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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Questions JAN 27

Skepticism-LH 3. FL 5-6, HWT 4-5. Post your thoughts, responses, questions (etc.) in the comments space below.

LH
1. How did the most extreme skeptics (or sceptics, if you prefer the British spelling) differ from Plato and Aristotle? What was their main teaching? Do you think they were "Socratic" in this regard?

2. Why did Pyrrho decide never to trust his senses? Is such a decision prudent or even possible?

3. What country did Pyrrho visit as a young man, and how might it have influenced his philosophy?

4. How did Pyrrho think his extreme skepticism led to happiness? Do you think there are other ways of achieving freedom from worry (ataraxia)?

5. In contrast to Pyrrho, most philosophers have favored a more moderate skepticism. Why?

FL
1. What did Anne Hutchinson feel "in her gut"? What makes her "so American"?

2. What did Hutchinson and Roger Williams help invent?

3. How was freedom of thought in 17th century America expressed differently than in Europe at the time?

4. Who, according to some early Puritans, were "Satan's soldiers"?

5. What extraordinary form of evidence was allowed at the Salen witch trials? What does Andersen think Arthur Miller's The Crucible got wrong about Salem?

HWT
1. Logic is simply what?

2. What "law" of thinking is important in all philosophies, including those in non-western cultures that find it less compelling?

3. For Aristotle, the distinctive thing about humanity is what? How does Indian philosophy differ on this point?

4. According to secular reason, the mind works without what?

5. What debate reveals a tension in secular reason?

10 comments:

  1. LH
    1.Most extreme skeptics refrained from having any sort of opinion on anything. Their main teaching was don't commit and you won't be disappointed. This is a Socratic way of thinking however it misses the Socratic point of wanting to gain the knowledge that we do not know.
    2. He did not trust his senses because of the possibility that they might be deceiving him. For some people this action might be possible, but I think it is a very prudent way to live. Some sense may be deceiving however, the most obvious ones should be trusted
    3.As a young man Pyrrho visited India. India has a reputation of having spiritual leaders that put themselves through extremes and in some ways this may have influenced Pyrrho's teaching.
    4.Pyrrho believed that his skepticism led to happiness by accepting that we know nothing and free yourself from desires and not care about how things work. I think freedom from worried doesn't have to be achieved by being a skeptic, but can be achieved by understanding that things will turn out how they are meant to and there is nothing we can do to change it.
    5.To get to the point of understanding and getting closer to the truth.


    Kloey Jackson section 001

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  2. Section #9

    LH

    1. The most extreme skeptics differed from Plato and Aristotle by keeping an open mind and trying to not hold any opinions on anything. Their teaching was to not commit to anything and avoid holding firm opinions. I do believe they held a Socratic way of thinking in the sense that they believed no one knew anything.
    2. Pyrrho believed that senses could often be misleading therefore he never trusted them. I don't think this decision is prudent or very possible, or at least not completely. We all have some involuntary reactions due to our senses that would make this way of thinking difficult.
    3. As a young man, Pyrrho visited India where he experienced their extreme tradition of putting themselves through "extreme and almost unbelievable physical deprivation." This definitely could have help shape his view because it exposed him to the ide that we could push ourselves past what seems to be physical limits.
    4. Pyrrho believed that by releasing yourself from the worry of how things will turn out you can achieve happiness.
    5. Most philosophers favor a moderate form of skepticism because it allows them to get closer to the truth of what we can know without going as extreme or potentially dangerous as Pyrrho may have.

    FL

    1. Anne Hutchison knew "in her gut" that she was destined for heaven. She was considered to be "so American" because she carried her self with so much confidence and didn't recognize any self doubt.
    2. Hutchinson and Williams helped to invent the idea of American individualism: ideas of free thought and speech.
    4. Early puritans believed that American Indians were "Satan's soldiers," simply because they did not share the same values or traditions as them.
    5. Witnesses' accounts of dreams and visions of witches were allowed as evidence at the Salem Witch Trials. Andersen believes "The Crucible" does not properly portray the early disbeliefs in magic as madness.

    HWT

    1. Logic is the process of working through the implications of true statements.
    2. The Law of Excluded Middle is important in all philosophies and only differs in how much it is stressed.
    3. Aristotle believed humans to be distinguished by their rationality while Indian philosophy believes we are differentiated by our capacity for Dharma: the ability to distinguish right or wrong.
    4. Secular reason states that the mind works without supernatural assistance to help us understand the world and ourselves.
    5. Tension is reveled in secular reason by the debate of whether it will benefit us ethically or if it is just for the sake of science and not humanity.

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  3. LH

    1. “The most extreme skeptics avoided holding firm opinions on anything whatsoever.” Their main teaching was “Don’t commit, and you won’t be disappointed.” I think it is socratic but not in the most pure sense. It’s an extreme form of being socratic.
    2. Pyrrho knew that our senses deceive us from time to time so he decided not to trust them at all. I don’t think that such a decision would even be possible considering there are some autonomous systems of the body that utilize our senses.
    3. Pyrrho visited India as a young man. India’s history of spiritual teachers and guru’s going through extreme physical deprivation to achieve inner stillness could’ve definitely influenced him in how calm he was during traditionally stressful events.
    4. Pyrrho thought that “to be happy you should free yourself from desires and not care how things turn out.” The idea was that if you cant be certain of anything then you shouldn't be certain of anything and should go through life as it comes to you without any preferences or aversion. I think that if you live a life of healthy optimism then that is one way you could achieve freedom from worry.
    5. Most modern philosophers favor moderate skepticism because it allows you “to get closer to the truth, or at least reveal how little we know or can know.”

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    Replies
    1. FL

      1. Anne Hutchinson felt the truth “in her gut” that she was going to go to heaven. Many Americans have a similar confidence to their beliefs and self.
      2. Hutchinson and Williams helped invent American Individualism.
      3. In America the most prominent ideas were centered around beliefs in the supernatural, In Europe the leading minds were promoting naturalism.
      4. Some early Puritans thought that the Native Americans were Satan’s soldiers.
      5. Spectral evidence was allowed, meaning someone having a dream about you being a witch could be a witness against you in trial.

      HWT

      1. “Logic is simply the systematic working through of the implications of true statements.”
      2. The law of excluded middle.
      3. For Aristotle the distinctive thing about humanity was their rationality. Indian philosophy however emphasized the ability to recognize right and wrong.
      4. The mind works without supernatural assistance.
      5. The debate about the right relationship between science and ethics.

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  4. LH
    1. Most extreme skeptics differ from Plato and Aristotle because they avoided “holding firm opinions on anything whatsoever.” Their main teaching is “...best option, then, is to keep an open mind. Don’t commit, and you won’t be disappointed.” I think skeptics were Socratics to an extent in this regard.

    2. Pyrrho decided to never trust his senses because he believes that senses can sometimes mislead us. From my current understanding, I do not think it is a completely prudent decision because sensing is not the same as being knowing. “A fox may only be a cat,” said Pyrrho. Your senses knew that something was there but you didn’t (or even have to) exactly know what it was.

    3. Pyrrho visited India as a young man. Being in India could have influenced his philosophy because of the spiritual teachers and gurus that would put themselves through extreme physical deprivation to achieve inner stillness.

    4. Pyrrho’s extreme skepticism led to happiness because of his approach to life. Pyrrho states that knowing about the “ultimate nature of reality is impossible for human beings, avoid committing to any view and to “free yourself from desires and do not care about how things turn out.”

    5. Most philosophers favored moderate skepticism because it is about questioning assumptions and observing evidence without “attempting to live as if everything was in doubt all of the time.”

    FL
    1. Anne Hutchinson felt that she was “Heaven-bound” and what made her “so American” is her confidence and that she did not admit any self doubt.

    2. American individualism was invented by Hutchinson and Williams.

    3. America was described as a “primitive outlier.” Individual freedom of thought was about wanting freedom to believe in any supernaturalism.

    4. To some early Puritans, American Indians were “Satan’s soldiers.”

    5. Dreams and supernatural visions of witches and demons was an extraordinary form of evidence allowed at the Salem Witch Trials. Andersen thinks The Crucible was wrong about the portrayal of magic.

    HWT
    1. Logic is described as “simply the systematic working through of the implications of true statements.”

    2. The Law of Excluded Middle is important in all philosophies.

    3. Humans were distinguished by their rationality. Indian philosophy differs due to dharma.

    4. The mind works without supernatural assistance.

    5. There is a debate about if it is beneficial ethically or if it is for the purpose of science.

    Section 6.

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  5. Section 6

    2. Why did Pyrrho decide never to trust his senses? Is such a decision prudent or even possible?
    Pyrrho never trusted his senses because he thought our senses can be misleading. He thought his senses could be deceiving him and figured he would not trust them. I believe a decision like this is possible but I do not agree with this philosophy. I feel like you should trust your senses and not just ignore them.

    3. What country did Pyrrho visit as a young man, and how might it have influenced his philosophy?
    Pyrrho visited the country of India when he was a young man. India might have influenced Pyrrho because the country had lots of spiritual teachers or gurus that lived unusual lifestyles. They would put themselves through extreme physical deprivations, such as going weeks without food.

    5. In contrast to Pyrrho, most philosophers have favored a more moderate skepticism. Why?
    Most philosophers have adopted a moderate skepticism because they figured they did not need to be extreme as Pyrrho to be a skeptic. Instead, they believed the purpose of skepticism was to get closer to the truth, or at least to prove how little we truly know.

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  6. Section 9

    HWT

    1. According the How the World Thinks, Logic can be described as a process of determining true statements "working through the implications of true statements."

    2. The Law of Excluded Middle is a law that has some level of importance to all philosophies.

    3. As far as Aristotle believed, human distinction was based on rationality. Indian philosophy differed in their belief of human distinction, rather than rationality human distinction was based on Dharma.

    4. Secular reason states that the mind works without supernatural assistance.

    5. The biggest debate regarding secular reason is it's purpose, is it beneficial ethically or is it strictly for science.

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  7. Section 6
    LH
    1. Avoided holding firm questions. Don’t commit and you won’t be disappointed.
    2. He had often been misled by his senses, so he didn’t trust them anymore.
    3. India and maybe even encountered ataraxia
    4. To be happy you should free yourself from desires and detach yourself from everything
    5. To get closer to the truth

    FL
    6. She knew she was heaven bound. She was American because she was so confident in her beliefs being true.
    7. American individualism. The right to believe what you want to believe
    8. Before there were giants of rationalists whereas America was free to think of whatever supernatural beliefs they had
    9. Native Americans
    10. Spectral evidence. Supernatural visions of ghosts, demons, and witches as well as dreams.

    HWT
    11. The systematic working implication of truths
    12. The Law of Excluded Middle
    13. Rationality. Indian philosophy had darma, the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
    14. Supernatural assistance, to believe things naturally
    15. Whether it will benefit us ethically or scientifically

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  8. section 6

    LH
    1. The most extreme skeptics avoided holding firm beliefs on anything. Their main teaching was “Don’t commit and you won’t be disappointed.’ I do not find this to be very Socratic.

    2. Pyrhho decided to not trust his senses because he found them to be misleading. I find this to be a completely valid decision.

    3. Pyrhho visited India, which has a unique spiritual style that may have influenced his thoughts.

    4. Pyrhho found that his extreme skepticism would lead to happiness by freeing you from all worries. I think that freedom from all worries can also be achieved through similar schools of thought like meditation.

    5. Most philosophers favor a more reasonable level of skepticism as it allows them to get closer to the “truth”.

    FL
    1. Anne Hutchinso felt in her gut that she was Heaven-bound. Anne’s confidence is what made her "so American".

    2. Hutchinson and Roger Williams helped invent the idea of American individualism.

    3. 17th century European freedom of thought was more based in intillectualism, while American freedom of thought was centered more about supernaturalism.

    4. According to some early Puritans, Native Americans were referred to as "Satan's soldiers".

    5. The Salem witch trials allowed ‘spectral evidence’ to be used. Andersen think Arthur Miller's The Crucible was wrong about the pretext of the trials, saying that it was not just an exercise of confused power, but it came from a place of genuine supernatural fear.

    HWT
    1. Logic is simply the systematic working through of the implications of true statements.

    2. The Law of Excluded Middle is found in all schools of thought, though less important in eastern philosophies.

    3. For Aristotle, the distinctive thing about humanity is our rationality. Indian philosophy, however, differs on this point by saying we are defined by our ability to distinguish right from wrong.

    4. According to secular reason, the mind works without supernatural assistance.

    5. The debate of empiricism vs rationalism reveals a tension in secular reason.

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  9. Section 6

    LH
    1. They “ avoided holding firm opinions on anything whatsoever. “ Their main teaching was, “ The best option, then, is to keep an open mind. Don’t commit, and you won’t be disappointed.“ What was their main teaching? I think they were socratic because they believed no one knew anything.

    2. Because our senses quite often mislead us. I don't think this is truly possible, because we as people make mistakes, but by learning from them and actually trusting yourself you will know like don't do this because it can be a bad outcome. Our senses don't mislead, I don't think.

    3. Pyrrho visited India as a young man. India has a great tradition
    of spiritual teachers or gurus putting themselves through
    extreme and almost unbelievable physical deprivation: being
    buried alive, hanging weights from sensitive parts of their
    bodies, or living for weeks without food, to achieve inner still-
    ness.

    4. Pyrrho thought, “ to be happy you should free yourself from desires and not care about how things turn out. That is the right way to live. Recognize that nothing matters. That way nothing will affect your state of mind, which will be one of inner tranquillity.”

    5. Most philosophers have favored a more moderate skepticism, because, “The point of moderate philosophical scepticism is to get closer to the truth, or at least to reveal how little we know or can know.”

    FL - WAITING ON BOOK
    1. What did Anne Hutchinson feel "in her gut"? What makes her "so American"?

    2. What did Hutchinson and Roger Williams help invent?

    3. How was freedom of thought in 17th century America expressed differently than in Europe at the time?

    4. Who, according to some early Puritans, were "Satan's soldiers"?

    5. What extraordinary form of evidence was allowed at the Salen witch trials? What does Andersen think Arthur Miller's The Crucible got wrong about Salem?

    HWT
    1. Logic is the study of reasonings.

    2. The Law of Excluded Middle

    3. According to Aristotle, “ human beings are distinguished by their nationality.” Indians believed “ we are differentiated by our capacity for dharma, the ability to distinguish right or wrong and live accordingly.”

    4. The mind works without supernatural assistance to help us understand the world and ourselves.

    5. The debate about whether is it beneficial ethically or is it strictly for science.

    ReplyDelete