Prompts: Choose one of the prompts posted below
Length: 200-300 words
How to write a philosophical paper
- Try to be as clear as possible. Remember that philosophy is about trying to better understand a subject. Make sure that your writing supports this endeavor.
- Don’t try to sound important. It is better to write simply and accurately.
- Cite parts of the text to support what you are saying. (For this paper, DO NOT cite outside sources.)
- Use examples from the text to support your writing. (This bullet point is in case you missed the previous one!)
- Try to write TO someone. Imagine that you are writing the paper for a member of this class to read. Make sure that they would understand it and make sure that you explain what you are thinking to them.
Is the a right and wrong answer in philosophy? Maybe not, but there are certainly some answers which are better than others. Make sure that you say what you mean to say, and that you say it clearly. Also, ANSWER THE PROMPT. For example, if the prompt says "How does Socrates..." I want to know just that. I don't want to know what you happen to think about a certain topic that Socrates happens to mention in the diaglogue!
Extra Credit: You get extra credit by posting your assignment on this blog (under the appropriate prompt) by the beginning of class on Wednesday. Make sure, however, that you remember to bring a hard copy with you to class on Wednesday.
4 comments:
Beheen Razawi 9.11.2007
Philosophy Writing Assignment 1 – Euthyphro
Question: Could we ever create “dictionary definition “ of piety that would be satisfying to Socrates? Is piety the type of thing, which can be defined by criteria? ( If so, what is the criteria? If not, why? )
To answer this question, one must understand the time and place of this age-old question. Socrates lived in ancient Greece. Most of his questions have to do with religion, belief, and the “people’s” view on it. (page 6; 5F: “SOCRATES: So tell me then, what is the pious and what the impious, do you say?”)
During this time, the Greek people believe in “the Gods.” Priests existed then and preached, like all other priests, today, the so called “word” of “the Gods;” their “job.” But, without having a clear, blunt written document or tablet or anything that could show what that “word” that dictates what is pious and impious, Socrates and all other people would have a vague and unclear understanding of the subjects.
So, ( THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION ) if one is a believer of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any religion that follows a book or established law to judge what is pious and impious; one would have a clear understanding of the two. But, if one was to be around in the ancient Greek time, without a book or anything to tell one exactly what is pious and impious, they obviously would not know. So, my conclusion is that Socrates could never have a dictionary definition, that can be defined by criteria, for piety because a) he is dead. And b) his faith did not allow him to. There was no rule or set law for piety and impiety
Socrates' Method for Executing Philosophy in Euthyphro
In Euthyphro, Plato gives an example of Socrates' methods of philosophy through a conversation with the title character. The dialogue format provides a strong contrast between the intentions and approach of both participants, which puts those of Socrates in sharp relief. Euthyphro represents the absolute opposite of Socrates in the way he approaches philosophy, because beginning with a conclusion in mind and then attempting to justify it through supplementary evidence. Even this attempt is prompted only by Socrates' questioning, so that without this Euthyphro would continue to be confident in his ability to “show ... very clearly” (9b) what Socrates proves he is in fact unable to show. Even when Socrates declares outright that he is seeking to be led to the same conclusion Euthyphro chose to originate from, by saying “If you can give me adequate proof of this, I shall never cease to extol your wisdom” (9b), Euthyphro ignores the fact that this demonstration is a task he should have anticipated, instead choosing to cling more firmly to his unfounded certainty.
Socrates takes the opposite approach to a conclusion. Through his questions he seeks to establish the logical steps which led to Euthyphro's view. He begins the thought pattern at the foundation, by attempting to establish the points which support an overall idea. Thus he establishes a method of philosophy in which all of the evidence leading to a conclusion has first been carefully analyzed, so that the end result itself is something one could easily lead another to believe by having them follow this same process. Ideally the process would inevitably arrive at the same conclusion, thus requiring the careful analysis of each step.
Prompt:
Could we ever create a “dictionary definition” of piety that would be satisfying to Socrates? Is piety the type of thing, which can be defined by criteria? (If so, what are the criteria? If not, why not?)
No, because what Socrates is looking for is a definition that can be applied to every type of situation that involves justice and doing what is right, and it is impractical that such a definition can ever be found—one that suitably fits every situation that will have something to do with integrity and righteousness. I think that piety is something that can’t be defined by criteria because there can never be a scale for something as complex as piety because its definition differs from person to person. For example, in Euthyphro Euthyphro is executing his father for a murder that he committed. Some people might think that this is wrong because they might feel that its wrong for a progeny to punish the parent, no matter what the case may be, whether it be murder or stealing. Because some people might believe that blood is the strongest form of bond a person can have and that you should never turn your back on family, because to them, that is the definition of piety—to always protect and take care of your family, even when they do something remorseful like murder.
But others might feel that yes, Euthyphro is doing the right thing because crime is crime, no matter who committed it, whether it be your father or a stranger you’ve never seen before, and that the felon should be punished.
So, there really can’t be an exact, specific, explicit definition to what piety really means because the meaning will differ from situation to situation, from one point of view to another. And sometimes, people’s thoughts on piety will be influenced by others, sometimes changing their entire viewpoint on what they think piety really means. They might’ve thought that piety means following the exact orders of the law, but after hearing someone else’s beliefs on piety, they might think otherwise and change their perception, because they might think they were wrong before. They might think, “Oh, well, now that you’ve explained it like that, maybe I was wrong…”
For example, on pages 9b to 11d, Socrates questions Euthyphro’s definition of piety- “An action or a man dear to the Gods is pious, but an action or a man hated by the Gods is impious.” What surprised me was when Socrates said, “…what is loved by the gods is also hated by them…” because it made me realize that what would happen if all the gods didn’t agree upon the same thing? What if one thought that the action taken by Euthyphro was fair and another thought it was cruel and merciless? Then it would be loved by one god, and hated by another. Because the gods can also have arguments over what is righteous and what is not because who is to say that they do not disagree and quarrel upon such things? People might believe that all gods always agree on the same thing, but there is no definite proof that they don’t.
And it is because of this that I realized that no, there can never be a dictionary definition that will satisfy Socrates because according to Euthyphro’s definition, Socrates thinks what is pious can also be impious because what some of the gods love could also be hated by the other gods. One god might think Euthyphro punishing his father is wrong because people make mistakes, and that they should get a second chance. But another god might think no, Euthyphro is doing right because all criminals should be punished for what the crimes they commit. So the definition will vary from god to god. And it is nearly impossible to find one that will suit all of these due to the fact that no mind is alike. Everyone will have a different version of what they believe is pious and impious.
Lucca castrucci
In the book The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates, a renown Philosopher doesn’t even consider himself a “Philosopher.” Rather, Socrates thinks of himself as a student to any who want to teach him. He appears to believe that the most important thing in his life are the youth, “for it is right to care first that the young should be as good as possible,” contrarily to the general opinion of the other “public men.” In the script, Socrates says that all he wants to do is learn, doesn’t seem to any agenda other than learning, which implies that that is the purpose of philosophy.
Similarly, the books’ definition of philosophy is “love of wisdom (Plato).” Socrates does indeed appear to believe philosophizing for the “love of wisdom” is what he should do, as a “teacher.” But, that definition itself can be considered controversial, “accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment” and “a state of feminine peace of mind produced by renouncing socially supported aggression and embracing submission as a permanent lifestyle. analog: strength.” These are the first two definitions that I could find on the net, but these definitions are not aligned. I believe that while Socrates does believe that he is doing what we call philosophy solely because he loves his work, but that in itself is what we talk about in class: finding our unique variation of what we believe each word means is what Socrates is trying to do.
What Socrates is trying to teach the people that he talks to is that there doesn’t actually need to be a “indefinable definition” for every word, because it takes to long to truly find. Instead, you must find an explanation for the words that you can’t explain that works for you. To philosophize, means that you are trying to find a definition that satisfies you, and needs only to satisfy you, and no one else.
(in order of quotes in paper
home.salamander
geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/
wordnet.princeton
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