Chapter 3 Lecture Notes

Transition from Greek to Roman Era

• Philosophy's movement is tied to societal developments.
  • Being a philosopher required societal wealth to support intellectual pursuits.
• Golden Age of Greece & Roman Empire: Supported philosophical activities due to accumulated wealth.

Post-Roman Empire Philosophy

• Early Catholic Theology: Philosophy, tied heavily with Plato, integrates into Catholicism.
  • Monasteries allowed monks to devote time to philosophy and theology.
  • Platonic philosophies fit well with Catholic theology, lasting until rediscovery of Aristotle.
• Aristotle's Rediscovery:
  • Preserved in the Middle East, later brought back to the West post-Crusades.
  • Signaled the beginning of the Renaissance and the origins of science.

Neoplatonism

• Neoplatonism: New integration of Platonic philosophy with Christian theology.
  • Key Figures: Plotinus and Saint Paul.
  • Emphasis on the mind and reason as good, sensual/body-related as bad or sinful.
  • Platonic influence: Inner knowledge and reason are true paths to wisdom.
  • Plotinus' Hierarchy: God as the top, creation of the universe by emanations leading to human mind (soul).

Idealism and Dualism

• Idealism: Everything created from the mind, reality dependent on it.
• Mind-Body Distinction:
  • Dualism: Separate mental and physical realities.
  • Monism: Single reality, either physical (materialism) or mental (idealism).

Aristotle’s Influence and Scholasticism

• Islamic Preservation: Aristotle's works preserved by Islamic philosophers like Avicenna.
• Avicenna’s Cognitive Theory:
  • Knowledge acquisition through sensory experiences and induction.
  • Stages of Cognition:
    • Sensory Information: Integrated into a 'common sense'.
    • Imagination: Mental imagery, akin to short-term memory.
    • Compositive Imagination: Creation of new ideas.
    • Estimative Power: Judgment of ideas, some innate.
    • Long-term Memory: Storage of knowledge.

Problem of Universals

• Universals: Concepts like circularity, dogness, are they real?
• Nominalism vs Realism:
  • Nominalism (William of Ockham): Ideas exist as names, not necessarily real out of mind.
    • Occam’s Razor: Eliminate unnecessary entities.
  • Skepticism: Doubt of any external reality.

Moderate Realism

• Saint Thomas Aquinas:
  • Universals exist outside of the mind, essential qualities are real but specific to objects.
  • Objects have both essential and particular qualities.

Primary vs Secondary Qualities (Galileo)

• Primary Qualities: Exist in objects (e.g. motion, reflectance).
• Secondary Qualities: Perceptions (e.g. color, sound).
• Dualism: Perception related but not identical to object qualities.

Implications on Color Perception

• Categorical Perception: Psychological categorization of colors, independent of distinct wavelengths.
• Galileo’s Contribution: Differentiation helping in scientific study of perceptual experiences.

Conclusion of Chapter 3

• Bridged ancient philosophical discussions with the onset of scientific exploration.
• Set the stage for modern psychological and scientific inquiries, including psychophysics.