Getting our tests back today. We’ll see how that went.After getting our tests back, we’ll have some amount of lecture.
Did well on the test. 101 after bonus points. No curve. Good enough for me.
Papers will be due April 14. Presentations will occur April 14, 21, and 28. My presentation in particular is slated for April 14. That’s also the date all papers will be due. There are only three people presenting on the first day, as things stand, so I’ll have plenty of time.
Agenda for the lecture:
- Lottery for presentation slots
- Is there such a thing as “The Good”?
- Why be good? Or Good?
- How is The Good known?
- What is the definition of “The Good”?
The professor is arguing that the Good is inherently difficult to grasp; it can only be digested by analogy.
The Post-Modern objection to ethics is probably the strongest objection to the notion that there is a definable Good. The post-modern view is largely ontological and sociological. Goodness and not-goodness are derived from cultural references.
The post-modern philosophy is similar to ancient Sophism. Socrates criticized the Sophists, particularly in the person of Calicles.
The Sophists maintained that there was no good other than human desire; that the good was for a human to fulfill his desires. They didn’t think that all people could achieve this, but it was good for a person to achieve to the greatest extent he was capable of doing so. To this end, one should grow his desires.
Socrates countered that desires will never limit themselves, and therefore could never be fulfilled. If happiness, and the good life, is dependent on fulfilling appetites and indulging passions, it is impossible.