Fall 2011 Wisdom Course Class Notes B

October 10, 2011 (10)

Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life

• Statement from Philo of Alexander. 20bc-50ad. Note both vision of integrated wisdom and attributes of the sage. Joy, for example.

• ataraxia, autarkeia -- peace of mind and inner freedom. Note that study of nature was supposed to aid this.

• distinction between "philosophical discourse" and "philosophy" -Hadot's analogy for the difference on 268.

• Philosopy as therapeutic.

"Philosophy presented itself as a method for achieving independence andinner freedom {autarkeia), that state in which the ego depends only uponitself. We encounter this theme in Socrates, among the Cynics, in Aristotle for whom only the contemplative life is independent - in Epicurus," among the Stoics." Although their methodologies differ, we find in allphilosophical schools the same awareness of the power of the human self tofree itself from everything which is alien to it, even if, as in the case of theSkeptics, it does so via the mere refusal to make any decision." 266

• Prosoche -- "care of the self"

• Note mention of Ignatian Exercises.

Hall, Chapter 6 Moral Reasoning

One question to ask while thinking about this chapter: Do wise people regulate their emotions and does that make for better moral and non-moral decision-making?)

• Wisdom interpretation of Genesis. problem q. p. 99.

• Evidence of emotional and automatic cognition in moral responses. 102..disgust, Trolley Prob.

• Background: Marc Hauser and the Trolley Problem (106)

• Joshua Greene, fMRIs of people doing the Trolley Problem. Seems to capture moments of emo/cog conflict. Fits with Damasio's research with lesion patients. Some can't factor in emotion.

• So, conclusions? inferences? Might sound good to say that wise people train their emotions, but in relation to what?

Haidt, Emo Dog

• This article takes us further into a scientific view that claims that cognition is rarely "causal" in moral decision-making. (The rational tail on the emotional dog.)

• "social intuitionist model" --

• Humean emotivism - "moral sense"

• Kohlberg still a model for rationalist psychology. [1]

• contrast of Intuitive and reasoning systems.

1. Dual Processing - literature on automatic assessment, close to perception, automatic judgement, attitude formation (820), very scary.

2. Motivated Reasoning Problem -- reasoning more like a lawyer and scientist. biases: relatedness -- favors harmony and agreement. coherence

-- "the desire to hold attitudes and beliefs that are congruent with existing self-definitional attitudes and beliefs" 821 other biases

3. The Post Hoc Problem -- Nisbett and Wilson 77 - experiments, such as placebo study which solicits post hoc and ad hoc reasoning, split brain patients (Gazzaniga... confabulation)

4. The Action Problem -- weak link bt. moral reasoning and moral action. Mischel marshmallow research 823.

• Theoretical possibilities for theory of wisdom: 1. Can you change responses? 2. In what ways? (again, the problem of criteria)