Philosophy 100

What is Philosophy?
Philosophy: The study of wisdom
Skepticism: Questioning/Hold things in doubt
Meta-conscious: Conscious of our consciousness
Types of Philosophy:
Critical: Questioning
Constructive: Trying to come up with answers
3 Areas of Philosophy
1) Metaphysics: What is real?
--> The study of reality
2) Epistemology: What is knowledge? --> The study of knowledge
3) Ethics: What is right & wrong?
--> The study of right and wrong
Subjective vs. Objective
Truth independent of beliefs
History of Philosophy
1) Ancient: Greeks, Socrates
2) Medieval: 1500 years ago, religious
3) Modern: Last 1500 years, Descartes

Socrates & Early Greece

Socrates Intro:
From the city state of Athens
Lived 2000 years ago
Nicknamed the Gadfly --> regarded as annoying and bothersome
Dedicated life to answering: What is the good life?
Socratic Method:
1) Skeptical: Questioning/Not accepting answers right away
2) Ironic: Asks for information, puts on a false persona
3) Dialectical: Question/Answering series
4) Definitional: Tries to come up with clear answer
Sophists
Traveling philosophers that would charge people to hear them speak. Would use rhetoric
to persuade people.
Protagoras: A famous Sophist
Man is the measure of all things ---> Modern day
relativism
Socrates believed the truth is independent of belief. Disagreed with the Sophists.

Socrates and Plato on Enlightenment

Socrates:
1) Being wrong is the result of ignorance
2) A good person could never be harmed
Plato:
Socrates student
Documented a lot of Socrates discussions and works
Platos The Cave
The Cave represents ignorance
Outside of the Cave is knowledge
The released prisoner who now has knowledge is mocked for his annoying nature and
persistence (Socates)

The Trial and Death of Socrates

Euthyphro
Socrates is on his way to the courthouse as he is being indicted by Meletus in front of
500 Athenians with the charges of corrupting the youth and not recognizing the gods. Socrates

runs into Euthyphro outside the courthouse and explains that he is being indicted and Euthyphro
is there because he is prosecuting his father. Socrates suggests that Euthyphro must know what it
means to be pious and asks to be taught it. Euthyphro gives the following answers which do not
satisfy Socrates.
1) Prosecuting the wrongdoer
2) What dear to the gods
3) What all gods love
a) Pious because gods love?
b) Gods love because it is pious?
4) What appears to be right, justice. Concerned with care of the gods.
5) Part of justice concerned with service of the gods
a) Service of the gods are actions pleasing to the gods/ A sort of trade
Apology
Apology meaning defence. Socrates explains he the prophet of Delphi said he was the
wisest of Athens because he recognized his own ignorance. He questioned those who proclaimed
wisdom and proved them wrong (politicians, craftsman, and poets). Giving him support among
the youth but anger those he questioned. He goes on to embarrass Meletus in the cross
examination. Is found guilty and sentenced to death after asking for a feast as his punishment.
Crito
Socrates friend Crito says he must escape in order to not leave his sons as orphans and
also people will think his friend is cheap because he did not pay the guards. Socrates says he
must obey the law even if he was unjustly prosecuted.
Pre Socratic Philosophers
Metaphysics: Study of reality
Reality (Substance; independent of change)

Appearance

- What is permanent (what

doesn't change amongst the change)

Change

1. What is substance?
a) What type of substance?
2. How many of the substance?

Principles of Substance
1. Naturalism
a) Supernatural vs Naturalism
2. Reductionism: reduce the causes of an event to as few as possible (literal elements
in most cases, water, fire, earth etc.)

The Philosophers
1a. Thales --> Naturalist/Reductionist. Believed Water was the cause of everything
2a. Anaximander --> Refuted the water theory because of its conflict with other elements.
Believed in a boundless element which was the cause of everything. Had a basic idea of
evolution of man
3a. Anaximenes --> Believed Air was the element that caused everything
4a. Xenophanes --> Believed Earth was the cause of everything
The previous four were Materialistic Monists; believing everything was
composed of a single natural element.

5b. Heraclitus --> non-changing is non-existent; only what changes is real. Flux/Fire
represents change in the way it moves. (not so much the literalness of fire)
6b. Empedocles --> Roots, believes in conflict of change. Believed everything came from the 4
elements. Low and Strife
7b. Anaxagoras --> Seeds, of which everything grows
8b. Democritus --> Atoms, paritcles that make up everything
The previous four were Materialistic Pluralists; believing everything was
composed of many small parts.

9c. Parmenides --> The only thing that is real is being. Change is an illusion.
10c. Zeno --> Motion is an illusion
These two were Idealistic Monists
11d. Pythagoras --> Believed that numbers were the most real. Consistency of calculating things.
Was an Idealistic Pluralist, since numbers are infinite.
Plato: Metaphysics
Socrates would be a idealistic monist. Believed in one true source of happiness/cause of the
goodlife.
Plato believed our souls would last forever and we would recollect knowledge throughout life.

Plato Level of Reality

Form concepts objects images

Passing down of knowledge

Socrates-->Plato-->Aristotle
Plato:
Started The academy
Form-->Object (object comes form the form, form outside the object)
Id
ealistic Monist: forms are
outside the object.
Coming from a singular good.
Soul:

Aristotle
Student of Plato
Believed the form is IN the object.
Form+Object=Substance
a) Materialistic
b) Pluralism because of
many forms or things

Causes: (Changes within objects, necessary for something to exist)

1) Material cause (physical ex: plastic)
2) Formal cause (shape ex: chair shape, consciousness)
3) Efficient --> what makes something (the maker ex: chair maker, nature)
4) Final cause --> purpose; telos (purpose of a chair)
Soul:
1. Rational
2. Animal/Perceptive
3. Nutritive
Happiness: Living in moderation, cannot be poor, believed in luck.
Moderation: Excess:
Rashness
Extravagance
Buffoonery
Mean:
Courage
Generosity
Ready Wit
Deficient:
Cowardice
Cheap
Dullness
Levels of Reality: (think pyramid; starting from top)
1. Reason (only humans)
2. Perception (animals)
3. Life (plants & trees)
4. Matter (chair)

In Class Test Prep:

1. Socrates + Dialogue
a. Method
b. Sophists
c. Euthyphro
i.
What Socrates was doing and their discussion
ii.
Know the definitions
d. Apology
i. Who were the accusers
ii. What were the charges
iii. Verdict
e. Crito
i. Who/What/Where
ii. Socrates did not choose to escape, why?
2. Pre Socratics and Metaphysics

a) Reality/Appearance distinction
i)
Naturalism and Reductionism
b) Substance
i)
What kind: Materialism and Idealism
ii)
How many: Monism and Pluralism
c) Know which philosophers believed what.
3. Plato and Aristotle
a. Forms (both) and Causes (aristotle)
b. Levels of Reality
c. Soul
d. Happiness
i.
Moderation