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Daryl Bambic

The Great Conversation: Aristotle's Useful Definition of Virtue | Associate's Mind - 0 views

  • One is a deficiency; the other is an excess.
  • enerosity is the mean between the vices of miserliness and profligacy.
  • the midpoint between cowardice and foolhardiness is courage.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Friendliness
  • Righteous indignation
  • to ac
  • to be
  • purposefully chooses the right path.
  • virtuously for its own sake,
  • certainty and firmness.
  • difficult task and is a long-term life goal
  • ecomes easier with practic
  • natural pleasure that comes with and from virtue
  • To be virtuous, be in the habit of choosing the mean
Daryl Bambic

The Internet Classics Archive | Symposium by Plato - 14 views

    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Context: The group is deciding how they will drink given the excessive partying from the previous night.
    • Nick Adoranti
       
      Hiya
    • Eric Bensoussan
       
      Im surprised that philosophers drank so much
    • hebaali1998
       
      How can you have a philosophical conversation while being intoxicated? 
  • entirely has this great deity been neglected." Now in this Phaedrus seems to me to be quite right, and therefore I want to offer him a contribution; also I think that at the present moment we who are here assembled cannot do better than honour the. god Love
  • Let Phaedrus begin the praise of Love,
  • ...100 more annotations...
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      The dinner party decides they are going to take turn giving speeches in praise of Love.
  • Love is the eldest and noblest and mightiest of the gods; and the chiefest author and giver of virtue in life, and of happiness after death.
  • Phaedrus
  • encouragement which all the world gives to the lover;
  • Such is the entire liberty which gods and men have allowed the lover, according to the custom which prevails in our part of the world.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      We have a custom of forgiving unreasonable behaviour when people are in love.
  • Evil is the vulgar lover who loves the body rather than the soul, inasmuch as he is not even stable, because he loves a thing which is in itself unstable, and therefore when the bloom of youth which he was desiring is over, he takes wing and flies away, in spite of all his words and promises; whereas the love of the noble disposition is life-long, for it becomes one with the everlasting
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Basically, he said that people who love for physical attraction and evil and vulgar because their love is cheap and disappear when youth's beauty fades.
  • Pausanias
  • Eryximachus
  • rightly distinguished two kinds of love
  • harmony is composed of differing notes
  • harmonious love of one another and blend in temperance and harmony,
  • Aristophanes
  • Mankind; he said, judging by their neglect of him, have never, as I think, at all understood the power of Love
  • original human nature was not like the present, but different. The sexes were not two as they are now, but originally three in number; there was man, woman, and the union of the two, having a name corresponding to this double nature, which had once a real existence, but is now lost, and the word "Androgynous
  • sexes were three, and such as I have described them; because the sun, moon, and earth are three;
  • will restore us to our original state, and heal us and make us happy and blessed.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Love is about finding our true nature in another and in so doing, becoming whole.
  • Agathon
  • ut I would rather praise the god first, and then speak of his gifts; this is always the right way of praising everything.
  • flexibility and symmetry of form
  • beauty of the god
  • virtue I have now to speak: his greatest glory is that he can neither do nor suffer wrong to or from any god or any man
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Love cannot be forced as it is an act of freedom.
  • ll men in all things serve him of their own free will, and where there is voluntary agreement
  • courage and justice and temperance I have spoken, but I have yet to speak of his wisdom-
  • for I do not praise in that way; no, indeed, I cannot. But if you like to here the truth about love, I am ready to speak in my own manner, though I will not make myself ridiculous by entering into any rivalry with you. Say then, Phaedrus, whether you would like, to have the truth about love, spoken in any words and in any order which may happen to come into my mind at the time. Will that be agreeable to you?
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Socrates here says that he cannot praise Love the way Phaedrus does (because he said it all and laid all manner of claims of Love). 
  • Socrates then proceeded as follows:-
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      An example of the famous Socratic method is about to unfold...
  • Is Love of something or of nothing?
  • The inference that he who desires something is in want of something, and that he who desires nothing is in want of nothing, is in my judgment,
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Socrates gets Agathon to agree with his claim that we desire that which we don't possess OR that which we are not.
  • nd yet, added Socrates, if a man being strong desired to be strong, or being swift desired to be swift, or being healthy desired to be healthy, in that case he might be thought to desire something which he already has or is. I give the example in order that we may avoid misconception. For the possessors of these qualities, Agathon, must be supposed to have their respective advantages at the time, whether they choose or not; and who can desire that which he has? Therefore when a person says, I am well and wish to be well, or I am rich and wish to be rich, and I desire simply to have what I have-to him we shall reply: "You, my friend, having wealth and health and strength, want to have the continuance of them; for at this moment, whether you choose or no, you have them. And when you say, I desire that which I have and nothing else, is not your meaning that you want to have what you now have in the future?
  • Then he and every one who desires, desires that which he has not already, and which is future and not present, and which he has not, and is not, and of which he is in want;
  • First, is not love of something, and of something too which is wanting to a man
  • Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity
  • Then Love wants and has not beauty?
  • Is not the good also the beautiful?
  • Then in wanting the beautiful, love wants also the good?
  • Diotima of Mantineia
  • Love was neither fair nor good.
  • is love then evil and foul?
  • must that be foul which is not fair?
  • And is that which is not wise, ignoran
  • a mean between wisdom and ignorance?
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Diotima shows Socrates that there is a mid point between extremes; she avoids the 'either-or' trap.
  • ou also deny the divinity of Love.
  • What then is Love?" I asked; "Is he mortal?
  • he is neither mortal nor immortal, but in a mean between the two." "What is he, Diotima?" "He is a great spirit (daimon),
  • e interprets," she replied, "between gods and men
  • For God mingles not with man; but through Love
  • god Poros or Plenty
  • son of Metis or Discretion
  • Poverty,
  • always poor
  • nything but tender and fai
  • rough and squalid
  • no shoes, nor a house to dwell in;
  • is always in distress.
  • But that which is always flowing in is always flowing out, and so he is never in want and never in wealth;
  • he is in a mean between ignorance and knowledge. The truth of the matter is this
  • god is a philosopher. or seeker after wisdom, for he is wise already;
  • neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself: he has no desire for that of which he feels no want."
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      He who is neither 'good nor wise' is satisfied with himself because he does not desire that which he is not aware that he lacks.
  • ho then, Diotima," I said, "are the lovers of wisdom, if they are neither the wise nor the foolish?" "A child may answer that question," she replied; "they are those who are in a mean between the two; Love is one of them.
  • what is the use of him to men?
  • of the beautiful. But some one will say: Of the beautiful in what, Socrates and Diotima?-or rather let me put the question more dearly, and ask: When a man loves the beautiful, what does he desire?
  • hat the beautiful may be h
  • rther questio
  • Let me put the word 'good' in the place of the beautiful, and repeat the question once more: If he who loves good, what is it then that he loves?
  • And what does he gain who possesses the good
  • generally as the love of the everlasting possession of the good?" "That is most true."
  • "Then if this be the nature of love, can you tell me further," she said, "what is the manner of the pursuit? what are they doing who show all this eagerness and heat which is called love? and what is the object which they have in view?
  • hat all men are bringing to the birth in their bodies and in their souls.
  • onception and generation are an immortal principle in the mortal creature, and in the inharmonious they can never be.
  • The love of generation and of birth in beauty."
  • mortal creature, generation is a sort of eternity and immortality
  • love is of the everlasting possession of the good, all men will necessarily desire immortality together with good: Wherefore love is of immortality."
  • hy should animals have these passionate feeling
  • Marvel not," she said, "if you believe that love is of the immortal, as we have several times acknowledged; for here again, and on the same principle too, the mortal nature is seeking as far as is possible to be everlasting and immortal: and this is only to be attained by generation, because generation always leaves behind a new existence in the place of the old.
  • Marvel not then at the love which all men have of their offspring; for that universal love and interest is for the sake of immortality."
  • even to die, for the sake of leaving behind them a name which shall be eternal.
  • will preserve their memory and giving them the blessedness and immortality
  • But souls which are pregnant-for there certainly are men who are more creative in their souls than in their bodies conceive that which is proper for the soul to conceive or contain. And what are these conceptions?-wisdom and virtue in general.
  • oets and all artists
  • temperance and justice
  • he who would proceed aright in this matter should begin in youth to visit beautiful forms; and first, if he be guided by his instructor aright, to love one such form only-out of that he should create fair thoughts; and soon he will of himself perceive that the beauty of one form is akin to the beauty of another; and then if beauty of form in general is his pursuit, how foolish would he be not to recognize that the beauty in every form is and the same!
  • become a lover of all beautiful form
  • beauty of the mind is more honourable than the beauty of the outward form.
  • birth thoughts
  • mprove the youn
  • beauty of institutions and laws,
  • and that the beauty of them all is of one famil
  • ersonal beauty is a trifle;
  • sciences, tha
  • who has learned to see the beautiful in due order and succession,
  • oward the end will suddenly perceive a nature of wondrous beauty
  • everlasting,
  • rowing and decaying, or waxing and waning; s
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      At the end of life, the one who has pursued beauty will perceive its true eternal nature.
  • not fair in one point of view and foul in another
  • ut beauty absolute, separate, simple, and everlasting, which without diminution and without increase, or any change,
  • begins to perceive that beauty, is not far from the end.
  • And the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      The true order of discovering love and beauty; first of the body and the individual and then ascending upwards to the idea of absolute beauty itself.
  • beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may. Would that be an ignoble life?"
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Beholding beauty with the eye of the mind.
  • nature of Love first
  • Whether love is the love of something or of nothing?
  • whether Love desires that of which love is.
Daryl Bambic

Aristotle and the Good Life - 0 views

  • But it doesn’t follow that since his ideas on some things were silly, his ideas on all things were silly
  • reason a central place in human life
  • Money is clearly only a means to an end, therefore it can’t be the main good
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • But what really determines the quality of our lives is not our circumstances themselves but what we make of them
  • Success (or honour) can’t be the main good either, since (a) it’s too dependent on other people and the whims of fortune,
  • Pleasure is certainly not the main good,
  • lives that are fit only for cattle
  • He recognises three types of relationships: the useful, the pleasant and the ones based on mutual admiration.
  • main good for a human being is reason, since it is the characteristic human capacity, the one we don’t share with other animals.
  • theoretical (concerning the contemplation of unchangeable truths)
  • ractical
  • intellectual virtues
  • virtues of character
  • Excess and deficiency
  • unction argument
  • erything in the universe had a purpose
  • essential nature of a thing or creature: just like the purpose of an acorn was to develop into an oak tree, that of human beings was to develop their unique human capacities, the most important of which was the ability to reason
  • in true Aristotelian spirit, is a mean between ‘anything goes’ and a totally prescriptiv
Daryl Bambic

For the Love of Money - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • as the McDonald’s C.E.O., Don Thompson, did in 2012, while his company then published a brochure for its work force on how to survive on their low wages
  • tax loophole that gave him a lower tax rate than his secretary.
  • walking away from my one chance to be really important.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • my wealth addiction
  • I am much happier. I feel as if I’m making a real contribution.
  • Wall Street is a toxic culture that encourages the grandiosity of people who are desperately trying to feel powerful.
  • rationalization of addicts.
  • the superrich are our cultural gods.
  • “enough”
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Aristotle spoke about the 'golden mean' and how virtue is finding this mean.  Sam Polk learned about Aristotle's virtuous life in the end.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      What do you think Aristotle would have said to Sam Polk?  Think about the 'golden mean' and living the virtuous life.
  • he felt trapped and empty, but couldn’t summon the courage to leave.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      What thoughts and feelings do you have reading this?  Are you empathetic toward Sam Polk and those in his situation?  
Megan Levine

America and the 'Fun' Generation - NYTimes.com - 1 views

  • And now a count can declare the victors: “achievement” and “fun.”
  • term “excellence”
  • dropped out of favor, also elevenfold. As “fun” gained influence, mentions of “pleasure” fell by a factor of four.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • In the history of language, words rise and fall. We make and remake them; they make and remake us.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Language is the philosopher's primary tool.  What do you think that the rising influence of 'fun' means for how we think about pleasure?
    • Natasha Campbell
       
      I think that overtime, we become influenced by certain attributes, or things throughout the day which makes us perceive certain things as entertaining... With new technology, and the way our world changes, we could view different things as pleasure in contrast of what people thought of as appealing way back when.
  • turning in American culture, and one that has influenced the world. It is a turning away from an arguably aristocratic idea of the intrinsic worth of things: from pleasure, with its sense of an internal condition of mind, to fun, so closely affiliated with outward activities; from excellence, an inner trait whose attainment is its own reward, to achievement, which comes through slogging and recognition.
  • Merriam-Webster defines “pleasure” as “a state of gratification
  • fun is “what provides amusement or enjoyment;
  • excellence” as “the quality of being excellent,” which in turn means “very good of its kind: eminently good.” “Achievement,” meanwhile, is “a result gained by effort.”
  • “Pleasure” carries a hint of the sublime; it speaks of a state of mind that comes organically, that need not be artificially induced.
  • un,” though almost synonymous with “pleasure” for contemporary speakers, often involves artificial inducement
  • If “pleasure” comes from being and from talking through ideas, “fun” comes from doing and, often, switching off the brain.
  • Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.”
  • “Excellence” evokes Aristotle with its overtones of virtue. Anyone can achieve
  • but how many can truly be excellent?
  • “Achievement” is a word more likely to come from American leaders today, and, like “fun,” it is outward in nature. It comes in doing specific things. It is more about checking boxes than fulfilling inner potentialities.
  • The achievement culture permeates life today
  • n American culture of instantaneous celebrity teaches young people that fame is an end in itself rather than an incidental symptom of excellence in craft.
  • But with that change has come another: what would seem to be a growing intolerance for merely being, and an anguished insistence on doing, doing, doing.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      What are the differences between pleasure and achievement according to the author?   Do you agree with him?
    • Natasha Campbell
       
      Achievement is simply something we check off on our to-do list. It's not something we take great value in. As in pleasure, it's something that we treasure because it's something we don't get too often, because we're too busy being blinded by the 'fun' aspects of life. I agree with the author because I believe that many people today believe that they find pleasure in doing absolutely nothing, and to shut off their brains completely. I believe that discovering new things and letting your mind wander just enough is pleasurable. 
    • Megan Levine
       
      Today, pleasure is something that is very rare to find, since it is overshadowed by "fun". However, achievement is simply something that can be checked off a list, and is very easy to accomplish. Anyone can achieve something; they just may have a harder time being excellent at something. We take great value in pleasure, but not in achievements. I agree with the author because I believe that our generation is so caught up in technology, and entertainment, that we sometimes forget to seek for pleasure in our lives. I also agree that shutting off our brains does not give us pleasure; it just shuts away all the problems that will resurface. It's okay to have fun, but finding pleasure is something that is much more valuable, in my opinion. 
Daryl Bambic

What Psychological and Social Factors Contribute to the Development of Wisdom? - Wisdom... - 0 views

  • Given that meditation is a mental activity one could imagine that the practice of meditation relates to wisdom
  • dance experience
  • affect judgment or decision making
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • age is not related to wisdom,
  • ncreased experience in meditation is related to increased cognitive, affective, and reflective wisdom
  • increased ballet experience is related to increased cognitive, affective, and reflective wisdom
  • self regulation and self control, which are important in maintaining such practices over long periods of time may be important for the development of wisdom
  • grit,
  • Daniel Kahneman
  • decision biases
  • istort some aspects of rational economic decision-making.
  • endowment effect,
  • hinking in a second language reduces economic biases
  • increase creativity
  • insight in problem solving.
  • antecedents of wisdom.
  • emotional distance fr
  • What needs to be true about a person in order to develop wisdom or to take advantage of experiences that can lead to the development of wisdom?
  • Wisdom seems to depend on epistemic humility.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Epistemic humility - a great descriptor for Socrates.  To be humble about what one knows or does not know.  Socrates famously said that he knew only that he knew little or nothing.
  • importance of humility in terms of recognizing how much there is to know and to learn about people.
  • wisdom depends in part on understanding that the values and perspectives of other people are important in solving human problems -- we all must be open to learning more.
  • other virtues may serve as guidance in the use and development of wisdom.
  • willingness to engage in intellectual struggle,
  • Wisdom may also depend on a propensity to engage in divergent thinking, creativity, and the insight that comes from a diversity of experiences, and from forming new concepts and associations among concepts.
Daryl Bambic

Mutable Morality, Not Subjective Morality. Moral Pluralism, Not Moral Relativism. - 0 views

  • ointing out but wrongly calling “subjectivity”.To say that not only do moralities change but that they should and that even good moralities may not be permanently and at all times good is not to say that morality is subjective
  • Morality, even if mutable, need not be just a matter of arbitrary feelings or tastes that admit of no argument for persuading those who happen to feel differently.
  • good moral judgments
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • some important extent context
  • dependent.
  • change with different circumstances.  
  • valid measures of human flourishing.
  • broadly definable human goods
  • ntellectual power,
  • ocial organization and cohesion, artistic prowess, physical health, athletic prowess, aesthetic sensitivity and complexity, technological capability, technological achievement, emotional satisfaction, pleasure, political efficiency, virtues,
  • moral pluralism, not relativism.
  • Moral pluralism acknowledges that differing moralities, which in particulars may formally contradict each other, can each be ethically approvable given variations in circumstances or given their respective abilities to meet certain thresholds of valuable contribution to life.
    • Daryl Bambic
       
      Moral pluralism allows for cross cultural (different) standards of morality.
  • Moral relativism would allow for no cross-cultural assessments but would say that the only standard a morality has or needs is the endorsement of a particular individual or culture
  • ocial scientist’s perspecti
  • hilosophical,
  • hat values are best and what moral codes best realize them.
  • onstitute human flourishing and happiness.
  • if we have enough historical understandin
  • Old Testament morality
  • as in its own time the best and most progressive advance for the people who adopted it
  • ays it failed a
  • dismiss the Old Testament as irrelevant to a contemporary context.
  • t is also wholly unpersuasive to claim, as some try, that God’s values have always been the same even as he has given his people moral codes that fit their times or their understanding at each of their stages
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