Philosophy Mid-term Exam @ 10/12

Plato's definition of knowledge

Divine Command Theory
Simmias and Cebes
Meletus young inexperienced kid who was leading the lawsuit against Socrates
Oracle at Delphi soothsayers of ancient Greece. In class, they told Socrates he was the wisest of all
sophists.
Parthenon temple in athens
Objectivism different views of what makes statements true or false APART from wheat someone believes or
perceives (subjectivism). Eg: Euthyphro objective view is apart from what the gods believe. B/Y pain is
objectively true while the rating of pain is subjective view of the pt.
Laches
Aesop wrote fables meant to provide ending morals. Eg: the tortoise and the hare.
Homer wrote odyssey and iliad, was considered a god to the ancient greeks. Wrote about the Trojan war,
which started bc of Helene of Troy.
Plato's Theory of Forms or Ideas
Pythagoras trigonometry guy. Came up w/ Pythagoras triangle. DO NOT CONFUSE WITH PROTAGORES.
Anamnesis idea that we have knowledge from our past lives and the process of learning is only attempting to
rediscover that knowledge.
Contract Theory of Government in Socrates Crito, Socrates stated that since he lived his whole life in Athens
he had an agreement to follow the law of Athens through action and reverence. If you do not adhere to all laws,
Socrates believes this leads to slippery slope fallacy.
Euthyphro
II. 60 pts Essay OPEN Book and your notes. BUT don't just copy what I wrote in Highlights. ONE essay topic
from 6 below.You'll write the essay in class 350-450 words. OPEN Plato's Dialogues, my printed Highlights,
and an outline of major points you want to make.
Describe two points of view on the q or q's, arguments for and against each, an example or two (from Plato,
class, headlines, your experience or imagination), and TWO brief QUOTATIONS (phrase or sentence) from
Plato with page numbers. Try to draw a conclusion.
Pls Stick to the Assigned material. If you're tempted to search the Internet for ideas on Plato, please ask
me about what's puzzling you -- before, during, after class, during break, or email, call, or text me.

You want to show me what you think.

1. Analyze Socrates' dialogue with the slave boy in Meno. Does it support Socrates' arguments that we know
geometry before we're born? What alternative views are there? What about our ideas of Equality in Phaedo?
Does that support Socrates' claim about knowledge? Where do you agree or not? Why?
3. Analyze the charges against Socrates and how he answers them in Apology. What is fair in his trial, what is
not? Could he have done better in his defense? How? Would doing better compromise his integrity -- the
principles he believes he must live by?
4. Why does Socrates not escape death when he can? Do you agree or disagree with his reasoning in Crito?
Why? How does the Contract Theory of Govt and his view on harming others fit in?Compare with Martin Luther
King illegally demonstrating against laws denying voting rights, innocent prisoner trying to escape death penalty,
or Americans buying drugs illegally in Canada to avoid astronomical prices. What would you do in Socrates or
one of these situations? Why?

5. What's the Divine Command Theory? Where do Euthyphro and Socrates agree, and disagree? What
arguments do they offer? Who do you agree with? Why? Compare with people's different attitudes toward an
ethical principle such as "Don't Kill" or "Help others," or gay marriage.
Socrates: The thing and the person dear to the gods is holy; the thing and the person hateful to the gods is
unholy; and the holy is not the same as the unholy, but its utter opposite. Pg 55 essentially clarifying
Euthyphros basic argument
Does god will it bc its good or is it good bc god wills it?

Lets say its good bc god wills it (well, what is gods will?). --- God is commanding what is good by loving
it & commands whats bad by hating it.
o greeks (@ that time) were polytheistic. Many of these gods had different likes and
dislikes. If I were to have lived in Athens, then wouldnt good be decided by the commands of
Athena (goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, mathematics,
strength, war strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill)? However those who lived in Sparta would
follow what Ares (physical or violent and untamed aspect of war) commanded was good. If
citizens from these two ancient cites were to meet, surely one would think the other
blasphemous.
o Socrates. Then by this account, Euthyphro, the same things would be both holy and unholy. pg
56 Euthyphro tries to fix his definition to state that what ALL gods like is pious/good
next major point

Homosexuality is forbidden bc god hates it. But homosexuality brings love and
happiness btw the couple. No matter what positivity it can bring, god hates it.
Since he hates it then it is not good.

Lets say god wills it bc its good. --- It is good so god loves it, it is bad so god hates it.
o At this point, good is already defined. Its good not to kill innocent children, so god loves not
killing innocent children. But where did we get this definition of moral/good?) This is the point
Socrates is trying to show Euthyphro. the gods do not define pious, they just like
something bc it is pious. Therefore the gods approval have NOTHING to do with the
definition of pious.

God, in this case, did not define bad. Homosexuality just somehow absorbed the word
bad. Bc of this, god hates it. But this is merely just an opinion. My opinion is that
shrimp have this bad taste, therefore I hate it. But my hatred for shrimp does not make
it forbidden for people to eat shrimp. There are many good qualities of shrimp which