HZT4U Study Notes 2016

The Greeks and Logic

Socrates:
From Athens
Asked people philosophical questions in public
Charged for impiety and corrupting the youth
Drank his own poison when executed
Most famous Student Plato
Plato:
From a rich Athenian
After Socrates execution was disgusted so he left politics and went into philosophy
Founded the Academy, model for modern western universities
Wrote Euthyphro

3 Stages of Platos Writing:

1. Directly from Socrates
2. Platos philosophy through Socrates
3. Commentary influenced by Aristotle
Aristotle:
Studied at Platos Academy
Started his own school called Lyceum
Disagreed with Plato on certain topics, helped influence critical thinking in modern education
Charged with impiety so he left Athens

Nicomachean Ethics:
Written by Aristotle
Happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues
Ultimate purpose in life is eudaimonea
o Human flourishing: a good life or translated to happiness
Good is things that everything else is done

The Allegory of the Cave:

Written by Plato
Prisoners head stuck facing wall, their reality is shadows
One prisoner is freed and sees the real world
o Shadows > reflections in water > objects > night shy > Sun
..
Goes down to tell others, is taunted
o Can not identify shadows and see as he used to
Connected to education and religion
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Jesus and Socrates both died for trying to lead the people to the bright end of
cave

A priori A posteriori
Knowledge gained w.o prior experience Knowledge gained w. previous experience
Ex. 1 +1 = 2 Ex. Ducks in Pellands classroom

Analytic Synthetic
True by definition Not true by definition

Inductive Deductive
Conclusion probably true Conclusion must be true

Epistemology
Types of Knowledge
Rationalism Empiricism
there are ways that knowledge is gained view that there is no such thing as innate
without any prior sense experience knowledge, and that instead knowledge is
derived from experience

Skepticism

Local Global
Doubts certain aspects Doubts everything

Descartes:
Mind and body duality
Meditations
Doubts his senses and everything he ever learned
Pretends life is a dream where logic and math are still true
There is an evil genius controlling his mind
WAX (you can not trust your senses)
COGITO (I think, therefore I am)

Locke:
Empiricist tabula rasa (blank slate)
Objects are merely a simple list of observable qualities
o Each quality = an idea
All matter has an underlying substance holding it together
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David Hume
Humes Fork
Every statement is either a:
Relations of ideas 2+2 = 4
Matter of fact Tigers in Indias

Analytic Synthetic
A posteriori Not Possible Humes Matter of Fact
A priori Humes Relations of Ideas Mind actively orders our
experience, causing synthetic
and a priori
(cause & effect)

Kants Copernican Revolution

The mind puts order into the world. Cognition is active, not passive

Metaphysics
The attempt to understand what reality is

Cosmology explaining how things came to be

Ontology list of things that really exists (being, existence, reality)

The Mind-body problem:

How the mind and body are two different substances

o Explained by differentiating substances into 2 categories:
Mental substance: not in space
Physical substance: extended in space

Monism

Belief that all substances are one

Spinozas Pantheism: God is one, that is, only one substance can be granted in the universe. That is God,
and without God nothing can be conceived

Dualism

The world is made out of 2 substances

Descartes: the mind and body are 2 separate substances that make up the universe.

Pluralism
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Belief that the universe is made up of multiple substances
Leibniz: everything in the world is composed of monads (like atoms)
o Cant interact, pre programmed by God in pre determined harmony

Cosmological Argument

Everything has to be caused by something or created from something. Therefore, the universe must have
had a cause.
o Aristotle: called it the prime mover (aka God)

Ontological Argument

the argument that God, being defined as most great or perfect, must exist, since a God who exists is
greater than a God who does not.
o If perfection is a characteristic, God who is the most perfect being must exist
Cons: premise is based directly on if God actually exists. Existence isnt a characteristic it is an
individual property

Argument of Design

based on perceived evidence of deliberate design in the natural or physical world

Paleys Grand Clock Maker Argument: way of an analogy, states that design of creation (like a watch)
implies a designer.
o All pieces of the universe work together like a watch, must have an intended designer
Humes Response to Paley: cant compare small parts like a watch to a whole like the universe. Can not
infer human mind is similar to cause of nature

Pascals Wager

Infinite positive or minor positive when one choose to believe in God

o Compared to infinite negative

Freewill

Determinism No freewill everything is determined

Indeterminism Freewill nothing is determined you can choose your own actions
Twinkie dilemma: the guy eats twinkie, everything leading to it was predetermined causing him to kill people.

Heisenburgs Uncertainty Principle

impossible to know simultaneously the exact position and momentum of a particle

Natural vs. Moral Evil

Natural Evil Evil caused by a divine agent (ex/ land slides, tornados)
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Moral Evil Evil caused my humankinds ill moral action (ex/ murder, theft)

Ethics:
Utilitarianism

moral law that is made of maximizing the most happiness for the most amount of people
o Utility principle: generates greatest good for greatest # of people
Bentham: consider quantity of pleasure
John Stewart Mill: consider quantity and quality of pleasure
Used in government systems
Pros Cons
-works great in politics -doesnt take the minority into consideration
-leaves many people happy -makes some non-virtuous actions, moral.
(ex/ cheating)

Deontology

Categorical Imperative: commandant or an imperative order that is applied without exception

o Ex / thou shalt not murder
Process:
o Propose a maxim
o Make maxim universal law
o Will it lead to any contradictions?
Immanuel Kant never addressed what to do if one encounters a contradiction

Virtue Ethics

Virtue: Middle of the road, a vice between two means.

o 8 virtues: courage, temperance, generosity, dignity, wittiness, friendliness, honesty, ambition
Ask yourself : what am I becoming by performing such acts?
In order to be virtuous must have:
o 1. Practical Wisdom
o 2. Moral Strength
o 3. Material Goods
o 4. Social Goods (friends)

One is virtuous only when they take pleasure in acting virtuously.

Existentialism

Existence precedes essence

o Humans are condemned to freedom; we exist first then define our essence.
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o Unlike paper and knife which have essence before they are created
One is solely responsible for their actions.
4 Critiques:
o Quietism: worthless attitude for letting other people do things for you
o Pessimistic: dark and shows ve aspects of human nature
o Pure Subjectivity: you decide your own morals, cant judge others.
o Moral relativity
Gave people the idea of:
o Anguish: humans dont want to be responsible for their choices
o Abandonment: been abandoned by God
OPTIMISTIC: shows that people can chance, no such thing as a certain temperament, only a certain
action.
o Humans are defined by their actions, not ideals

Existentialism is Humanism:

Sartre: wrote existentialism is humanism during WWII. During German occupation

o During this time they were truly free, had to choose actions wisely
Paper knife example: paper knife is created with a blueprint, so its essence is determined before
existence. Humans opposite
Student dilemma: student approaches Sartre regarding enlisting or staying back
o Stay and care for mother OR join the army and risk being stuck in a desk job or dying. Sartre
responds: you are free therefore, choose.
No victors, no excuses, you are defined by your actions For other books look at notes