Midterm Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is Anthropotechnics?
The study of practicing life
What three immune systems does Sloterdijk claim protect us as a species?
biological, socio-immunological, psycho-imunological
How does Sloterdijk distinguish between the Vertical and the Horizontal?
Vertical: The hierarchical dimension of human practice that ranks in terms of achievement roles
Horizontal: The dimension of human practice that distinguishes between things without ranking one over the other
What three things ‘automatize’ us and need to be changed through ascetic practices to make us freer?
Social Conformity, Technological Dependency, Consumerism and Materialism
What are the five human needs or vulnerabilities that ascetic practices attempt to master? Explain them and how they try to master (or overcome) each.
Hunger, Overtaxing, sexual need, Domination and Enmity, Dying
What two historical developments have undercut the credibility of asceticism in the modern age? Explain.
The democratic spirit, improved living conditions. Extreme measures to overcome extreme conditions are no longer necessary
What is the difference between a craft and a knack? Explain. Know the crafts and knacks Socrates mentions and how they relate to each other.
Crafts are teachable skills or knowledge that involve a deeper understanding of the subject matter. They are based on principles and aim at achieving some genuine good or virtue.
Knacks, on the other hand, are more like practical, situational skills acquired through trial and error.
What argument does Socrates give to demonstrate that committing injustice is worse (more ‘evil’) than suffering injustice?
He argues that when someone commits an injustice, they harm their own soul by acting against reason and virtue.
What argument does Socrates give to demonstrate that it’s better to be punished for your crimes than to get away with them?
When one is punished for their wrongdoings, it provides an opportunity for self-examination and correction of one’s behavior. It serves as a means of purifying the soul and promoting moral growth.
According to Callicles, who created laws and customs (nomos), and for what reason?
laws and customs are created by the weak and conventional-minded people in society. He thinks that these norms are established to restrain the strong and intelligent individuals, thereby preventing them from exercising their natural power and desires fully.
Callicles claims that the good life is one where someone lacks all self-control and indulges in every possible pleasure and desire they can. But Socrates gives two arguments for why pleasure and the good are not the same. What are they?
He argues that pleasure is not always a reliable indicator of what is good because people can experience pleasure from things that are harmful or immoral.
Socrates also emphasizes the importance of rationality and self-control in leading a truly good life. He believes that a life driven solely by the pursuit of pleasure lacks the discipline and wisdom necessary for genuine moral excellence and fulfillment.
According to Phaedrus, what does love bring out of us, and why?
Love brings out the greatest courage and valor in individuals. He argues that people who are in love are willing to perform remarkable deeds and even risk their lives to earn the admiration and approval of their beloved.
According to Pausanius, what is the difference between Heavenly Love and Common Love?
Heavenly Love is associated with the love of the mind and soul. Common Love, on the other hand, is characterized by a focus on physical attraction and desire.
What does Eryximachus think love is? How does it differ from the speeches given before?
Eryximachus believes that love is a cosmic and universal force that governs not only human relationships but also the entire natural world
What, according to Aristophanes, is the origin of Love? What does it imply about what Love is?
Originally, humans were round and had four arms, four legs, and two faces. They were exceptionally powerful and could move swiftly. These original humans had a dual nature, with two genders combined into one being. They were called “androgynes.” Aristophanes’ account implies that love is a powerful force that drives humans to seek wholeness and connection with another person who complements them.
What does Agathon think Love is? How does his speech differ from the previous speeches?
He emphasizes the positive qualities of love, focusing on its attributes of youth, beauty, courage, and virtue. Agathon highlights the virtue of love, portraying it as a force that inspires courage and moral excellence in individuals
What mistake does Socrates claim Agathon makes when describing Love?
The mistake that Socrates identifies in Agathon’s speech is that Agathon presents love as being a god who possesses attributes like beauty, wisdom, and goodness.
What is Love, according to Socrates? What do we really desire?
Love is the desire for the good and the beautiful. Love is seen as a form of longing for something beyond the physical world, something transcendent and eternal. It is a desire for the ultimate good, which is often referred to as the Form of the Beautiful.
What are the two kinds of reproduction? Which does Socrates favor and why?
Physical Reproduction. Intellectual or Spiritual Reproduction. Socrates favors intellectual. Intellectual reproduction is seen as a way of achieving a lasting legacy.
What is the Ladder of Love? What do we finally achieve by ascending it to the top?
It is a metaphorical framework that represents the progression and development of one’s understanding and experience of love from lower, physical forms to higher, more intellectual and spiritual ones. In essence, by reaching the top of the Ladder of Love and contemplating the Form of the Beautiful, individuals achieve a state of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment, where they are in harmony with the highest and most profound aspects of reality.
What is good and what is bad, according to Epicurus?
Good: According to Epicurus, the highest good is pleasure (hedonism). He defines pleasure as the absence of physical and mental pain (aponia) and the presence of physical and mental pleasure (ataraxia). Pleasure, in Epicurean philosophy, is the ultimate goal and the basis for evaluating what is good.
Bad: Epicurus considers pain (both physical and mental) to be the ultimate evil or bad. Anything that causes physical or mental pain is considered bad.
Understand what makes an action choiceworthy (if it brings about more long-term pleasure, even if there is short-term pain). Know how to apply this.
Epicurus believes that an action is choiceworthy if it ultimately leads to more long-term pleasure, even if there is short-term pain or discomfort.
Why does Epicurus say you ought to be just and obey laws? Know how to apply this.
Epicurus advises being just and obeying laws because doing so contributes to a stable and peaceful society.
Know what the three kinds of desires (or pleasures) are and how to identify them.
Natural and Necessary Desires: These are basic and essential desires, such as the desire for food, shelter, and friendship.
Natural but Non-Necessary Desires: These are desires that are natural but not essential, such as the desire for luxurious food, extravagant clothing, or fame.
Vain and Empty Desires: These are desires that are neither natural nor necessary, such as the desire for unlimited wealth or immortality. .
