Fall 2009 Philosophy of Human Nature Study Questions

These are the study questions for the course. To contribute your answers, use the discussion tab. I will comment on any posts to the discussion page during the next class.

Return to Human Nature

Study Questions: Use the study questions below to prepare for the final exam in this course.

Implicit Questions: To avoid having to specify lots of obvious study questions, let's say that study questions implicitly include questions about the basics elements of reading. In philosophy, this is usually easy to organize in terms of the topic and arguments. So, while I may not add an explicit question about the topic and argument of a reading, you should assume that you need to know this kind of basic information about everything we read.

9/2

1. How are the culture areas of Logos, Theos, and Mythos related?

2. How would you go about defining or identifying the Real?

9/9

1. What is at stake in Euthyphro 10?

2. How does the Euthyphro have bearing on Socrates upcoming trial?

3. What does Socrates claim, in the Apology, in his defense of his activities? Evaluate.

4. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the image of the philosopher which Plato presents us in the Apology.

9/14

1. How do definitions and hypotheses work together in creating philosophical theories (example of theories of love)?

2. How does Plato establish his view that ideas are more real than objects?

3. What is Plato's model of enlightenment?

4. Be prepared to explain the Allegory of the Cave and the Divided Line.

9/21

1. How do philosophers use "questioning presuppositions" as a method?

2. Review and comment on Kant & Russell on the value of philosophy.

3. How does Plato think about the nature of the soul, its division into three parts?

9/23

1. How do the first four speeches in the Symposium reflect various cultural understandings and issues connected with love? Are these the same or different as concerns people have today?

2. How is Plato using each speech to introduces different types of theories of love?

9/28

1. Follow conceptual distinctions basic to Epistemology:

• knowledge as justified, true, belief
• types of knowledge
• basic positions in epistemology

2. If knowledge justified in one way or in diverse ways depending upon the kind of knowledge?

3. What kind or degree of certainty do you need to say that you know something?

4. Is there absolute certainty about any item of knowledge?