PHIL 1100 - Meaning of Life Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on the meaning of life through philosophical discussions of the soul, wisdom, and the philosophies of key figures like Socrates and Epicurus.

Dispute Between a Man and his Ba

An ancient Egyptian text discussing the conflict between the personified parts of the human soul.

Ba

In ancient Egyptian belief, the 'soul' or personality, often depicted as a bird with a human head.

Physical Body (khet)

The essential part of the human soul that needs to be preserved, not distinct from the soul.

Spiritual Body (sah)

The non-physical body that traverses the fields of afterlife.

Name (Ren)

The proper name that individuates a person in life and death, an essential aspect of oneself.

Heart (ib)

Considered the physical seat of the soul, storing the record of actions for judgment in the afterworld.

Human wisdom

The type of wisdom Socrates claims to possess, unlike the false wisdom of others.

Socrates' Defence of Philosophy

The idea that philosophy is a pursuit of wisdom, more valuable than the possession of knowledge.

Libertarianism

The belief that we are capable of deciding and enacting courses of action through thought and reason.

Determinism

The doctrine that all actions are determined by unearned forces, denying moral responsibility.

Compatibilism

The perspective that freedom and determinism can coexist without contradiction.

Epicurean Philosophy

A belief system focusing on the pursuit of happiness through the minimization of pain and maximization of pleasure.

Epicurus on Death

The philosophical assertion that death is nothing to us as it entails the absence of sensation.

Stoicism

A philosophy advocating the control of one's reactions to external events, focusing on internal virtue.

Philosophical Views Concerning Free Will

Diverse theories expressing the nature and existence of human freedom within a determined world.

Socratic method

A form of cooperative argumentative dialogue that stimulates critical thinking.

The Garden

Epicurus's philosophical school which included female students and aimed at a peaceful life.