50 Big Ideas bank 2/25/2019 9:58:00 AM

2/25 Platonism
Platonism is a metaphysical theory that assumes the existence of a realm of
eternal and unchanging realities, distinct from the shifting world of everyday
experience

Allegory of the Cave

Problem of universals
Realist - It’s a matter of dicovering truths about pre-existing entities
Platonic love – mind over body, true love is impassioned by a divinely
inspired love of intellectual beauty, lover with such soul compared to a
charioteer on winged horses symbolizing reasoning and our spiritual
appetites towards ultimate truth. Keeps physical appetite in check.

Aristotelianism
Virtual ethics
Not what is the right thing to do, but what is the best way to live
Essence of man is the ability to reason, determine the best way by use of
practical reasoning
Acquire wisdom through
Aristotle is more well rounded in science, grounded , respectful of common
sense
Insisted that genuine knowledge can be acquire b diligent research.
Laid foundation to physics, cosmology, dynamics
Believes that organisms systems and processes are explicable in terms of
their aims and purposes

Golden Rule
“Do as you would be done by”
reciprocity and universality
Confucius point of view : what you do not wish for yourself, do not do to
others on the contrary as you yourself desire standing, then help others
stand too bruh.
JFK argue against segregation using Golden rule
“Whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to
be reated.”
His speech and also the aftershock f his assassination caused
Congress passed into law on civil rights legislation.
An action is morally permissible only if it accords with a rule that you can
consistently anduniversally aply to urself and others

Liberty
Is it worth dying for?
 ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ – Patrick Henry in 1775,who
implored his fellow Virginians to take up arms against the British in
order to win the independence
 JFK, 1961, pledged to ‘ pay any price, bear any burden… to assure
the survival and the success of liberty.
 George W. Bush ‘war on terror’ in response to 9/11 would bring ‘
an age of liberty, here and across the world.
 Definition of Freedom /Liberty
 ‘What freedom means is being allowed to sing in my bath as loudly
as will not interfere with my neighbor’s freedom to sing a different
in his’ – Tom Stoppard
 Berlin’s two forms of freedom:
o Negative freedom – no restriction from doing what you
want to do
o No one can enjoy this sense of freedom without
encroaching on the freedom of others.
o Some degree of compromise has to be made when living in a
society
o ‘To be free to choose, and not to be chosen for is an
inalienable ingredient in making human beings human’
o positive freedom- used to achieve certain ends - a form
of empowerment that allows individuals to fulfill their
potential and to reach a state of personal autonomy
 JS Mills ‘Harm Principle’
o Individuals should be permitted to acct in any way that does
not bring hardm to others, only where such harm is done is
society justified in imposing restrictions.
 JS mills On Liberty 1859
 o Warns us of the dangers of a culture of prejudice and
intellectual repression, in which questioning and critism of
received opinion is discouraged.
 Statue of liberty 1886
o Gift from France to US
o Fitting gift as both countries linked by their strive for liberty
 US declaration of independence of 1776
o Found on John Locke’s natural rights theory of government,
saying that it is ‘self evident’ truth that ‘ all men are …
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that
among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
happiness.’
o Lay the inspiration for the Declaration of the Rgiths of Man
issued by the French Revolution
o Ironic because slavery, liberty’s antithesis remained in the US
for nearly a century.
o Also Idealogy in French Revolution ‘Liberty, equality and
fraternity’ – were never fully realized. Reign of Terror
During the French Revolution by Robespierre where all
political opposition was swept aside and suspected
counter-revolutionaries were guillotined.
o ‘O Liberty! What crimes are committed in thy name’ –
Madame Roland, before getting executed.
o ‘The secret to Freedom lies in educating them , whereas the
secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant. Robespierre
 War on Terror, George Bush
o The fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism,
tolerance and freedom.
o BUT civil liberties and human rights were not entirely
respected during the war, where the abuse and torture
of prisoners by US military personel at Abu Ghraib in
Iraq and the detention and treatment of ‘enemy
combatants’ at camp X ray at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
Tolerance
 ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it.’ Voltaire
  Tolerance is a disposition to put up with things you disprove,
and not to intervene it when you have the ability to do so.
 More distasteful, need higher tolerance to control it
 A man cannot get a coat to fit him unless they are either made to
his measure, or he has a whole warehouseful to choose fromL and
is it easier to fit him with a life than with a coat,,,?’ JS mills, On
Liberty.
 Diversity of Human beings trumps the wants to intervene conflicting
beliefs.
Faith
‘It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what
faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason.’ – Blaise
Pascal, scientist and Christian
 tension between faith and reason
 some claims faith should be above reason, hell nah
 Faith has a clear appel to people by filling the gaps that
reason can’t: assign a meaning for life, provide solace for
life’s tribulation and the consolation of knowing that
something better aways after death.
Answers needs for humans
Abraham sacrificing Isaac, seems irrationable
JS Mills Freedom of thought and expression
Fidelity can be view as superstitution
‘Faith consist in believing when it is beyond the power of
reason to believe.’
Fundamentalism
 Islam fundamentalism vs Christian Fundamentalism
o Islam Fanatics that suicide bomb coz virgins x d
o Christian Fundamentalist fanatic Paul Hill, pro-life Army
of God affiliate, shot dead an abortion doctor.
o ‘Expect a great reward in heaven’ LOLOL
o These fanatics are mostly concerned with those social
and economical gains than actually religion LOL
o Fundamentalist accertain fundamental elements in that
religion – for Christian that includes virgin birth and
 physical resurrection of jesus, AND LITERAL TRUTH OF
THE BIBLE, LETS GO STONE THAT BITCH
o True scientist changed his minds by evidence no matter
the conviction, fundamentalist knows nothing will.
o For fundamentalist, there is a set of fundamental truths
about god represented by sacred text: the sacred txt is
the literal word of deity and the literal truth. Timeless
and unchanging
o Hand in hand with this is social and moral conservatism
o Everything that goes against the doctrine is simply
wrong, no grey area, no free speech , no gender
equality, no gay rights.
o They are apocalyptic, looking forward to the end of the
world and believe that they have a special relationship
from god.
o Irony, fundamentalist condemns technology as work of
eveil, yet a lot of religious fanatic groups like ISIS
makes real good use of technology, namely internet to
spread their doctrine and also instill fear in people’s
heart
 When Faith becomes fanatic x d
2/25/2019 9:58:00 AM
2/25/2019 9:58:00 AM