Fall 2010 Wisdom Course Study Questions

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I'll post study questions and study advice to this page. Any exam I give you will draw from these questions. While the clicker questions are more preliminary than these study questions, you should also study those questions.

September 8, 2010 (2)

1. Explain the "Axial Age" hypothesis from Hall's introductory chapter. What implications does it have for a theory of wisdom?

2. How is Pericles wisdom different from Socrates'? What terms from Greek philosophy describe each?

3. What is the difference between implicit and explicit theories of wisdom?

4. Distinguish sophia, phronesis, and episteme.

5. Describe the "perspective shift" in the Aquinas quote in the Robinson article. Does this seem like a basic trait of wise thinking?

September 13, 2010 (3)

1. What is Socrates' view of wisdom? How did he come to this view? What insights and limitations does it hold for you?

2. How does Plato connect a belief in the soul to the idea of wisdom as a transcendent state of knowledge? How does the myth of reincarnation fill in his view of the task of pursuing wisdom?

3. According to Osbeck, how is wisdom a kind of "making" for Aristotle?

4. What is Labouvie-Vief's interpretation of ancient thought on wisdom? What is her criticism of Plato in particular?