CC Pop Quiz Prepation

Eudaimonia

Translated as happiness or more accurately flourishing, representing the well-lived human life in Aristotle's ethics.

Aretē

Translated as virtue or excellence, a central concept in Aristotle's ethics.

Telos

An end or purpose

Endoxa

Broadly held assumptions and generally accepted opinions of the many and the wise that Aristotle uses as a starting point for inquiry.

Phronesis

Practical reasoning or practical wisdom used to decide what to do in specific circumstances.

Atomism

The Epicurean physical theory that the universe is strictly material, composed entirely of indivisible atoms and void.

The Swerve

The uncaused, random movement of atoms in Epicurean physics that allows for collisions and avoids strict determinism.

Anti-providentialism

The Epicurean view that gods exist but do not intervene in human lives or the universe.

Static Pleasure

An Epicurean state of pleasure consisting of being at rest and fulfilled continuously.

Kinetic Pleasure

An Epicurean state of pleasure involving variation or the process of arriving at static pleasure.

Monism

In Stoicism, the view that everything is connected and connected in reason, creating an overlap between self, society, and the world.

Providentialism

The Stoic belief that the universe has a providence or predetermined rational trajectory.

Indifferents

In Stoicism, anything outside of virtue and vice (such as health, wealth, life, or death) that can be preferred or dispreferred but does not affect true happiness.

Internals and Externals

The Stoic distinction between what is within our control (internal mental states and virtue) and what is outside our control (external circumstances).

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Pentateuch.

Tanakh

The Hebrew Bible, traditionally divided into the Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings).

Decalogue

The Ten Commandments found within the Hebrew Bible texts like Exodus.

Epistle

A letter, specifically referring to the Pauline or other letters forming a major part of the New Testament.

Apostle

An early Christian leader or missionary, such as Paul the Apostle who was known as the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Disciple

A follower or student of a teacher, commonly used in reference to Jesus' followers in the Gospels.

Sermon on the Mount

A foundational collection of teachings by Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew emphasizing moral ethics and beatitudes.

Eschatology

The part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and humankind.

Theodicy

The philosophical and theological question of how to reconcile the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God with the presence of evil and suffering in the world.

Earthly City

In Augustine's philosophy, the society driven by self-love, pride, and temporal desires.

City of God

In Augustine's philosophy, the eternal community bound by the love of God and spiritual grace.

Original Sin

Augustine's doctrine that Adam's fall transformed human nature, fundamentally altering free will, justice, and human ethical requirements.

Exodus

Details the events of early Israelite history, including Moses' calling, the interaction with Pharaoh, and the foundational narrative of the exit from Egypt.

Ecclesiastes

A Wisdom/Poetical book exploring the vanity and fleeting nature of worldly pursuits under the sun, emphasizing the Inevitability of Death—Mortality acts as a great equalizer that comes for both the wise and the foolish

Gospel of Matthew

A Synoptic Gospel presenting the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus, emphasizing intertextuality with the Hebrew Bible and foundational discourses like the Sermon on the Mount.

Romans

Paul's theological letter to the diverse Christian community in Rome addressing justification by faith, grace, and the relationship between Jews and non-Jews in the Jesus Movement.

Galatians

Paul's polemical epistle defending his apostolic authority and theological interpretation of salvation through faith in Christ rather than adherence to strict ritual law.

Meccan Suras

Early Suras focusing on basic theological and ethical tenets, the oneness of God, day of judgment, and the spiritual reality of humanity.

Medinan Suras

Later Suras addressing law, societal organization, and shared biblical stories and figures such as Moses, Jesus, and Satan.

Aponia

The epicurean absence of bodily pain

Ataraxia

The epicurean absence of mental pain

Umma

Arabic word for Muslim identity and community

Sura / Suwar (plural)

Name for each chapter in the Qur’an

Kallipolis

The ideal, perfectly just city-state envisioned by Plato in the Republic, governed by philosopher-kings.

City-Soul Analogy

Plato's structural parallel asserting that justice within the broader state precisely mirrors justice in the individual person, as both share a threefold division.

Guardians

The ruling and protector class in Plato's ideal commonwealth, divided into political rulers and military auxiliaries.

Myth of the Metals

The 'noble lie' claiming that citizens are born with souls infused with gold, silver, bronze, or iron to legitimize social hierarchy and assigned communal roles.

Tripartite Soul

The Platonic division of the human psyche into three distinct components: the rational, the spirited, and the appetitive.

Dialectic

The supreme philosophical method of rigorous question-and-answer inquiry that moves beyond sensory hypotheses to directly grasp the truth of the Forms.

Analogy of the Sun

A comparison showing that just as the physical Sun provides illumination and visibility to the sensible realm, the Form of the Good provides truth and intelligibility to the intellect.

Line

A model of knowledge separated into two categories: that of the visual and that of the intelligible realm. These understandings are imagination, belief, thought, and pure truth

Allegory of the Cave

A narrative illustrating humanity's imprisonment in sensory illusion through chained observers mistaking shadows for true reality until one ascends into the sunlight of genuine knowledge.

The Forms

The non-physical parts of reality, of which material objects in the physical world are merely imperfect reflections.

Education of the Guardians

The multi-stage developmental curriculum progressing from gymnastics and music to higher mathematics, astronomy, and dialectic to turn the soul toward the Form of the Good.

State of Nature Theory

In order to understand how we live together, we have to understand what we do naturally

Metaphysics

How human reason and observation of the physical world lead to the discovery of a non-physical and eternal First Cause

Epistemology

Nature of knowledge: distinction between belief from opinion

Rationalism

Priority of reason; rigorous logic to critique the limits of pure philosophical reason

Historiography

Transformed the writing of history from a chronicle of dates and events into a scientific and causal study of human society

Group Feeling (Asabiyyah)

Social solidarity, unity, group consciousness, and mutual support. Empire requires strong group feeling, and the fall of empire is a consequence of the degradation of group feeling