Philosophy Past Paper PDF

 Philosophy A. Socrates E. John Locke I. Ryle B. Plato F. Hume J. Churchland C. St. Augustine G. Kant K. Merleau-Ponty D. Descartes H. Freud...

 Philosophy A. Socrates E. John Locke I. Ryle B. Plato F. Hume J. Churchland C. St. Augustine G. Kant K. Merleau-Ponty D. Descartes H. Freud Socrates accused of disrespect for the city of gods and corrupting the youth of Athens caused the youths to question all things including many traditional beliefs a controversial figure in Athens “Socratic method of questioning” searching for meaning and truth abrasive in nature Philosophical Statement: “Know thyself” the unexamined life is considered as not worth living humans must strive to seek their purpose and value Definition of the Self “The self is an immortal soul which exits over time” Self is the source of all knowledge Individual experience is important One must understand essence ex: It is not enough to identify something as beautiful, one must know WHY it is beautiful View of Reality 1. Physical Realm constantly changing, transient and imperfect 2. Ideal Realm unchanging, eternal, and immortal  Plato death of socrates was a turning point in the life of plato contributed original ideas on morality, politics, metaphysics, and epistemology Definition of the Self “The self is an immortal soul which exists overtime” The three part soul (the three part self): reason, physical appetite, spirit or passion “The three part self may act in consonance or may act in conflict with each other” Reason think deeply, make choices, and achieve true understanding Physical Appetite basic biological needs Spirit or Passion basic emotions “Genuine happiness can be achieved when reason is in control of spirits and appetites.” Chariot Analogy the soul is likened to a chariot drawn by two powerful winged horses Noble Horse - Spirit Wild Horse - Appetite Charioteer - Reason; guides the chariot controlling the two horses “ Plato’s vision of immortal souls to ahieve eternal realm through intellectual enlightenment” St. Augustine influenced by Plotinus (Roman Philosopher) based his views on Plato’s core concepts “The soul possesses superiority over the body” Believes in imperfect physical body; in contrast to the perfect eternal soul refused to celebrate his birthday in shame that his immortal soul is contained in imperfect vessel as his body  Definition of the Self “The self is an immortal soul which exists overtime” Relationship of body and the soul consider the body as a “slave” to the soul “the soul makes war with the body” “the body as the spouse of the soul” attached to one another by a natural appetite “the body is united with the soul so that man maybe entire and complete” - to live a virtuous life is to live in love, all sins are the result of turning away from love and God “St. Augustine’s vision of immortal souls striving to achieve union with God through faith and reason” — His vision is the start of the medieval Christian Doctrine and Western Philosophy Descartes founder of modern philosophy he was a mathematician and a scientist he is rationalist who emphasized that thinking must follow a logical and rational process Philosophical Statement: “Cogito Ergo Sum” - “I think therefore I am” this is the essence of your self believed that man is a thinking being genuine knowledge must be based on independent rational inquiry and real-world experimentation performing mental operations was essential to being a human self human must use their thinking abilities Definition of the Self “The self is a thinking thing, distinct from the body” Dualistic View of the Self # thinking self (or soul) physical body non material material immortal mortal conscious being non thinking entity governed by physical independent law of nature Rationalist View reasoning ability provides the origin of knowledge Rationalism the view that reason is the primary source of all knowledge and that only our reasoning abilities can enable us to understand sense experience and reach accurate conclusions John Locke Knowledge - based on the careful observation of sense experience/or memories of previous experiences Reason - is a vital element in making meaning out of the sense experience of a person Empiricist View all knowledge originates in our direct SENSE EXPERIENCE  Empiricism - the view that sense experience is the primary source of all knowledge and that only a careful attention to sense experience can enable us to understand the world and achieve accurate conclusions Locke’s Conclusion on Examining One’s Experiences: to discover personal identity, one must establish how it is to be a person a person is a thinking, reflecting and analyzing being a person is the same thing in idfferent times and places consciousness is accompanied by thinking consciousness makes it possible to exhibit the same identity in different times and places Hume (David Hume) he was an empiricist like John Locke he was a controversial figure because of his skeptical examinations of religion, ethics and history during the 18th century Philosophical Statement: “There is no self” “the mind is a kind of theatre where several perceptions successively make their appearance “ Definition of the Self: there is no self, only a bundle of constantly changing perceptions passing through the theatre of our minds To Two Distinct Entities by Hume Impressions basic sensations element data of our minds: pain, pleasure, heat, cold, happiness, grief, fear “lively” and “vivid” Kant Ideas copies of impressions less lively and vivid thoughts and images that are built up from our primary impressions german philosopher who wrote his books while dressed in a bathrobe and slippers Philosophical Statement: “We construct the self” Definition of the Self: the self is an unifying subject, an organizing consciousness that makes intelligible experience possible When we perceive objects, we encounter mental states that appear to be organized meaningfully. Knowledge of the world begins with sensations: sounds, colours, tastes, feels, smells are the basic data for experience * SCTIS The mind actively sorts, organizes, relates and synthesizes the raw data. We construct the self!  Freud parental experiences influenced his development of the concept of Oedipus Complex was described as exhibiting the following characteristics: intelligence, self confidence, desire for achievement and fame ↓ ISCDAT Definition of the Self: “The self is multi-layered” Three Layers: ID, Ego, Superego ID present at birth, entirely unconscious, includes all innate instincts motivated entirely by the PLEASURE PRINCIPLE, no sense of logic, time, or self-preservation to form wish-fulfilling mental images of desired objects Ego develop out of the ID at about 6 to 8 months operates in accordance with the logical and self-preservative secondary process motivated by the REALITY PRINCIPLE “The ego is the focus of all emotions; tries to keep the ID under control by DEFENSE MECHANISM” Superego develops out of the ego at about 3 to 5 years partly conscious and unconscious include standards right and wrong results from parental standards operates under the MORALITY PRINCIPLE  Ryle analytic philosopher who analyzed language to solve philosophical puzzles Definition of the Self: “The self is the way people behave” SELF in defining the self, focus on observable behavior the self is defined in terms of what is presented to the world what the minds wills, it is the body that executes it the self is better understood as a pattern of behavior Churchland A contemporary American philosopher and professor at the university of California Mental states - will be superseded by the brain states Physical states - have an impact in our mental and emotional functioning Emotional and Mental states - impact on our physical conditions To understand the nature of the mind, we have to fully understand the nature of the brain Goal of Brain/Scientific research: Link the self to the physical wiring and physiological functioning of the brain Eliminative Materialism developing a new vocabulary and conceptual framework that is grounded in neuroscience  Merleau-Ponty french philosopher who was influenced by Husserl worked in the Army as an officer and was eventually appointed as a philosophy professor at the university of lyon Definition of the Self: “The self is embodied subjectively” “I live in my body”- entity that can never be objectified or known Living body - is a natural synthesis of mind and biology and separating them would be nonsensical and artificial. Everything that we are aware of is contained within our own consciousness. Perception - was the source of knowledge “Consciousness is responsible for actively structuring our conscious ideas and physical behavior”