topics for Exam #3

click here for chapter 6: Kant's formalism,
click here for chapter 9: Aristotle's virtue morality,

midterm exam, (fall 2021)

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 "giving a seat to an old woman in a bus" 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? Explain.

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: Answer YES or NO.

1. If A is necessary condition for B, is B a sufficient condition for A? 

2. Suppose Alice loves John and John loves Alice. Is their mutual love a sufficient condition for the success of their relationship? 

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. 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. 

7. 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".

Moral traditionalism

An action is right if it is supported by one's traditions. 

what's a tradition? our shared history. principles that are proved over time. 

(clearly, if we can survive, traditions show to be essential tools for human survival).

why?

1. traditions provide meaning, 

2. they guarantee adaptation to the environment, 

3. they ensure cultural flourishing.

where does tradition come from? 

traditions stem from customs, rituals & conventions.  

how?

*each generation inherits the experience and culture of previous iterations, through convention and precedent. this is how humans pass it down to their descendants. philosopher Edmund Burke counsels: "The individual is foolish, but the species is wise". 

*the state of traditionalism is the achievement of the communal enterprise expressing the spiritual and organic qualities of the culture. 

*change always happens, but cannot be imposed arbitrarily (think of the suppression of religion in the USSR for 80 years, only to come back with renewed force after the fall of communism). change flows naturally from incremental changes in the community's traditions. leadership, authority and hierarchy are natural products. 

*traditionalism respects the notion of hierarchies. a hierarchy is a communal ordering of group organization not imposed from above, but evolved in time.

hierarchies cannot happen overnight. they take time to happen (the lapse of time ensures that the hierarchy goes through a process of trial and error).  

human society is hierarchical (i.e. it always involves various interdependent inequalities, degrees classes, and political structures that recognize this fact prove the most just, thriving, and generally beneficial). hierarchy allows for the preservation of the whole community simultaneously, instead of protecting one part at the expense of the other. 

important traditional principles: 

 

1. back to nature! 

2. preserving the family, 

3. the conservation of natural resources and stewardship of the land, farm to table (artisanal food over processed food, etc). 

4. trade school or farming as alternatives to unemployment.

SUMMING UP:

1. traditions create social cohesion and group identity: they function as shared symbolic systems—rituals, narratives, gestures, and practices that allow individuals to recognize themselves as part of a collective. anthropologically speaking, this is crucial: traditions bind people through repeated, patterned action. they produce: a sense of belonging, continuity across generations, mutual trust through shared expectations. Émile Durkheim would say they create “social solidarity”: individuals feel they are part of something larger than themselves. 

2. traditions transmit cultural knowledge and embodied skills: they are not just beliefs; they are repositories of practical knowledge transmitted through enculturation. through them, societies pass down: social norms and moral frameworks, artisanal or technical skills, ecological knowledge (e.g., farming cycles, fishing techniques), aesthetic forms (music, architecture, craftsmanship). 

anthropologists often emphasize this non-written memory—knowledge embedded in the body through repeated practice. Pierre Bourdieu would call this habitus. 

3. traditions provide symbolic meaning and orientation in the world: they help communities interpret reality by assigning symbols, myths, and cosmologies that give coherence to life. They answer fundamental human questions: Why do we do this? What is the proper way to act? Clifford Geertz described traditions as “webs of significance” that humans themselves spin. 

breakdown of points for phi 2604, #9535, miniterm spring 2021,

2 exams, midterm and final, each 25 points, for a total of 50 points

6 homeworks (each week), 5 points each, for a total of 30 points.

attendance, 10 points.

final paper, 10 points.

homework #4, chapter 4 (spring 2021)

here's my lecture on ethical egoism,

1- Define psychological egoism? Bring a defense, p. 103.
2- What's the difference between genuine (BEST) and apparent interests? (Triff lecture) Bring a hypothetical example from your own life.
3- What's hedonism and the pleasure argument? (Triff lecture)
4- What is "proper measure" according to Epicurus? (Triff lecture)
5- What is Ethical egoism?
6- Point to the difference between interest and best interest. Bring an example from real life to make the point.
7- Answer question #9, chapter 4, page 126, from our textbook.  

(Whatever answer is stressed in yellow requires at least 40 words).

 

homework, chapters 1 & 2

click here for more information,

topics for exam #1 phi 2604 (all classes)

click here for fallacies,   ...  (click here to see exercises) 
click here for identifying deductive and inductive arguments, 
click here for cause and effect, 
click here for values,
click here for necessary and sufficient conditions, 
bring your own scantrons: #888-P or #882-E

I ask all my access students to please, send me an email with your name and class you belong to if you decided to take the test over at ACCESS and I'll make the necessary accommodations.  

homework 1

click here for deduction and induction questions,
click here for questionse on values,
click here for questions on cause and effect,
click here for questions on fallacies,

cause and effect can betray even the smartest amongst us

click here for more information,

triff's office hours, room 3604-28

m,w,f: 7:30-9:40am
t,r: 7:30-8:15am, 9:50-11:05am
t: 4-5:30pm

necessary and sufficient conditions

for more information click this link,

topics for our final exam

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final exam (miniterm, fall 2020)

this exam is based on the following lectures:

lecture on Kantian ethics,

lecture on Aristotle's virtue morality,

_____________________________________

1. Why is breaking a promise wrong according to Kant? In your explanation bring the Kant's categorical imperative's reversibility and universalizability angles.

2. What is the meaning of RESPECT according to Kant? Explain.

3. In Aristotle's virtue morality what is relationship between virtue and eudaimonia? Explain.

4.  John is a "C" average student, but he has decided he wants to become an "A" student in order to apply for MDC's well-reputed Honors College. Suppose you are a well-respected college advisor. John now asks for your advice. How would you counsel John to go about becoming an A student (based on Aristotle's idea of right habits?). Justify your answer.

chapter 5 utilitarianism

click here for chapter 5 (lecture),
click here for chapter 5 (homework),

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

click here for more information,

homework, chapter 4

click here for more information,

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

click here for more information,

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.