Crito

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

Full text translation

• Translation by Benjamin Jowett
  

Relevant web pages 

• Wikipedia - Crito - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crito

Some questions for discussion

To be added.

The Apology of Socrates

 

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

Full text translation

• Translation by Benjamin Jowett
  

Relevant web pages 

• Wikipedia - Apology (Plato) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_(Plato)
  

Some questions for discussion

To be added.

Euthyphro

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

Full text translation

• Translation by Benjamin Jowett (white background)

Summary of definitions of piety

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eXVo8ikeR10a1CsrVeey4230fFaceUIM/view?usp=sharing

The Euthyphro Dilemma

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

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jvp8YMWYmhAhGzRVbObxLfFI7mJDgLeT/view?usp=sharing

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 

• Wikipedia - Euthyphro - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro

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

 

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/

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates

Critical Thinking Exercises

 

Some critical thinking exercises are available on the following:

Philosophy Department, University of Hong Kong

Critical Thinking Web

https://philosophy.hku.hk/think/

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:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3QGWUBVReqQAGv7za2gMTd8BmGUZheUp&si=7Ib6ipaWS0lVqh6D

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.