Unit #1 - Chapter #3 Flashcards
What are the Dark Ages? When did they began?
Also known as the middle ages. Began between 410-430. Little progress was made in science, philosophy, and literature. Roman Law collapsed and was replaced by Germanic customs. Education was limited.
How did the crusades lead to the rediscovery of Aristotle’s work?
During the “holy wars” Aristotle’s writings were rediscovered. They were preserved in Islamic mosques.
What seven sense did Avicenna describe?
- Common Sense - synthesizes information given by external senses.
- Retentive Imagination - Ability to remember synthesized information from the common sense.
- Compositive animal imagination
- Compositive human imaginative - allows both humans and animals to know what to approach, and what not to approach.
- Estimative Power - ability to make judgements about environmental objects.
- Ability to remember the outcomes of all the information processing that occurs lower.
- Ability to rationally use that information.
What did Averroe’s believe?
Disagreed with Avicenna about the arrangement of human intelligences, believing that all human experiences reflect God’s influence. Only active intellect of the soul survives death.
What was the philosophy of Maimonides?
Anticipated the modern concern with psychosomatic disorders by showing the relationship between ethical living and mental health.
Who invented the ontological argument for the existence of god?
St. Anslem invented it. It says that if we can think of something, something must be causing the thought.
What is Scholasticism?
Synthesizing philosophy and Christian theology and showing what implications that synthesis had for living one’s life.
What did Peter Abelard do?
Introduced the method of study to characterize the scholastic period. (Dialectic method).
Debated the matter of realism vs. nonrealism.
Proposed conceptualism as a compromise between realism and nonrealism.
Describe the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert Magnus.
Comprehensive review of Aristotle’s work.
Magnus performed detailed observations of nature.
Attempted to show how human beings rational powers could be used to achieve salvation.
Aquina’s greatest achievement was the reconciliation of faith and reason. Aquina’s believed that salvation is not available to animals.
Describe the philosophy of William Occam
Accepted Aquina’s division of faith and reason, and then pursued the latter. Explanations should always be kept as simple as possible.
What is Occam’s Razor?
The believe that extraneous assumptions should be “shaved” from explanations or arguments. Changed the question concerning the nature of knowledge from a metaphysical problem to a psychological problem.
Muller believed that, with his doctrine of specific nerve energies, he had discovered the:
Physiological equivalent of Kant’s categories of thought.
What did Fechner believe about consciousness?
It is as prevalent in the universe as matter.
What is formal discipline?
The belief that educational experiences could be arranged so that they strengthen certain faculties of the mind.
What does Muller believe we are directly aware of?
Sensory impulses.
