philosophy final

what did thomas hobbes write

leviathan

definition of leviathan

a being of absolute power

what is the main purpose of leviathan

argues for a sovereign state with complete control over society

how does hobbes view human nature

fearful, anxious, competitive, hostile, state of war

what are hobbes’ three laws of nature

seek peace, give up rights as long as others do the same, and keep promises

what is the fool’s challenge

why should i obey a rule if i don’t trust that others will as well

what is the answer to the fool’s challenge

we all desire to reach this peaceful state, must consent to being governed by the sovereign

what does it mean to submit to the sovereign

give up rights as long as others do, consenting to obey their rule of law entirely

can people contest the sovereign

no; it has totality on what is just or unjust

how does locke view human nature

equal, under a moral law that leads to peace

what is the moral law proposed by locke

to respect the life, liberty, and property of others

according to locke, what do we do if people don’t respect our natural rights

have the right to self-preservation and can do whatever you choose to respond

what leads to locke’s state of war

violation of moral law that leads to violence

how do we escape the state of war

consent to give up rights to be subordinated to the commonwealth

what is the commonwealth

majority rule

how does rousseau view human nature

isolated, pre-social, lack language and capacity for others

how are humans in rousseau’s state of nature

peaceful, compassionate, but can improve

what causes the state of war for rousseau

development of society leading to amore proper (envy, vanity)

how do we escape the state of war for rousseau

must consent to forming the general will

what is rouseau’s general will

all citizens in a society must participate and legislate to determine what is best for the community

what is the difference between the sovereign, the commonwealth, and the general will

sovereign is a person/body that has total control over the society, commonwealth is the general majority rule, and the general will is a collective agreement by all members of society

tacit versus explicit consent

tacit consent is assumed while explicit consent is given

what does locke say about tacit consent

we give tacit consent to obey a society’s laws as soon as we join the society

locke’s fundamental law of nature

natural law dictates that we have the right to self-preservation to defend life, liberty, and property

what is the state of war characterized by

competition, greed, envy, and lawlessness

locke’s view on land and property

in the state of nature, land is given to all men in common, but adding labor to land makes it private property of which there is no limit to what we can acquire

how does marx view human nature

we are distinct species-beings that are defined by our desire to be creative, and mix this creativity with other resources

what is marx’s view on how labor influences human nature

under our economic system, our labor becomes alienated, and we are forced to sell our time and products we create

what are marx’s four fundamental historical conditions

we must live, we have more needs, we have social relationships, and we divide labor

what are marx’s four types of alienation

from the product, from one’s own labor, from species-being, and from others

what is historical materialism

society develops based on economic conditions

what is a commodity

a good produced with the intent for it to be exchanged

use-value vs exchange-value

use value is the practical value of something, and exchange value is the market value of something

what is socially necessary labor time

average time needed to produce something

first vs second phase communism

first phase is a transition where the working class holds power and goods are distributed based on labor provided, second phase is a classless and stateless society where goods are distributed based on need

what is hedonism

belief that life is solely about pleasure

what is the experience machine

get plugged into a machine for life where you can experience anything you want

three faults of the experience machine

you aren’t actually doing the things, you aren’t the kind of person you want to be, and we desire real spaces

what is mill’s greatest happiness principle

actions are morally right if they produce happiness and morally wrong if they produce displeasure

how does mill define happiness

happiness is a positive, active experience of having pleasure and not experiencing pain

what are higher vs lower pleasures

higher pleasures are associated with knowledge, music, philosophy, etc., while lower pleasures are associated with bodily satisfaction processes like eating and drinking that animals can also do

what happens in the ones who walk away from omelas

an entire community’s happiness depends on one childs misery

intrinsic vs instrumental value

things with intrinsic value are good in themselves like pleasure and justice, while things with instrumental value are good because of the purpose they serve, we seek intrinsic value to make life worth living

how does hull define what makes us human

genealogy

what are the two potential objections to hull’s views

they are not specific to humans (animals have capacity for language), and they are highly subjective (what is “normal?”)

what does singer say is the grounds for moral consideration

the capacity to suffer

how does singer define speciesism

prejudice to bias members of ones own species

what is diamond’s critique of singer

only viewing worth based on suffering is not enough

what does diamond say grounds how we view something

our morality comes from how we understand something through cultural and social lenses

what example does diamond use to further her point

we don’t eat humans simply because, to us, human means “not food”

natural vs social kind

natural kind is biological while social kind is based on social meaning and categories

how is sentience defined

the ability to feel pain

what is a fellow being

seeing the creatures around us as beings we share moral life with and should consider

what is eudaimonia

a fulfilling and flourishing life over time

what is the function argument and how does it relate to humans

the idea that something is living a “good life” if it performs its function well; humans function is to think rationally, so a good life is fulfilled by thinking and acting well

how does aristotle define virtue and how do we achieve it

a stable habit of good character that is built through consistent practice

what is the doctrine of the mean

virtue is defined as the right balance between extremes and is situational

how does aristotle define moral virtue

virtue related to actions and emotions such as courage and generosity

what is flow

the state of being fully absorbed in a meaningful activity and focusing on a goal

what does doris believe about aristotles views

they require us to act the same across all situations, but psychoogy shows we dont have the ability to

what two experiments does doris reference

penny experiment and good samaritan experiment

what does doris say we should focus on

responding to our environment, rather than our actions

what does kamtekar say that doris is wrong about

she is testing for natural virtue instead of aristotelian virtue

natural vs aristotelian virtue

natural virtue is the behavior you want to be triggered in a situation, while aristotelian virtue is rooted in practical wisdom and the ability to reassess behavior

thin vs thick traits

thin traits are simple behaviors like helping, while thick traits involve deeper situational judgement such as compassion

what is akrasia

inconsistency between what we know we should do and what we actually do, similar to procrastination

universal vs particular knowledge

a commonly understood rule versus the way we apply it in a situation

what ways does ariely suggest we combat akrasia

pre-committment, automation, public shame, principles

what is epictetus’ dichotomy of control

we must accept that some things are within our control while others are not

what is emotional compression

temporarily supressing emotions

what is alexithymia

inability to understand emotions

what is the point of emotional compression

for our own clarity, and to not pollute others