Spring 2014 Wisdom Course Lecture Notes A

Return to Wisdom

JAN 14

Course Introduction

1. Call roll. Brief student introductions.

2. Introduction to the course topic.

3. Introduction to the course websites.

4. Turning Point clicker technology.

5. Ereserves, Grading Schemes, and the Prep Cycle.

JAN 16

Themes in today's readings

• note definitions of wisdom and lists of wisdom attributes
• some initial reference points in Greek thought on wisdom.

Hall, Chapter 1 "What is Wisdom?"

• opening story, point about wisdom
• Perceptions of wise individuals and gender. (Someone look up Lysistrata for next time)
• his approach, p. 16 (using science) - definition of wisdom, bot. 17 --
• Hall's initial theoretical definition: bot 18 -- read & note

Robinson, "Wisdom Through the Ages"

This one of several mini-histories of wisdom we'll look at.

Socrates

• note on Homeric concept --- p. 13-14: Greek concept of soul/nous
• distinctions among sophia, phronesis, episteme
• Socratic "anti-body" view of wisdom

Aristotle

• Aristotle's concept of wisdom. idion ergon (task, mission, purpose)/ prohaireseis(deliberated choices) / hexeis (dispositions). (Put it together.)
• Knowing Final Causes. (possible small group discussion)
• Practical wisdom (phronesis), theoretical (scientific) knowledge (theoretikes), practical knowledge (ergon)

Epicureans & Stoics (Helenist Schools)

• comment on his gloss of stoics.

Christian Wisdom

• the difference that revelation makes to your model of wisdom. (cf. back to Hellenists) sophia vs. pistis theon
• Christian split (influences): Aristotelean vs. Platonic
• Aquinas: quote on p. 20 -- "perspective shift" is a common theme in wisdom accounts

Post-classical world (Renaissance, scientific rev and beyond)

• Scientific revolution as challenge to ancient conceptions of wisdom and divinity

JAN 21

Some housekeeping: note study questions (limit Robinson);

Hall, Wisdom, Ch. 2: Socrates + Axial Age

• Image of Socrates: Does his example support the claim that wisdom is real?
• Axial Age Hypothesis
• Dist. characteristics, p. 24.

Greek

• Contrast between Pericles and Socrates, p. 28

• both selling "deliberation" as a virtue
• Socrates' treatment of emotion unique

Primary class interest here is to get contrasting images of wisdom across the so-called Axial Age.

Confucius

• 6th century BC China
• characteristics of confucian ideas of wisdom

Buddha

• 563-483bc, India
• "awakening" vs. "wisdom"

Osbeck and Robinson, Philosophical Wisdom

• Question of "Where did the problem of wisdom go?"; possible effect of science; scepticism;
• Note on its revival.
• Necessary Presuppositions of wisdom (?): truth not mere conventional; health and sickness are real.
• On Homeric concept: details.
• On Aristotle: read p. 67 three times slowly
• Importance of quality of deliberation. Matters variable (How does this help you distinguish forms of wisdom here?) Note that different sorts of intelligence are being discussed.
• The invariant, role of demonstration in.
• What could intuition and insight be?