Download Test 4 | PHI 105 - Intro to Ethics and more Quizzes Introduction to Philosophy in PDF only on Docsity!
Why, according to Socrates, does it make no
sense for him to fear death?
He believes that it makes no sense for him to fear death
because he is a good man, and nothing can harm a good
man. A person is their soul, and a soul can only be harmed by
injustice. In death, one does no injustices, so one should not
fear death
TERM 2
Why would showing fear of death be
inconsistent with Socrate's general teaching?
DEFINITION 2
He taught people that death doesn't hard anyone. They are
their soul and their soul can't be harmed by anything that is
just. Death is just, so death can't harm a person, so he ought
not fear it.
TERM 3
Why is Socrates sentenced to death? What
"punishment" does he think he deserves and
why?
DEFINITION 3 Meletus thinks that the proper punishment for him is death. The council had a policy of giving the defendant a chance to define a punishment for themselves. Socrates thinks that what he has been doing is good for Athens, so he believes he ought to be honored as Athens' greatest benefactor. The council isn't amused by this, and so they sentence him to death. TERM 4
Can a bad man harm a good one, according
to Socrates? Why or why not?
DEFINITION 4
A man is the soul, and the only thing that harms a soul is that
persons acting unjustly. A person is harmed only if the soul is
harmed, so when a bad man commits an unjust act, he is in
essence only harming himself.
TERM 5
What 2 reasons does Crito give for thinking
Socrates ought to try and escape?
DEFINITION 5
His children will be orphaned, and his followers will be
dishonored because people will think that they didn't do
enough to help him escape
Why does Socrates think it doesn't matter
what the majority thinks?
The majority is mostly wrong anyway, and they don't know
actually what happened.
TERM 7
Why does Socrates think it would be bad for
him to escape?
DEFINITION 7
Escaping would be unjust, and he would harm himself.
TERM 8
Why does Socrates think it would be unjust
for him to try and escape?
DEFINITION 8
He thinks it would be bad for him to escape because he spent
his life teaching the children of Athens to be virtuous. If he
were to escape, that would not be a virtuous act. He also
agreed to live by the laws of where he lives, and he chose to
live there knowing the obligations of the law.
TERM 9
Do you think this is a good argument? Why or
why not?
DEFINITION 9 This is a bad argument because there is not a moral obligation to follow the law. The only thing a person is responsible to do is accept the consequences for not following the law. The fact that he continued to live in Athens and benefit from it doesn't entail that he should accept all of the laws. Also, his conviction and sentencing were both unjust, so the laws that he agreed to were violated by imprisoning him to begin with TERM 10
Socrates argument suggests that he would
violate a duty of gratitude were he to try and
escape. Explain.
DEFINITION 10
He think that he owes a debt of gratitude to the cit of Athens
because he benefited from living there. he feels grateful to
Athens because he believes that only by living in Athens was
he able to live the best possible life. He would be
disrespecting the city of Athens if he were to escape.
Aristotle's argument for his conception of
happiness depends on an analogy between
tools and human lives. Why is this analogy pr
Tools are built for a purpose, where as humans may or may not be. It is easy to talk about the function of a knife or hammer because those things do what they were made to do. It is debatable that we were even made for a purpose. Everything that exists has certain properties that make it what is is, and he infers from that that the function of something is whatever it does to fulfill those properties, just like our lives. TERM 17
Is excellence is reasoning alone sufficient for
happiness, according to Aristotle? Why or why
not?
DEFINITION 17
No, because someone could be excellent in reason and
simply have bad luck in their life, which would make them
unhappy.
TERM 18
What is the best life for humans, according to
Aristotle, and what is his main reason for
thinking so?
DEFINITION 18
The best life is that of a scientist, mathematician, or
philosopher. A life devoted to the theoretical knowledge of
the world. A life that is excellent in theoretical reasoning.
What is most special about us is our capacity for theoretical
reasoning, so the best life would be one that exercised those
capacities most often.
TERM 19
In what key respects do Aristotle and Epicurus
differ about the nature of the good life? Give
an example of a life Aristotle wou
DEFINITION 19 A. thought that a life devoted to the practice of our capacities for theoretical reasoning was the best sort of life, regardless of the amount of pleasure or pain involved, whereas E. thought that the best life was one that was devoted to the simple pleasures in life. The would agree that the best life is the one of the philosopher, but they would disagree as to what makes it the best sort of life. E. would find the life of someone who is rich and doesn't have to work hard and can spend his time enjoying hi TERM 20
In what way does the hedonistic view of Mill
incorporate the ideas of Aristotle?
DEFINITION 20 He believes that the higher pleasures, which consist in those that use the higher faculties, are more valuable than lower ones. The pleasures that we get from theoretical reasoning are better for us than lower forms of pleasure. Mill thanks that fundamentally, hedonism is correct, but Aristotale had an important insight in suggesting there is value in the use of our higher faculties
Would Tolstoy accept Aristotle's conception of
the best life? Why or why not?
No, Tolstoy thought that the best kind of life was a religious
one, and one that was not supported by reasons. If we stuck
to doing only things that we had reasons for, we would not
live religious lives. Theoretical reasoning does not give us
everything we need in order to live the happiest life.
TERM 22
What simple principle or distinction must we
grasp before we can be free and happy,
according to Epictetus?
DEFINITION 22
We must be able to know the difference between things that
are in our control and things that aren't.
TERM 23
What things are within our control and what
things aren't, according to Epictetus?
DEFINITION 23
The only things that are within our control are things that are
internal to us, including our beliefs, actions, opinions,
attitudes, and desires. Things that are not within our control
are things that are external to us, including the actions,
beliefs, opinions, and attitudes of others.
TERM 24
What should our attitude be towards things
that are out of our control? What should it be
to things within our control?
DEFINITION 24
Our attitude to things outside of our control should be to just
accept them as they are. Our attitude to things within our
control would be to have attitudes that are rational and
justifiable. Do only what makes sense and is rational, and
always strive for perfect rationality.
TERM 25
What attitude should we take toward blame
or anger, according to Epictetus and why
should this function to make us happier, more
DEFINITION 25 We shouldn't feel anger. It is an unpleasant state that we should seek to avoid. If we avoid anger, we won't fall into a state where we temporarily lose self-control, which makes us more dignified and happy. Epictetus believes that if we believe it is irrational to have a certain attitude, then we will no longer have it. By this thinking, it follows that if we perceive angry as irrational, we are less likely to behave in an irrational way, making us less angry.
What state of mind does Epictetus' philosophy
aim to produce in us? In what ways is this
state of mind instrumentally good?
He aims to produce in us a peaceful state of mind. When we
achieve peace of mind, we will be happier, more rational,
and more dignified.
TERM 32
Under what conditions might suicide be in a
person's best interest on a hedonistic theory
of individual welfare?
DEFINITION 32
If the hedonistic theory of welfare is true, then in a person's
future contains more pain than pleasure, then suicide would
be justified. In this mindset, the only way killing ourselves is
warranted is if our future life will have more pain than
pleasure.
TERM 33
What is Kant's humanity-as-an-end principle?
What does he mean by "humanity"? What
does it mean to treat humanity as an end-in i
DEFINITION 33 His principle is that you act in such a way that you always treat humanity never simply as a means, but as an end at the same time. By humanity, he means personhood, and what it is to be a person is to be rational. So by humanity, he means people with the capacity for practical reasoning. The treat humanity as an end-in- itself is to treat humanity as having value for its own sake. Practical reasoning is extremely valuable, so acting as if anything besides it is more valuable is failing to treat humanity as TERM 34
How would someone violate this principle if
they were to kill themselves to escape pain?
DEFINITION 34
If they killed themselves, then they would be destroying
their rationality simply to avoid pain, which puts avoiding
pain higher than rationality, and it violates Kant's principle.
TERM 35
Would the humanity-as-an-end principle
necessarily prohibit all forms of suicide? Why
or why not? Give an example of a suicide t
DEFINITION 35
It would not prohibit all forms of suicide. It would not prohibit
a form of suicide that was used in order to save someone
else's life. For example, a military leader gives himself up in
order to save hostages from the enemy. In this case, you are
treating humanity as valuable, and this shows that humanity
(in terms of rationality) is valuable.
Is Kind right that any suicide is wrong that is
motivated by a desire to escape pain? Why or
why not?
I don't agree with Kant. There are certain situations where
the most rational thing to do is kill yourself. If you are in a
situation where you know you are going to die painfully, then
it seems more rational to kill yourself in order to die a less
painful death.
TERM 37
What does Kant mean by the "essential ends
of humanity?" How is chronic drunkenness
incompatible with these ends?
DEFINITION 37
By essential ends of humanity, he is talking about to respect,
protect, and promote personhood and rationality. If you are
in a state of chronic drunkenness, you are not able to
accomplish these ends, and it is actually a detriment to your
progress in achieving these "essential ends."
TERM 38
If by the "essential ends of humanity" Kant
means the development and exercise of our
rational capacities, why is it less obviou
DEFINITION 38 It is clear that in the case of suicide or drunkenness that there is harm done to your capacity to reason practically, but it is not clear that selling yourself for sex is doing the same to that capacity. You can't say that it is wrong because it is not dedicated to the use of those capacities, because there are other jobs that are not dedicated to them, such as a fry cook, and that is not wrong. Kant states it is wrong because you are inhibiting your "own personal pursuits" TERM 39
Identify 2 different ways in which prostitution
might be incompatible with the essential ends
of humanity if the ends are unders
DEFINITION 39 One possible response is that it is just true as a matter of psychological fact that most people experience prostitution as disrespectful, so it must be disrespectful to humanity because that is how it is experienced all around. The ends of humanity require that we treat others with respect and take ourselves in a way as if we were treated respectfully. It is possible that most prostitues are damaged and are unable to have a healthy intimate relationship. If we think of the ends of humanity as developing ou TERM 40
What, in general, is existentialism according
to Sartre?
DEFINITION 40 Existentialism is the view that existence precedes essense. He is rejecting the point of view that we as humans have an essence, function, purpose, which determines what is good for us. Humans have the freedon and the authority to choose for ourselves what is good and it doesn't depend on our essence. If human lives have a purpose, it is a purpose that we give to ourselves.
