Daily Quiz

Feb 4

1. What can one use to mark off paths that lead to flourishing or paths that don't, while also acknowledging the beauty of what is?

2. What two ancient examples of Eudaimonistic Scientia does Flanagan give?

3. (T/F) The Epicurean and Stoics paint a less demanding picture than Aristotle.


4. According to the Dalai Lama, what is the aim of Buddhist Psychology?

5. (T/F) Flanagan argues that thinking about our natures and our lives in ways that incorporate superstition and wishful thinking is childish and unbecoming to rational social animals such as us.  

6. (T/F) According to Martha Nussbaum, the Hellenistic philosophical schools in Greece and Rome-Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics-all conceived philosophy as a way of addressing the most painful problems of human life.  

7. In Lamentations 12:26  what is suggested as the proper way fellow humans should greet each other?

Also of note (from Jamey):


2.) In Lamentations 12:29, name one of the four things we all owe to our neighbors, that everyone needs?

Answer: Tolerance, Patience, regard and love of neighbor. 

3.) If life had intrinsic value, what would there be no need for?

Answer: Boredom

4.) What word is used to describe all of existence?

Answer: Vain

5.) What is considered the illusion of possible good, and is also described as prolonging torment?

Answer: Hope

The Really Hard Problem

1.) What is the thesis that consciousness has no physical effects?

Answer: Epiphenomenalism 

2.) According to what theory is sentience a biologically emergent feature of non-sentient life?

Answer: The theory of Evolution

3.) (T/F) The Dalai Lama provides the possibility proof that a great spiritual tradition and science can find peace, possibly even mutually enrich each other.

Answer: True

1. Empirically inspired eudaimonia (Eudaimonistic Scientia).

2. Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and the Buddhist Abhidhamma

3. False.  Though opening the Good Life to everyone, their view of virtue was more demanding than Aristotle's.

4. To overcome suffering.

5. T

6. T
--
7. Answer: "My fellow-sufferer, my companion in miseries."

Out again, forrealsies this time.

Oi all!

I'll be about today at a doctors appointment and Thursday for a C-Section (my own, of course.) Can't wait to hear about the wonderful discussions you all have though!

Have a good week!

- William

Question from Good Book, ramble

Q: In Chapter 10 of Consolations in the "Good Book," what is the meaning of line 10, "Therefore let us steer our own ship, and not allow this power to sweep us from the course!"

A: Do whatever you need to do to get over sadness, grief, etc

This section, lines 1-10 really hit home because I have always been one to be against the "system" and say you have to do this if your sad or upset, etc. Whatever you have to do to make the loss of someone, pain, whatever it is you are going through, do what you have to do to ease your mind.

I'm for the most part a stoic and people might see that as a bad thing, but it gets me through the hard times and this section really gets that across.

Evolution vs. Creationism debate

Hey everybody. I have been under the weather the past few days, but I wanted to pass along this news I heard today. Hope to see you all on thursday.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/04/271383099/creationism-vs-evolution-the-debate-is-live-tonight

Questions for Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 2014

The Good Book

1.) In Lamentations 12:26  what is suggested as the proper way fellow humans should greet each other?

Answer: "My fellow-sufferer, my companion in miseries."

2.) In Lamentations 12:29, name one of the four things we all owe to our neighbors, that everyone needs?

Answer: Tolerance, Patience, regard and love of neighbor. 

3.) If life had intrinsic value, what would there be no need for?

Answer: Boredom

4.) What word is used to describe all of existence?

Answer: Vain

5.) What is considered the illusion of possible good, and is also described as prolonging torment?

Answer: Hope

The Really Hard Problem

1.) What is the thesis that consciousness has no physical effects?

Answer: Epiphenomenalism 

2.) According to what theory is sentience a biologically emergent feature of non-sentient life?

Answer: The theory of Evolution

3.) (T/F) The Dalai Lama provides the possibility proof that a great spiritual tradition and science can find peace, possibly even mutually enrich each other.

Answer: True

Group 1: Normative Mind Science

Q: True or False—Flanagan argues that thinking about our natures and our lives in ways that incorporate superstition and wishful thinking is childish and unbecoming to rational social animals such as us.  A:  True

Q: True or False—According to Martha Nussbaum, the Hellenistic philosophical schools in Greece and Rome-Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics-all conceived philosophy as a way of addressing the most painful problems of human life.  A: True

Discussion question:  Do you think Flanagan has successfully closed the old fashioned is-ought or fact-value gap?  Did his "skyhooks" v. "cranes" analogy make sense to you? 

Here's an excerpt from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy concerning Hume's is-ought gap. The full link is here:

According to the dominant twentieth-century interpretation, Hume says here that no ought-judgment may be correctly inferred from a set of premises expressed only in terms of ‘is,’ and the vulgar systems of morality commit this logical fallacy. This is usually thought to mean something much more general: that no ethical or indeed evaluative conclusion whatsoever may be validly inferred from any set of purely factual premises.

Group 3

Hello group 2! We talked about euthanasia. We talked about abortion and the metaphor of the stranger and the violin and whether or not this was an effective metaphor. Some people in the group thought it was a good metaphor for while others thought that it would better apply in cases of rape instead. We also talked about organ donors and the respect that is given for the dead.