philosophy exam 2!

appearance vs. reality

big theme for plato

we tend to assume that the appearances of things show the full reality of things — we tend to confuse opinions with knowledge

a priori

prior to experience.

concerns truths or concepts that the mind can know on its own, without nneeding o learn them from empirical exeriences

a posteriori

after the experience

concerns reality gives us material to work with in terms of generations ideas about truth or meaning

cartesian circle

name for possible problem in Descartes’ reasoning in the mediations

2 concerns:

1. that he has actually assumed the existence of god (first as the deciever and then as a good enable of knowledge), but hasn’t really shown that God actually exists

2. that even though he put his reason in doubt at the start, he’s still trusting in his reason to prove that reason is trustworthy

cogito

term for Descartes’ first foundational truth: means “to think, i think”

dualism

could refer to lots of things but we’ve seen it thematized in terms of the way Descartes separates the mind and body, and how he privileges mind (thought) as the definitive essence of the human being

empiricism:

an approach to epistemology that operates on things that are derived from experience (aposteriori truhs— not born knowing them)

epistemonlogy:

branch of philosophy that focuses on trying to understand how we can best determine knowledge claims, truth, and the limits/possibilities of human understanding (theories of knowledge— what counts as justifiablel knowlege as opposed to mere opinions)

forms:

plaots term for the highest truth of all reality, which make it possible for all the other truths to exist

they’re not physcial things, they’re nonmaterial reality.

ex- your mind knows the form of chairness (chairs), so you’re therefore able to identify particular chairs because you know the form

golden mountain problem

point Hume uses to show our minds get carried away when we combine different ideas based on impressions and assume that the result points to something true.

basically that we someimes link two things together that have nothing to do with each other (new car and happy family)

hume’s fork:

said we have two classes (categories) of knowledge:

1. matters of fact (more experiential)

2. relations of ideas (more conceptual)

you cant combine them since they become diff. paths branch off into the experiential road of our reasoing.

basically is saying that Decartes’ has done well in theorizing Gopd exists, but you can’t say he exists if he doesn’t physically exist where we can see it w our senses

Rationalism:

an approach to epistemology that says holds justified can be based on aporir truths. we do best in seeking clear/certain knowledge when we first look to resources already in the mind

what are the two sides to reality?

phenomenal: the world of appearances— how we experience things and how our knowledge works w it

noumenal: world of reality— (in particular objects or in general) these things we cannot know— they’re in themselves

radical doubt

Descartes’ rationalist approach to purging his mind of all his prior beliefs in order to see whats left standing

rationalism

an approach to epistemology

says we do bes in seeking clear/certian knowledge by first looking at resources already in the mind, not to empirical evidence in the outsde world

reality of ideas

formal reality: the fact the idea exists in my head (its officially there)

objective reality: their content (what’s in the thoughts/ideas) doesn’t mean that they’re objectively true, just that they’re there

soul

according to plato, this is a person’s inward state of being

the appetitive (desire)

the spirited (emotions)

the intellect (the rational)— this should be guiding the soul and the other parts of the soul should work in harmony under it