Socrates, Plato, and Ancient Greek Philosophy: Key Concepts and Sources

To whom did Socrates write a hymn?

Socrates is said to have written a hymn to the Greek God Apollo.

What are four sources for information on Socrates?

1. Plato's dialogues 2. Xenophon's writings 3. Aristophanes' plays 4. Diogenes Laertius' accounts.

Who is the main source of Socratic conversations?

Plato is considered the main source, as he records many conversations involving Socrates.

Name one of Plato's early dialogues.

One of Plato's early dialogues is Apology.

What does it mean that the outcome of early dialogues is usually negative?

It means that these dialogues often end without a clear resolution or agreement, highlighting the complexity of philosophical questions.

True or False: In the late dialogues, Socrates' role lessens and then becomes absent.

True.

In which year was Socrates born?

Socrates was born in 469 B.C.

What does it mean that he was born 'B.C.'?

It means he was born before the year 1 A.D., indicating a time period before the common era.

What was Socrates' father's profession?

Socrates' father was a stonemason or else a sculptor.

True or False: A midwife gives birth herself.

False.

What does Socrates claim to help deliver?

Socrates claims to help deliver ideas and truths through dialectic conversation.

What does the book say about Socrates' physical appearance?

The book describes Socrates as being unattractive, with a stout body and a flat nose.

Who discusses Socrates' drinking abilities in Plato's Symposium?

Alcibiades discusses Socrates' drinking abilities in Plato's Symposium.

What does the book say about Socrates' self-control and physical relationships?

The book states that Socrates exhibited great self-control and had few physical relationships, focusing instead on intellectual pursuits.

Who wrote a play called The Clouds?

Aristophanes wrote a play called The Clouds, in which Socrates is portrayed as a sophist.

Why did people mistake Socrates for a sophist?

1. He engaged in philosophical discussions that questioned traditional beliefs. 2. He charged no fees for his teachings, contrasting with sophists.

What are the three specialized subjects taught by the sophists?

1. Rhetoric 2. Ethics 3. Political theory.

What are three differences between Socrates and the sophists?

1. Socrates sought truth, while sophists taught persuasion. 2. Socrates did not charge for his teachings, while sophists did. 3. Socrates focused on moral philosophy, whereas sophists were more concerned with practical success.

How is dialectic defined in the text?

Dialectic is defined as a method of conversation aimed at uncovering truth through questioning and dialogue.

What does Socrates' technique often detect?

Socrates' technique often detects errors in reasoning.

What is the aim of dialectic?

The aim of dialectic must not be 'victory over the speaker' but rather the pursuit of truth and understanding.

True or False: Socrates was known for delivering sermons and lecturing to people.

False.

To whom does Socrates speak when he reveals he will only converse with people of a certain character?

Socrates speaks to those who are willing to engage in honest and meaningful dialogue.

What two things must one possess to profit from a conversation with Socrates?

1. A genuine desire to learn. 2. A willingness to examine one's own beliefs.

What does it mean that 'the unexamined life is not worth living'?

It means that a life without self-reflection and critical thinking lacks true value and purpose.

What is the eighteenth century often called?

The age of enlightenment.

Which philosopher is known for the phrase 'Sapere Aude'?

Immanuel Kant.

What does the word hypothesis represent?

Whatever is not deduced from a phenomena.

True or False: Newton believes principles not derived from sensible facts are arbitrary.

True.

In which year was Hume born?

1711.

What should a science of human nature give us?

An understanding of what human understanding is capable of.

What is the difference between an impression and an idea?

Impressions are perceptions with force; ideas are faint images in thinking.

Which occurs first: impression or idea?

Impression occurs first; idea occurs second.

What is the idea of causation based on?

Habit or custom.

How is constant conjunction described?

We expect the second event when we observe the first.

What two-word phrase means if X occurs, Y must occur?

Necessary connection.

How is cause defined in the text?

As subjective experience projecting necessary connections.

What word is defined as a substance that is simple and the same through time?

Self.

What does Hume say he can never catch himself without?

A perception.

What analogy does Hume use to describe the self?

A theater, emphasizing that self is a bundle of perceptions.

What is the name of the argument comparing God to a machine?

The argument from design.

What does Hume claim can never motivate an action?

Reason alone.

How does the text define passion?

Desire or inclination.

Which philosopher is identified as an antecedent skeptic?

Descartes.

Which philosopher is identified as a mitigated skeptic?

Hume.

How old was Kant when he published his first major work, The Critique of Pure Reason?

Fifty-seven years old.

Which philosopher affects Kant's work significantly and is referred to as 'that acute man'?

Hume.

How is Kant's critique of reason described?

As a critique that lays out its structure, explains its relationship to its objects, and delineates the limits within which it can legitimately work.

What kinds of questions do the subjects of math, natural science, metaphysics, and morality contain according to Kant?

Critical questions.

What phrase means we must appeal to experience to determine truth or falsity?

A posteriori.

What phrase means we know something is true without reference to experience?

A priori.

Which word means the denial yields a contradiction?

Analytic.

Which word means it does more than explicate or analyze a concept?

Synthetic.

What are the four possibilities that result when the previous words and phrases are put together?

Analytic a priori, Analytic a posteriori, Synthetic a posteriori, and Synthetic a priori.

What is an example of an analytic a priori judgment?

'Every mother has a child.'

Which judgment is considered empty, meaning there are none of them?

Analytic a posteriori.

What is an example of synthetic a priori judgment?

A question mark or the phrase 'there is a God.'

What is 'There is a Waterloo in both Iowa and Wisconsin' classified as?

Synthetic a posteriori.

Which one do we experience: phenomena or noumena?

We experience phenomena.

What is defined as an empty representation of an unknown X?

'I'.

What does Kant deny in order to make room for faith?

Knowledge of God's existence.

Which phrase describes things that are good only if used well?

'Good without qualification.'

What kinds of commands qualify as acts of will?

Only internal commands that come at the end of a process of rational deliberation.

What is defined as the necessity of an act done out of respect for the law?

Duty.

What does it mean to universalize a maxim?

Considering the case in which everyone acts according to something.

How old was Nietzsche when he became a full professor?

Nietzsche was twenty-four years old.

For how many years was Nietzsche cared for by his sister due to insanity?

Eleven years.

Which group misused Nietzsche's ideas?

The Nazis.

What is the name of Nietzsche's first book?

The Birth of Tragedy.

According to Silenus, what is the best thing of all?

Not to have been born.

What does Apollo represent?

Order, measure, reason, restraint, and calm composure.

What does Dionysus represent?

Wine, intoxication, excess, and loss of control.

What must Apollo meet Dionysus for?

The birth of tragedy.

What is defined as beneath the familiar world of everyday experience?

A real world.

What psychology does Nietzsche believe we need?

The psychology of great philosophers.

What do philosophical theories display according to Nietzsche?

They display the philosophers themselves.

How does man see himself regarding the four errors?

Only incompletely.

What does man give himself according to the second error?

Fictitious attributes.

In relation to what does man rank himself falsely?

Animals and nature.

What does man invent according to the fourth error?

New tables of goods.

Who is Zarathustra?

A fictional prophet representing Nietzsche's thoughts.

Who announces that God is dead?

The madman.

What are the next two questions after asking about drinking up the sea?

What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now?

True or False: The phrase 'God is dead' means people have literally killed God.

False.

What is the main idea of Nietzsche's book On the Genealogy of Morals?

To trace the ancestry of morality.

Where do feelings of resentment and revenge simmer according to Nietzsche?

In the slave group.

Where does Zarathustra's story begin?

High on a mountain.

What do the last men do repeatedly as a sign of weakness?

They blink.

What does the Overman remain faithful to?

The earth.

How is 'the greatest weight' described?

Living the same life repeatedly.

What is Descartes known as the father of?

Modern philosophy

Which branch of mathematics does Descartes describe as a 'marvelous science'?

Analytic geometry

What does it mean that Descartes turns away from 'letters'?

He abandoned the study of letters and sought knowledge through experience.

Which subject does Descartes admire for the 'certainty of its demonstrations'?

Mathematics

True or False: Descartes thinks his predecessors lacked a sound method.

True

What does Descartes' first rule state about accepting truth?

Do not accept anything as true without evident knowledge of its truth.

What does Descartes' second rule advise?

Divide each difficulty and examine it into as many parts as possible.

What does Descartes' third rule say about starting with objects?

Start with the simplest objects and ascend to the most complex.

What does Descartes' fourth rule emphasize?

Make enumerations and review to ensure nothing is left out.

How is Descartes described in terms of doubt?

As the champion doubter of all time.