Philosophy Flashcards
(20 cards)
what is philosophy?
the study of big questions about knowledge, reality and general existence
what are ethics?
the study of what is right and wrong, guiding how people should behave and make decisions based on principles of morality and fairness
who was Plato?
An ancient Greek philosopher who was concerned with reality. he wrote a dialogue called The Republic, which contained the allegory of the cave
What is an allegory?
a story with a hidden meaning that is usually moral or political
What happens in the allegory of the cave?
3 prisoners chained in a cave have no knowledge of the outside world. They face a blank wall and a fire behind them gives off faint light. They see shadows projected on the wall. They give names to classify the shadows and believe their reality is the actual reality. One day, one prisoner is freed. When he saw the outside, the sun’s light almost blinded him and he found the new environment confusing as he believed the 2 dimensional shadows were reality. His eyes adjusted to reality and he returned to the cave to share his discoveries with the other prisoners. However he could no longer see the shadows because he was not used to the darkness. The other prisoners believed his journey had made him stupid and they refused to leave the cave.
What is the message of the allegory?
It shows us that in life we are sometimes confined to our reality and ‘chained’ (like the prisoners) in ignorance. We do not look beyond our perception because we do not want to leave our comfort zone, so we are comfortable in our ignorance. Pluto was also trying to show us what it is like as a philosopher, the ‘freed prisoner’ resembles a philosopher who knows the truth and the ‘other prisoners’ resemble people who are hostile towards the ideas of a philosopher.
Who was Descartes?
A French philosopher who doubted knowledge. He came up with the theory of scepticism
What is scepticism?
To doubt the truth of something. In philosophy it is the theory that certain knowledge is impossible to have
What phrase did Descartes come up with?
‘I think therefore I am’
what does ‘i think therefore I am’ mean?
Every thought, no matter how unreliable, proves you exist as a thinking thing. Descartes decided that the only thing that we are truly certain of is ourselves
Who was Bentham?
Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher who came up with the theory of Utilitarianism
What is utiliarianism?
Utilitarianism means that the right action or solution is the one that would maximise the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people/benefit the most amount of people
Who was Freud?
A Jewish Austrian neurologist who focused on how our personalities work. He came up with the theory of psychoanalytic perspective. Freud said that we are driven by unconscious energy (doing something without thinking about it)
What is psychoanalytic perspective?
The theory that our mind consists of three components: the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO
What is the ID?
The part of your personality that wants instant gratification, the impulsive part of you, selfish, always seeks for pleasure and avoids pain
What is the SUPEREGO?
the part of your personality that controls the id and ‘follows the rules’
What is the EGO?
the part of your personality that balances the id and the superego and finds a smarter and more logic solution
Give an example that shows the id, ego and superego
If your friend called you and wanted to meet up with you but you had a test the next day and had to revise. The id would avoid doing the work and go meet your friend, the superego would stay at home and study and the ego would study and then meet your friend or meet up with them after your test the next day.
Who was Kant?
A German moral philosopher known for the theory of deontology
What is deontology?
when making a moral decision, you must not look at the consequence of an action, it is whether the action itself is ethical that is important
