philosophy review

meaning of life

victor frankl- holocaust survivor, believed in authentic optimism. we all have a unique purpose in life. “no one can ever take from me the freedom to choose”

bertrand russell- analytic philosopher. “i long to alleviate the evil, but i cannot, and i too suffer.”

albert camus- sisyphus found comfort in his repetitive mindset. acknowledge suffering, choose to put your all into the suffering.

        plato: the apology of socrates- socrates was taken to court for corruption of youth’s minds, called oracle of delphi as a witness who claimed there was nobody smarter than socrates. question the ignorant, seek wisdom. *not a genuine apology, rather a philosophical justification for his work.

logic

deductive arguments- when the premises are true, conclusion must be true. general to specific.

inductive arguments- when the premises are true, conclusion is probably true. specific to general.

syllogism- conclusion found through 2 confirmed propositions.

necessary conditions- must be present for an event to occur, but doesn’t guarantee an event.

sufficient conditions- something that guarantees an event, but isn’t sufficient on its own.

reductio ad absurdum- assume the opposite belief is true, prove by contradiction.

begging the question- circular reasoning, assumes the point trying to be proven without evidence.

ad hominem- directed against a person rather than an argument being made.

slippery slope- small action could lead to unjustified outcomes without evidence.

tu quoque- avoiding criticism by deflection.

false dilemma- black and white options.

reality

appearance versus reality- appearance is deceptive, reality is truth.

thales- believed all matter originates from and returns to water.

ship of theseus- if a ship’s planks are slowly changed over time, is it still the same ship?

heraclitus- the universe is forever changing, everything is connected. “you cannot step twice into the same river.”

parmenides- believed a single unchanging reality existed, and that all changes are illusion.

plato- proposed forms, an immaterial world of perfect ideas with a physical world of copies.

allegory of the cave- a metaphor for human conditions in reality.

divided line- four levels of understanding of our reality.

forms- the immaterial world of perfect beliefs.

teleology- everything in the universe has a purpose.

eudaimonia- final goals of life.

four causes- “whys” of something in nature. material, formal, efficient, final.

prime mover- a higher power that created the universe proposed by aristotle.

theology

cosmological- universe must have origins.

teleological- purpose in design proves the existence of god.

ontological- god is a greater being than could be conceived so he must exist

darwin- theory of evolution

pascal- there’s no loss if god ends up not being real

criticisms of religion- big bang theory, evolution