UQ final exam

How does Abraham and Isaac's story show conflict between religion and morality

religion told Abraham to kill his son but morality would tell him not to

Kierkegaard thoughts on relationship between faith and reason

we have to choose between them sometimes

if religion is reasonable, faith is not an achievement

Kierkegaard's 3 proposed ways of life

1. aesthetic- living for experiences and feelings

2. moral/ethical- live for duty/doing the right thing

3. religious- belief in something greater than yourself

eternal recurrence definition

if a demon made you live your life over and over again the exact same way

Nietzsche's potential responses to eternal recurrence

1. think of yourself as a god

2. despair

3. take it seriously

-no longer self-deceive

-think about how you are living/enjoying your life

Why is eternal recurrence a form of nihilism

the former life denies any meaningful value to the next

what does it say about us if eternal recurrence is affirmed

everything is meaningless

according to Nietzsche what does the madman seek

God

why do people laugh at the madman

they didn't?? they were silent

why does the madman say he has come too soon

people do not understand the implications of the existence of a God

Is Nietzsche's declaration of the "death of god" a statement of atheism?

No

what does Nietzsche say has replaced God?

science provides alternative explanation

death of God is a cultural event

what does "there is no more up or down anymore" mean?

God, the central figure, is gone and without god what is morality based on?

What does Camus write about?

Sisyphus and his punishment of pushing a boulder up a mountain every day only for it to roll back down at the end of the day

why is sisyphus' punishment an expression of nihilism?

it is the essence of complete meaninglessness

what is nihilism

the idea that nothing matters

ladder of love

idea that there are levels to love and new ones can be reached via eros

5 levels on the ladder of love

1. individual beauty

2. all physical beauty

3. inner beauty

4. principle/intellectual beauty

5. the good- equivalent to God

how does the love of individual beauty pull one out of their contentment?

we become dissatisfied with ourselves and realize there is more to life- “beauty is a stepping stone to goodness”

what is the highest level of love?

love of the good

can we resist the power of the good?

No

Who are the "parents" of love?

poverty and resource

can different kinds of love come in conflict with eachother?

yes

ex: St. Augustine loved his childhood friend Nebridius more than God

two ways to think of love

1. desire for possession- basis of jealousy

2. allowing the other person to truly be themself

Irigaray's thoughts on the Western world

thinking has been divided into physical or spiritual which is disastrous (anything physical cannot also be spiritual)

root of word "spirituality"

Latin "spirare" means to breath

Irigaray's big thoughts

1. teaching is a kind of compassion

2. sexual difference is most important (bc has mattered the most throughout history)

3. love is a spiritual practice and is both active and passive

Image Irigaray proposes as guiding spiritual ideal form men and women

the couple

5 love languages

1. gift-giving

2. touch

3. words of affirmation

4. quality time

5. acts of devotion

ways to show love

1. intentional listening- set aside preconceptions and allow them to be themselves

2. basic trust- help each other become better and trust in the other's effort

3. authentic speech

basic story of death of Ivan Ilyich: set up

Ivan is dead and everyone is self-centered and trying to use his death as opprotunitiy for themselves

basic story of death of Ivan Ilyich: main characters

Ivan- successful but wasted his life

Gerasim- peasant who is only one who understands true relationship to death, only one who can help Ivan

Ivan's wife- part of an elite social class

basic story of death of Ivan Ilyich: how does Ivan get sick?

falls while hanging a curtain

basic story of death of Ivan Ilyich: why is his wife not more sympathetic to his death?

they were emotionally distant and she was more worried about the money

what is the importance of people and things in this story?

people are way more concerned with things than people

-curtain caused Ivan's death, fought over number of cakes, etc.

how did Ivan live his life

obsessed with possessions

Why can't Ivan accept the fact that he is going to die?

"he never did anything wrong"

did not live a fulfilling life with proper understanding of death

What does Tolstoy say about the meaning of death in this story

death gives life meaning

psychological interpretation of the death of Ivan Ilyich

1. Ivan spent his whole life trying to please father-figures

2. Instantly married someone he "should"

3. when he gets sick he sees how different he is now (used to be positive)

4. wants people to pity him

5. suffered in black sack then saw light = being born

social-cultural interpretation of the death of Ivan Ilyich

1. callus and economically motivated society

2. wife married partly for money

3. alienated from wife at end of story to avoid meeting her emotional needs

4. material things were very important and determine feelings more than people

5. biggest quarrel with wife was over cake

6. passive telling that 2 of his kids passed away

religious interpretation of the death of Ivan Ilyich

1. couldn't find fear of death because there was no death

2. says "death is over" then dies shows that his life was a death and now there is the possibility of something greater

Lucretius view on death

death is irrelevant to us because when we are alive we are not dead and when we are dead we are not around to fear it

Lucretius' 2 arguments

1. death is natural so it must be good

2. time after death is parallel to time before birth, which we are not concerned about

with regards to death, can what you don't know hurt you?

no, possible exception is your reputation

Socrates on death

fearing death presupposes death is a bad thing but nobody can really know what it is like so fearing death is unreasonable

How does Chuang Tzu respond to the death of his wife?

mourned at first then celebrated by banging a drum

what does Chuang Tzu's response mean?

life is like the seasons

need to honor your grief but also move on and return to joy

objective vs subjective meaning of life

is a life picking up cigarette butts meaningful if the person finds joy?

subjective- yes

objective-no

why does Tolstoy fall into despair in "My Confession"?

He cannot figure out what life is for and determines that death takes away all meaning

who does Tolstoy talk to to understand the meaning of life? why does their explanation not satisfy him

scientists, science can explain how things work but not WHY

why are money, fame, and family not enough for Tolstoy?

material existence is not enough

what do common people have that Tolstoy doesn't

they are happy and not anxious, must trust that life is meaningful

How does Tolstoy find peace in the end?

learns the finite existence is only meaningful in connection with the infinite

Where does Tolstoy think the meaning of the finite can be found?

in connection to the infinite

Baier's response to Tolstoy

Tolstoy got it wrong, science does not take away meaning but allows us to enjoy things

Why might science take away meaning?

God is no longer necessary for explaining things

Why is the brevity or smallness of life not an objection to it?

life itself is meaningful, not the length of it

Baier's two senses of the word "purpose"

1. people do things for a purpose

2. people do not have purposes in the same ways

-disagrees that people have purposes from God, believes you choose your own

Baier's argument that an all-knowing and all-powerful God undermines human purposes

life has meaning bc we are free, an all-knowing God makes life meaningless

Baier's criticisms of christianity

1. problem of evil

2. the atonement- why did Jesus have to die? Why can't we just be forgiven?

3. original sin- why am I responsible for Adam and Eve's sin

4. conflict between free-will and omnipotence

how are spirituality and politics in tension with each other?

strong political activists that spread anger/violence contribute to world's detriment

What did Ghandi do in South Africa

stayed as legal representation for Indians there and fought for more rights

How was Ghandi radicalized?

he was thrown off a train

Satyagraha meaning

peaceful political activism, not a means to an end but a means itself

accept violence and do not return it, is true courage

Ghandi influence on MLK

MLK led civil rights movement based on Ghandi's leadership but added christian elements

Bobby Sands

influenced by Ghandi to go on a hunger strike for being put in prison with real prisoners as a political prisoner (supported IRA in Ireland) and died because of it

what does "You should try to be the change you wish to see in the world" mean

Do not be too focused on an afterlife or self-improvement to miss out on making a difference in the world around you

Buber's primary words

I-you (best)

I-it (not great)

difference between two primary words

I-you requires openness between both parties

I-it is simply subject-object and the two do not affect each other

Where do the lines of every I-you relationship extend to?

God (the eternal "you")

in what sense is relationship primary? evidence?

I am in relationship with others before I even "am"

to come to existence you must be one with your mother (be in I-You relationship)

In what sense does Buber believe in God?

Believes God is imminent but not transcendent

(there is no God you can talk about but there is one you can enter relationship with- human concepts cannot explain an ultimate God)

What is love in terms of I-You?

love is about responsibility for the you, not about feelings

Does Buber think it is possible to have an I-You relationship with a tree?

Yes, you can benefit from a relationship with nature and share a connection with it (ex. tree you grew up sitting under)

why is Buber called a dialogical thinker

he emphasized the importance of dialogue

What is the relationship between the I-you and God?

through the I-you relationship we get a glimpse of the sacred

The ultimate you is God

What does Buber think about mysticism?

doesn't like it because it involves self abandonment (and therefore no more I-you)

What does Buber think is wrong with the present age

focused on the I-It

What happens to Phil Conners?

repeats the same day over and over again

Who is Punxsatawney Phil?

the groundhog

What are the 4 stages phil conners goes through? with example

1. Shock- thinks it is a prank

2. selfishness- tricking girls

3. depression- kills himself every day

4. meaningfulness- learns new hobbies/skills, cares about and helps people

what was a limit to what phil could fix

could never save the homeless man's life

What happens when all your relationships are I-it

you are no longer human

What does he say about the kinds of miracles we encounter in life; or about valuing the present moment? (Thich Nhat Hanh- Miracle of Mindfulness)

Miracles are things that go against the laws of nature. We have lost sight of the miraculous part of nature in everyday life. There are everyday miracles that are more important that inspire awe and wonder. Miracles are associated with mindfulness (be mindful of moment so you aren't projecting into future or preoccupied by the past.

Also, the importance of being 100% mindful of whatever you are doing now, whether it's washing the dishes or eating a tangerine. (Thich Nhat Hanh- Miracle of Mindfulness)

We acknowledge what we are doing. We need to cultivate mindfulness. Value the Present moment. If we don't value these experiences, then whatever we are doing is pointless making most of our life a waste.

What is "committed Buddhism?"/Engaged Buddhism (Thich Nhat Hanh- Miracle of Mindfulness)

Important to remember that Buddhism is about compassion (life is suffering). Rules and regulations can cause you to lose sight. Buddhists must be more proactive in facing problems (Thich Nhat Hanh was involved in the movement for peace) He was a young man during Vietnam war. Become engaged with the world.

And what is the Parable of the Three Questions at the end of this reading? (Thich Nhat Hanh- Miracle of Mindfulness)

Sums up a lot of his philosophy. 3 questions are: Who is the most important person? The person next to you. What is the most important time? Now. What is the most important task? Care for the person next to you.

You should know something about Thich Nhat Hanh’s discussion of meditation, especially the focus on breathing as a way of becoming more mindful of impermanence, and to enhance compassion.

Focuses on breathing to become more mindful of Impermanence. Breathing is grounding (brings you back to natural impermanence of life). Meditation can enhance compassion. Taking in breath and letting it go, if you can focus on that then you are focused on the basic transience of existence. No longer an observer rather you are now one with the world

We discussed other examples of mindfulness. What happens in prayer, and what is the Serenity Prayer?

Prayer- express gratitude and focus intentions on what really matters to us (serenity prayer- can be secular or religious- “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.)

We looked at koans from the Zen tradition -- the sound of one hand clapping, and the story about the two tigers who trap the man while the mice gnaw at the vine he is clinging to

Sound of one hand clapping: silence

Tigers: He knows he is going to die and eats a strawberry (moral is that life can be delightful and rewarding even though we are mortal beings)

What is the story of Mojud?

He heard a voice telling him to give up his job and to go out and throw himself into the sea, then he gets various other jobs, and he eventually achieves a spiritual wisdom (he is open to change, we shouldn't try to control our lives, otherwise we will become cut off from all the possibilities of life)