Intelligence- reading between the lines

Euthyphro- Socrates wanted to know the difference between good and evil.
There seem to be altogether three aims or interests in this little Dialogue: (1) the dialectical
development of the idea of piety; (2) the antithesis of true and false religion, which is carried to a certain
extent only; (3) the defence of Socrates
Piety- sense of universality, sacrifice and prayer
Socrates is standing. Euthyphro is going to the COURT because his father is in trial. He will charge his
father.
Euthyphro told that he will charge his father because he is saying that it is piety.
Murder is not to be punished when it is SELF DEFENSE
Piety is pleasing to the gods.
Socrates: Others may not be pleasing to the other gods.
The war preceded Philosophy. (Trojan wars)
Golden apple
Goddess of mischief/ strife- Paris
Bribes:
Hera- power
Athena- wisdom
Aphrodite- most beautiful women
(read the summary of the ILLIAD AND ODDESSEY)
Agamemnon brother of Menelaus- husband of Helen- abducted by Paris
Troy- King Priam
Illiad (Tragedy)

July 4, 2013
Starting with the Greeks is not really accidental or coincidence- Benedict xvi because of the Logos. The
Greeks would question the myths that is merely theoretical and not in reality.
It was Cupid because he was the one who directed Paris to Helen.
With the Trojans during the war: Artemis, Aphrodite, and Cupid
Oddessey: the returning home of oddesius. In order to move the ship on, Agamemnon sacrificed his son.
Acts 16: 6-10
The Spirit of God forbids Paul to proclaim the Word of God in Asia, instead in Macedonia, Greece.

July 8, 2013
It is because of “I am.”- sense of reasonableness. Self evident. This I am EXIST. He is there, REAL.
Greeks see in reality and not only of what they think. ....there is a logical consistency.
rapprochement- cordial relationship. “swak na swak” perfect combination.
Greeks- logos- reason
Christians- logos- word/God, logical and truth (faith)
Faith and reason compliment and supplement each other- Imposing theoretical on the reality.

The body impedes knowledge. We know the whole truth.

July 11, 2013 (pages 41, 46, 48)
(Apology)
Accusations:
He is a physicist
He makes worse things better things
He is a corruptor of youths
Naturalist philosopher (Initial accusation)
Second- sophistry

New:
Corruptor of youth
Not believing to gods the city believes.
Defend:
Socrates is an ethicist
He is after the truth and not on payment
He could not corrupt because it will also happen to him.
He has the sense of consistency.

Accusers are the enemies of philosophy- Sophists- they are not with the wisdom but with the treasure.
The office of the wise man is to order.
July 15, 2013
Bonaventure- seraphic doctor (why?)
Thomas Aquinas- angelic doctor (why?)
Socratic- interested with life and morality
Pre-socratic-

It is both easy and hard to see the truth

It is difficult because no one can see the whole truth or can see it completely right but it is easy because
no one can get it very or completely wrong.

Four Causes: Material, Efficient, Formal, Final Cause

Material Cause
Formal - role
Efficient - notable change
Final or Purpose

Aristotle- he surpass the presocratic because he also focuses on the efficient and final purpose.
Aristotle was banned in the University of Paris because they misinterpret his teaching.

July 18, 2013

1. Connection of “I am” in the four causes
Everything has its purpose. “I am” is reality itself. Something we cannot deny. He is the living god.
Material cause= burning bush
Formal= to be known formally by humanity
Efficient=
Final= human salvation
2. Consequence
We will be burdened and labor too much. We will be denying the principle of nature. You will make your
life miserable.
Plague in Egyptians.

NICOMACHAEAN ETHICS-
Happiness is through contemplation
Means and ends
Means is something so that we can attain the end.
The ultimate end- Aristotle.
THE GOOD OF MAN
Man is good= we are happy. Man is rational, must live in contemplation. Happiness is not with pleasure,
honor or virtue.

July 22, 2013

Continuation of Nicomachaean Ethics
Difference from man and monkey- they can stand straight.
What they make spiritual- it points upward direct to God. Our body is designed for contemplation.
Definition of happiness (Lecture X, p. 45)
Jean Paul Satre
Socrates- ugliest philosopher
Highest part of man is intellect. Contemplation is for everybody.
The two man in the world:
...The reasonable man- adjusting in the world.
...The unreasonable one- forcing the world to adjust with you.
There is one thing necessary that is chosen by Mary.

July 25, 2013

“Eat this bread, my body… Eat this blood, my blood…”
= (because our minds are limited)
How did the people violate the virtue of being in the middle? (movie)
NATURE!!!
In the light of what you have learned, comment (defend or refute the movie) on the moment.

Friendship of Pleasure-fantasy
Friendship of Goodwill
Friendship of Utility

You cannot love what you don’t know

You cannot know everyone because it takes time it know someone (knowledge)

Love for others is more important than loving yourself, for loving others perfect the love for yourself
because it is simply essential.
August 1, 2013

Tetragramaton – refers to the Ten Commandments and four Hebrew letters (YHWH)
“I am who I am” – focus in the present
ARISTOTLE
Nichomachus – father of Aristotle (named after Aristotle’s son by Herphyllis, his second wife) from a
family of doctors.
 student of Plato “He loved the truth more than he loved Plato so he had no mind to be a mere
disciple”
 He tutored Alexander the Great
 He became known as Peripathetics meaning to walk about which he did often as he discoursed.
 Esoteric(inner circles of advancesd students) exoteric (general body of lovers of knowledge)
Socrates: “If you could tame the wildest horse, you can tame the rest…”
Nichomachaen, Eudemian,(Philosophers and Legislators) Magna Moralia, Virtues and Vices (four works
of Aristotle)[outside the school beginners].
Bekker numbers – standard form of reference to works.

August 5, 2013
Nichomachaen Ethics
Eudaimonia – good in the inner self. Happiness
 You must be aware of your purpose. That’s why the book started in the GOOD of man and ends
with the HAPPINESS.
The problem of being mechanical is that you close yourself to other and not open specially to God;
new realities.
SOLIPSISM – Rene Descartes (father of Modern Philosophy)
 Just concerned with yourself, “I think therefore I am” ,
YOU SHOULD BE OPEN TO GOD AND MAN
FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS (Example of Openness)

September 2, 2013
Logic – an art of reasoning
ART – something that enables you to proceed in an orderly, easy and errorless way.
3 acts of the mind Concerns Aristotelean Logic - Organon
Simple Apprehension Understand the term Categories
Judgement Affirmed or denied in a sense On interpretation/herme
Reasoning We draw conclusion from a two
premises
a. Necessity -Content -Prior Analytics
-Form and Content -Posterior Analytics
b. Not always -Probable -Dialectics/Topics
-Suspicion -Rhetorics
-Images -Poetics
c. Problem - error -Fallacies -Sophistics
A-universal affirmative
E-universal negative
I-particular affirmative
O-particular negative
From the latin term Afirmo and Nego

September 5, 2013
THE 5 WAYS of St. THOMAS in God’s existence (Check notes)
1. Argument in Motion – infinite series of mover and moved implies that there is no first mover
which contradicts the reality there is movement in the world.
2. Efficient Causality - infinite series of cause and effects implies that there is no first uncaused
cause which do not need
3. Contingency of Beings – one relies on another being for existence. *Jesus is a necessary being
(...”Through Him all things were made…)
4. Degrees/Levels of Perfection – Comparisons must have its greatest standard
5. Intelligent Designer – Some things lack intelligence therefore GOD is the intelligent designer
who directs the being into its end

September 9, 2013
Fallacy – error in an argument
 Used to defend yourself and to cultivate ones vocation
1. Hasty Generalization – to generalize one class… not all are “like this”
2. False Analogy – same kind of images but different reasons
3. Ad Misericordiam – matter of pity/being pitiful (at least not truthful)
4. Dicto Simpliciter (unqualified generalization) – putting oneself in ones shoes
5. Hypothesis of a wrong fact – being settled in only one
6. Ad Hominem – listen to anyone as long as it’s the truth
7. Tu qouque – considering ones importance
Why the University of Paris do banned Aristotle and his works?
 He was misinterpreted by contradicting Christianity about the earth, which was eternal, not
created. God only knows himself. The human mind has only One Mind (with God).

September 12, 2013

 The soul is immortal. Nothing is satisfied in this world, even our DESIRES. (Sense of Morality)
“Nothing vain is given.” “Vanity of Vanities, everything is vanity”
 Some parts contradict each other. Like the notion of the three parts of the soul. They have
different prespectives.
 But Parminedes said that everything is one.
 According to Heraclitus, nothing is the same at all.
1. Agent Intellect
2. Passive Intellect
- Aquinas went straight to Aristotle to understand what he really meant. Not stopping by Avicenna and
Averroes just to confuse himself.
September 16, 2013
 Aquinas tried to reconcile with notion of time that the earth exists.
 Aristotle – one was merely a Gentile; Aquinas – and one was a Christian.
Why is Medieval Philosophy considered as the Cinderella of Philosophy?
 Because its philosophers has been accused of not pursuing the truth wherever it might lead, but
rather looking for good reasons for what they believe. Therefore the biases must be removed.
 Throughout the middle ages, all important philosophers were religious scholars.
 In contrast to the post medieval philosophers leading up to our moment of DARK AGES is a
protestant reckoning.
 To sum up has been neglected in recent generations because it was considered less scientific
owing to the belief that findings of its ecclesiastical philosophers were guided by their religious
biases of their philosophy.
 The Protestant Reformers
 Pure form – reliance on scriptures and Apostolic Teachings.
 Progressively corrupting form – due to the church and state collaboration,
 Most corrupt form – (reliance on the papacy to define doctrine) which is developed in the
middle ages.
 Reformed form – enlightened and pure as the church returns to sola gratia and sola
scriptura as basis of theology.
 Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was
necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation. Because the truth about God
such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time,
and with the admixture of many errors. Aquinas and Aristotle himself cannot escape error.
 Nobility of Science depends on the certitude it establishes. Therefore other Sciences seem
to be nobler.
 Ancient Doctrine needs Philosophy and Theology is being enriched by Philosophy.
 Theology is nobler because it is coming from God. It will seem to us less certain because we
have weakness in intelligence.
 Even if simple knowledge you get from Theology is far better than the biggest discovery of a
philosopher.
WHY STUDY THEOLOGY:
1. Few wise men will only know.
2. There will be many errors.
3. We will not know it immediately.

September 19, 2013

 The going out which is the equivalent of being corrupted, opening to the sins of the
world. (which is wrong)
We are made in the image and likeness of God. God pronounced the world as “good” when He
created it.
September 26, 2013

Thesis I

Thesis II

Thesis III
 God is a “Simple Being.” He is composed of only one; His existence excludes
composition of any kind. God is simple.
Simple because…
- The justice of God is the same as His love.
-The discipline of the parents is an act of love for their children.
 As regards to God, there is only one thing He has spoken, only two that I know (because
of the perspective of our mind) that to you God belongs power and to you Lord is
unfailing love and you will reward everyone according to their deeds.

 Justice and Mercy are two things for us because it seems to be contradicting but it is
only one for God. Justice is equal to Mercy.

Thesis IV
“Lord, make haste to help me”
 If God delays, even a single second you will cease to exist – because we only participate in His
existence.
 Christians always say that they are nothing without Christ.

Thesis V
 God is the primary analogate. He distributes His qualities to us.
-The image and likeness of God is clearer in the sexual intercourse of man and woman. This pertains to
the concept of the Holy Trinity.

September 30, 2013

Thesis VI
A Being is anything that has form, now, is matter a being?
 Metaphysics/Ontology is associated with the BEING (what really exists). Only true things are
beings
 Two kinds of truths
- Infinite(God) and finite(Intelligence and Man)
Compositions of Man: Body and Soul and…
1. Intellect – Logic, Epistemology
2. Will – Ethics, Economics, Politics
“It is both easy and hard to know the truth” - it is easy because no one can get it totally wrong but
neither can no one get it totally right.