Philosopher's Guild Project Thread

Yo guys!
Thought I would finally start the thread. Here is my outline and then list of presentations. Whenever you collect your notes from your sections, post them here so we can be organized and so Jody can place everything into the powerpoint. Thanks! Savannah. :)

Intro to Monty Python and Philosophy

Chapter 2: Philosophical Aspects of Monty Python

Heresy
-After the success of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the crew was uncertain about what to do for their next project
-They decided on Biblical humor (soon to be Life of Brian) but decided that they all basically liked Jesus and did not necessarily want to make fun of him; instead, they decided to make fun of..
---people's eagerness to believe
---religious smugness
---justified violence
---anthropomorphism (belief in a human-like god)
-They stressed the importance of
---healthy skepticism
---individual decision making

Humanism 
-The importance of individual thought is also highlighted in Life of Brian
-Brian's philosophy can even be seen as a kind of existentialism (the belief that humans have no intrinsic purpose and must instead find or make their own)
---other philosopher's who support this view are Nietzsche, Sartre, Kierkegaard, and Kant
-Brian's teachings also comment that improving the lives of other humans around his should also be a main focus in life--this is the philosophy of humanism
-Main Idea: "Think for yourselves, don't blindly follow."

Heroism 
-Relies heavily on Camus
---one should not wait for a God-given purpose but find their own purpose in life
-Life is hopeless at times, so humor acts as "a counterweight to nihilism"
-Brian acts as a hero as he laughs at the absurd and "tries to do good" despite all the odds stacked against him--"he is sincere, and he makes for himself a life that gains meaning through his own decisions," reflecting heroism in the face of adversity

Here are the list of essays which will be discussed during the presentation:

Anna-- Essay 6: "A Very Naughty Boy: Getting Right with Brian"
Jody-- Essay 13: "Monty Python and the Search for the Meaning of Life"
Evan-- Essay 7: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Philosophy, Gender, and Society"
Kyle-- Essay 12: "Madness in Monty Python's Flying Circus"
Dravin--Essay 14: "Existentialism in Monty Python: Kafka, Camus, Nietzsche, and Sartre
Graham-- Essay 11: "Monty Python and David Hume on Religion"

17/1 - The Nameless 8: Presentation Business

I figured this would be easier than trying to ping-pong around emails to get everyone on the same page.

I've just sent the PDF for our book out, so everyone take a look at it and leave a comment here by tomorrow afternoon letting me know what you're planning on presenting. So far, Chapters 6, 8, 12, and 19 have already been claimed.

Remember, our group is going Wednesday! Good luck!

17.3 Report Summary Repost

The topic of our group report is philosophy and superheroes, which is the reversed title of the book that we are reading. In the report we are focussing on two parts: part one and three. Each member of the group has picked a chapter and our group has separated into two sub-groups to be more productive. Avery has been assigned chapters 12 and 13, LaShunda to chapter 1, Anthony to chapter 4, Nathan to chapter 14, John to chapter 16, myself to chapter 2, Rachel to chapter 15, and Tyler to chapter 3. We each have read our chapters and posted summaries on them. Now our goal is to each have created a few slides about our chapter to combine on Monday and get the project rolling. I will unfortunately not be able to make it to class on that day (but I promise I'm not a slacker). Though we will all be doing our parts, Anthony, Tyler, John, and Nathan will be the ones doing the actual speaking. Anthony will post the link below if any of you would like to read the chapters yourselves or see what each of our topics are about!

Section 16, Group 2

Today we took a test and then met up briefly to dicuss our group project just a bit more. We plan to meet up Thursday around/after 5. I'm guessing we'll probably meet at the library.

More announcements

(Couldn't get my announcements "sticky note" to work...)

Remember, group report summaries/reading lists need to be posted (or re-posted, if they've gotten buried by exam study guides etc.) by Tue Oct. 1.

A reminder to assist your report research: check the sites & links listed below...

We'll be starting new scorecards next week. If anybody wants to shuffle over into a new group, that'll be a good time to make the official move. (But you'll still have to fulfill your current group report obligations, of course.)

ALL HONORS QUESTIONS (FINAL/CONDENSED)

What was Anselm's main idea?

God exists simply from the idea that we have a God.

What is one of Augustine's most famous works?

Confessions of St. Augustine

Which Stoic philosopher began life as a slave?

Epictetus

Who believed that fear of death was a state of mind to be overcome?

Epicurus

The word 'philosopher' comes from the Greek word meaning what?

love of wisdom


Who taught Socrates "everything he knows about love?"

The priestess Diotima.

The root ethika is understood to mean?

The study of character

Who is the philosopher that lobbied heavily for philosophers to be able to practice as therapists?

Lou Marinoff

What successful conqueror was thought to have been taught by Aristotle?

Alexander the Great

When did Pyrrho live?

365-270 BC
9

 What was Aristotle's school in Athens called?

-The Lyceum

What was Pyrrho's philosophy?

-Skepticism


What was Augustine's philosophy?

-Christianity

What was the name of Aristotle's doctrine, which claims that every virtue lies between to extremes?

-The Golden Mean

What are experimental philosophers called?

-x-phi'ers

How was Socrates executed?

-He was forced to drink hemlock


A Stoic believed the ideal life was to live in a highly populated area. True or false?

-False; A Stoic's ideal life would be to live in isolation, as a recluse


 Which of the Roman emperors did Seneca tutor?

-Nero

Who pushed philosophy to becoming a full fledges discipline? 

William James

Why was Socrates executed?

He was seen as a corrupting influence to the youth.

How many literary works and teachings did Socrates write?

Absolutely nothing, Socrates himself never wrote down anything, most of what we have is from Plato

Why did philosophy become stunted after the death of Aristotle? 

For years afterwards, people thought Aristotle was right about everything so they quit trying to think and disprove his theories even when some were incorrect

Who argued that the fear of death was a waste of time and based on bad logic? 

Epicurus

What was Cicero's philosophy called? 

Stoicism

What are the stoics most famous for according to A Little History of Philosophy? 

mental control

What was the painted porch in Athens where the philosophers used to meet called? 

Stoa

Who wrote the Leviathan?

 Thomas Hobbs

What was the name of Machiavelli's play? 

Mandragola (Mandrake)

NO SOX (Section 17 Group 2)

Hey NO SOX! I hope its been a good weekend for everyone. In our last discussion, everyone got assigned their groups. Each group needs to comment 2 books about their philosophers so I can put it in the summery.


This is David Xayabudda
Go NO SOX!

Study Guide update

SUN p.m. In addition to the questions/topics based on your FQs, the exam may also include questions pertaining to Peirce, James, Rawls, Cavell, doubt, free will, and justice.

The extra credit options on the exam:

• Explain, in light of the “School of Athens” painting which depicts Plato and Aristotle, the main difference between their philosophies. Which of them said “Form” (Essence, Idea, Universal) is transcendent? Which said we should study the natural world in order to understand the “forms “of things? Which view do you consider more appealing? Why? 
  OR,
• George Santayana said “God does not exist, and Mary is his mother”; and “Scepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer.” What do you think he meant? Do you agree? Why or why not?
  OR supply your own discussion question.

==

SUN a.m. Stealing a minute from Parents' Weekend to check in. Some groups still haven't integrated their 10 FQs into the study guide, I've updated it as best I could.

May I suggest: in the future, all group posts should be headlined with Section/Group #s in front of the post heading. For instance: "16/1: exam #1 study guide, short list"

A reminder, to assist your report research: check the sites & links listed at the bottom of our CoPhi homepage.

==

#16-
The A Team - Section 16

Review Questions for Exam:

1. What was Aristotle's Philosophical School called? (Lyceum)

2. Which philosopher said "Death is not an event in life"? (Epicurus)

3. Did Augustine believe in God? (Yes)

4. What was Cicero's philosophical view? (Stoicism)

5. What philosopher wrote the book Proslogion? (Anselm)

6. What did Machiavelli like to write about the most? (Politics)

7. Who was Machiavelli's hero among the Roman Emperors? (Septimius Severus)

8. Who was one of England's greatest political thinkers? (Thomas Hobbes)

9. What is Niccolo Machiavelli's most famous work? (The Prince)

10. What was Augustine's solution to why moral evil exists? (Free Will)

==

Kristin Barton6:28 PM CDT

Here's Group 16, Section 2's study guide:

1. In what book did Thomas Aquinas outline his five arguments for the existence of God? (Summa Theologica)

2. What is theodicy? (an attempt to explain and defend how a good God could allow suffering)

3. Where was Augustine born? (Tagaste, in present-day Algeria)

4. What does Eudaimonia stand for in English? (Happiness)

5. Boethius wrote "De consolatione philosophiae" where? (prison)

6. What British philosopher founded Utilitarianism? [ Jeremy Bentham]

7. How did Boethius' luck change? (He was accused of plotting against Theodoric)

8. "The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct." Which philosopher said that? (Cicero)

9. What is the name of Cicero's book? (On Old Age)

10. Who believed, " Americans could have an original relations to the universe"? [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

Grp 3 - 110 Study Guide Q&A's for Exam 1

  

1. Pyrrho believed that we cannot trust our senses.
2. Where was Epicurus born? Samos, an island in the Aegean Sea 
3. Who was the first African-American to hold a "regular" job in the Ivy League? William Fontaine
4. Who pioneered philosophical counseling? Gerd Achenback
5. What does the term ethika mean? The study of character.
6. What does "eros" mean? Erotic Love
7. Who was Aristotle's teacher? Plato 
8. What was Aristotle's primary area of study? Ethics
9. Which country did Pyrrho visit that inspired his unusual lifestyle? India
10. What was Epicurus' school of philosophy commonly known as? The Garden

________________________________________________________________________________

Questions? Concerns? Corrections? Comment below. 

- Tink ;-)

#17

Grp 1-Nameless 8 study guide (revised)

here is our groups ten best

Q: What was aquinas' ontological argument? 

A: "faith seeking understanding,"

Q: What was the name of the woman looking down on Boethius?

 A: Philosophy

Q: Did Augustine have any beliefs in a higher power?

 A: Yes, he believed in God, and was a Christian

Q: What is the name of the biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson written by Robert D. Richardson Jr.?

A: A Mind on Fire.

Q: Who said "Death is not an event in life"?

A: Ludwig Wittgenstein

Q: What is APA?

A:  American Philosophical Association

Q: Aristotle's ethics are based most of all on what concept?

 A: happiness

Q: Who came first second and third? out of Aristotle Plato and Socrates?

 A: Socrates, Plato , then Aristotle

Q: How was Socrates killed?

 A: Drinking hemlock.

Q: Who was the Canadian philosopher that lobbied for philosophers to be able to practice therapy?

A: Lou Marinoff

good luck guys, and may the force be with you.

Section 16 Study Guides?

Hello, class! I have found Group 2 & 3's Condensed 10 Question Study Guides... but I cannot find Group 1's. Can anyone link me or give me the title of the post?

Thanks!
Hailey

Combined Study Guide for Section 17

Below is  listed all 28 questions from all 3 groups in Section 17. Hope this helps everyone study for the exam on Monday. If there are answers that are not correct please just comment the correct answer(s) with question(s) below. There are only 28 questions because 2 questions were asked twice from different groups. So, I took the ones that were duplicate out.

Study Guide for Section 17

Q: What was aquinas' ontological argument? 

A: "Faith seeking understanding,"

Q: What was the name of the woman looking down on Boethius?

A: Philosophy

Q: Did Augustine have any beliefs in a higher power?

A: Yes, he believed in God, and was a Christian

Q: What is the name of the biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson written by Robert D. Richardson Jr.?

A: A Mind on Fire.

Q: Who said "Death is not an event in life"?

A: Ludwig Wittgenstein

Q: What is APA?

A:  American Philosophical Association

Q: Aristotle's ethics are based most of all on what concept?

A: Happiness

Q: Who came first second and third? out of Aristotle Plato and Socrates?

A: Socrates, Plato , then Aristotle

Q: Who was the Canadian philosopher that lobbied for philosophers to be able to practice therapy?

A: Lou Marinoff

Q: Which early stoic was a slave? 

A: Epictetus

Q: According to Cicero, what are four main problems of growing old and what is his 

attitude toward death?

A: (A) It gets harder to work, the body becomes weaker, joy in 

physical pleasure goes, and death is close, (B) Cicero believed that the soul lived forever and we should both accept the natural process of growing older and not be pessimistic. 

Q: When did Pyrrho actually live? 

A: 365C-270BC

Q: Why was Epicuris not popular in Athens? 

A: He became something of a cult leader

Q: What is Pyrrho's approach to life? 

A: We cannot trust the senses because they can be mislead

Q: How did Socrates die? 

A: He was forced to drink poison made from Hemlock

Q: Who was Socrate's star pupil?

A: Plato

Q: What is the Platonic Dialogs? 

A: A series of conversations between Socrates and the people he questioned

Q: Cicero was a philosopher, lawyer and? 

A: Politician 

Q: What was the name of Aristotle's school and where was it? 

A: The Lyceum, Athens

Q: What was the name of Epicurus' "school"?

A: The Garden

Q: Which stoic philosopher wrote a book titled "On Old Age"?

A: Cicero

Q: What does it mean to be philosophical?

A: It means to accept what you cannot change

Q: What was Augustine's real name?

A: Aurelius Agustinus

Q: Where was Boethius when he wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy"?

A: In prison awaiting execution

Q: What is the attempt to explain and defend how a good God could allow suffering?

A: Theodicy 

Q: What title did Anselm and Aquinas share?

A: They were both saints

Q: What was the title of the argument that Aquinas took up that stated existence had a definitive beginning?

A: First Cause Argument

Q: What did Aristotle consider the two virtues of character?

A: self-regarding and other-regarding