Hobbes

Introduction

  • Announcement of donuts and returning exams.

  • Mention of the need for a board to discuss lessons on Hobbes and Descartes.

Class Attendance Discussion

  • Instructor notes low attendance and inquires about possible events.

    • Confirmation of homecoming event affecting class attendance.

    • Misunderstanding of homecoming date:

      • Initially thought to be on Thursday, but confirmed as Saturday.

    • Discussion about students possibly missing class to drink before tailgating.

      • Question raised regarding students drinking before an event.

Ethical Question Raised by Instructor

  • Instructor asks an ethical question leading to a discussion on reasonable numbers for exams and grading.

    • Students suggest numbers (10 and 100).

    • Decision made for a proposed extra credit of 18 points, contingent on class metrics.

Student Activities Discussion

  • Benefit of homecoming king and queen discussed:

    • Questions about the reasons for participation in such events.

    • Instructor's opinion recommends that members of fraternal organizations should not feel pressured to participate if they are unwilling.

    • Points made on friendship and the significance of comfort in associations.

Transition to Hobbes

  • Introduction of philosopher Thomas Hobbes and his background:

    • Relation to English Civil War and societal impacts leading to serious governmental considerations.

    • Civil War's definition and implications on societal structure.

    • Importance of understanding human motivations to shape a stable society.

Overview of Hobbes' Work

  • Introduction to Hobbes' significant work Leviathan, emphasizing its purpose to aim for better governance.

  • Theoretical foundations to comprehend human behavior:

    • Initial premise is that all ideas originate from sensory experiences.

    • Define sense perception as foundational to all thought processes.

    • Openning line of Leviathan*: "Every idea that man has in his mind came first from sense perception."

    • Emphasis on how sensory experiences inform ideas and rational thinking in practical life.

Discussing Sense Perception

  • Query from instructor seeking an understanding of his claim regarding sense perception.

    • Clarification about the active role of sense organs in shaping experiences.

  • Example of color-blindness to illustrate variations in sensory perception, affecting human ideas.

  • Example of the idea of a dog varying based on personal experiences.

Hobbes’ Concept of Imagination

  • Transition into Chapter Two: "Of Imagination".

    • Definition reframing of imagination not just as creativity, but as memory generated from past sensory experiences.

      • Instructor provides an illustrative recall experiment using an elephant.

    • Decay of memory discussed:

      • The concept of decaying senses: memory fades over time.

      • Memories mix and alter, leading to potentially unreliable recollections.

Memory and Experiences

  • The significant example provided of personal experiences shaping memories.

    • Story shared involving a fight at a college party illustrating memory’s unreliability due to continual reinterpretation.

  • Discussion on how impactful events could affect one's life view, highlighting discrepancies in personal memories.

Understanding Ideas

  • Next, delving into how ideas manifest we did not directly experience:

    • Mention of dreams as a source of ideas.

  • Different forms of ideas: dreams, societal impact (like religion) believed to be non-sensory.

    • Consideration of God as a construct based on prior experiences.

Hobbes' Philosophical Influences

  • Addressing God's concept according to Hobbes: Origins of God’s idea traced to sensory experiences of humans.

    • All ideas, including religious interpretation arise from experience, implying they are invented.

  • Discussion on historical evolvement of the concept of a deity: mutual understanding varying between cultures.

Good and Bad

  • Introduction of moral concepts of good and bad rooted in sensory experiences:

    • Insight into how upbringing and personal experiences lead to individual understandings of morality.

  • Example provided about cultural commonalities on manners as social constructs explaining behaviors seen as 'good' or 'bad'.

Desires and Aversions

  • Development of ideas of good and bad leads to desires for repeating experiences and aversions towards negative experiences.

  • Obsession with the concept of prudence and foresight in human decision-making.

Free Will Discussion

  • Instructor poses the question of free will:

    • Analysis of decision-making based on sensory bombards.

  • Instructor guides students to reflect on free will versus deterministic patterns in behavior:

    • Conflicting opinions addressed within the class, contemplation on moral responsibility.

Conclusion and Next Class

  • Questions about memory reliability and how it affects decision-making reiterated, leading to discussions on political beliefs and social conditioning.

  • Instructor emphasized follow-through on reasoning behind desires and the implications of free will.

  • Closing remarks suggest continuation with Descartes for the next discussion on philosophical analysis regarding existence.