chapter 5 utilitarianism

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click here for chapter 5 (homework),

phi 2604, test #2, topics for review (chapter 4 & 5)

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homework, chapter 4

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Epicurus, the father of common sense

Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus (c. 341 – c. 270 BC), founded around 307 BC. 

Epicurus observes that for humans pleasure is associated with good, beautiful, and right; while pain is associated with bad, ugly, and wrong. Why? He concludes that there's a natural connection between the two. 

The self is exceptional. Only by helping oneself, one can help others, only by preserving self one can preserve others.

Epicurus believes the greatest good is to seek pleasure in the form of a state of tranquility and freedom from fear (this he calls ataraxia) and the absence of bodily pain (aponia). 

We achieve this balance through a combination of understanding the nature of REALITY and the governing our desires. What is the nature of REALITY? 

REALITY JUST IS and we must adapt to it.   

WHAT ABOUT PLEASURE? 

For Epicurus there are two kinds of pleasures: 1. Pleasures of the body and 2. Pleasures of the mind. The pleasures of the body are important but they are ephemeral. The pleasures of the mind are the best because they LAST.

The highest pleasure (TRANQUILITY and FREEDOM FROM FEAR) is obtained with the right knowledge, the cultivation of friendships, and living a virtuous life. 

Epicurus defends moderation in life. 

Moderation means proper measure, which is different for different people (some people have resistance to alcohol, others for sugar, others for acidity, and so on). We learn to know our weak points and work around them. 

Anything in excess IS wrong.

Topics for exam #1, fall 19, chapter 1 & 2

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you should bring your own scantrons: #888-P or #882-E 

if any of you need me to take a test to ACCESS, please send me an email to remind me.  

phi 2604 exam #2, fall 2020

send this assignment to atriff@mdc.edu by friday, november 6, 9pm.
remember: name, exam #2, class sequence in the email subject.
(for explanations a minimum 30 word is required). 

On Egoism 

1. State Ethical Egoism's position.
2. What does it mean to say: "best interests"? Provide an example of you own life where you balance your interest vs. your best interest.
3. Can the egoist actually do good to people? Explain. 
 

On Utilitarianism  

4. What is traditional utilitarianism? What's the problem of happiness in utilitarianism?
5. Explain how a RULE UTILITARIAN would respond to a TRADITIONAL UTILITARIAN in the case of Brandt Utilitarian Heir counterexample?

on Divine Command Theory

6. What is a religion? Explain.
7. Why are religion symbols viable?
8. What is the role of the shaman in early human societies?
9. What's the Divine Command Theory? 
10. What is faith? Why are faith and reason so different? Explain. 
11. Why is MLK's religious message of faith so important? Explain.

homework 1 fall 2020 (miniterm)

submit this homework in WORD, or PDF (no Google docs, please). send it to my email: atriff@mdc.edu deadline for this assignment is Saturday, Nov. 7,  9pm. please, send your homework in this manner: in the subject of the email I need: NAME, #21350, HOMEWORK #1. (you'll be asked to resend the homework if it doesn't comply with the above criterion). 

_________________________

(all explain questions require a minimum of 30 words).

1. based on this lecture on philosophical discussions, pick your favorite point and explain why.

2. based on this lecture on values, pick one value you find important. Why so?

3. based on this lecture, identify the following fallacies:

Thomas Elder attack on social welfare should not be taken seriously. He is said to have been a degenerate. 

You will get pregnant if you have sex. Sally had sex once, and now she is pregnant. 

Your honor, the defendant must be guilty because no one can prove his innocence. 

Rare taste: you either have taste or you don't. 

Men are all alike: selfish creatures who spend every weekend glued to a television tube.

I am sure that you will agree that we should all work together to increase the profit of this company. Anyone not agreeing with this policy will be fired immediately. 

Everyone believes that Lander University is improving its academic programs yearly; therefore, I conclude that Lander will be a much higher rated school several years from now. 

Theodore H. Teabody, the great historian, says that H. Copi's book is the best logic book in the world. I believe him since the word of such a great man shouldn't be disputed.

4. questions 1-4 pertain to this post,

1. is there moral knowledge from the evolutionary stand point? explain.

2. explain how does killing becomes the moral fact "killing is wrong"?  

3. is "killing is wrong" a hard or a soft fact? explain. 

 

 

homework #1 (miniterm 2020)

submit this homework in WORD, or PDF (no Google docs, please). send it to my email: atriff@mdc.edu deadline for this assignment is Thursday Nov. 5, 9pm. please, send your homework in this manner: in the subject of the email I need: NAME, #21350, HOMEWORK #1. (you'll be asked to resend the homework if it doesn't comply with the above criterion). 

_________________________

(all explain questions require a minimum of 30 words).

1. based on this lecture on philosophical discussions, pick your favorite point and explain why.

2. based on this lecture on values, pick one value you find important. Why so?

3. based on this lecture, identify the following fallacies:

Thomas Elder attack on social welfare should not be taken seriously. He is said to have been a degenerate. 

You will get pregnant if you have sex. Sally had sex once, and now she is pregnant. 

Your honor, the defendant must be guilty because no one can prove his innocence. 

Rare taste: you either have taste or you don't. 

Men are all alike: selfish creatures who spend every weekend glued to a television tube.

I am sure that you will agree that we should all work together to increase the profit of this company. Anyone not agreeing with this policy will be fired immediately. 

Everyone believes that Lander University is improving its academic programs yearly; therefore, I conclude that Lander will be a much higher rated school several years from now. 

Theodore H. Teabody, the great historian, says that H. Copi's book is the best logic book in the world. I believe him since the word of such a great man shouldn't be disputed.

4. questions 1-4 pertain to this post,

1. is there moral knowledge from the evolutionary stand point? explain.

2. explain how does killing becomes the moral fact "killing is wrong"?  

3. is "killing is wrong" a hard or a soft fact? explain. 

 

triff's office hours

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Text Book (PDF)

midterm exam, open book, summer 2021

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING THE TEST 

When sending your assignment, please cut and paste my questions along with your answers in the body of the email! 

For questions with Explain, I need at least 40 words as an answer.

_________________

ETHICS PART

1. Is there moral knowledge? Explain your answer from the evolutionary/historic point of view.

2. What does it mean to say that moral facts are "intersubjective"?

3. Is "holding a door to an old woman" a moral norm? Whether yes or no, explain your answer.

4. Tom comes from culture A professes cultural relativism and believes slavery is wrong, Theresa comes from culture B, professes cultural relativism and believes slavery is right. Is there a way for Tom to convince Theresa she is wrong?

5. The following question is based on this lecture.

Is the egoist capable of being benevolent to people? Whatever your answer EXPLAIN WHY  

CRITICAL THINKING PART

Necessary and sufficient conditions: 

1. If A is necessary condition for B, is B a sufficient condition for A? YES, NO

2. Suppose Alice loves John and John loves Alice. Is their mutual love a sufficient condition for the success of their relationship? YES, NO. 

3. A job requirement says "Qualified candidate must speak Spanish". If so, speaking Spanish is a _____ condition for getting the job. 

4. Identify the following fallacies: 

a) God does not exist because every argument for the existence of God has been shown to be unsound. 

b) Smoking causes cancer because my father was a smoker and he died of lung cancer. 

c) We have no evidence showing that he is innocent. So he must be guilty. 

5. If Bogota is north of Mexico and Mexico is north of Los Angeles, then Bogota is north is Los Angeles. Is this deductive argument valid? sound?  

6. Consider this argument:

Daffy Duck is a duck.

All ducks are mammals.

Therefore, Daffy Duck is a mammal.

Is the argument valid? sound? 

7. Of this inductive argument. Tell if they are strong or weak. 

The last fifty lottery tickets that Francis purchased have been losers. Therefore, the next one he buys is virtually certain to be a winner. 

8. Cause and effect. Mr. Ferguson is invited to Mr. Smith's party where is served seafood for dinner. When Mr. Ferguson goes back home he feels stomach pain and later has an attack of diarrhea. 

What conditions must be satisfied in order for us to say: "Smith's seafood caused Mr. Ferguson's stomach sickness".

homework (fall 2021)

questions 1-4 pertain to this post,

1. is there moral knowledge from the evolutionary stand point? explain.

2. explain how does the fact of killing becomes the moral fact "killing is wrong"?  

3. is "killing is wrong" a soft fact? explain.

4. what is the difference between consensus and best consensus.

5. provide one proposition of your own that represents a hard fact and one that represent a soft fact (remember a proposition is presented as a regular sentence within quotes). 

6. from our textbook online answer questions 4, 7, (Chapter 1, p. 22)

(all explain questions require at least 40 words)

inductive arguments, exercise, fall 2020

are these inductive arguments strong or weak? S: strong, W: weak.

1. If I get an A, then I will pass this course. Odds are, I will make a B. So, I probably won't pass this course. 

2. The platypus is not a mammal (google & find out) because no mammal lays eggs, and the female platypus does.

3. The last time I ate here, the shrimp dish I ordered was disgusting. It must be the case that this restaurant buys lousy seafood. 

4. The sign on the candy machine reads "Out of Order." The candy machine must be broken. 

5. Every day you've lived has been followed by another day in which you've been alive. Therefore, everyday you ever will live will be followed by another day in which you are alive. 

6. Nobel prize-winning biologist Herbert Ralls says that chlorinated hydrocarbons in our water supply constitute a major threat to the public health. Since no scientists disagree with him on this point. Accordingly, we conclude that the presence of these chemicals is a threat.

fallacies, exercise, fall 2020

Below, identify the following fallacies (based on this post) 

1. Thomas Elder attack on social welfare should not be taken seriously. He is said to have been a degenerate. 

2. You will get pregnant if you have sex. Sally had sex once, and now she is pregnant. 

3. Your honor, the defendant must be guilty because no one can prove his innocence. 

4. Rare taste: you either have taste or you don't. 

5. Men are all alike: selfish creatures who spend every weekend glued to a television tube.

6. I am sure that you will agree that we should all work together to increase the profit of this company. Anyone not agreeing with this policy will be fired immediately. 

7. Everyone believes that Lander University is improving its academic programs yearly; therefore, I conclude that Lander will be a much higher rated school several years from now. 

8. Theodore H. Teabody, the great historian, says that H. Copi's book is the best logic book in the world. I believe him since the word of such a great man shouldn't be disputed. 

inductive arguments plus inference to the best explanation

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Inference to the best explanation is the procedure of choosing the hypothesis or theory that best explains the available data. 

Example: In ordinary life, a person might make the inference that a fuse has blown to explain why several kitchen appliances stopped working all at once.

triff office hours (fall 2021)

 

homework 1,

explaining questions need at least 40 words each.  

please, don't answer definitions by copy and paste: it will disqualify your homework. you must rephrase the definitions.

send your assignments to: atriff@mdc.edu

based on this post,

1. think of a word expressing a value you use very often. imagine for a second that you would not be able to use it and what would be amiss? express this in 40 words.   

based on this post, 

2. what is critical thinking?

3. what is it based on?

4. explain point 4. all the way down the post (underlined in blue). 

based on this post,

5. Suppose that in a fit of anger Al wraps his hands around Bo's throat as if to throttle him. As a result Bo suffers a heart attack (think of cause and effect and nothing else). To answer this question keep in mind what we studied about cause and effect.

Is Al responsible for Bo's death, if the cause of Bo's death is a heart attack? Explain (keep in mind that for Al to be responsible he must have intended to kill Bo).

phi 2604 final exam, open book, summer a, 2020

Please, ATTACH THESE QUESTIONS TO YOUR EXAM. Send the exam in the same manner you sent the previous exams, 4888, NAME, FINAL EXAM.
 SEND YOUR FINAL PAPER & YOUR FINAL EXAM IN THE SAME EMAIL! (it reduces the amounts of emails in my mailbox!)
Deadline for sending both final paper and final exam is Thursday, July 9, 2pm. 
________________________

FINAL EXAM

Based on Aristotle's idea of virtue morality, how can you become a virtuous person?

Explain your answer with about 75 words. Bring the following concepts: virtue, acting/feeling, habit and Aristotle's Golden Mean table (provide one example of the list in the table and mention the balance between excess and defect).

chapter 3 religion (divine commandment)

DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

An action is right if God commands it. God has infinite wisdom and goodness and knows what's good for humans. 

The anthropological argument for moral norms accepts that the divine command theory makes perfect sense as a didactic tool to instill compliance in ancient groups. Early humans learned moral norms through fear and reward. The fear was the punishment, the reward was the recognition of moral fortitude. 

Augustine's heteronomous moral system: (heteronomy means that refers to action that is influenced by a force outside the individual). The divine command theory is the pursuit of the supreme good, which delivers human happiness. Being moral is the result of our love for God. For Augustine we do what's good not for good's sake, but for God's sake. 

Note: Augustine, without knowing it, is justifying the moral argument of selection This is undoubtedly the way moral norms happened throughout social selection. It's much more effective to justify the good with God's command than with the good itself.  Moral norms had to be instilled and compelled by social habit.   

Don Scotus's natural law: Scotus argues that natural law contains only what is evidently true. God could not, would not, make what's moral not moral. This means that the commands of natural law do not depend on God's will. Scotus is saying that God first creates the moral order and then everything else follows, even God's own commands.

Thomas Aquinas's natural law: This is a development towards self-agency. Aquinas natural law agrees with Scotus'. Something is moral if it helps the purpose of human existence, and so human nature can determine what is moral. 

criteria for (personal narrative style) final paper

FORM

1- Times New Roman p.12, two and a half pages, double space (or a min. 500 words)
2. indented paragraphs,
3. heading: name, class title, Final Paper, paper title: centered, bold,
______________________

Lisa Clair
Phi 2604, #class sequence number, Spring 2021
Final Paper

TITLE HERE

 

________________________

CONTENT

4. make this assignment a personal narrative ABOUT YOU based on any of the topics studied in class,
5. tell the reader why this theory you defend APPLIES TO YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED, HOW MAY THIS CHANGE YOU
6. to defend your point, you should bring specific life examples (whether it's family or a friend or culture),
7. though you're talking about a topic studied in class, I want you to have fun and speak with your voice.