PHI 3670: Ethical Theory Review for first test Sept. 25, 2003
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1. Plato |
2. Aristotle |
3. Epicurus |
4. Epictetus |
5. Augustine |
6. Aquinas |
General Characterization of Ethical Theories:
Virtue theory – what characterizes virtue theory? Note that all of the virtue theories (Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus, Augustine, Aquinas) are teleological. What is the role of “function” and its relationship to human excellence in virtue theories generally?
Consequentialist/Teleological – What does this mean for a theory to be teleological?
Consider these general concepts and how they relate to the specific questions about the ethical systems of thought listed in the chart above and in the questions below.
What is the good? How do these theorists conceive of the good life? What should we do?
Consider these concepts in their contexts:
Plato:
The harmony of the elements of the soul
The conceptions of justice mentioned in Republic and how Socrates finally defines it
The distinction between The Good and good things
The story of Gyges’ Ring and its significance
Plato’s Euthyphro and the Euthyphro problem
Aristotle:
Aristotle’s justification of the claim that happiness (eudaimonia) is the highest good
Aristotle’s notion that ethics is not an exact “science”
The state is prior to the individual/the whole is prior to its parts
Why the lives of gratification/pleasure and honor seeking are not sufficient for the good life
Aristotle’s definition of happiness
Habituation
The Doctrine of the mean
Epicurus:
Ataraxia
Epicurus’s materialism and his claim that in some sense, the soul is immortal. How this is relevant to achieving ataraxia. How this is consistent with the claim that “death is nothing to us” and it is nothing to the dead.
Epicurean hedonism (not the contemporary kind, but Epicurus’s kind)
And here’s a link to some more on Epicurus (http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/epicurus.html )
Epictetus:
Epictetus was a hard determinist – he held the position that everything in the world is controlled and determined by specific and determinate laws. He also holds that our reason is in harmony with it, and we should strive to understand it.
That we are a “fragment torn from god”
Apathy
The distinction between things that are in our power and those that are not in our power
Augustine:
Augustine’s ethical position can be understood in part by his view of the problem of evil. Basically, it is the traditional problem. If god is all knowing, all powerful and all good, then how do we account for the problem of evil? If god knows everything, then he knows that evil will occur; if god is all good, god wants to prevent evil from happening, and if god is all powerful, god can prevent evil from happening. But evil does happen. So the problem is, then, either that god doesn’t know that evil will happen, or if god does know and wants to stop it, but it still exists, then god is not all powerful. But if god CAN stop evil but does not want to, then god must not be all good. Nasty problem, isn’t it?
Briefly describe Augustine’s view of the goal of mankind as a freeing of the soul from the body and the soul’s flight to God. How is this similar to Plato’s general position regarding the nature of knowledge and the nature of the good?
Augustine held the position that this worldliness and bodily existence torment us, and move us away from the flight of the soul to God.
The good life is then a life consistent in conscience with what is Divine.
Aquinas:
Aquinas’s conception of happiness and of ethics generally is much like that of Aristotle, but also differs significantly from it in many respects. For example, the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity (as well as humility) are not among the virtues of Aristotle, and among the virtues of Aristotle is pride, a sin according to Christian doctrine.
For Aquinas, as for Aristotle, whatever is natural is good. What does this have to do with Aquinas’s conception of the relationship between eternal law and natural law?
The test will be composed of a variety of questions in a variety of formats. I’ll design the test so that there will be two or three sections. One section will be composed of very short answer, identification “questions”, terms and concepts. At least one other section will be composed of “objective” questions (true/false, multiple choice).
On the test, PLEASE WRITE LEGIBLY, AND IF YOU CAN’T WRITE LEGIBLY, THEN PRINT – PREFERABLY IN DARK INK OR DARK PENCIL so I can see it.