims to have it?

He analyzes them and reproaches them with undervaluing the greater, and overvaluing the less. (they care about temporary things more than deep/important/everlasting things)

Why is the fear of death just the “pretense of wisdom” and not actual wisdom?

Death is unknown, and you can only fear things you know - therefore we cannot fear death

Why will the men of Athens injure themselves more than Socrates if they kill him?

• They will not easily find someone as wise as him/like him

• Gods have put him on earth for a purpose → he is a “gift” → special purpose to serve the city of Athens

Why, according to Socrates, is the unexamined life not worth living?

Living your life in ignorance isn’t really living

What is Socrates's argument that death might after all be good and not to be feared?

It is a state of nothingness or unconsciousness - like a dreamless sleep - so it’s not exactly bad

In the Crito and Phaedo adapted version, why will Socrates not poetic?

“Never right to return a wrong for a wrong.” and “Every wrong act damages a person’s character.” - Hurts the person who’s doing the wrong more than person receiving harm

What is Crito’s opinion on Socrates escaping?

That it is not wrong

How does Socrates counter Crito?

• “I must accept and abide by laws not just when favorable to me, for I helped craft them, have freely lived under them, and have been protected by them. “No city can survive” otherwise.” - he wants to comply with the law - a city can’t survive if citizens broke laws

• My word is more valuable than my freedom (p.111). The moral example I set for family and friends = more important than being able to live with them, for such a life would be corrupted. (pp.112,114)  - Not worth to live life without freedom of speech → not a good example to family and friends, need to be a good example to them

What does Socrates value in the the Crito and Phaedo adapted version?

An intellectual/mental bond between people (in which you share ideas - connect to each others souls) has a greater value and lasts longer than a physical bond you have with someone

What is the key point in the Phaedo that has to do with epistemology?

Knowledge is Recollection

What is the key point in the Phaedo that has to do with metaphysics?

Theory of forms

What is the key point in the Phaedo that has to do with existential philosophy?

Soul/Mind and Body/Death

What does Knowledge of Recollection mean?

We are never observing things that are 100%/perfectly equal - so how do we know what is equal/where does the value of equality come from? - must come from inside of us

What is the Theory of Forms?

• Realm of being

• Realm of becoming:

What does Soul/Mind mean in the Phaedo?

It is invisible, immaterial, and passes into the realm of the being

What does the Body mean in the Phaedo?

Is visible, material, and dissolves within the realm of becoming 

What is the Realm of Being?

Eternal, unchanging, pure Forms (the Good itself, the Beautiful itself, the Equal itself)

What is the Realm of Becoming?

Temporal, changing, impure instances of the Forms (approximates of what is beautiful/good).