Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Symposium', 'Consciousness, Philosophy and Mathematics' and 'A Free Will'

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9 ideas

1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 2. Ancient Philosophy / e. Late classical philosophy
23326 In the third century Stoicism died out, replaced by Platonism, with Aristotelian ethics [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: By the second century CE Aristotelianism and Platonism had begun to eclipse Stoicism, and by the end of the third century Stoicism had no followers. All philosophers now opted for some form of Platonism, but including Aristotle's ethical principles.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 04)
     A reaction: The idea that Aristotelian ethics dominated that period is new to me. Stoic influence remained strong in Augustine, and hence in Christianity.
23335 In late antiquity nearly all philosophers were monotheists [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: I am inclined to think that almost all philosophers in late antiquity were monotheists.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 08)
     A reaction: I'm not sure when late antiquity begins, in this remark. Maybe as early as 100 CE. Epictetus talks of Zeus as if he is supreme.
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / b. Intuitionism
8728 Intuitionist mathematics deduces by introspective construction, and rejects unknown truths [Brouwer]
     Full Idea: Mathematics rigorously treated from the point of view of deducing theorems exclusively by means of introspective construction, is called intuitionistic mathematics. It deviates from classical mathematics, which believes in unknown truths.
     From: Luitzen E.J. Brouwer (Consciousness, Philosophy and Mathematics [1948]), quoted by Stewart Shapiro - Thinking About Mathematics 1.2
     A reaction: Clearly intuitionist mathematics is a close cousin of logical positivism and the verification principle. This view would be anathema to Frege, because it is psychological. Personally I believe in the existence of unknown truths, big time!
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 2. Sources of Free Will
23333 The idea of free will achieved universal acceptance because of Christianity [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: There is no doubt that the notion of a free will found almost universal acceptance owing to the influence of Christianity.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 07)
     A reaction: This is presumably because a free will not only elevates us above the animals, qualifying us for immortality, but also gives us absolute and ultimate responsibility for our lives, which thus justifies either salvation or damnation.
23337 The Stoics needed free will, to allow human choices in a divinely providential cosmos [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: The Stoics said that everything happens according to a divine providential plan, so they had to explain how this was compatible with human choices. They tried to do this with their doctrine of freedom and a free will.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 10)
     A reaction: Epictetus made our ability to choose central to moral life, so he particularly needed (and thus created, it seems) this doctrine.
23334 For Christians man has free will by creation in God's image (as in Genesis) [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: The Christian view, following Genesis, is that man is created in the image of God, and this is understood as crucially involving the idea that man has a free will in the image of God's will.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 08)
     A reaction: The idea of free will evidently originated with Epictetus, but was taken up by Christians because it fitted doctrinal needs. Even Epictetus saw free will as originating in Zeus.
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / a. Will to Act
23336 There is no will for Plato or Aristotle, because actions come directly from perception of what is good [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: Plato and Aristotle do not have a notion of a will, since for them a willing, a desire of reason, is a direct result of one's cognitive state: once one sees something to be good, one will it.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 09)
     A reaction: The point is that their decisions are 'direct', whereas the will introduces the concept of a final arbiter which weighs up the desires, reasons and drives. The historical steps were first the meta-choosing, then the will as entity, then the will as free.
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / h. Fine deeds
5845 Niceratus learnt the whole of Homer by heart, as a guide to goodness [Xenophon]
     Full Idea: Niceratus said that his father, because he was concerned to make him a good man, made him learn the whole works of Homer, and he could still repeat by heart the entire 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey'.
     From: Xenophon (Symposium [c.391 BCE], 3.5)
     A reaction: This clearly shows the status which Homer had in the teaching of morality in the time of Socrates, and it is precisely this acceptance of authority which he was challenging, in his attempts to analyse the true basis of virtue
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 4. Dualist Religion
23313 The Gnostic demiurge (creator) is deluded, and doesn't care about us [Frede,M]
     Full Idea: The Gnostics thought the demiurge or creator pursues its own interests without regard for what this does to us, a being lacking in wisdom and goodness, as seen by its deluding itself into thinking that it is God, and demanding worship.
     From: Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], Intro)
     A reaction: Frede mentions Irenaeus as a source of this view. The idea that the Great Being doesn't care about us seems a fairly accurate observation.