Farhan Jami
Intro to Philosophy
Philosophy Midterm Paper
Part One:
A)
What is the conclusion?
Basically, the conclusion of the passage is that all men will be unjust if they are free to do so
without any compulsion, which means that all can be corrupted.
B)
What are the premises?
In the passage, the premises are that man is inherently unjust and that a just man does it only
under compulsion and lack of power to act unjustly.
C)
Are the premises of this argument true or false?
The premises are false.
D)
Explain why they are true or false.
The premises are false since the conclusion is neither cogent nor sound, which requires true
premises to be so. Also, the claim or assertion in the premises cannot be considered true since it is a
misconception or an intentional prevarication used as a rhetorical tactic. Firstly, it cannot be
assumed that man is inherently unjust since there are those who are just. It also cannot be proven
that those who are just will be unjust if free to do so, thus rendering it false.
E)
If it is inductive, is it strong or weak? Explain. If it is deductive, is it valid or invalid
and is it sound or unsound? Explain.
The passage is a deduction. This form of deductive reasoning starts with a general truth then
draws conclusions on particulars. In a deductive argument, the truth of the conclusion is dependent
on the truth of the premises. Deductive arguments can be valid if they follow the rules of the form,
which means that the conclusion logically follows the premises, which need not be true. In this case,
the passage is valid despite the falsity of the premises. However, it is unsound, a fallacy. For an
argument to be sound, both the premises and conclusion must be true. In this case, premises are false
and so is the conclusion.
F)
Generally, do you agree with the author or not?
I am not in agreement with the author even if there is some validity in his argument. Not
only do I not find his argument sound but I simply do not believe that man is naturally unjust and
would become so even if he has the power to do so without accountability. I prefer to believe the
view of Rousseau that man is innately good.
Part Two:
I chose the Post Hoc/False Cause fallacy with example found in this link: HYPERLINK
"http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/02/cavaliers_record_by_uniform.html"
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/02/cavaliers_record_by_uniform.html. The article is
a good example of false cause because the author attributes the win of the Cleveland team to the golf
uniform they wear since they typically win the games they play when wearing this uniform color.
This is false cause or Post Hoc, which is an informal fallacy involving a conclusion based on an
argument/premise that is a mere imagined cause or connection that probably does not even exist.
The article is pasted hereunder:
EMBED PBrush
Part Three:
At the core of the teachings of Buddha are the Four Noble Truths. I chose to discuss the
Second Noble Truth otherwise referred to as the Samudaya, the arising or origin of dukkha. The
Second Noble Truth basically refers to the cause of suffering as thirst or craving. According to
Rahula in What the Buddha Taught, this “thirst” is bound with passionate greed and produces rebecoming and re-existence. It is this thirst that is responsible for finding fresh delight, which
includes thirst for sense-pleasures, becoming, existence and non-existence. This thirst, carving,
greed and desire are the source of all forms of sufferings.
Under the Second Noble Truth, people are in constant search for happiness from something outside
themselves. However, despite how much success is achieved, there is no satisfaction attained. The
teachings of Buddha provide that this thirst is a result of the ignorance of the self. People go through
their lives acquiring things that will make them feel secure. They become attach to ideas, the
physical things and opinions about themselves and the world but become frustrated if the world
behaved outside their expectations. Under this truth, all evils in the world resulted from selfish
desires.
In the film by Kim Ki-Duk entitled Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter….and Spring, the Four Noble
truth were depicted. The First and Second Noble Truths were represented by the life lived in a
material world which is both painful and bitter as a result of desire. The Third and Fourth Noble
Truths were likewise depicted in the movie via the scenes showing penance, discipline, atonement
and obedience to the 8 Fold Path.
To be more specific, the Second Noble Truth was represented in the film as the second season
depicted, Summer. These seasons actually signifies the periods in the life of a novice Buddhist
monk. The Second Noble Truth was epitomized during the apprentice’s teenage years. During this
summer time, he met a mother and daughter heading for the monastery. The daughter became ill and
the mother was forced to leave her under the care of the Buddhist master. This is where the young
monk became sexually attracted to the girl, an attraction they consummated several times in the
forest until the time the master found out.
When the indiscretions of the girl and the teenage monk were discovered, the master warned him
that "lust leads to desire for possession, and possession leads to murder". The master made the girl
leave the monastery. This distressed the young monk intensely that he ran away in pursuit of the
girl. He took a statue of Buddha and the rooster with him.
It is clear from this short narrative that the description of the Second Noble Truth was depicted in
the movie during the season of Summer where thirst, sense-pleasure and fresh delight are signified
by the sexual and worldly desire shown by the young monk. This desire led to more burdens, as
embodied in the things the boy stole, which are, the colorful rooster that denotes craving and desire
as represented by the Buddhist art bird, and the Buddha statue that symbolize the burden and guilt
carried by the teenage monk of his master’s teachings.
In is my considered opinion that the film’s treatment of the concept of the Second Noble truth
matched the ideas of Rahula. It was not a literal portrayal of the teachings but was greatly embodied
using symbolisms and characterizations. However, Rahula’s description of the Second Noble Truth
is wide and covers social, political and economic problems, as well as international disputes and
issues of war and peace. On the other hand, the movie employed a simpler and more limited
depiction of this Truth using the most basic of instincts, that is, the thirst for sexual pleasure. It is
this type of desire that became focus of the season of summer.
Part Four:
The Buddhist perspective on knowledge is best epitomized under the Fourth Noble Truth,
otherwise referred to as Magga: The Path. This is the “Way” that will lead to the end or Cessation
of Dukkha. The Fourth Noble Truth is also called the “Middle Path” since it is in the middle and
avoiding the two extremes, both of which are undesirable. The Middle Path encourages people to
seek the simple approach, which is the path the gives vision and knowledge.
The Middle Path avoids the two extreme paths, one of which refers to the search of
happiness via sense-pleasures. This path is common, low, the way of ordinary people and
unprofitable. The other extreme path is also in search of happiness but through self-mortification,
which is unworthy, painful and unprofitable. As Buddha found the two mentioned Paths to be
useless based on his experience, he discovered that the Middle Path leads to Nirvana, Insight, calm
and Enlightenment after gaining vision and knowledge. This path of knowledge is otherwise called
the Noble Eightfold Path, mainly due to its 8 divisions/categories, namely, Right Understanding,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and
Right Concentration.
“Right” denotes an ethical aspect as well as a middle way or balance. Under this, an
individual experiences a good or special feeling inside when things go “right,” thus confirming that
what was done is the right action or decision. The first path, Right Understanding or View, is an
important step that makes the individual view the world not as one wanted or believed it to be but as
it really is. This step can best be achieved through direct personal experience. However, knowledge
of reality is of little use if not employed in personal lives.
Right Thought is the 2nd step which signifies the individual’s commitment to the path. This
step urges individuals to decide on what their hearts dictate and includes compassion for all that
have life including oneself and the recognition of equality of all. It also involves passion and
persistence of the journey.
The 3rd step, Right Speech, refers to the recognition of truth and makes us aware of the
adverse effects of rumors and gossips. It also points out man’s mistake of undermining the spoken
word’s power and those that were regrettably spoken in haste. Thoughtful communication promotes
unity and heals dissention. If a person decides to speak kindly, there comes a spirit of consideration
that allows people to be compassionate and move closer together.
Taking the ethical approach refers to Right Action. Under this step, the individual considers
the world and those living in it. It also involves the respect we place on agreement we conclude and
things that are not ours. This step also includes Buddha’s 5 precepts, i.e., not to kill, not to steal, not
to lie, sexual misconduct avoidance and refusal to take intoxicants like drugs.
Right Livelihood refers to the respect imbibed into one’s work. It is associated with Right Action
and emphasizes that a work with the absence of respect for life will serve as an obstacle to spiritual
progress. The principles of Buddhism foster respect and equality. The kinds of livelihood that
Buddha disapproves are those relating weapons transactions, those dealing in harmful drugs and
those that cause damage and destruction to human and animal lives. This means that gun shops and
liquor stores are frowned upon. Other types of work discouraged under Buddhism are those
involving fortune telling and slave trade.
Right Effort is the step that involves the cultivation of a positive outlook and enthusiasm in a
manner that is balanced. Having the correct attitude allows for a cheerful and steady determination.
To gain Right Effort, it is necessary to welcome honest and clear thoughts. Feelings of anger and
jealousy should not be accommodated. Right effort is achieved if there is focused action and
positive thinking.
Right mindfulness, the 7th step of the Noble Eightfold Path, is more difficult to grasp than Right
Effort. It requires a fair amount of change of thoughts. It involves awareness and focus of the
moment. For instance, travelling involves feeling, hearing, seeing of the movement, thinking of the
destination and of those left behind. Right Mindfulness enters if this travel will involve being aware
of the journey and not be distracted at the moment. This can be related to meditation. It does not
indent for an individual to exclude the word but instead, to be aware of it.
Finally, once an individual achieves a mind that is clear and uncluttered, he will gain Right
Concentration. This allows a person to obtain what he desires and a part of the meditation process
started in step 7. This step also conditions the mind to be selective of things and directions that are
worthy. The last two steps are important in training the mind to see the world as it really is and not
as it is conditioned to see or believe. Moreover, once these last steps are achieved, peace and calm is
likewise attained.
When this Noble Eightfold Path is achieved, it promotes the three essentials in the Buddhist
discipline and training, i.e., Ethical Conduct, Mental Discipline and Wisdom. This account of the
Path serves as guidance of what should be followed, developed and practiced by every individual. It
has nothing to do with religion but only of the self-discipline, development and purification of mind,
body and word. This Path will lead the individual to achieving the Ultimate Reality, which is,
complete happiness, peach and freedom via spiritual, moral and intellectual perfection. This is how
the Path leads to knowledge.
The Path is not something that can simply be read or learned from wide people. While this refers to
steps on a path, the Noble Eightfold Paths is not deemed to be a chronological learning process.
Instead, these Paths are 8 aspects of life that should be incorporated into our daily routine. This is
represents a process of self-discovery that promotes learning without seeking for blind faith. It
serves as a guideline to be contemplated and considered to be integrated into one’s life.
To better understand these concepts, let us relate the Buddhist religion with science. Science and
Buddhism are similar in the sense that both commit to uncover truths. However, the two differ in
each one’s view of how things appear and how they really are, though both seeks to open people’s
minds to insights into the actual nature of things. Mainly, this path cannot be simply learned from
readings because unlike science which is mainly a designed to give factual and objective knowledge,
Buddhism is a spiritual path which aims to foster internal transformation and the achievement of the
highest good, known as the Nibbana, liberation or enlightenment.
Therefore, in Buddhism, the search for knowledge is vital not as an end in itself but due to the view
that the fundamental reason for suffering and bondage is failure to understand things as they really
are and due to ignorance. Therefore, insight or knowledge is the necessary antidote for self-healing.
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