Philosophy - Exam 3

Protestant Reformation and Epistemology

emphasized truth and the Bible as the ultimate source of truth instead of the Pope

Bio of Descartes

French philosopher who is known as the Father of Modern European Philosophy and focused on rationalism

Descartes’ Rationalism

some things are true regardless of our perception of them, like math

Descartes’ Epistemology

There are foundational and empirical truths, and philosophy can only be based on foundational truth

Classical Foundationalism

absolute truth independent of observation

Descartes’ Four Precepts of Logic

Believe only what is clear and distinct
Divide problems into smaller parts
Solve the parts easiest to most complex
Leave nothing out

Descartes and Augustine Parallels

Augustine: equilibrium based on moral balance, focuses on ethics
Descartes: equilibrium based on thinking becoming knowing, focuses on epistemology

“I think, therefore I am.”

The act of thinking proves existence, but only for the self

Descartes and God

God is a foundational truth because He is the only credible source for the idea of an infinite being existing innately within humans

Pascal’s phrase

The heart has its reasons for which reason knows nothing

Bio of Pascal

Well-rounded French philosopher who believed in God and is known for his wager

Body, Mind, and Heart

Three parts of human existence

“The heart has its reasons for which reason knows nothing.”

The heart’s intuition understands things that logic cannot explain

Kant Bio

Philosopher from a devout Lutheran family who wrote the Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals

Kant and Ethics

Good things can be used for evil if the good doesn’t have a morally good will

The Morally Good Will

Doing good with the understanding that it is our duty to do good

The Meaning of Duty

the necessity of an action based on respect for a principle

Law

a principle that’s consistently followed

Definition of Kant’s Categorical Imperatives

an unconditional moral law based purely on reason, not outcome, consequences, or personal desires

Two Principles to Construct Categorical Imperatives

formula of universal law and formula of humanity

Formula of Universal Law

you only act according to principles that can be applied to everyone without exception

Formula of Humanity

act in such a way that you always treat people never merely as a means to an end but always at the same time as an end in itself

Hegel Bio

German philosopher who grew up Protestant and attended seminary, but later pursued philosophy over Christianity

Kant vs Hegel

Kant believes in a separation between the phenomenal world and the noumenal world, while Hegel believes humans percieve the world as it actually is

Hegel and Absolute Idealism

Things exist, and we discover them because knowledge and reality share the same rational structure, and humans interact with that structure because human thought is a part of reality

Empirical truth

knowledge gained by the senses that isn’t as true as foundational truths

Body

the “inputs” for knowledge, include senses, apprehension of objects, and phenomena

Mind

perceives sensory (empirical) data and reasons with it

Heart

knowledge and wisdom that isn’t explained by the mind