PHILOSOPHY 3-4
Revision tasks for September holidays
1. Re-read texts and summary notes. Further summarise the key points of the arguments
in each text.
2. Collect and learn key quotes from each text. (Be selective; only learn very important
selections that effectively state the key arguments.)
3. Organise your notes into grids covering the key points from each area of study. (Good
Life – ancient; Good Life – modern; Mind, Brain and Soul; Science, Knowledge and
Dogma)
4. Highlight key areas of agreement and disagreement between the texts under each of
the four areas of study.
After competing these four tasks, attempt to answer the following questions without the
benefit of your notes. Once you have done as many as possible without help, answer the rest
by checking through your notes. Keep count of what you knew without notes, what you could
answer with the help of notes and what you couldn’t answer at all.
QUESTIONS
1. Define the following ancient Greek terms;
Eudaimonia
Arete
Theoria
Ergon
2. Explain the views (and if necessary the backgrounds) of the following “schools”
of philosophical thought;
Stoic
Cynic
Sophist
Hedonism
Epicurean
Existentialism
Humanist
Atheist
Behaviourism
Materialist
Physicalist
Dualism
Nihlism
Utilitarianism
3. Who established or was most closely identified with the following Ancient Greek
Philosophical Schools?
The Academy
The Lyceum
The Garden
The Porch
4. Explain the following forms of argument;
Metaphor
Analogy
Allegory
Syllogism
Dialectic
5. Define the following terms that we have come across during the year;
visible world
intelligible world
paradigm
falsification
normal science
crisis
imitation game
accompanied by
contemplation
natural laws
conventional laws
morality
internal goods
external goods
mortality
ethics
metaphysics
epistemology
pleasure
moderation
rational
instinct
honour
forms
conjecture
science
revolutionary science
dogma
induction
soul
deduction
6. In a short paragraph define, in your own words, the crucial points that each prescribed
author is making in relation to 'the good life' or 'mind' or 'knowledge'
7. How would you define mind, body and soul and how do your definitions correspond to or
counter the 4 prescribed texts?
8. How would you define science, knowledge and dogma and how do your definitions
correspond to or counter the 4 prescribed texts?
EXTRA ESSAY TOPICS AND SHORT ANSWER TOPICS
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According to Epicurus, pleasure is the highest good. Socrates, Aristotle and the Stoics all
disagree. How would Epicurus defend his views against their objections? Is his defense
successful?
For any two core texts, describe what the author has to say about what it is to live a good
life.
With reference to at least two core texts, explain the role of self-creation in living the good
life.
How would Epicurus criticise Aristotle’s views on the good life?
How would a Stoic criticise an Epicurean?
How good is Socrates’ argument against Callicles?
How would a Stoic or an Epicurean criticise Callicles’ conception of the good life?
Set up a dialogue between an Aristotelian, an Epicurean and a Stoic over the nature of the
good life.
Develop a critique of the views expressed by one of the prescribed authors in the core
texts.
Drawing on the prescribed authors and texts, respond to the following: “How should I
live?”
Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I agree with
Sophocles, Aristotle, Epicurus, Cicero, Nietzsche, Sartre, King OR Murdoch.”
Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I am not a
Stoic.”
Make a comparison of four of the major philosophical schools (such as Epicureanism,
Stoicism, Buddhism, the philosophy of Neitzsche, Existentialism, Judaism) and their
views of the good life.
In Nicomachean Ethics Socrates argues that the goal of living is eudaimonia and that the
virtues are necessary to achieve this state. What does he mean? How does he support his
views? Drawing on one or more of the core texts, how did a nineteenth or twentieth
century philosopher respond to Socrates’ views on the good life? How do you respond to
Socrates’ arguments?
What are some of the ways in which the ancients and the moderns are similar, and what
are some of ways in which they are different in their discussions of the good life? Draw
from the core texts and, if you like, on another tradition with which you may be familiar,
such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and so on.
Using one or two of the prescribed authors, discuss the ways in which the historical and
political context in which the texts and the authors were situated influenced their
arguments on the good life.
17. What are the objections and criticisms that can be raised regarding the conception of the
good life, or the meaning of life, or the nature of morality as presented by one or more of
the prescribed authors?
18. Relate the arguments and outlooks developed in one or more of the ancient texts to other
traditions of thinking about the way we should live, and to contemporary experience.
19. According to Epicurus, pleasure is the highest good. Socrates, Aristotle and the Stoics all
disagree. How would Epicurus defend his views against their objections and is his
defense successful?
20. For any two core texts, analyse and evaluate the arguments presented on what it is to live
a good life.
21. How would Epicurus criticise Aristotle’s views on the good life?
22. How good is Socrates’ argument against Callicles?
23. How would a Stoic or an Epicurean criticise Callicles’ conception of the good life?
24. Write a dialogue between two of the prescribed authors (Plato’s Socratic dialogue,
Aristotle, Epicurus or Cicero) about their conceptions of the good life.
25. Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I am not a
Stoic.”
26. One response to Darwin’s theory of evolution was that the existence of God is not
necessary in order to explain the existence of complex living things. Philosophic
traditions that had grounded an explanation of the meaning of life in the existence of God
were challenged by the rise of atheism and agnosticism. This gave rise to a philosophic
tradition that asked the following questions: If there is no god who determines what is
really good? Can value be discovered in nature independently of the existence of God?
Without God is life meaningless?
27. Drawing on at least one of these questions, evaluate the responses of two of the prescribed
authors (Nietzsche, Sartre, King and Murdoch), as well as at least one comparative
religion and explain the influences of Darwin's evolutionary theory on contemporary
views of the way we should live.
28. How do philosophers generally understand the relationship between ‘belief’ and
‘knowledge’?
29. How do philosophers understand justified true belief?
30. What is generally understood to be the relationship between knowledge and truth?
31. What was Descartes’ view of the relationship between the mind and the body?
32. Some philosophers of science have held that science does not lead to knowledge. Why?
33. What did Karl Popper mean by ‘falsifiability’ and ‘degrees of certainty’?
34. How does Popper distinguish between a scientific and a pseudo-scientific theory?
35. What was Popper’s criticism of the psychological theories of Freud and Adler?
36. Explain what happens, according to Kuhn, during periods of “normal science” and periods
of “crisis.”
37. Because we are rational and ethical and have free will, our survival will have value if our
lives are of value, but do our contemporary lives have value? Discuss in reference to at
least two of the nineteenth and twentieth century discussions of the good life and a
comparative religion.
38. What are some of the ways in which the moderns are similar, and what are some of ways
in which they are different in their discussions of the good life and to what extent are they
reflective of contemporary society? Draw from at least two of the core texts, one another
16.
tradition with which you may be familiar, such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam
and so on, and at least one aspect of contemporary society.
39. What are the objections and criticisms that can be raised regarding the conception of the
good life, or the meaning of life, or the nature of morality as presented by one or more of
the prescribed authors? How are these similar or different to a comparative religion?
How do they relate to at least one aspect of contemporary life?
40. Write a comparison between King and Nietzsche, Nietzsche and Sartre, Sartre and
Murdoch or King and Murdoch on their conceptions of the good life, relate their
responses to at least one religion and explain their influence on contemporary views of the
way we should live.
41. What was Plato’s / Socrates’ view of rhetoric? Describe the events that would have led
Plato to take this attitude.
42. Compare Socrates’ and Epicurus’ theories on the soul. How did they seek to justify those
theories?
43. Explain Aristotles’ three classes of “goods”.
44. What were the main elements of Cicero’s philosophy and the “school” to which he
belonged?
45. Briefly describe Cicero’s career and explain its effect on his philosophical ideas.
46. Explain the process by which Socrates attempted to reach an understanding of
philosophical concepts and force others to reconsider their views.
47. How did Callicles, Epicurus and Aristotle disagree about who should become involved in
the study of philosophy?
48. What was Aristotle’s view of eudaimonia? What were its similarities and differences with
that of Cicero?
49. What were the names of the four main schools of philosophy in Athens? (Those
established by Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno.)
50. What were the names of the four main schools of philosophy in Athens? (Those
established by Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno.
51. According to Epicurus, pleasure is the highest good. Socrates, Aristotle and the Stoics all
disagree. How would Epicurus defend his views against their objections? Is his defense
successful?
52. For any two core texts, describe what the author has to say about what it is to live a good
life.
53. With reference to at least two core texts, explain the role of self-creation in living the good
life.
54. How would Epicurus criticise Aristotle’s views on the good life?
55. How would a Stoic criticise an Epicurean?
56. How good is Socrates’ argument against Callicles?
57. How would a Stoic or an Epicurean criticise Callicles’ conception of the good life?
58. Set up a dialogue between an Aristotelian, an Epicurean and a Stoic over the nature of the
good life.
59. Develop a critique of the views expressed by one of the prescribed authors in the core
texts.
60. Drawing on the prescribed authors and texts, respond to the following: “How should I
live?”
61. Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I agree with
Sophocles, Aristotle, Epicurus, Cicero, Nietzsche, Sartre, King OR Murdoch.”
62. Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I am not a
Stoic.”
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
Make a comparison of four of the major philosophical schools (such as Epicureanism,
Stoicism, Buddhism, the philosophy of Neitzsche, Existentialism, Judaism) and their
views of the good life.
In Nicomachean Ethics Socrates argues that the goal of living is eudaimonia and that the
virtues are necessary to achieve this state. What does he mean? How does he support his
views? Drawing on one or more of the core texts, how did a nineteenth or twentieth
century philosopher respond to Socrates’ views on the good life? How do you respond to
Socrates’ arguments?
What are some of the ways in which the ancients and the moderns are similar, and what
are some of ways in which they are different in their discussions of the good life? Draw
from the core texts and, if you like, on another tradition with which you may be familiar,
such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and so on.
Using one or two of the prescribed authors, discuss the ways in which the historical and
political context in which the texts and the authors were situated influenced their
arguments on the good life.
What are the objections and criticisms that can be raised regarding the conception of the
good life, or the meaning of life, or the nature of morality as presented by one or more of
the prescribed authors?
Relate the arguments and outlooks developed in one or more of the ancient texts to other
traditions of thinking about the way we should live, and to contemporary experience.
According to Epicurus, pleasure is the highest good. Socrates, Aristotle and the Stoics all
disagree. How would Epicurus defend his views against their objections and is his
defense successful?
For any two core texts, analyse and evaluate the arguments presented on what it is to live
a good life.
How would Epicurus criticise Aristotle’s views on the good life?
How good is Socrates’ argument against Callicles?
How would a Stoic or an Epicurean criticise Callicles’ conception of the good life?
Write a dialogue between two of the prescribed authors (Plato’s Socratic dialogue,
Aristotle, Epicurus or Cicero) about their conceptions of the good life.
Drawing on the prescribed texts and authors, respond to the following: “Why I am not a
Stoic.”
Modern
76. For any two core texts, describe what the author has to say about what it is to live a good
life.
77. Discuss how Sartre’s existentialism is a response to atheism.
78. With reference to at least two core texts, explain the role of self-creation in living the good
life.
79. Develop a critique of the views expressed by one of the prescribed authors in the core
texts.
80. Drawing on the prescribed authors and texts, respond to the following: “How should I
live?”
81. Make a comparison of four of the major philosophical schools (such as Epicureanism,
Stoicism, Buddhism, the philosophy of Neitzsche, Existentialism, Judaism) and their
views of the good life.
82. One response to Darwin’s theory of evolution was that the existence of God is not
necessary in order to explain the existence of complex living things. Philosophic
traditions that had grounded an explanation of the meaning of life in the existence of God
were challenged by the rise of atheism and agnosticism. This gave rise to a philosophic
tradition that asked the following questions: If there is no god who determines what is
really good? Can value be discovered in nature independently of the existence of God?
Without God is life meaningless?
Drawing on at least one of these questions and at least two authors from the core texts,
evaluate the responses of Nietzsche, Sartre, King and / or Murdoch.
83. Because we are rational and ethical and have free will our survival will have value if our
lives are of value, but do our lives have value? Discuss in reference to at least one of the
nineteenth and twentieth century discussions of the good life.
84. What are some of the ways in which the ancients and the moderns are similar, and what
are some of ways in which they are different in their discussions of the good life? Draw
from the core texts and, if you like, on another tradition with which you may be familiar,
such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and so on.
85. Using one or two of the prescribed authors, discuss the ways in which the historical and
political context in which the texts and the authors were situated influenced their
arguments on the good life.
86. Who was Cicero?
87. Approximately how long after the death of Aristotle did he live?
88. What was the name of the philosophical movement that he belonged to?
89. What were the central ideas concerning the good life of members of this movement?
90. In what central respect does the view of the good life developed by members of this
movement differ from Aristotle’s concept of the good life?
91. How might changing political circumstances have influenced this change in views?
92.
Nietzsche declared ,“God is dead,” and that belief in religions including the old
Christian morality is an “instinct of weakness.”
How did he support those assertions? What conclusions did he draw from
them? What implications would they have for human behaviour? How would
Sartre and Iris Murdoch have refuted Nietzsche’s conclusions?
93. Martin Luther King junior stated, “Man is a biological being with a physical body. This
must stand as a principle in any doctrine of man.”
How did King integrate this position with his beliefs about man’s soul? How
did he differ from Plato and Epicurus on the question of man’s soul? Compare King’s views
on freedom of choice with those of Sartre or Plato/Socrates.