Philosophy Lecture Notes

Flashcards based on lecture notes, covering philosophy topics.

Plato (Art)

Art is a copy of a copy—an imitation of nature, which itself is an imitation of the world of ideas. Art distances us from truth.

Kant (Art)

Art is judged by “disinterested” taste; true art expresses genius and gives us a unique aesthetic experience.

Nietzsche (Art)

Art is a vital force that affirms life and transforms suffering into beauty.

Danto (Art)

Art is defined not by beauty or technique, but by the context and intention behind it.

Ricoeur (Art)

Art creates new meanings through the use of language and narrative.

Epicurus (Happiness)

Happiness is the absence of pain and trouble, achieved through moderation and the pursuit of simple pleasures.

Aristotle (Happiness)

Happiness (eudaimonia) is living in accordance with virtue and reason, fulfilling one’s purpose.

Kant (Happiness)

True morality is about duty, not the pursuit of happiness; happiness is not guaranteed by virtue.

Mill (Happiness)

Happiness is the sum of pleasures; actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number (utilitarianism).

Onfray (Happiness)

Advocates for enlightened hedonism—seeking pleasure with autonomy and awareness.

Descartes (Conscience)

Consciousness is the foundation of knowledge (“I think, therefore I am”).

Hegel (Conscience)

Consciousness develops through relationships with others, especially in the master-slave dialectic.

Freud (Conscience)

The unconscious mind deeply influences our thoughts and actions, often in hidden ways.

Sartre (Conscience)

Consciousness is defined by freedom; we are condemned to be free and must take responsibility for our choices.

Ricoeur (Conscience)

Explores the narrative and ethical dimensions of consciousness, including how we tell our own stories.

Kant (Duty)

Duty means acting according to universal moral laws (the categorical imperative), regardless of personal desires.

Rousseau (Duty)

Duty is rooted in the general will; we are obligated to serve the common good of society.

Nietzsche (Duty)

Critiques traditional morality and duty, arguing we should create our own values.

Weil (Duty)

Duty is about attention to others, justice, and spiritual engagement.

Comte-Sponville (Duty)

Duty is based on reason, fidelity, and solidarity, not religious faith.

Plato (State)

The just state is ruled by philosopher-kings who govern with wisdom.

Hobbes (State)

The state (the “Leviathan”) is necessary to prevent chaos; it maintains order through a social contract.

Rousseau (State)

A legitimate state is based on the general will and guarantees collective freedom.

Weber (State)

The state is defined by its monopoly on legitimate violence.

Gauchet (State)

Analyzes the development and tensions of democracy.

Freud (Unconscious)

The unconscious is the seat of repressed desires and shapes our behavior.

Jung (Unconscious)

Adds the idea of a collective unconscious, shared by all humans.

Lacan (Unconscious)

The unconscious is structured like a language.

Žižek (Unconscious)

Updates psychoanalysis to include ideology and social fantasies.

Plato (Justice)

Justice is harmony in the soul and in the city.

Aristotle (Justice)

Distinguishes distributive justice (fair allocation) and corrective justice (rectifying wrongs).

Rawls (Justice)

Justice is fairness, achieved by imagining we don’t know our place in society (“veil of ignorance”).

Habermas (Justice)

Justice is built through rational discussion and communication.

Badinter (Justice)

Focuses on justice as equality, especially regarding gender.

Aristotle (Language)

Language is what sets humans apart, allowing us to reason and engage in politics.

Saussure (Language)

Language is a system of signs that structures our thought.

Wittgenstein (Language)

The meaning of words depends on their use in “language games.”

Derrida (Language)

Language is unstable and always open to new interpretations (“différance”).

Cassin (Language)

Studies the power of language and rhetoric, especially in law and politics.

Epictetus (Liberty)

True freedom is inner freedom, achieved by mastering one’s desires.

Rousseau (Liberty)

Political freedom means obeying laws we give ourselves.

Hegel (Liberty)

Freedom is realized through history and mutual recognition.

Sartre (Liberty)

We are condemned to be free; we must choose and assume responsibility.

Badiou (Liberty)

True freedom arises in rare, transformative events.

Aristotle (Nature)

Nature has purposes; every being has its own end (teleology).

Descartes (Nature)

Nature is like a machine, to be understood and mastered by science.

Rousseau (Nature)

The state of nature is good; society corrupts us.

Jonas (Nature)

We have an ethical responsibility to protect nature and future generations.

Latour (Nature)

Critiques the division between nature and culture; nature is a network of actors.

Plato (Reason)

Reason allows us to access the truth beyond appearances.

Descartes (Reason)

Reason, through method and doubt, leads us to certainty.

Kant (Reason)

Distinguishes pure reason (theoretical) from practical reason (moral).

Horkheimer & Adorno (Reason)

Critique how reason can become a tool for domination.

Marion (Reason)

Reason should be open to what is given, not just what it can control.

Augustine (Religion)

Faith is the path to God, but reason can support faith.

Spinoza (Religion)

God is identical with nature (pantheism); religion should be rational.

Kant (Religion)

Religion must be subject to reason and universal morality.

Weil (Religion)

Religion is about attention to others and the search for good.

Levinas (Religion)

Religion is an ethical relationship with the Other.

Galileo (Science)

Science is based on observation, experimentation, and mathematics.

Descartes (Science)

Science is founded on methodological doubt and deduction.

Popper (Science)

A scientific theory must be falsifiable.

Kuhn (Science)

Science advances through paradigm shifts, not gradual progress.

Latour (Science)

Scientific facts are shaped by social and technical networks.

Aristotle (Technique)

Technique imitates or extends nature, but is not natural itself.

Heidegger (Technique)

Technique changes our relationship to the world and risks making us forget the meaning of being.

Simondon (Technique)

Emphasizes understanding the genesis of technical objects.

Anders (Technique)

Warns of the gap between technical progress and human responsibility.

Onfray (Technique)

Reflects on how technique affects individuals and society.

Augustine (Time)

Time is subjective; it’s experienced as memory, attention, and expectation.

Kant (Time)

Time is an a priori form that structures all our experiences.

Bergson (Time)

Distinguishes clock time (objective) from lived duration (subjective).

Heidegger (Time)

Human existence is fundamentally temporal; we are beings-toward- death.

Nancy (Time)

Analyzes temporality through finitude and shared existence.

Marx (Work)

Work can be alienating or emancipating, depending on social conditions.

Arendt (Work)

Differentiates labor (survival), work (creation), and action (politics/freedom).

Weil (Work)

Work should bring dignity; she critiques the inhumanity of industrial labor.

Gorz (Work)

Critiques the central role of work in post-industrial society.

Ogien (Work)

Focuses on the ethics of work, based on liberty and conditions.

Plato (Truth)

Truth is the correspondence to the world of Ideas; it is absolute.

Descartes (Truth)

Truth is what is clear and distinct to reason.

Nietzsche (Truth)

Truth is a matter of interpretation; there is no absolute truth.

Foucault (Truth)

Truth is shaped by power relations and “regimes of truth.”

Habermas (Truth)

Truth is built through rational dialogue and ideal communication.