Exam 3 Review

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Hellenistic Philosophy (330s BCE – 30 BCE): Focused on the thoughts and systems developed after the conquests of Alexander the Great, emphasizing individual ethics and the nature of knowledge.

Cynic- Kynikos (dog like) Shameless

  • Happiness is the good

  • Unhappiness is the result of unfulfilled desires

Cynics would say life is nature vs custom to be happy is to be free of custom and to live according to nature.

Asceticism- free form worldly goods/ pleasure

Socrates—> Antisthenes —> Diogenes of Sinope “I am a kosmopolites” ( citizens of the world)—> Crates—> Zeno of Citium

Stoicism- Happiness is the good, unhappiness is the result of unfulfilled desires.

Courage, Wisdom, Moderation, and Justice: Apatheia

A state of mind undisturbed by the passions/emotions

  • to be disturbed by things outside of our control is to be irrational.

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Epicurus

Hedonist (pleasure is the good) —> absence of pain.

Ataraxia- free from pain/ anxiety

2 Major Sources of Mental Pain:

  • Fear of God

  • Fear of Death - Anything bad is deemed so because its capable of being sensed death is the absence of all sensation, therefore it is nothing.

Tetrapharmakes (4 part cure)

  1. Do not fear God

  2. Do not fear death

  3. What is good is easy to obtain

  4. What is bad is easy to endure

St Augustine of Hippo ( The Nature of Sin)- 350 AD fall of the Roman Empire

Sin is the perverse imitation of God

God’s Nature: All good, all power, all knowing

  • If God is all good, then everything God does is all good.

  • if everything God does is good, them everything God creates is good.

  • God creates everything

  • Therefore, God created evil.

  • If God created evil, then not everything God creates is good.

  • If not everything God creates is good, then not everything God does is good.

  • Therefore, God is not all good.

The Problem of Evil

St. Anselm- Prior to experience

Reredictrue Ruler Pax- (peace) Post- experience

Aprior (from of former)- knowledge that is obtained via reason alive.

Aposteriori (from the latter)- knowledge that is obtained via sensory experience.

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St. Anselm

  • Apriori- Knowledge obtained prior to experience/ vis reason alone.

  • Aposteriori- Knowledge obtained after experience/via the senses.

God: That than which nothing greater can be thought.

  1. This conception of God exists in the understanding.

  2. It is greater for something to exist both in the understanding and in reality than for it to exist only in the understanding.

  3. If God existed only in the mind/ understanding then we could think of his existing in reality (which would be greater).

  4. But by definition, we cant think of something greater then that which nothing greater can be thought (it would be a contradiction)

  5. Therefore, God exist in the understanding, and must also exist in reality; otherwise, we could conceive of a greater being, which contradicts the definition of God.

  1. It is greater for something to exist necessarily than contingently.

  2. If God is contingent, then we could think of him existing necessarily (which would be greater).

  3. But by definition, we can’t think of something greater than that then nothing greater can be thought.

  4. Therefore, God exists necessarily.

Contingent: It did not have to exist, is capable of not existing, exists due to chance.

Necessary: It must have exist is not capable of not existing could be not have been.

Peter Abelard:

How do we determine the “moral worth” of action?

  1. Desires of agent

  2. The action itself a consequence of the action.

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Peter Abelard- based on Socrates

How do we determine the moral worth of an action?

  1. Desires of the agent

  2. The action itself:

    a. consequences at the action- the problem of moral luck.

    b. the purpose/ goal of the action.

  3. Intentions

    a. account for cases of coercion

    b. accounts for ignorance

Good actions are those with good intentions- that which conforms to Gods will—> Natural Law, what reason moves us to preform. ( example of the golden rule)

St. Thomas Aquinas

Way 1: The Argument from Motion.

  • We can observe that things in the world are in motion.

  • Everything in motion is moved by something else.

  • This cannot go infinitely back.

  • Therefore, there must be a first mover that is itself unmoved and this is understood to be god.

Way 2: The Argument from Causation.

  • We can observe that things in the world are caused.

  • Everything is caused by something prior to itself.

  • This cannot go back infinitely.

  • Therefore, there must be a first cause that is itself uncaused.

Way 4: Argument from Degrees of Excellence

  • We can observe that things in the world differ in degrees of excellence.

  • For things to differ in excellence, they must be measured against some standard of excellence.

  • Therefore, there must be something that is the highest of excellence (God).

Way 5: Argument from Predictable Ends

  • We can observe that unintellignet living things work towards a predictable end (seed—> tree)

  • In order for something to work towards a predictable end, it must have a purpose.

  • Unintelligent things cant give themselves a purpose.

  • Therefore, they must be guided by something intelligent, which gives them purpose (God).