Guided Notes for Chapter 1
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Philosophy
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Dec 6, 2023
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Guides Notes for Chapter 1
1. What are the five fundamental forces of nature that are conceived as feminine in the Vedic tradition?
nature, consciousness, morality, beauty, and social organizations.
2. How does the Confucian tradition view women?
Confucianism holds that
women must be chaste and maintain
a pleasant demeanor and be domestic
. Because Confucius
believed society was supposed to be centered around a
patriarchy, it was a woman's duty to support her husband.
3. In the ancient Greek tradition, a philosopher is a lover of ___wisdom_____.
4. What scientific and technical achievements is Thales known for?
Thales’s wisdom can be attributed to a very practical, scientific, and mathematical knowledge of
the natural world.
5. According to Thales, all matter is fundamentally made up of ___water______.
6. Summarize the contrasting views of Parmenides and Democritus on the fundamental nature of reality.
In summary, Parmenides held that reality is unchanging and indivisible, while Democritus believed in a
dynamic and ever-changing reality composed of atoms in motion. Parmenides denied the existence of
change and motion, considering them illusory, while Democritus embraced them as fundamental aspects
of the universe. These differing views shaped their respective philosophical systems and had a significant
influence on subsequent philosophical thought.
7. Which ancient philosopher believed in the healing power of music and reincarnation?
Pythagoras
8. According to Wolfred Sellars, what is the aim of philosophy?
“The aim of philosophy, abstractly formulated, is to understand how things in the broadest
possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term.”
9. What are the five types of philosophical evidence discussed in the chapter?
History, Intuition, common sense, experimental philosophy, results from other disciplines
10. A set of beliefs is coherent when ______
if it
is
possible for them to all be true at the same time.
_________________________________________.
A set of beliefs is considered coherent when its individual beliefs are logically
consistent and mutually supportive. In other words, a coherent set of beliefs
does not contain contradictions or conflicts among its components.
11. What are the four methods of conceptual analysis?
Predicates, descriptions, enumerations, thought experiments
12. What do philosophers mean when they talk about biting the bullet?
This means that you are willing to accept the negative consequences of the view because you
find the view attractive for other reasons. If you are ultimately willing to accept those
consequences to maintain the view, then you can bite the bullet.
13. What is reflective equilibrium?
Reflective equilibrium is
a state of balance or coherence among a set of
beliefs arrived at by a process of deliberative mutual adjustment among
general principles and particular judgements
.
14. What is Socrates’ view of the unexamined life?
We can imagine that Socrates considers an
unexamined life
to be one in which a person holds
beliefs without justification or holds beliefs that are inconsistent with one another. We may then
speculate that an
unexamined
is not worth living because it is dictated by beliefs and ideas that
have never been tested, justified, or accounted for.
15. In the chapter, what four possible explanations for why Socrates prefers to question other people
about their views rather than offer his own opinions?
Based on our reading of Socrates’s life and works, we can assume that he considers this saying
to be a command to investigate our beliefs and knowledge, to appreciate the limits of our own
knowledge, and to strive to eliminate inconsistencies. After all, Socrates’s method of questioning
as it is described in Plato’s dialogues (and as Socrates himself describes in the excerpted
passage) is exactly such an inquiry.
16. In what way does Socrates consider himself to be analogous to a midwife?
Socrates explains what he is doing by using an analogy: he compares his method of questioning to the
role taken by a midwife during childbirth. In fact, Plato tells us that Socrates’s mother was a midwife and
that he assumes her role in philosophical conversation.
Socrates considers himself to be analogous to a midwife in the sense that he
sees his role as assisting others in giving birth to their ideas and acquiring
knowledge. Just as a midwife does not possess the knowledge or experience
of childbirth herself, Socrates believes that he does not possess true wisdom
or knowledge. However, he believes that others have the potential for
knowledge within them, and his role is to help bring that knowledge to light.
17. Socrates’ harm principle makes which two claims?
is for their soul—or their character—to become corrupted.
18. What is ahimsa?
“the absence of doing injury or harm.”
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19. What is the cause of suffering according to Indian philosophy?
According to Indian philosophy, the cause of suffering is often attributed to
the concept of "dukkha." Dukkha is a fundamental concept in Buddhism and
also recognized in other Indian philosophical traditions such as Hinduism and
Jainism. It refers to the unsatisfactoriness, dissatisfaction, or suffering that is
inherent in the human condition.
20. What percent of academic jobs are on a tenure track according to recent federal data?
Academic research jobs are typically secured with
tenure
, meaning that there are strong
protections against unjustified firing. However, recent studies of federal data show that 73
percent of all academic jobs are not on the
tenure
track
(meaning there is no chance to
secure
tenure
). Additionally, 40 percent of all academic teaching positions are occupied by part-
time faculty. The distribution of
tenure
d,
tenure
-track, non-tenure track, and part-time
employees varies greatly by institution type, with community colleges employing far more part-
time instructors and far fewer tenured and
tenure
-track instructors. Meanwhile, research
universities employ more tenured and
tenure
-track faculty and fewer part-time faculty (AAUP
2018).
21. According to the chapter, the mid-career salaries of philosophy majors compare very favorably with
majors in which three areas?
finance, engineering, and math.