History of Philosophy and Ethics

History of Philosophy and Ethics
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1 Ontology and epistemology
1 What is the difference between ontology and epistemology? Ontology entails the study of structure of reality’s nature while epistemology entails the study of potentiality of knowledge of humans
2 Do you think either is more fundamental? Why / why not? I think epistemology is more fundamental since it investigates the human cognition.
2 Normative and descriptive
3 What is the difference between normative and descriptive claims? Claims are statements that asserts whether something is true or false. A descriptive claim asserts that such-and-such is the case while normative claim asserts that such-and-such ought to be the case
4 What did David Hume say about their relationship (the ecological fallacy)? According to Hume, there is a significant difference between normative and descriptive claim and it’s not obvious how a person can coherently a prescriptive claim to a descriptive claim.
3 Relativism
5 Explain epistemic relativism. This is the claim or belief that knowledge is valid only relatively to a given context, individual, or a given culture.
6 What are the two versions of moral relativism and in what way are they different and similar? The two versions are descriptive moral relativism and meta-ethical moral relativism. According to descriptive moral relativism, there occurs fundamental disagreements concerning the right course of action even if same facts are true or same consequences can arise. On the contrary, meta-ethical relativism posits that an action being good, bad, or worse is not universally true but relative to the traditions of a particular culture.
7 Do you find relativism a plausible position or not and why? Relativism is a plausible position because there is indeed no source of moral obligation. One can act as per their wishes without being controlled.
4 Plato’s ontology and epistemology
8 What would you say characterizes Plato’s ontology? Plato’s ontology is primarily characterized by ontological dualism. Plato came up with the distinction between illusion and reality. Generally, Plato maintains that each noun, for example, beauty refers to real entities, be they sensible or insensible. Again, Plato argues against Parmenides when he says forms must occur not only on being but also of Negation, and of non-being. In essence, Plato’s ontology is characterized by Negation and non-beings.
9 Explain what it means that Plato is a rationalist and how this is reflected in his philosophy. Plato is a renowned rationalist since he thinks that all human beings have the inherent knowledge of forms, moral concepts, and possibly color. Again, Plato famously argued that sense experience doesn’t give people the guarantee that what they experience is true.
10 Which other rationalist philosophers do you know? Rene Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, and Gottfried Liebniz
5 Plato’s moral and political philosophy
What are the main virtues of a person and a state, according to Plato? According to Plato, courage, wisdom, and temperance are the cardinal virtues of a person.
In what way is the state ‘a giant person’? According to Plato, ‘a giant person’ is in a just state where the person’s psychology is akin to that of a perfect state. Plato is specifically saying that not every state is a ‘giant person’ except in the fictional state characterized vy unrealistic features.
6 Aristotle’s ontology
Explain the role of change in Aristotle’s ontology. Aristotle acknowledges that change is actualizing the potentiality of the subject. Aristotle posits that for change to occur, there has to be three ingredients: the subject, a form, and a lack of that form. For example, a person who was unmusical becomes musical. The subject is the person while the form is musical. Similarly, the privation is the lack of form. Aristotle plainly differs with his predecessors. For instance, Plato argued that real things don’t change and restricted change to the realm of appearances while Parmenides denied the existence of change.
1 How did Aristotle and Plato differ on their views on change in ontology? While Aristotle said that people change based on realizing their potential, Plato differed by saying that real things do not change and restricted change to the physical world.
2 What is TELOS and how does something reach its TELOS (4 causes)? The word telos finds its meaning in things like goal, purpose, or final end. Something can reach its telos by achieving its objective or purpose. For example, an artist reaches his telos by painting the most beautiful picture. According to Aristotle, telos refers to the full potential and is achieved when a person reaches the supreme end of their endeavor.
1 Virtue ethics
1 How did Aristotle define a virtue? Aristotle defines moral virtue as the disposition to act in the right way and a mean between extremes of excess and deficiency.
2 How do we become morally good people, according to virtue ethics? People are morally good if they behave in the right manner by cultivating and practicing the good habits.
3 Which other philosophers do you know who were virtue ethicists? Socrates and Plato
4 What is the role of happiness in virtue ethics? Happiness is neither a pleasure nor a virtue. Happiness is the exercise of virtue.
2 Descartes
5 In what way was Descartes a dualist, and how does his dualism relate to Plato’s dualism? Descartes was a renowned substan...