philosophers: flashcards

Etymology: Greek "philo" (love) + "sophia" (wisdom) = love for wisdom. Active pursuit of wisdom beyond facts, critically engaging with fundamental questions.
Modern: William James's "stubborn attempt to think clearly"; disciplined approach to understanding.
Purpose: Inquiry into man, world, self; establishing foundational truths.

Recognizes diverse historical and contemporary views on the self.
Key figures: David Hume, René Descartes, Socrates, Plato, Saint Augustine.
Goal: Identify core philosophical conjectures on human identity and their evolution.

At course end, $95\%$ of students should be able to:
1. Define philosophy (historical to modern).
2. Identify the three perennial questions of human existence.
3. Distinguish philosophers' and philosophies' views on the self.
4. Formulate one's own philosophy.

Classical Greek philosopher, pioneer in Western moral philosophy.
Socratic Problem: Reconstructing teachings without his writings (relying on students).
Goal: “Know thyself” – imperative to understand one's character, mind, soul via internal dialogue.
Principle: "Accept that he knows nothing" – leads to learning and discovering truth.

The Socratic Method: Questioning (cross-examination) to stimulate critical thinking and self-discovery of truths.
Maxim: “An unexamined life is not worth living” – emphasizes introspection.
Goal: Better human life through consistent self-examination, aiming for virtue.

Founder of the Academy in Athens, first Western higher learning institution.
Central figure in Western philosophy/spirituality; known for Theory of Forms and reason.
Psyche (mind) has three elements, balancing them leads to a just and virtuous individual:
1. Appetite: Pleasurable desires (physical comfort).
2. Spirited: Motivated to surpass challenges (emotions, will to assert).
3. Mind (rational): Thinks, weighs choices, assesses (reason, intellect). Guides others for wisdom.

Christian theologian/philosopher. Integrated classical philosophy with Christian doctrine.
Sin: Source of unhappiness; impairs free will, away from God.
Self: Two-fold process – self-presentation leading to self-realization; inner journey to self-knowledge and God.
Transformation: Through body/soul struggle; happiness in God’s love.
Mind-Body: Mind superior, directs body towards spiritual truth. Identity: Achieved via introspection, inner world reflecting God's presence.

Father of modern Western philosophy; initiated systematic doubt, rational inquiry.
French scientist, mathematician, philosopher; analytical geometry.
Cartesian philosophy: Mental acts determine physical acts; cognition central to knowledge.
Mind: "Intellectual substance" with will, distinct from physical matter.
Dualism: Mind (non-physical) and body (physical) are distinct but interact.
Method: Achieve true knowledge through systematic doubt.
Dictum: “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am) – foundational certainty of existence via thinking.

English philosopher/physician; key figure in empiricism, liberal political theory; "Father of Liberalism."
Theory of mind: Breakthrough in understanding identity/self; experience over innate ideas.
Tabula Rasa: Mind is a blank slate at birth; all knowledge derived from sensory experience.

German philosopher (Königsberg, Prussia). Major contributor to modern Western philosophy (epistemology, ethics, aesthetics).
Mind creates experiences: Knowledge structured by mind; reality actively synthesized.
Two kinds of self:
- Empirical Self: Known through experience, perceptions, sensations (observable characteristics).
- Transcendental Self: Active organizing principle that interprets, constructs meaning from experiences (unobservable, makes experience possible).
Cognition's active role: Shapes what we know, how we experience the world, structures reality.

Austrian neurologist, founder of Psychoanalysis (therapeutic method, theory of mind).
Focus: Unconscious psychological conflicts in behavior/personality (motivation beyond awareness).
Three interacting mind components forming self/persona (often in conflict):
- Id: Primitive, instinctual (sexual/aggressive drives, hidden memories); pleasure principle.
- Ego: Realistic part, mediates id/superego; reality principle (satisfies id acceptably).
- Superego: Moral conscience (internalized ideals, judgment, aspirations); conflicts with id.
Dynamic interaction shapes personality/behavior, leads to internal conflicts/defense mechanisms.

British philosopher, behaviorist; critiqued Cartesian dualism.
"The ghost in the machine": Criticized Descartes’ mind-body dualism as philosophical error (non-physical mind controlling physical body).
Mental phenomena: Best explained by outward public behavior, not inner states; focus on observable actions.
Suggested humans have physical/non-physical mind, integrated while alive; argued against mind as separate hidden entity.

Proponent of eliminative materialism: Radical philosophical position on mind-brain relationship.
"The self is the brain": Common-sense mental states (folk psychology) should be replaced by neuroscience.
Brain-based self: Reduces/replaces mental states with neurobiological processes; 'belief'/'desire' may not refer to real entities like 'phlogiston'.

Phenomenologist; emphasized embodied consciousness, rejected mind/body separation.
Consciousness: Not "I think that," but "I can" – understanding rooted in bodily experiences/actions.
Self-Body: Intimate, inseparable relationship; body is means to engage with and perceive the world.