1. What did John Rawls call the thought experiment he believed would yield fair and just principles, and what was its primary device?
2. Under what circumstances would Rawls' theory permit huge inequalities of wealth between people?
3. What was the Imitation Game, and who devised a thought experiment to oppose it?
4. What, according to Searle, is involved in truly understanding something?
5. How do some philosophers think we might use computers to achieve immortality?
6. What does Peter Singer say we should sacrifice, to help strangers?
7. Why did Singer first become famous?
8. How does Singer represent the best tradition in philosophy?
2. Under what circumstances would Rawls' theory permit huge inequalities of wealth between people?
3. What was the Imitation Game, and who devised a thought experiment to oppose it?
4. What, according to Searle, is involved in truly understanding something?
5. How do some philosophers think we might use computers to achieve immortality?
6. What does Peter Singer say we should sacrifice, to help strangers?
7. Why did Singer first become famous?
8. How does Singer represent the best tradition in philosophy?
FL
1. What historical "rhyme" resulted when the legal end of white supremacy was in sight in the early 1960s?
2. What fabricated story did President Reagan tell the Israeli Prime Minister?
3. What "reversion" occurred after the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated?
4. What has the Internet done for the proponents of unreason?
5. 80% of Americans say they never doubt what?
6. What did Pope John Paul II say about evolution in 1996? What did Pope Francis say about Genesis in 2014?
WGU
1. After Plato, the next philosopher to turn his attention to the details of child-rearing was who?
2. What's the first step of human reason, according to Kant?
3. If we have hope for moral progress, what do we want for the next generation?
4. What was Orwell's nightmare?
5. What "perfidious reversal leaves us permanently confused"?
6. What are you committed to, if you're committed to Enlightenment?
7. What is freedom, according to Rousseau and Kant?
5. What "perfidious reversal leaves us permanently confused"?
6. What are you committed to, if you're committed to Enlightenment?
7. What is freedom, according to Rousseau and Kant?
8. What's the key to whether or not we grow up?
Discussion Questions
WGU
WGU
- Should philosophers pay more attention to child-rearing and parenting? 36
- What do you think Cicero meant by saying that philosophy is learning to die?
- Do you feel fully empowered to "choose your life's journey"? If not, what obstacles prevent that? 37
- In what ways do you think your parents' occupations influence the number of choices you'll be able to make in your life?
- If you've read 1984 and Brave New World, which do you find the more "seductive dystopia"? 39
- Are we confused about toys and dreams? 40
- Do others make the most important decisions for you? 41
- Do you "make a regular appointment with your body"? 42
- Do you trust anyone over 30? 45
- Is it "reasonable to expect justice and joy"? 49
- Are you "committed to Enlightenment"? 51
- Do the passions for glory and luxury make us wicked and miserable? 53
- What does it mean to say there are no atheists in foxholes? Is it true? 54
- Was Rousseau right about inequality and private property? 55
- Should philosophy be taught to children, so as to become thinking adults? 57
- Should children "yield to the commands of other people"? 61
- Should parents "let the child wail"?
- Are Rousseau and Kant right about the true definition of freedom? 62
- Is Rousseau right about desire? 65
- Did Rousseau's abandonment of his children discredit his thoughts on child-rearing? 69 Or show him to be a hypocrite for saying no task in the world is more important than raising a child properly? 72
American moral philosopher and author, Susan Neiman, talks us about why we have been tricked to think we are happiest when we are young and why it is we need to grow up. Watch the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeNQV... Institute of Art & Ideas
==
Arts & Letters Daily search results for “john rawls” (3)
2017-10-25 | John Rawls called it "the best of all games"; Mark Kingwell calls it "the most philosophical of games." What is it about baseball and philosophy? more »
2018-09-04 | What's the meaning of freedom? Isaiah Berlin, John Rawls, and Robert Nozick disagreed on much. But they all emphasized universal values over group identity more »
2018-08-24 | The famously liberal philosopher John Rawls has been recast as a sharp critic of capitalism. If Rawls really was a socialist, why was he so reticent about it? more »
Arts & Letters Daily search results for “ alan turing” (2)
2012-12-22 | Alan Turing was a courageous, patriotic, but sad, unconventional man. He was also gay. Can homosexuality help explain his genius? more »
2014-01-01 | Alan Turing predicted that computers would be able to think by 2000. No dice. Not even close. We still don't understand what thinking is more »
Arts & Letters Daily search results for “john searle” (2)
2015-04-18 | John Searle has a bone to pick with Bacon, Descartes, Locke, and Kant. He blames them for the basic mistake of modern epistemology more »
2015-06-23 | Everything you know about perception is wrong – and it’s the fault of Western philosophers, starting with Descartes. Or so John Searle would have you think more »
“I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.”
“I'm afraid that the following syllogism may be used by some in the future:
Turing believes machines think
Turing lies with men
Therefore machines do not think."
LA Theater Worksw dramatization, "Breaking the Code" - recording
==
Jaron Lanier on the future of virtual reality etc. - and he says AI is not a thing... On Point 11.29.17... Dawn of the New Everything
==
“To protest about bullfighting in Spain, the eating of dogs in South Korea, or the slaughter of baby seals in Canada while continuing to eat eggs from hens who have spent their lives crammed into cages, or veal from calves who have been deprived of their mothers, their proper diet, and the freedom to lie down with their legs extended, is like denouncing apartheid in South Africa while asking your neighbors not to sell their houses to blacks.”
==
Jaron Lanier on the future of virtual reality etc. - and he says AI is not a thing... On Point 11.29.17... Dawn of the New Everything
==
“To protest about bullfighting in Spain, the eating of dogs in South Korea, or the slaughter of baby seals in Canada while continuing to eat eggs from hens who have spent their lives crammed into cages, or veal from calves who have been deprived of their mothers, their proper diet, and the freedom to lie down with their legs extended, is like denouncing apartheid in South Africa while asking your neighbors not to sell their houses to blacks.”
“If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?”
“The notion that human life is sacred just because it is human life is medieval.”
“If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it.”
“To give preference to the life of a being simply because that being is a member of our species would put us in the same position as racists who give preference to those who are members of their race.”
Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the speciesist ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter, and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics. -”
“Philosophy ought to question the basic assumptions of the age. Thinking through, critically and carefully, what most of us take for granted is, I believe, the chief task of philosophy, and the task that makes philosophy a worthwhile activity.”
- Out for
#GivingTuesday, Animal Charity Evaluators has a new list of recommended organizations working for animals: animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/introduci…
 | Peter Singer (@PeterSinger) |
"Philosophy Changing Lives" - an interview with me on Why? Radio: goo.gl/ztR4m9 | |
Arts & Letters Daily search results for “peter singer” (3)
2011-01-01 | For Peter Singer, the defining idea of the coming decade will be the Internet, which will democratize education, economics, and the media more »
2010-01-01 | Abhorring animal cruelty does not entail the idea that all animals, humans included, sit at the same moral level. Peter Singer has an argument to answer more »
2015-07-07 | Where morality meets rationalism. Is Peter Singer’s “effective altruism” the apotheosis of ethics, or an unempathetic, politically naive, elitist doctrine? more »
Section #9
ReplyDeleteLH:
1. The primary device of the "The Original Position" was choosing without knowing your place.
2. Inequalities in wealth were only permitted if the lowest paid workers benefited directly and given an increase in pay.
3. The Imitation Game is a test any computer must go through to be considered "intelligent." John Searle's Chinese Room opposed this.
4. Semantics is involved in true understanding.
5. Some philosophers believe one day we will be able to transfer peoples minds into computers.
6. Singer believed we should give up a few luxuries that we do not need to help others.
7. Singer first became famous from his books on the treatment of animals.
8. Singer is constantly challenging widely help assumptions.
FL:
1. White southerners displayed confederate flags as a historic "rhyme" to the legal end of white supremacy.
2. Reagan told the Israeli Prime Minister that he often refers to the Old Testament and believes their generation will be the one to witness Armageddon.
3. After the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine, America reverted to a "narrower, factional, partisan discourse." (pg. 259)
4. The internet equips and supports all proponents of unreason.
5. 80% of all Americans never doubt the existence of God.
6. In 1996, Pope John Paul II said evolution was more than a hypothesis. In 2014, Pope Francis said that when reading Genesis we imagine God as a magician who is capable of everything when he is not.
WGU:
1. After Plato, Rousseau was the next to turn attention to child-rearing.
2. Kant said the first step to human reasoning was realizing humans are able to choose their life's journey.
3. If we have hope for moral progress, we want the next generations to be better then us.
4. Orwell's nightmare was direct control from the government. (Big Brother)
5. Ideas of a more just world becoming childish dreams is a "perfidious reversal" that leaves us confused.
6. If you're committed to Enlightenment. then you are committed to understanding the world so that you can improve it.
7. Rousseau and Kant believe freedom if the ability to obey a law you give yourself.
8. "How we react is the key to whether or not we grow up." (pg. 77)
Kloey Jackson 006
ReplyDeleteLH
1. He called it "The Original Position" and it's primary device is choosing without knowing your place.
2. The only time inequalities in wealth were permitted is of the "worst-off" benefited directly from it.
3. The Imitation Game was created by Alan Turing to test computers intelligence.
4. Semantics
5. By uploading our minds into a computer
6. He believed we should give up some luxuries in order to help those in need.
7. For challenging widely believed and controversial views.
8. By asking the awkward and challenging questions.
WGU
1. Rousseau
2. "the realization that humans have the capacity to choose their life's journey..."
3. "we want the next generation to be better than us."
4. Direct control from the government.
5."ideas of a more just and humane world are portrayed has childish dreams"
6. "understanding the world in order to improve it."
7. According to Kant and Rousseau,"it's the capacity to obey a law that you give to yourself"
8. "How we react..."
7.
Section #9
ReplyDeleteWGU
1. Rousseau was after Plato in talking about child-rearing.
2. Kant said the first step of human reason is, "the realization that human beings have the capacity to choose their life’s journey."
3. We want the next generation to be better than we are morally.
4. Orwell feared totalitarianism.
5. The paradox that people with a lot of cars or things like smartphones are considered grown up, while people that have ideas for a more just or humane world are thought of as the dreams of a child.
LH
ReplyDelete1. Rawls called it the “The Original Position.” The primary device was to design a better society without knowing your position.
2. Rawls thought that those that were gifted or intelligent should not be paid more because Rawls did not see the connection of being good at something and deserving more.
3. It is known as the Turing test for artificial intelligence and was originally called the Imitation Game. John Searle made a thought experiment that opposed it.
4. Semantics is involved.
5. Some philosophers think that we could upload our minds/brains to computers.
6. In order to help others, Singer believed we should sacrifice unnecessary luxuries.
7. Singer had influential books about the treatment of animals.
8. Singer challenges widely held assumptions. Singer also supports his conclusions with reasonable arguments and facts.
FL
1. Some white Southerners displayed Confederate symbols as a historical “rhyme.”
2. President Reagan said that he references the Old Testament and the signs of an Armageddon happening soon.
3. After the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated, a new “American laissez-faire” was declared. A reversion to a “narrower, factional, partisan discourse” was being enabled.
4. It entitles and equips the proponents of unreason.
5. Most Americans never doubted the existence of God.
6. Pope John Paul II said it was more than a hypothesis. Pope Francis says we imagine God as a magician when it is not true.
Section 6.
LH
ReplyDelete1. What did John Rawls call the thought experiment he believed would yield fair and just principles, and what was its primary device? The Original Position’ – that plays down some of the selfish biases we all have. In his case to investigate the nature of justice and the best principles for organizing society.
2. Under what circumstances would Rawls' theory permit huge inequalities of wealth between people? Inequalities in wealth were only permitted if the lowest-paid worker benefits directly and receives an increased amount of money.
3. What was the Imitation Game, and who devised a thought experiment to oppose it? The Imitation Game is a test that any such computer would have to pass. This has come to be known as the Turing Test for artificial intelligence but he originally called it the Imitation Game. John Searle's Chinese Room opposed this.
4. What, according to Searle, is involved in truly understanding something? Semantics is involved in true understanding.
5. How do some philosophers think we might use computers to achieve immortality? Some philosophers believe one day we will be able to transfer peoples minds into computers.
6. What does Peter Singer say we should sacrifice, to help strangers? So we should give up one or two of the luxuries that we don’t really need in order to help people who are unfortunate about where they were born.
7. Why did Singer first become famous? Singer first became famous because of his influential books about the treatment of animals, especially Animal Liberation.
8. How does Singer represent the best tradition in philosophy? he has challenged several widely held views.
Section 6
DeleteSection 6
DeleteWGU
1. After Plato, the next philosopher to turn his attention to the details of child-rearing was who? Rousseau
2. What's the first step of human reason, according to Kant? According to Kant, the first step to human reasoning was realizing humans are able to choose their life's journey.
3. If we have hope for moral progress, what do we want for the next generation? We want the next generation to be better than we are morally.
4. What was Orwell's nightmare? Orwell feared totalitarianism.
5. What "perfidious reversal leaves us permanently confused"? Ideas of a more just and humane world are portrayed has childish dreams.
6. What are you committed to, if you're committed to Enlightenment? “If you're committed to Enlightenment. then you are committed to understanding the world so that you can improve it.”
7. What is freedom, according to Rousseau and Kant? According to Kant and Rousseau,”it's the capacity to obey a law that you give to yourself.”
8. What's the key to whether or not we grow up? “How we react is the key to whether or not we grow up.”
Section 6
ReplyDeleteLH
1. “The Original Principle” and the primary device was to choose the fairest principles without knowing your place in society.
2. Unequal amounts of wealth would only be permitted if it directly benefitted the worst off.
3. The imitation game was a test to measure the intelligence of a computer. John Searle came up with the Chinese Room to oppose it.
4. Semantics
5. They think that if computers really can think like a brain then maybe one day we can upload the content of our brain onto a computer.
6. “So we should give up one or two of the luxuries that we don’t really need in order to help people...”
7. He first become famous because of his books about the treatment of animals.
8. “He is constantly challenging widely held assumptions.”
Little History Questions
ReplyDelete1. What did John Rawls call the thought experiment he believed would yield fair and just principles, and what was its primary device?
John Rawls called it “The Original Position,” and its primary device was choosing without knowing your own place. From this device, he developed his theory of justice.
2. Under what circumstances would Rawls' theory permit huge inequalities of wealth between people?
I could not find this answer, but I understand that John Rawls wanted an equal distribution of wealth and would disagree that sporting ability and/or intelligence grants you additional wealth.
3. What was the Imitation Game, and who devised a thought experiment to oppose it?
The Imitation Game, now referred to as the Turing Test, is a test of the skills a computer has in cracking codes and becoming more intelligent - I see it as creating a more successful artificial intelligence. John Searle devised a thought experiment to oppose it.
4. What, according to Searle, is involved in truly understanding something?
I found that truly understanding something to Searle involves thinking. In comparison to computers, Searle does not think that computers understand the codes or programs humans instill, because they do not think, while humans do and actively try to understand things.
5. How do some philosophers think we might use computers to achieve immortality?
Some philosophers think that the human mind is just like a computer program, and believe that we might use computers to achieve immortality by advancing technology and transferring the minds from people’s brains into computers.
6. What does Peter Singer say we should sacrifice, to help strangers?
Singer says we should sacrifice one of two luxuries that we don’t really need to help people who are less fortunate. Additionally, this does not mean to just simply contribute money, but that we should contribute to the charities that are most likely to benefit the worst off in the world in the way that will empower them to live independently.
7. Why did Singer first become famous?
He first became famous because of his influential books about the treatment of animals, specifically “Animal Liberation.”
8. How does Singer represent the best tradition in philosophy?
It is said that he represents the best tradition in philosophy in these ways. Singer constantly challenges widely held assumptions. His philosophy affects how he lives, and when he disagrees with other people, he is always prepared to challenge the opinions of those he finds around him - always engaging in public discussion.
Fantasyland Questions
ReplyDelete1. What historical "rhyme" resulted when the legal end of white supremacy was in sight in the early 1960s?
The historical “rhyme” of Confederate symbols resulted, which references the South losing the Civil War.
2. What fabricated story did President Reagan tell the Israeli Prime Minister?
President Reagan told the Israeli Prime Minister the lie that he was deployed to Europe at the end of the war to film concentration camps.
3. What "reversion" occurred after the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated?
The “reversion” of a new American laissez-faire had been officially declared after the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated. It became acceptable again for incorrect and preposterous assertions to circulate in our massive mass media, keeping believers riled up and feeling the excitement.
4. What has the Internet done for the proponents of unreason?
It is stated that the Internet, while becoming the marketplace of ideas getting exponentially bigger and freer, the reinforcement of false beliefs and assembling communities of the “utterly deluded,” construct a parallel universe that looks and feels perfectly real, when it is in fact the exact opposite.
5. 80% of Americans say they never doubt what?
80% of Americans say they never doubt the existence of God.
6. What did Pope John Paul II say about evolution in 1996? What did Pope Francis say about Genesis in 2014?
Pope John Paul II is quoted, “Evolution discovered in different scholarly disciplines is more than a hypothesis,” concluding that he is strongly in favor of the scientific consensus about how life works and humans came to be. In 2014, the Pope said that in reading the creation in Genesis, “we run the risk of imagining God was a magician with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so.”
Why Grow Up? Questions
1. After Plato, the next philosopher to turn his attention to the details of child-rearing was who?
Rousseau
2. What's the first step of human reason, according to Kant?
The realization that human beings have the capacity to choose their life’s journey, unlike other animals, which are bound to just one.
3. If we have hope for moral progress, what do we want for the next generation?
We want the next generation to be better than we are.
4. What was Orwell's nightmare?
I could not find this answer.
5. What "perfidious reversal leaves us permanently confused"?
The text reveals that a more just and humane world is portrayed as childish dreams to be discarded in favor of the real business of acquiring “toys,” or rather, finding a steady job that fixes our place in the consumer economy, and this is the perfidious reversal that leaves us permanently confused.
6. What are you committed to, if you're committed to Enlightenment?
If you’re committed to Enlightenment, you are committed to understanding the world in order to improve it.
7. What is freedom, according to Rousseau and Kant?
Rousseau and Kant tell us that freedom is the capacity to obey a law that you give to yourself.
8. What's the key to whether or not we grow up?
The key is how we react to things.
WGU section #9
ReplyDelete1. Rousseau
2. skepticism about what we were told and took as absolute truth when we were children. When we are able to step back and wonder if something is true or not, we are growing in maturity.
Section 009
ReplyDeleteLH
1.) John Rawls called the thought experiment the 'The Original Position'. its primary device was choosing without knowing your own place.
3.) The limitation game in 1950 was a test that any computer would have to pass. Searle opposed it.
4.) According to Searle, thoughts have to relate to in various ways to the world and you have to mean things when you say it in order to truly understand something.
5.) Some philosophers think we will one day be able to transfer our minds to a computer to achieve immortality.
6.) Peter Singer thinks we should sacrifice a couple luxuries in order to help strangers
7.)Singer first became famous for his influential books about the treatment of animals.