Monday, 8 July 2024

The Apology of Socrates

 

"The Apology of Socrates by Plato Full Audiobook with Text, Illustrations"
- by Audiobooks Dimension

Full text translation

Relevant web pages 

Some questions for discussion

To be added.

Sunday, 7 July 2024

Euthyphro

 
"Euthyphro by Plato Audiobook with Text, Illustrations" - by Audiobooks Dimension

Full text translation

    The Euthyphro Dilemma

    The Euthyphro dilemma is found on page 7 in the following text of the Euthyphro:


    The Euthyphro Dilemma and Devine Command Theory


    The Euthyphro Dilemma: Religion and Morality (Divine Command Theory
    by teachphilosophy

    Please find more discussion on the Euthyphro Dilemma and the Divine Command Theory in this article in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

    Some questions for discussion

    1. When was the dialogue written? Was it written soon after Socrates' trial?
    2. Do you think the dialogue is fictional?
    3. What are the main philosophical concepts being explored?
    4. What rhetorical devices are demonstrated in the dialogue?
    5. What is the Euthyphro dilemma?
    6. When did Plato write the early, middle and late dialogues?
    7. Does natural law theory solve the problem presented by the Euthyphro Dilemma?
    8. What might Socrates and Euthyphro represent in terms of our self reflection?
    9. What might piety mean in our lives today, and will we be able to answer Socrates' question?
    10. Given the Euthyphro Dilemma and other challenges to the Divine Command Theory, do you think the theory is still a reasonable theory for one to adopt?
    Please see possible answers here.

    Relevant web pages 

    Socratic method

     

    Socratic Method of Philosophizing - by PHILO-notes on YouTube

    Some YouTube videos

    The video above gives a brief explanation of the Socratic method.  The following YouTube videos provide a more detail explanation of the method.

    Socrates and the Socratic Method of Critical Thinking - by Critical Thinking Professor Kerckhove - https://youtu.be/46CYtwXH_aE?si=rvRBwqIL4KhNgtMg

     Lecture Socrates in Action, The Euthyphro - https://youtu.be/LNz9K2JwGGQ?si=yjoeZQU_As0Seugr

    Some web pages  

    Britannica - Socratic method - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Socratic-method

    Wikipedia - Socratic method - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

     

    Wednesday, 3 July 2024

    Socrates

     

    "If Everyone Believes It, It's Probably Wrong - The Philosophy of Socrates (& Plato)"
    by Pursuit of Wonder on YouTube

    Introduction to Socrates

    The YouTube video above gives an introduction to Socrates the Philosopher.

    Some questions for discussion

    1. What are the main philosophical ideas of Socrates?
    2. What did Socrates mean when he said: “I know that I know nothing”?
    3. Why is Socrates an important philosopher and known as the father of Western philosophy?
    4. Why did Socrates deliberately question and challenge his fellow citizens, despite knowing that he would upset them?
    5. Socrates upset many important Athenian citizens and was sentenced to death.  Was Socrates courageous or foolish?
    6. How does Socrates’ philosophy relate to Plato’s?
    7. What is the Socratic problem?
    8. Socrates had many admirers but also many enemies. If you were an Athenian citizen at the time, would you like Socrates as a friend or teacher or would you find him annoying?
    9. What is the Socratic method?
    10. What is Socratic irony?

    Some web pages on Socrates

    The following web pages provide write-ups on Socrates:

    Britannica - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Socrates 

    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - https://iep.utm.edu/socrates/ 

     Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/

    Monday, 10 June 2024

    Critical Thinking Exercises

     

    Some critical thinking exercises are available on the following:

    Philosophy Department, University of Hong Kong

    Critical Thinking Web

    Module: Critical Thinking

      • [C06] The Cognitive Reflective Test

    Module: Meaning Analysis

      • [M03] Evaluating definitions
      • [M04] Examples
      • [M06] Necessity and sufficiency
      • [M08] Obscurity

    Module: Argument Analysis

      • [A01] What is an argument?
      • [A02] The standard format
      • [A03] Validity
      • [A04] Soundness
      • [A05] Valid patterns
      • [A06] Validity and relevance
      • [A07] Hidden Assumptions
      • [A09] Good Arguments
      • [A10] Argument mapping
      • [A11] Analogical Arguments

    Khan Academy - LSAT logical reasoning

    You can find examples of logical reasoning in the Khan Academy videos on YouTube:

    If you have a Khan Academy account, there is more information on logical reasoning in the LSAT course.  Khan Academy accounts are free.

    More on the Schrodinger's Cat

     
    World's Heaviest Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Crystal Visible To The Naked Eye
    from New SciTech 新科技

    World Heaviest Schrodinger's Cat: Quantum Crystal

    Michael mentioned about this experiment in last Wednesday's class (5/6/24).  The YouTube video above and the article in Scientific America below give brief explanations of the experiment involving putting a sapphire crystal into superposition.

    Scientific America - Physicists Create Biggest-Ever Schrödinger’s Cat

    Extend the time of the experiment?

    Ken asked an interesting question in class last Wednesday (5/6/24).  "What if we extend the time for the cat to be in the box to one month?" Ken asked.

    The following answers are my speculation of how physicists might respond:

    1.  Schrodinger designed the thought experiment so that in the course of an hour one of the atoms will perhaps decay, but also, with equal probability, that none of them will.  Thus in the course of an hour, the cat will with equal probability either be dead or be alive.  There is genuine uncertainty in the minds of the researchers about whether the cat is alive or dead.  If the time were to be extended to one month, this would void the experiment. 

    2. We need to assume that the cat can happily stay in the box for one month, since starving the cat to death in the box is not the point of this thought experiment.  Then whether the cat is dead or alive still depends entirely on the possible decay of the tiny amount of radioactive material in the box  (refer Wikipedia page on Schrodinger's Cat for details of the thought experiment.).  It is possible then that the cat could still be alive after one month in the box if for some reasons the tiny amount of radioactive material did not decay as expected, or the equipment did not work as expected.  Therefore, even if the time is extended to one month, one can still argue that the cat is both dead and alive in the box until the box is opened by the researchers.

    3. The thought experiment, as intended by Schrodinger, was to last for only one hour. If the experiment were to be extended to one month, the probability of the cat being dead can be represented by a graph that approaches one after certain time.  Physicists might interpret the meaning of this probability graph as follows:

      • The cat, being a relatively large physical object, cannot be in superposition of being both dead and alive; or
      • the cat is actually in superposition of being both dead and alive and remains so until the box is opened (as discussed in (2) above); or
      • the cat is actually in superposition during the initial stage of the experiment when there is genuine uncertainty, but the superposition disappears when it becomes certain that the cat is dead. 

    Monday, 3 June 2024

    Smell the glove is here

     

    This topic was proposed by Maggie for our End of the Financial Year discussion.  Please see the article below:

    "Smell the glove is here" by Bob Horning

    Some supplementary information:

    • Bob Horning is a writer, mostly about technology; former New Inquiry, Real Life editor.
    • "Smell the glove" is a fictional album of the band Spinal Tap in "This Is Spinal Tap", a 1984 American mockumentary film.
    • The picture in the article is of Tony Hendra, (10 July 1941 – 4 March 2021) who was an English satirist and writer who worked mostly in the United States. He starred in the film This Is Spinal Tap as the band's manager Ian Faith.
    • The YouTube video below "Smell the Glove by Spinal Tap" gives background information about the title of the article by Bob Horning above. 
    • The article above mentions the following people:
      • Matt Levine (born 1978) is a columnist for Bloomberg News covering finance and business.
      • Jim Simons (April 25, 1938 – May 10, 2024) was an American hedge fund manager, mathematician, and philanthropist.  At the time of his death, Simons' net worth was estimated to be $31.4 billion, making him the 51st-richest person in the world.
    • The video below has been compiled by Maggie.  This video provides additional information on the topic.

      Some questions for discussion:

    • Is the fact that Jim Simons became rich a proof that this mathematical method is superior to the analytical? 
    • The market is irrational as it is. This approach smells like religion and grand scale manipulation.  If many people use his method, wouldn’t this distort the market, like with the GameStop
    • If one adds AI, which can find the patterns, but also makes the decisions for humans, what's the point of humans?
    • Does the use of data as described in the article spell the end of epistemology, rational thinking, critical thinking, and science?
    Smell the Glove by Spinal Tap by SpinalTapFan01

    Daoism - an introduction

    "Believing in Dào" - Chad Hansen 4-22-21 by Scripps College Humanities Institute About the Speaker Chad Hansen is Chair Professor ...