H+S CH 3 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

NOT DONE

Briefly state what constituted the good life according to Skepticism, Cynicism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism.

What did the Skeptics mean by dogmatism, and why did they oppose it?

In what sense were Epicureanism and Stoicism materialistic philosophies?

Describe the factors that contributed to the development of early Christian theology.

What characterized the Pauline version of Christianity?

Summarize the philosophy of Neoplatonism.

Discuss how Constantine influenced the history of Christianity.

How did Augustine change the locus of control of human behavior from forces outside the person to forces inside the person?

What did Augustine feel about pagan writings? What did he believe humans could be certain of, and how did he arrive at his conclusion? How, according to Augustine, could humans best experience God?

In what ways were the early Middle Ages dark? Explain.

What was the importance of Avicenna’s, Averroës’s, and Mainonides’s philosophies to Western thought?

How did the works of St. Anselm help prepare the Western world for the acceptance of Aristotle’s philosophy?

What was St. Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God?

What was the significance of the work of Abelard and Magnus?

Summarize the debate between the realists and the nominalists. What was Abelard’s position in this debate?

How, according to Aquinas, can humans know God? What are some of the implications of Aquinas’s position?

What was Scholasticism? Give an example of what the Scholastics did.

Why does William of Occam represent an important turning point in the history of psychology? What is Occam’s razor?

Was William of Occam a realist or a nominalist? Explain.

What was the paradigm in the Middle Age? What anomalies may have existed?