POSC 201 JMU Hammond Exam 1

who wrote the Apology of Socrates?

Plato

Why is socrates on trial

corrupting the youth

and impiety

who wrote the Apology of Socrates?

Plato

Why is socrates on trial

corrupting the youth

and impiety

elenchos

interrogating question. going around and asking questions. "The socratic method"

what does the oracle of Delphi say about Socrates

he is the wisest man....

because he acknowledges his ignorance and limitations.

who are the sophists

wise people who are famous for "knowing many things"

latin translation of Philosophists

philo- love

sophia- wisdom

lover of wisdom

what really is the apology?

apologia= Defense

Socrates is defending his actions not apologizing for them.

what else do the athenians accuse Socrates of in the Apology?

Making the weaker argument stronger

Themis

what is lawful, in the relevent sense accords with the divine law.

what is the initial question posed in the Republic Book 1

What is justice?

Why is cephalus not concerned about his old age?

Because he believes he has lived a just/moral life.

Cephalus definition of justice

pay their debts, legal obligations, being honest and truthful.

polymarchus' definition of justice

owes good things to friends and harm to ones enemies.

Socrates definition of justice

Virtue of the Soul

Thrasymachus definition of justice

What benefits the stronger

aka- justice is a function of power.

Gloucon's definition of justice

Justice is an agreement on the mean between 2 extreme conventions. no one chooses to be just willingly. they just dont wanna be caught.

"A just man gets less than an unjust man"

who said this

Thrasymachus

he believes that just behavior works to the advantage of other people.

whats thrasymachus' model for political power

tyranny

What are the 2 models for the study/practice of politics. in republic book 1

1. politics is essentially about power- thrasymachus

2. politics is essentially about something other than power. -Socrates

Socrates argument against Thrasymachus

1. He makes Thrasymachus admit that the view he is advancing promotes injustice as a virtue.

2.Since it was agreed that justice is a virtue of the soul, and virtue of the soul means health of the soul, justice is desirable because it means health of the soul.

3. in order to reach any of the goals Thrasymachus earlier praised as desirable one needs to be at least moderately just in the sense of adhering to this set of rules.

On what two levels must we understand justice according the Socrates.

1. individual level of the soul.

2. Societal

1st iteration of the city in theory

each human has specific talents and jobs that help the community and benefit from another. (ie. farmers, carpenters etc.)

Gloucon's critique of the first iteration

humans want more than the bare essentials (poetry and other hobies)

2nd iteration of the city

expands on addressing conflict/justice.

the guardians are added to protect from outsiders

peoples wants will overpower their needs, causing inner conflict

Myth of the medals

Within us, we each have a predominant metal inside of us.

Gold medal

philosopher-rulers, is the reason Aspect of The Soul. is the Wisdom virtue

Silver

Auxiliary warriors, is the spirited aspect of the soul, is the virtue of Courage

Bronze

Producers/distributors, the appetitive aspect of the soul, and the temperance/moderation virtue.

Paradeigma

heavenly city

before we act Just we must ______________

Be Just

metaphor of the beast

Wisdom are the things that calm and soothe the strong beast

Form of the Polis

Elements of the city in theory

Socratic reform: Gardians dont own private property

platos lesson: Seperate political power from private wealth

socratic reform: men and women share power

platos lesson: supperficial differences shouldnt matter, its about the soul.

this and the next 2 reforms are the most controversial

socratic reform: one big family, no private family

public affairs must be seperate from private wants and interests.

socratic reform: philosophers = rulers

reason must guide power

ontology

the nature of being itself

epistemology

the theory of knowledge

platos theory of the forms/ ideas/types

broken into 4 stages the first two being the realm of becoming or the visible material world or the temporal world.

and the last 2 being the realm of being. the intelligible world that doesnt change.

stage 1. Eikasia

The creation of images/imagination.

this is the base level world through our senses.

our immediate reaction.

Stage 2: Pistis

perception/belief/point of view

stage 3: Dionoia

Thinking and reasoning that is detatched from our senses. like mathematics

stage4: Noeisis

Understanding

What is the difference in terms of beauty when it comes to the 2 realms

The realm of becoming is about beauty as a description. ie. Beautiful Flower

the realm of being is about beauty as a concept of virtue. ie. beauty iteslf

The allegory of the cave

Main take away- a person's perception of the outside world

we are only experiencing a tiny slice of reality that is being controlled by others.

we are bound by our senses

the sophists like thrasymachus are aware of the cave (unlike the people who are only aware of the shadows) while philosophers like Socrates are able to escape the cave itslef.

What does the cave represent

The material realm. Realm of the becoming

What does the outside represent

The intelligible world. Realm of being

The simile of the Sun

The philosopher is blinded by the sun after leaving the cave.

The sun represent

The Good. Every soul seeks the good. The good is greater than all the cardinal virtues.

Why does the philosopher re enter the cave

To speak with the others

What is plato concerned with

The heavens and realms and theology

What is Aristotle concerned with?

More practicle visible world

All souls seek what

The Good

potential ---> actual

everything has the potential for final good. however, it might not reach actuality aka Final Cause.

unqualified good

Primary good, in-itself

Qualified good

Secondary good, subordinant, one good is to serve another.

Eudaimonia

happiness and flourishing

wealth vs. happiness

Wealth is a qualified good because it serves a greater purpose while happiness or love is unqualified because it is the ultimate goal.

Zoon Politikon

Political animal . Politics is apart of our nature

arete

virtue/ excellence

how do we speak of justice and injustice?

we speak of it in terms of what is lawful and fair. w/o it we cant be happy.

justice is a complete virtue because it is a virtue that we practice together.

3 types of special justice

1. proportional/distributive- social goods that we value as a community like Honor. can be discriminatory based on merit.

2. rectificatory/ corrective

3. political

what kind of mean is justice?

mean virtue is in between the vice of eccess and the vice of deficiency.

justice in aristotle

1 lawful and fair

2. contributes to happiness

3. complete virtue (considers the good of others)

4. proportional, rectifactory, political

"If we could get away with injustice we would. but then we would fear being wronged without remedy."

Gloucon- an argument on a mean between 2 extremes.

Vice of excess

1. commit injustice with impunity

2. Blameworthy

Mean virtue

Justice

To neither commit or suffer injustice

Pleonexia

To have more than ones fair share

Aristotles quest for the ideal regime

1. Rather than equally taking care of things we equally neglect them

2. Plato doesnt seek unity of a city, its more like individual based.

3. Aristotle disagrees, pursues a united city

Aristotles taxonomy of regimes

quality and deviant regimes.

Quality regimes

ranked best to worst. lawful monarchy, lawful aristocracy, lawful democracy.

Deviant/ illegitimate regimes

best to worst. lawless democracy, lawless oligarchy, lawless tyranny.

platos perfect regimes

platos ranking of the regimes from best to worst along with their rulers and cardinal virtues and what each regime persues.

Platos perfect Regime

True city. where the philosophers are rulers who use Reason and Wisdom and who pursue Justice for the sake of the good.

Least imperfect regime: Timocracy

The Guardians rule with Spirited virtue using Courage and pursue victory.

Oligarchy as Platos regime

The few who are wealthy rule with an appetitive pursual of wealth.

platos Democracy regime

The Many rule, appetitive, pursue unlimited liberty.

Worst of platos regimes

Tyranny, where the appetitive rule with lust and fear in the pursuit of POWER.

Platos mother regimes

Democracy and monarchy

The mixed regimes

The two mother regimes of democracy and monarchy are the perfect regimes.

Analogy of the jars

Illustrates the virtue of temperance. Without temperance, your apatite controls you. you will have an insatiate, intemperate soul

think jar with holes in it that can never get enough liquid to fill it.

Why be Just?

The best and most just is the most happy. Everything comes back to happiness as it is the unqualified good.