Philosophy I- Final Exam

What School of thought is Aurelius associated with?

Stoicism

Who was Marcus Aurelius?

A stoic philosopher/ emperor who privately wrote his reflections to strengthen his character.

How do we achieve happiness according to Aurelius?

Living in accordance with virtue, accepting fate, and mastering our thoughts

What kind of relationship with nature should humans cultivate according to Aurelius?

Humans should live in harmony with nature, recognizing they are only a small part of the natural world and should follow the rational order.

Who lives the better life, philosophers or military/political leaders?

Philosophers because they are actively seeking wisdom and virtue

According to Aurelius, what can we control? What can’t we control?

We can control our own thoughts, actions, and reactions. We can’t control external events or other people.

What 2 kinds of virtue does Plotinus focus on in his treatise on virtue?

Civic: taking different parts of the human soul and moderating it in a certain way

Purifying: gets rid of all desires and everything but intellect is burnt away

What effect does the highest kind of virtue have on us?

It purifies the soul. Separates us from the material world and brings us closer to the divine.

What is the goal of ethics and virtues for Plotinus?

Unite the different parts of the soul

What philosopher had the greatest influence on Plotinus?

Plato

What is the nature of evil according to Plotinus? why do we act wrongly or viciously?

Evil is a privation of the good. We act wrongly in ignorance by not knowing what the true good is, and we pursue lesser/ lower goods

What school of thought is Plotinus associated with?

Neoplatonism

By what name does Plotinus call “ the good” from Plato’s republic?

The one

What are the 3 levels of reality according to Plotinus?

The one: The ultimate source of everything. Beyond being

Intellect: Where the prefect forms and ideas are. Thinks about the one and contains all true knowledge and reality

Soul: The principle of life and movement. Links the spiritual and material

What is Plotinus’s critique of the Stoic account of beauty?

Stoics see beauty as only material. Plotinus says true beuty comes from divine form

Stoics see beauty as a whole and not in its simplicity/ parts.

What does Plotinus think is the source of beauty in the world?

Beauty comes from the material things interacting with the higher immaterial forms

What kinds of beings contemplate according to Plotinus?

The soul, intellect, and humans contemplate

What are the two types of evil that Augustine initially coniders?

Done evil: God isn’t responsible (Wrong choices/ actions)

Suffered evil: God is responsible but it’s not as bad because the one who sinned is being punished ( suffering/ disasters)

Who is Augustine’s conversation partner in the book?

Evodius- A friend/ student

What separates humans from other animals?

Animals only seek physical pleasure and avoid pain. They have no reason and from rson come knowledge and with knowledge theres reason

What makes the existence of temporal/ human laws necessary according to Augustine?

Laws are necessary because people will misuse their free will and they need guidance and restraint to live justly

Does Augustine beleive in divine foreknowledge and human free will to be compatible? why?

Yes because God knows what we will choose yet he does not make the decision for us or force us to one, or decisions are free

How does the will become corrupted?

When it turns away from God and loves less. Choose related things over the eternal good.

What do all people desire, and how is it achieved?

Everyone achieves happiness and it is achieved by loving and clinging to God, the highest good.

What does Scotus mean when describing “the first Nature” as simple

God is the first nature and has no parts or complexity. God is completely unified and indivisible

How does Scotus begin each chapter?

With a prayer

What are the 4 causes that Scotus discusses?

Efficient cause: the maker

Formal cause: the structure or essence

Material cause: what something os made of

Final cause: the purpose or goal

Does Scotus believe an infinity or essentially ordered causes is possible? Is Scotus in agreement or disagreement with Aquinas on this?

He rejects this idea, therefore agreeing with aquinas that there must be a first cause which is God

What is human being’s perfect happiness consist in? How is it attained?

Beatific vision and enjoyed by the grace and gift of God in the next life

What is happiness an operation of?

Happiness comes from intellect because it comes from knowing the ultimate good, which is God

What is hylomorphism? How does it explain the unity of the human person?

Hylomorphism is the view that everything is made from matter and form.

Hylo: matter → body

Morphism: form → soul

What is the name of Aquinas’ major work of philosophy that we read from?

Summa Theologiae

Does Aquinas believe faith is necessary to believe that a god exists?

No, reason can prove God’s existence but faith helps us know what is beyond reason

What are the 4 kinds of law that Aquinas discusses? Describe them

Eternal Law: God’s wisdom and plan

Natural Law: Moral law built into human nature

Human Law: Laws humans created based on natural law

Divine Law: God’s revealed law in scripture

Does Aquinas believe that we know what we know through reason can ever be in conflict with what we know through faith?

They cant contradict because they both come from God

How many arguments does Aquinas provide for God’s existence? What kind of argument are they?

He gives 5 arguments. They are called cosmological arguments, which have reasoning from the existence of the world to God

Aquinas entertains 2 major arguments against God’s existence, what are they

The problem of evil: If God exists why is there evil

We can explain everything without needing to assume God

Does Aquinas believe the universe is eternal or not ? Does he believe he can prove/ demonstrate this through arguments?

The universe had a beginning but reason alone cant prove this, it has to be accepted by faith.

What is the beatific vision?

The direct perfect seeing of God

What are the 4 cardinal virtues?

Prudence (reason)

Justice

Temperance (Moderation)

Fortitude (ability to act in accordance)

What are the theological virtues? How are they different from the cardinal virtues and other character virtues?

Faith

Hope

Charity

They are different because they are not self made and are a gift of God’s grace

What does Aquinas think of Anselm’s argument for God’s existence?

He rejects it saying we can’t know God’s essence just by thinking about it, we have to experience it

Is Aquinas an empiricist or a rationalist?

He is an empiricist

For humans, is it better to know god or love him? What human faculty is responsible for knowing him and what is responsible for loving him?

It is better to love God, because love unites us to Him more deeply; the intellect is responsible for knowing, and the will is responsible for loving.

What kind of argument for God’s existence does Anselm give?

He gives an ontological argument, proving his existence from the idea of God himself and no world observations

What name does Anselm give to God?

That than which nothing greater can be conceived