AP

phil 001 final

The Existence of God

  • Design Argument (PBF9: 57-59)

    • William Paley's watchmaker analogy: If a watch found on the ground suggests a designer, so too does the complexity of the universe suggest an intelligent creator.

    • Argument from complexity and order in nature: The intricate mechanisms found in nature imply intentional design.

    • Criticism: Evolutionary theory offers a natural explanation for complexity without invoking design. The argument assumes purpose where natural processes suffice.

  • Cosmological Argument (PBF9: 54-56)

    • St. Thomas Aquinas' "Second Way": Everything in motion must be set in motion by something else, leading to an unmoved mover (God).

    • Causation and the necessity of a first cause: If everything has a cause, there must be an initial uncaused cause.

    • Criticism: The argument does not explain why the chain of causes cannot be infinite. It assumes the necessity of a first cause without proving it.

  • Ontological Argument (PBF9: 52-54)

    • St. Anselm’s definition of God: God is "that than which nothing greater can be conceived."

    • Argument: If God exists in the mind, He must exist in reality because existing in reality is greater than existing only in the mind.

    • Criticism: Existence is not a predicate (Kant’s objection). Just because we define something as existing does not make it so.

  • Pragmatic Argument (PBF9: 62-73)

    • Pascal’s Wager: It is rational to believe in God because the potential benefits (eternal life) outweigh the risks (finite loss if God does not exist).

    • William James’ "Will to Believe": Faith can be justified pragmatically if it leads to beneficial outcomes.

    • Criticism: The argument assumes belief is a choice and does not address which God or religion one should follow.

  • Problem of Evil (PBF9: 106-109, 139-151)

    • Logical problem: The existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God seems incompatible with the presence of evil.

    • Responses:

      • Free will defense: Evil results from human freedom.

      • Soul-making theodicy: Suffering builds moral character.

    • Criticism: Does not account for natural evil (e.g., earthquakes). Some suffering appears gratuitous and unjustifiable.

Knowledge and Truth

  • Plato’s Cave (PBF9: 157-161)

    • Allegory representing ignorance vs. enlightenment.

    • Prisoners in the cave see only shadows, mistaking them for reality.

    • Philosophers are those who escape and see true reality.

    • Application: Questions about perception, education, and truth.

  • Nozick’s Experience Machine (PBF9: 162-163)

    • Thought experiment: Would you plug into a machine that provides perfect simulated pleasure?

    • Criticism of hedonism: Suggests pleasure alone is not enough for a meaningful life.

    • Application: Value of real experiences over mere pleasure.

  • Cartesian Skepticism (PBF9: 164-169)

    • Descartes' "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am).

    • Dream argument: Can we distinguish between dreaming and waking reality?

    • Evil demon hypothesis: What if an evil demon deceives us about everything?

    • Responses: Foundationalism, reliance on clear and distinct perceptions.

  • On Bullshit (Frankfurt, Canvas)

    • Distinction between lying and "bullshitting."

    • Bullshitters are indifferent to truth, focusing instead on persuasion.

    • Relevance to modern society: Misinformation, political rhetoric, and media bias.

The Mind

  • Could Machines Think?

    • Yes (PBF9: 282-295)

      • Turing Test: If a machine’s responses are indistinguishable from a human’s, it can be said to think.

      • Functionalism: The mind is what the brain does, similar to software running on hardware.

      • Criticism: Consciousness and understanding may not arise from mere computation.

    • No (PBF9: 295-308)

      • Searle’s Chinese Room Argument: A person following rules to manipulate symbols does not understand Chinese; similarly, a computer might simulate thinking without actual understanding.

      • Criticism: Might misunderstand how intelligence emerges from simple rules.

Personal Identity

  • A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality (PBF9: 309-330)

    • Weirob vs. Miller: Debate on whether personal identity is tied to a soul, consciousness, or bodily continuity.

    • Memory theory: Identity persists through continuous memory links.

    • Problems:

      • Circularity: Memory presupposes identity rather than explaining it.

      • Fission cases: If a person’s consciousness is copied, which is the real self?

Meaning and Death

  • Sisyphus (and Us) (PBF9: 660-662, 670-675)

    • Camus: The absurdity of life, and whether meaning can be created.

    • Taylor: Life’s meaning comes from subjective fulfillment rather than ultimate purpose.

    • Criticism: Can meaning exist without a grand purpose?

  • Death (PBF9: 699-706)

    • Nagel: Death is bad because it deprives us of life’s experiences.

    • Baillie’s existential shock: Awareness of mortality influences how we live.

    • Should we fear death?

      • Epicurean view: Death is not bad because we won’t experience it.

      • Counterargument: Fear of the unknown is rational.