questions

Question 1

What are two qualities of the natural state?

Answer 1

Perfect freedom, which means following the law of nature (not license to do whatever we want because that would make us = to animals without reason. And equality, naturally man had the right to life, freedom, health and property (and to defend these things).

Question 2

According to Locke, in the natural state, we have the right to punish for what purposes?

Answer 2

We have the right to punish when someone tries to take away our natural rights of life, freedom, health and property. The person who is “injured” has the right to reparation and everyone has the right to deter or restrain.

Question 3

What’s the state of war?

Answer 3

Force or declared force where there is no common superior on earth to appeal to for relief, usually begins when someone declares force or uses force without a right

Question 4

What makes something my property, according to Locke?

Answer 4

Something becomes your property, according to Locke when you perform work upon it

Question 5

Is there a limit to property, for Locke? Explain.

Answer 5

People can only have property of the natural bounds, and they can only take what they need. And as long as you are not infringing on someone else’s rights you can take natural things to be your property. If you let goods go to waste, you are stealing them away from other people

Question 6

What’s the end or purpose of the political society, for Locke? How does Locke’s idea of the purpose of the state differ from the classical understanding of the purpose of the state?

Answer 6

Locke thinks that the end and purpose of political society is to preserve property (lives, liberties and estates). In order to preserve this, you must give part of this up to the community. This is different from the classical understanding of the purpose of the state because it is for happiness/ the common good.

Question 7

Why does Locke think that people consent to give up their state-of-nature liberty? What are the three main things that are missing from the state of nature? How does the political community remedy each of the three main things that are missing from the state of nature?

Answer 7

People give up their state of nature liberty because the state of nature lacks established laws, a known judge to appeal to that is indifferent, and the power to support a sentence or punishment. Also because the first law we make (legislative power) is based off of the consent of the majority and in order to join a community one must accept the consent of the majority. The political system supplies three branches of government legislative, executive and judicial in order to accomplish these three things that the state of nature lacks.

Question 8

What are the “two principles,” prior to reason, on which Rousseau bases every “natural right”?

Answer 8

Self-preservation, which is doing what will benefit yourself, and pity which is feeling pity when you see someone else suffering.

Question 9

What are the two kinds of inequality that Rousseau distinguishes?

Answer 9

Natural inequality, which comes from different ages strengths knowledge etc., and moral inequality which is different privileges power and wealth (society is the cause of this)

Question 10

What is man like in his natural state? By contrast, what is man like in the civil society?

Answer 10

Man in his natural state has no language, is ignorant of virtue and vice (society weakens our compassions), stronger because he has to work for everything, less emotional with less needs, independent and healthier, doesn’t fear death. The civilized man is the opposite of this

Question 11

What does Rousseau think makes man different from other animals? How is this different from what Aristotle says?

Answer 11

Rousseau says that man is different from other animals because of their freedom, in other words men can deviate from their instinct. This is different because Aristotle says men is different because they can reason, but Rousseau says that reason introduces the ills of society and our passions cause reason to develop

Question 12

How does Rousseau think that reason is developed?

Answer 12

Reason is developed from our passions according to Rousseau

Question 13

What is the origin of society, according to Rousseau?

Answer 13

The origin of society is when the first man claimed something to be his property and the others are gulliable enough or stupid enough to believe him

Question 14

Why does Rousseau think conveniences are the first source of evils?

Answer 14

Because when we become dependent on other things we become physically and mentally weaker because we no longer have to do certain tasks and things on our own

Question 15

What is the true origin of laws, according to Rousseau?

Answer 15

When there are disputes between the rich and the poor, the rich invent the laws to benefit themselves, this creates an inequality. The wealthy only create the laws to protect their property

Question 16

What are Rousseau’s “three stages” of inequality?

Answer 16

a. 1- creation of property and law (inequality of rich and poor), 2- development of a leader (inequality of strong and weak), 3- legitimate power to arbitrary power (inequality of master and slave)

Question 17

What is the purpose of the state and the law according to Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle? How does these ideas differ from Locke and Rousseau?

Answer 17

The purpose of the state is to achieve the common good of the public, and in their case the common good is happiness. This is different than Locke because he says that the purpose is to preserve property, and Rousseau says that the state introduces inequalities, personal greed and personal ambition that would not exist in the state of nature

Question 18

What are the six kinds of government outlined by Aristotle? Explain

Answer 18

There are good governments for the good of the whole community. The rule by one is monarchy, the rule of the few is an aristocracy, and the rule of many is timocracy. Then there are bad governments which are only good for part of the community. The rule of one is tyranny or dictatorship, the rule by few is oligarchy, and the rule of many is democracy. Monarchy is the best form of government (bc unity in the government and no contrasting opinions) and tyranny is the worst (bc theres no contrasting opinions but its not good for the public)

Question 19

What is the role of friendship in the political community, according to Aristotle? Explain

Answer 19

Aristotle says that political friendship is when the good willed is happiness which is virtuous activity in accordance with reason, or contemplation of the highest things. You have justice to the degree that you have friendship.

Question 20

What is the dilemma of the liberal state?

Answer 20

The dilemma of the liberal state is that it is defined as a state that does not set itself up as the ultimate end of its citizens. This creates a dilemma because they can either enforce a moral code whose justification it does not recognize or they can stand by and watch the gradual disintegration of public morality

Question 21

What is the difference between the breakdown of mores and the breakdown of morality?

Answer 21

Mores: the breakdown of moral behavior
Morality: people don’t even know the difference between right and wrong (this is the problem society has)

Question 22

Gilson presents two possible alternatives for the development of the modern state. What are they, and what are the problems with each?

Answer 22

Totalitarian, which educates in view of itself and teaches what it wants to teach you. This is a problem because it’s based upon what’s good for the state. Liberal, which educates not in view of an end. The problem with this is that although they do not teach that the state is the end, they never say what the end is. And also but excluding religion entirely they are already taking a stance on religion

Question 23

Does Nietzsche think that knowledge (either knowledge in general, or knowledge of history in particular) is unqualifiedly good? Or does he think that it’s only good up to a certain point? Explain.

Answer 23

He does not think that knowledge is unqualifiedly good. He thinks that because gaining excess knowledge or wisdom that is not necessary for someone is bad and useless. He only thinks knowledge that is actually useful to someone is knowledge worth knowing. People who focus too much on building knowledge never actually act and accomplish great things

Question 24

Why does Nietzsche think that a “grazing herd” has a big advantage over human beings? How does Nietzsche think that we should try to imitate the “grazing herd”?

Answer 24

He thinks this because the grazing herd does not worry about the past. We as humans focus too much on the past which is a big detriment to our species. The solution to this is that we should limit our knowledge to only what is useful and helpful in the present, like the grazing herd

Question 25

What does modern “culture” consist of, according to Nietzsche? Explain

Answer 25

The modern culture consists of people caring too much about history and our knowledge today doesn’t actually bring us to act and perform great deeds. In other words, people today have weak personalities, we do not have noble inspirations to do and accomplish great things.

Question 26

For Nietzsche, what is the problem with modern education and with modern philosophy in particular?

Answer 26

The problem with modern education is that it makes everyone the same and that we focus too much on the past, no one produces or thinks of anything new

Question 27

Why is Christian culture harmful to the modern world, according to Nietzsche?

Answer 27

Christianity is too focused on death and it takes away peoples abilities to do great things now, doesn't focus enough or at all on the moment

Question 28

Pieper says that there’s a “tremendous difference in point of view” between the ancient/medieval world and our modern world. What is this difference that Pieper’s focusing on?

Answer 28

The difference between modern age and past ages is that today we live in order to work and in the modern ages they would work in order to live. This is bad in the modern world because work is not actually an end, rather it is just means to an end.

Question 29

What is the difference between “contemplating” and “observing”—and in the intellectual realm, between intellectus (understanding) and ratio (reasoning)—which Pieper emphasizes?

Answer 29

Observation is reasoning and producing something. Contemplating is just letting the knowledge come to you. Ratio is observation which is a tense activity, reasoning, working out a problem, drawing conclusions etc. Intellectus is contemplation, effortless activity, looking, receiving, passive activity, etc

Question 30

How does Pieper distinguish “training” from “education”?

Answer 30

Training focuses on teaching one aspect of man, the servile arts (for the sake of something else). Education focuses on teaching and improving the whole man, liberal arts (sought to know for its own sake)

Question 31

What does Pieper mean by the word “sloth” (or acedia, the Latin name for the same thing)? — What does he say is the real contrary of “sloth,” and why?

Answer 31

He means despair from weakness, refusal to be oneself and refusal to will his own being. This results in one not acting or working too much. The opposite of sloth is love of yourself, the world and God

Question 32

How is leisure opposed to (a) work as activity, (b) work as effort/toil, and (c) work as social function?

Answer 32

Work as activity: it is a non-activity, calm, silence, receptive and serenity (which is confidence in world and acknowledging mystery). Work as toil: celebration, affirmation of the worlds goodness, joy. Work a social function: activity for its own sake

Question 33

What does Pieper mean by a “proletarian”? How does one de-proletarianize?

Answer 33

A proletarian is someone who is fettered or bound to the process of work, someone whose only purpose is to serve society. One can get out of this state by having property (without property you are forced to work to get it and the work becomes the only thing that matters), not being in the totalitarian state (your value to the country is based upon the value you have to the country), and not being spiritually impoverished (finding a higher purpose and figuring out the causes of things).

Question 34

What is the justification of leisure, according to Pieper? Can there be any leisure without this justification? What are the problems with artificial festivals? Explain your answers

Answer 34

The justification of leisure is divine worship because there can’t be any celebration or festivals without it. This is because celebration is man’s affirmation of himself in the universe and we can’t have a better affirmation of ourselves and the world than if we affirm God)

Question 35

What does Heidegger call the basic metaphysical question? Why would Pieper claim that this is “a properly philosophical question”?

Answer 35

The basic metaphysical question is “why is there something rather than nothing”? Pieper says that this is a philosophical question because there is progress in the knowledge, the answers are not fully encompassing and they can change, it can only be answered in terms of God and the world

Question 36

What is the difference between “pseudo-philosophy” and real philosophy? Why is “pseudo- philosophy” worse than merely the absence of philosophy?

Answer 36

Pseudo-philosophy is the fake version of real philosophy. That is because the fake version is directed at serving some need or function as its purpose, philosophy becomes fake when you do it to become a better arguer or thinker (for the sake of something else). This is worse to have than no philosophy because it's worse to use something for the wrong reason than to not have it at all

Question 37

According to Pieper, what is a “world,” and what is needed in order for a world to exist? What is an “environment”?

Answer 37

A world is a field of relations and this field of relations cannot exist without an “inside”. In other words, the center is the center of a world, and allows the relations to exist. An environment is a limited world

Question 38

Is man limited by an environment? What is unique about the world of man?

Answer 38

Man is limited by environment because it is a limited world and he is sharply defined here and unable to reach his full potential. The world of man is unique because humans are capable of knowing reality/being. IN principle, there’s nothing that we can’t know, and what we know becomes a part of us

Question 39

What is it that makes a philosophical question philosophical?

Answer 39

A question becomes philosophical when it is asking about the essential knowledge/ truth. There is progress in this knowledge, the answers are not fully encompassing, and they can change. They deal with God and the earth