Brief notes on some influential philosophers - Design argument

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Some Influential Philosophers – A background to the teleological argument

Socrates (470-399 BC)

- ‘Father of Philosophy’ – Contribution to moral philosophy.

- Development of philosophy.

- Personally wrote very little, teachings revealed by student: Plato

- Knew nothing! We must be careful before asserting that we know anything.

- Renowned ‘method’ of inquiring  critical scrutiny  defining and using inductive arguments.

- Knowledge = greatest virtue, understanding of human condition  live properly.

Plato (c. 428 – 347 BC)

- 399 BC – left Athens, angry at condemnation + execution of Socrates.

- Early work recorded Socrates’ teachings – investigations into ethical questions, immorality of -the soul + political philosophy.

- Idea: Cannot say anything about something until it is defined. Underpinned Socrates’ ethical thinking – important to Plato.

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)

- Studied under Plato in Athens from 17.

- Areas of interest: work on logic and ethics.

- Logic: developed syllogisms + deductive arguments.

- Applied deductive thinking to ethics: Aristotelian Circle, which explains ‘the Good Life’: Practical wisdom  Well-being. Experiencing well-being = having virtue, (moral and intellectual characteristics) which must be possessed to achieve ‘the Good Life’.

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- Virtue is the root of ‘practical wisdom’.

- Defined ‘good’ as: emotion, intention, desire, imagination.

St. Augustine (AD 354 – 430)

- Christian, bishop of Hippo Regius (now in Algeria)

- Pursuit of truth: immorality of the soul, problem of evil, language and learning.

- Agreed with Plato on ‘three natures’:

  1. Bodies, limited in time + space
  2. Souls, limited in time, not space
  3. God, limited in neither.

- Saw God as not only the source of everything inc. knowledge. Evidence of philosophical development of ‘epistemology’ (study of nature, structure, interaction of knowledge).

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