Perspectives Midterm Study Guide

“In the beginning…” — From Day 1 to Day 6: God created the heavens + earth, light (first) + darkness, evening + morning, sky, seas, plants/vegetation, stars, sea creatures + birds, land animals, humans (last = most important)

Genesis 1

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude…” — 7th day God finished work + rested, God creates Adam through breath (from dust), places him in garden of Eden, let Adam name all animals, God makes Eve from Adam’s rib, both naked but no shame exists yet

Genesis 2

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made…” — Serpent tempts Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, feeds it to Adam, both realize they are naked, heard sound of God + hide, both banished from gaden of Eden, future generations of women + men punished

Genesis 3

“Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she convieved and bore…” — Eve bore Cain (oldest) + Abel (youngest), God liked Abel’s offering more, Cain jealous + kills Abel, God curses Cain as wanderer of Earth, Cain + wife have son Enoch

Genesis 4

“God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them…” — told Noah to be fruitful and multiply, humans can eat animals just not blood, establish covenant that there will never be another flood to destroy the Earth (rainbow is a sign of this covenant)

Genesis 9

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words…” — Tower of Babel to reach heaven and make a name for themselves, God confuses their language and scatters them

Genesis 11

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” — God calls Abram to leave his homeland and promises to make him a great nation and give his descendants land, Abram goes to Canaan with Lot

Genesis 12

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield…’” — God makes a covenant with Abram and promises descendants as numerous as the stars

Genesis 15

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar…” — Hagar becomes pregnant by Abram with Ishmael, conflicts with Sarai, Hagar runs away

Genesis 16

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless…” — God changes Abrams name to Abraham, renews covenant promising more descendants, circumcision is sign of covenant, changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, God promises Sarah will have a son (Issac)

Genesis 17

“After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.” — God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Issac, he obeys and then God provides a ram instead

Genesis 22

“Then she handed the savory food, and the bread that she had prepared, to her son Jacob” — Jacob disguises himself as Esau and tricks their dad into giving him his blessing

Genesis 27

“Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob…” — Joseph is father (Jacob/Israel’s) favorite son, brothers resent him + jealous, throw him in a pit, sell him, decieve their father with his robe + animal blood

Genesis 37

“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me…’” — Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers in Egypt + forgives them, says that God used their actions to bring him to Egypt to preserve lives in famine

Genesis 45

“When Israel set out on his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Issac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s own hand shall close your eyes.” — God speaks to Jacob in visions to not be afraid, promising a great land there

Genesis 46

“Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong we did to him?…” — After Jacob dies, Joseph’s brothers fear revenge, Joseph forgives them, says God used their harm to save lives

Genesis 50

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God…” — Burning bush, God says to Moses “I AM WHO I AM,” “I AM has sent me to you,” “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”

Exodus 3

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you away…” — Final plague will kill all 1st borns

Exodus 11

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you…” — Tradition of Passover to spare Jewish firstborns, sacrifice lamb, mark doorposts, and eat unleavened bread

Exodus 12

“Now this is the commandment — the statues and the ordinances — that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy…” — Shema prayer, love God with all your heart, soul, and strength

Deuteronomy 6

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry, Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king…” — Samuel rebukes Saul for disobeying God, obedience is more important than sacrifice, when Saul tries to leave Samuel’s robe tears, Samuel declares that God has torn the kingdom of Israel away from Saul and will give it to someone better

1 Samuel 15

“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, ‘There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.’ The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought…” — Story about a rich man stealing a poor man’s lamb

2 Samuel 12

“Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of his father David; only, he sacraficed and offered incense at the high places…” — Solomon asks God for wisdom to govern instead of wealth, God is pleased with this response

1 Kings 3

'“‘If you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statues that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut Israel off from the land that I have given them…” — God warns Solomon that if he and his descendants turn away from God and worship other gods, Israel will be rejected and the Temple destroyed

1 Kings 9

“King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh…” — Solomon marries many foreign women who turn his heart toward other gods, God becomes angry + declares that most of the kingdom will be taken from Solomon’s descendants

1 Kings 11

“Then Job arose, tore his robem shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” — Job tore his robe and grieves but does not charge God

Job 1

“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we recieve the good at the hand of God, and not recieve the bad?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now when Job’s 3 friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out form his home.” —- Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die but Job refuses. His friends arrive and sit with him silently for 7 days and nights

Job 2

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth?…” — God speaks to Job through a whirlwind questioning him about creation and order of the universe

Job 38

“Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of your can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” — Job admits he spoke about things “too wonderful” for him + will not repent

Job 42

“The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemiesl you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” — The Lord is a shepard who protects and guides, trust God in danger and hardship

Psalm 23

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name…” — Thanks to God for delviering him from suffering, contrasts sorrow and lasting joy

Psalm 30

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. More in number than th ehairs of my head are those who hate me without cause…” — A cry to God for help in persecution, he asks God for rescue and justice

Psalm 69

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generation.” — Joyful psalm, we are sheep of God’s pasture, god = good, loving, and always faithful

Psalm 100

“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy…” — Boiling pot + branch of almond tree symbols, God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet before he is born

Jeremiah 1

“I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.” — Jeremiah describes a vision of the land becoming empty and dark

Jeremiah 4

“Declare this in the house of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah, Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but do not see, who have ears, but do not hear. Do you not fear me? says the Lord; Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail, though they roar, they cannot pass over it…” — God condems Israel for being stubborn and committing injustice

Jeremiah 5

“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?” — saying Judah is so sick + there is no way to heal it

Jeremiah 8

“Thus says the Lord: I am going to restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound, and the citadel set on its rightful site. Out of them shall coming thanksgiving, and the sound of merrymakers. I will make them many, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored and they shall not be disdained. Their children shall be as of old, their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all who opress them.” — God promises to restore Jacob’s fortunes and bring prosperity back to the people

Jeremiah 30

“They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry…” — God promises that Israel will return from exile and experience joy, Rachel’s weeping = symbolizes the people’s grief, God promises a new covenant with Israel + Judah (the law will be written on the hearts and souls of the people)

Jeremiah 31

“An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" — Introduces Jesus as the Messiah + descendent of David and Abraham, summarizes geneology in 3 groups of 14 generations, Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant through the Holy Spirit, an angel tells him to marry her and name the child Jesus (this fulfills Isaiah's prophecy about Emmanuel)

Matthew 1

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…” — John the Baptist prepares the ways for Jesus, Jesus is baptized and tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, people need to repent because God’s kingdom is near

Mark 1

“Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…” — Luke explains that he carefully investigates accounts to write what readers can trust, Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus (son of God), Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, Mary praises God and his lifting up of the humble, Mary said “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Luke 1

“One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in…” — Jesus heals a paralyzed man, calls a Levi (taxcollector) + explains he came to call sinners not the righteous

Luke 5

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blesseed are you who are hungry now, fo ryou will be filled…” — Beatitudes, Golden Rule

Luke 6

“Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strenth, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live. But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man going down from Jerusalem…’” — Good Samaritan Parable, your neighbor is whoever needs compassion

Luke 10

“Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had 2 sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me…’” — Prodigal Son Parable (a younger son wastes his inheritance, returns home to repent, father welcomes him home, older brother resents celebration)

Luke 15

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him…” — Word was with God since the beginning, Word became flesh in Jesus bringing life, light, truth, and grace to humanity, Introduces John (baptizes with water)

John 1

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability…” — Penecost, the Holy Spirit comes upon disciples as tongues of fire

Acts 2 — Author = Luke

“But Peter, standing with the 11, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say, Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only 9 o clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…” — “Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” Jesus was sent by God, crucified, and raised from the dead

Acts 2 — Author = Luke

“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified…” — Peter declares Jesus as Lord and Messiah, many people repent, are baptized in the name of Jesus, and join the community

Acts 2 — Author = Luke

“Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belond to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute men?…’” — Saul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus and is blinded for 3 days, Ananias heals him and he begins to preach about Jesus

Acts 9 — Author = Luke

“About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belond to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to 4 squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after Passover…” — Peter is freed from prision by an angel + realizes it was God who saved him

Acts 12 — Author = Luke

“When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied: ‘I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation. As you can find out, it is not more than 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. They did not find me disputing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd entire in the synagogues or throughout the city…” — Paul defends himself on trial, claiming it was “about the resurrection of the dead…”

Acts 24 — Author = Luke

“Paul an apostle — sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead — and all the members of God’s family who are with me, To the chruches of Galatia…” — Paul defends his authority as an apostle, explaining that his gospel came from Jesus Christ (not human teaching), he describes his former persecution of Christians and his conversion

Galatians 1 — Author = Paul

“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy…” — Paul confronts Peter for separating himself from Gentile Christians out of fear of criticism, Paul argues that people are justified by faith in Jesus, not by following Jewish law

Galatians 2 — Author = Paul

“For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” — Through faith in Christ, all believers become children of God. Differences between Jew and Greek, slave and free, and male and female do not divide believers in Christ.

Galatians 3 — Author = Paul

“Oh no! Think carefully, my sister. Our father died in hatred and disgrace after gouging out his own two eyes for sins he'd seen in his own self. Next, his mother and wife she was both destroyed herself in a knotted rope. And, third, our two brothers on one day killed each other in a terrible calamity, which they had created for each other. Now think about the two of us. We are alone. How horrible it will be to die outside the law, If we violate a dictator's decree! No. We have to keep this fact in mind: We are women and we do not fight with men. We're subject to them because they're stronger, and we must obey this order, even if it hurts us more. As for me, I will say to those beneath the earth this prayer: "Forgive me, I am held back by force." And I'll obey the men in charge. My mind will never aim too high, too far”

Antigone — Ismene’s Speech (beginning of the play)

“What laws? I never heard it was Zeus who made that announcement and it wasn't justice, either. The gods below didn't lay down this law for human use. And I never thought your announcements could give you—a mere human being-Power to trample the gods' unfailing, unwritten laws. These laws weren't made now or yesterday. They live for all time, and no one knows when they came into the light no man could frighten me into taking on the gods' penalty for breaking such a law. I'll die in any case, of course I will, whether you announce my execution or not but if I die young, all the better: People who live in misery like mine are better dead. So if that's the way my life will end, the pain is nothing. But if I let the corpse my mother's son— lie dead, unburied, that would be agony. This way, no agony for me. But you! You think I've been a fool? It takes a fool to think that.”

Antigone -— Antigone’s Speech (towards beginning of play)

“Splendid, my boy! Keep that always in your heart, and stand behind fatherly advice on all counts. Why does a man pray that he'll conceive a child, keep him at home, and have him listen to what he's told? It's so the boy will punish his father's enemies and reward his friends-as his father would. But some men beget utterly useless offspring: They have planted nothing but trouble for themselves, and they're nothing but a joke to their enemies…”

Antigone — Creon’s Speech to Haemon (middle of the play)

“Father, the gods give good sense to every human being, and that is absolutely the best thing we have. But if what you said is not correct, thave no idea how I could make the point still, maybe someone else could work it out. My natural duty's to look out for you, spot any risk that someone might find fault with what you say or do. The common man, you see, lives in terror of your frown; He'll never dare to speak up in broad daylight and say anything you would hate to learn. But I'm the one who hears what's said at night— how the entire city is grieving over this girl. No woman has ever had a fate that's so unfair (They say), when what she did deserves honor and fame. She saved her very own brother after he died, murderously, from being devoured by flesh-eating dogs and pecked apart by vultures as he lay unburied. For this, hasn't she earned glory bright as gold? This sort of talk moves against you, quietly, at night…”

Antigone — Haemon’s Speech to Creon (middle of the play)

“Please take this useless man, put him out of your way. He killed you, my child, though thtat is not what he wished. And you, too, my wife. What a miserable wretch I am! Never to see them again! On whom can I lean? Everything I touch turns against me, my head bows to the fate that has lept on it.”

Antigone — Creon’s final speech (end of the play)

“Wisdom is supreme for a blessed life, and reverence for the gods must never cease. Great words, sprung from arrogance, are punished by great blows. So it is one learns, in old age, to be wise.”

Antigone — Chorus' final speech (end of the play)

Socrates says justice is in the third and best group. Glaucon says that most people would say justice is valued not for itself but for its consequences, for justice is difficult, and thus often avoided. 

Plato’s Republic — Book 2

• Doing injustice may seem good, and suffering injustice is bad. However, suffering injustice is much worse than the benefit of doing it. So, people who have experienced both but cannot protect themselves agree that everyone should avoid doing injustice to others so that no one has to suffer injustice themselves.

• This is the origin of justice, which is an intermediate between the best and the worst

• Best is to do injustice without paying the penalty and the worst suffer it without being able to take extreme revenge

• Those who practice justice do it unwillingly because they lack the power to do injustice

• Nature is forced by law into the perversion of treating fairness with respect

Plato’s Republic — Book 2

• Justice of a whole man vs justice of a whole city, and perhaps there is more justice in the larger thing so it will be easier to learn what it is through the city

• First, find out what justice is in a city, and after look for it in the individual

• The city comes to us because none of us are self-sufficient

Plato’s Republic — Book 2

• Very simple city where the citizens work naked and barefoot in the summer and wear only what they need in the winter

• No more children than resources allow

• Feasting with a few delicacies

• “If you were founding a city of pigs, wouldn't you fatten them on the same diet?”

• Change the way the citizens are allowed to live in the luxurious city, and proceed with this idea that requires more resources like guardians

Plato’s Republic — Book 2

• Guardians work simply for their keep and get no extra wages as the others do

• Not aiming to make any one group happy, but trying to make the whole group happy

• Trying to fashion the happy city, not picking a few happy people out and putting them in it

• Statue metaphor: painted eyes (the most beautiful part) black rather than purple

• You must look to see whether by dealing with each part appropriately we are making the whole statue beautiful

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• The city they have been describing is very wise

• Four virtues of the city: wisdom, justice, moderation, courage

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Courage is a kind of preservation of the belief that has been inculcated by the law through education about what things and sorts of things are to be feared

• You can call the city wise, courageous, etc because of the small groups that make up those virtues

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Analogy —> dyers only apply the purple dye once once the white wool has been prepared carefully, so that no soap or washing can remove it

• This must be remembered when selecting soldiers/guardians: having the proper upbringing preps them for their job

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Moderation is a kind of order → the mastery of certain kinds of pleasure and desire

• In the soul of a person, when the naturally better part is in control of the worse, this is expressed by saying the person has self control

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Everyone has to practice an occupation for which they are best suited

• Justice is doing one’s own work and not meddling with what isn't one’s own

• Justice is what is left over once you have found where wisdom, courage, and moderation lie

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• The having and doing of one’s own is known as justice

• Carpenter and cobbler doing each other's work analogy

• Meddling brings ruin to the city 

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Each of us has within ourselves the same parts as the city → rational, spirited, appetitive

• Do we learn with one part and get angry with another?

• Same thing standing still and moving at the same time

• The principle of  Non-Contraction — used to prove that the soul is split because you want to drink water but also feel an aversion to it

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Analogy of the archer: story about the man who saw corpses lying at the executioner’s feet

• He had an appetite to look at them but at the same time was disgusted and looked away

• Finally he pushed his eyes open and looked

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Injustice is the civil war between the three parts of the soul, which is caused by meddling

• Just and unjust actions are no different for the soul than healthy and unhealthy things are for the body

• Virtue is a kind of health while vice is disease

• Even if you have everything in the world and live in luxury, if your soul is in turmoil you cannot enjoy it

• One form of virtue and unlimited forms of vice

Plato’s Republic — Book 4

• Desires are awoken in sleep when the rest of the soul, the rational, gentle, ruling part, slumbers

• Someone who is moderate and healthy does this before bed: rouses the rational part and feasts it on fine arguments, neither starves or feeds his appetites so that they will sleep and not disturb him, he soothes his spirited part in the same way as to not go to bed when the spirited part is aroused

• Our dreams make it clear that there is lawless desire in everyone

• Desires = lawless vs necessary vs unnecessary

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Democratic man and evolution of tyrannical man

• Erotic love is called a tyrant

• A man becomes tyrannical in the sense of the term when neither his nature or his way of life or both of them together ale him drunk filled with erotic desire and mad

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Tyrants try to rule others when they cannot even rule themselves

• He’s just an exhausted body without any self-control

• Cannot live privately

• A real tyrant is really a slave to the worst kinds of peopl

• He’s full of fear and convulsions that others will turn on him

• Incredibly insecure

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Another proof that the soul is split just as the city is split: three pleasures corresponding to the three parts of the soul:learning-loving, honor-loving, profit-loving

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Pain is the opposite of pleasure but pure pleasure is not the relief from pain

• However, most  of the so-called pleasures that reach the soul are some kind of relief from pain

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Being filled with what is appropriate to our nature is pleasure

• Those who have no experience of reason or virtue but are always occupied with feasts are brought down and up again and wander throughout their lives in this way

• Never taste stable or pure pleasure
  
  

Plato’s Republic — Book 9

• Every action and discipline seeks some good, but the ends appear to differ

• Where there ends apart from the actions, the products by nature are better than the activities

• Some pursuits are subordinate to each other

Aristotle NE — Book 1

• There must be one ultimate goal that we pursue for its own sake rather than for the sake of something else, called the highest good

Aristotle NE — Book 1

• What is the good that political science seeks and what is the highest of all the goods achievable in action?

• Most people agree the highest good is happiness and they think living well and doing well are the same as being happy

• But people disagree about what happiness actually is and many do not give the same answer

• Some people think happiness is obvious, like wealth or honor and people often change their mind about it too depending on the circumstances

Aristotle NE — Book 1

• Life is spoken of in 2 ways — as capacity + as activity

• Human function is the activity of the soul in accord with reason or requiring reason

  • Human function is a certain kind of life, and take this life to be activity and actions of the soul that involve reason

• The function of an excellent man is to do well and finely

• Each function is completed well by being completed in accord with the virtue proper to that kind of thing

• And so the human good appears to be the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue and further in a complete life

• “For one swallow does not make a spring, nor does one day, nor, similarly does one day or short time make us blessed and happy.” 

Aristotle NE — Book 1

• None of the virtues of character arise within us naturally

• For if something is by nature one condition, habituation cannot bring it into another condition (stone metaphor)

• We are, by nature, able to acquire virtues and we are completed through habit

• There's a difference between something arising in you from nature (ex: the senses) vs. virtues that are acquired just like you’d acquire a craft

Aristotle NE — Book 2

• We must take the pleasure and pain that supervenes on his actions to be a sign of the state of character

• The virtue of character is about pleasures and pains

• For pleasure causes us to do base actions and pain causes us to abstain from fine ones

• That is why you need to have the appropriate upbringing, so that you can feel pleasure and pain in the right things

• Virtues are about actions and feelings and every action implies pleasure or pain

Aristotle NE — Book 2

• But for actions in accordance with virtue to be temperately or justly it does not suffice that they themselves have the right qualities

• Rather, the agent must also be in the right state when he does them

• First, he must know he is doing them

• Secondly, he must decide on them and decide on them for themselves'

• Thirdly, he must also do them in a firm and unchanging state

Aristotle NE — Book 2

• Virtue of character is a mean between 2 extremes/vices (one of excess and one of deficiency)

• Anyone who aims at the intermediate condition must first steer clear of the more contrary extreme → advice Calypso gives

• Take the lesser of the two evils

• We have to also accept that we ourselves drift into it easily because of our own natural tendencies

• We have to drag ourselves in ten contrary direction, like straightening bent wood, to reach the intermediate

• We must overall be aware of pleasure and its sources because we are already biased in favor when we come to judge it
  
  

Aristotle NE — Book 2

• If people are friends they have no need for justice, but if they are just they have a need for friendship

• The justice that is the most just seems to belong to friendship

Aristotle NE — Book 8

• Not everything is loved, only the loveable

• Sometimes people love not what is good for him but what appears good

• There are 3 causes then of love (love for an inanimate thing is not called friendship since there is no mutual loving and no wishing good of it)

• To a friend you must wish good things for his own sake, but they must reciprocate it because friendship is said to be reciprocated good will

• Friends are aware of the reciprocated good will

Aristotle NE — Book 8

• Friendship has 3 species corresponding to three objects of love

• Loving for utility, pleasure → these are friendships that are just convenient and coincidental and they will not end up working out after awhile because the friends will not remain similar after awhile

Aristotle NE — Book 8

• But complete friendship is the friendship of good people similar in virtue because they wish goods to each other for their own sakes

• Each of them is good without qualification and good for his friend, since good people are both good without qualification and advantageous for each other

• They are pleasant in the same ways too and they are pleasant for each other because each of them finds his own actions and actions of that kind pleasant

  
  

Aristotle NE — Book 8