Here is a list of
student malapropisms which I have collected since I began teaching—each
represents an actual student’s statement! They are in chronological order—I
have been compiling the list since 1972, and retired in 2015.
1. “God crated the best
of all possible worlds.”
2. “Let me
reverberate.”
3. “These are the three
points I eluded to earlier.”
4. “At this point he
errored.”
5. “The impossibility of
God can only be either in God or outside him.”
6. “The [Leibnizian]
nomads have no windows.”
7. “The appeal to common
since.”
8. “The crime rate would
probably decrease if more offenders were severely executed for the violent
crimes which they committed.”
9. “The death penalty
makes a definite impression on people.”
10. “While
existentialists’ thought goes deep into the history of western philosophy, it
was only following World War II that it became will known.”
11. “To site an example
used by Mill....”
12. Regarding Hobbes’
view: “in the state of nature man is nasty, British and short.”
13. “Bare in mind....”
14. “I believe Plato has
the right idea but I don’t exactly buy the notion of the forms.”
15. “Cogito Eros Sum.”
16. “Berkeley’s
philosophy of immaterialism was the theory I have read which I can relate to
due to the ideas I have in my mind.”
17. “...a difference
without a distinction.”
18. “The unexplored life
is unworth living.”
19. “Socrates lived in
Athenia.”
20. “It was these
principles that made Socrates one of the great minds of our time.”
21. Of Plato’s Euthyphro:
“...his dialect called the Euthyphro.”
22. “Descartes’ natural
lite....”
23. A student used
‘non-plutonian’ (presumably for something which doesn’t sit well with Plato).
24. Regarding Williams’
“Jim in the jungle” case: “in the case of the example with Jim’s problem,
murder is wrong and should not be executed by a soundly moral person.”
25. “Ultimately, this
objection against this utilitarian way of thinking is well grounded because it
is ridiculous under this circumstance to consider only the consequence and not
what is actually going to be accomplished.”
26. In regard to Hobbes:
“killing one’s self is something that is totally different and hard for one to
carry out.”
27. “Although Hobbes’
view is contradictory, therefore problematic, it is generally correct in
concept and thus can be accepted as valid.”
28. Regarding Singer’s
“Famine, Affluence, and Morality:” “he obviously does not care much about
material possessions because he became a philosopher and lives rather poorly
in the outbacks of Australia.”
29. “These kinds of
action are the sole of duty.”
30. “...the preverbial
pat on the back.”
31. “Since Locke wrote
before Hobbes, he could not possibly formulate any criticisms to Hobbes’
writings.”
32. “He says that to not
do them would create more problems than to not do them.”
33. Hobbes’ egoists
should “...not do to others as they will not do to them.”
34. “...the laizee-affair
form of government....”
35. “The design argument
[for god’s existence] says that the effects must have been sufficient to make
the effect.”
36. “As they
reinstate....”
37. “...and whether this
decision was made at the critical level or not, it is the right one because,
for murder, there is no in-between. It is either wrong or right.”
38. “So, to start to
think critically would not only be hard but it would also go against some
reasoning in our mind that we have always had.”
39. An interesting bit of
reasoning:
The main problem with [W.D.] Ross are that he
insists there are many intrinsic valuable things. This, though is a
contradiction because when something is intrinsically valuable it is
absolute. Therefore, there can only be one intrinsically valuable thing, Ross
has many.
40. “As long as your mind
feels sure of the reality you live in, you actually live in that such
reality.”
41. “We have all, at
least once, made an assumption and have been mistaken, therefore all
assumptions are mistaken.”
42. An ontological proof
for Descartes’ “evil genius”:
if one thinks that an evil genius does not
exist, by merely stating that it does not exist, one is implying its
existence. The concept exists, and to deny the concept implies that the
concept does exist. Therefore, it is something that one has to deal with in
order to deny its existence.
43. “Since his argument
appears to be veritable, his conclusion seems quite logical.”
44. “Another problem
Hobbes faces is that there are some rational egoists that will risk their
lives to protect the state, so they could not be rational egoists.”
45. An interesting typo:
“...all men ate rational egoists....”
46. “Descartes states
that we have doubts because of the Evil Genius in us.”
47. “The state of nature
could come into effect one way or another, which makes me conclude by
affirming that the state of nature is unavoidable.”
48. “No universal
deception exists because the evil genius may deceive people some of the time,
but no one is deceiving the evil genius at any time. No one is deceiving the
evil genius, therefore universal deception cannot be possible.”
49. “If Anselm had made
his proof easier to comprehend, perhaps more people would have understood his
idea.”
50. “Anselm’s idea of God
as something than which nothing greater exists is true...even though
grammatically it is not perfect.”
51. A student wrote a
paper where he talked about “Plato’s cavemen.”
52. “Like a sibling that
must grow into a fine tree requires careful watching, so does a child that
will become the ruler of the state.”
53. “The oracle at New
Delphi proclaims Socrates is the wisest man in Athens.”
54. “Speaking of
virtuosity, Socrates spent a great deal of his time seeking truth.”
55. “Once we think we are
being deceived, then we are no longer being deceived, because of the
cognito argument of I think, therefore I am. And thus if, we could never
tell that we are being deceived, would we not claim, that deception as our
reality?”
56. “A contradiction is
valid although it doesn’t sound like it but it is due to the complexity of the
language.” [This was offered in response to the question: Why is an argument
which has a contradictory premise valid?]
57. “It is necessary to
agree that it could happen as it would be extremely difficult to prove it
couldn’t possibly happen.”
58. A student wrote about
Descartes’ “cogito ergo seem” argument.
59. A student informed me
in a paper that “literally translated esse est percipi means if we exist, we
exist as perceivers and are therefore perceived by others.”
60. “In a age of
political change and excitement in Athens the interest had shifted to human
and moral questions and to the political and human arts of argument. It was
in this atmosphere that Socrates appeared moving questionably about the
streets.”
61. “Socrates set himself
to prove the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, which pronounced him the wisest of
men, was a falsehood.”
62. “A Greek philosopher
by the name of Socrates attempted to answer the question by posing a variety
of questions to test the validity of the people’s first response to the
question in a market place.”
63. “In the “Apology,”
Socrates is wrongly accused of philosophizing.”
64. “Socrates does not
know what will happen to him after he dies, but he knows that good awaits him
as God has told him.”
65. “Socrates is told by
the god, through the oracle at Delphi, that he knows everything.”
66. “Society has changed
so dramatically from Plato and Mill’s days that I think it is hard to apply
principles from centuries ago to today’s problems.”
67. “By the light of
nature one recognizes that there must be as much relevancy in the cause as in
the effect.”
68. A student spoke of
Mill who considers harmful other-directed acts to be “harms to another other
than the self.”
69. “Hobbes believes that
living in a state of nature will cause disharmony and chaos to the state.”
70. In Meditation III,
“Descartes states that if there’s a cause there has to be an effect....”
71. “In his examinations
Socrates goes through three phases: the euthyphro, the elenchus and the
arete....”
72. “Socrates was tried
and condemned to drink a poisonous hemlock.”
73. “Socrates wanted to
open the eyes of its [Athens’] citizens to realize ignorance.” His goal was
the realization of ignorance?
74. “...timocracy,
oligarchy, democracy, and a tyranny. This list does not include an anarchy
which Plato believes is the best possible state.”
75. “Descartes claims
that since man thinks, he must exist because if he stopped thinking he would
be no more.”
76. “One problem with
Descartes’ knowledge claim [I think, therefore, I exist] is the fact that an
evil genius could have placed that idea in his mind.”
77. One student spoke of
“Descartes’ infamous cogito argument....”
78. “Descartes is
confused and lost in a world of illusions and dreams, he doesn’t know how to
differentiate between reality and dreams.”
79. “After all, society
is an interrelation of statues....”
80. “These heroically
fatalistic people....”
81. In writing a paper on
Singer’s “Famine, Affluence, and Morality a student wrote: “if the starving
people would kill themselves then everyone else would be happy, which is the
primary goal to a utilitarian, because they do not have to give fifty percent
of their income, and do not have to see or hear about the terrible
suffering.”
82. Writing on Singer’s
“Famine, Affluence, and Morality” a student said:
I like living in luxury greatly. I do not
think I could give it up just because it is morally necessary....Philosophers
are great for their thinking abilities, but when it comes to action, they are
not always the first to act. Singer is not suffering today to help the
homeless. I do not see why I should give up my hard earned luxuries for his
opinions about moral obligations.
83. “Mill says it is
better to be a pig (fool) satisfied than a human being dissatisfied.”
84. Pascal’s wager claims
that as “...believers the payoffs which we stand to gain are unsurmountable.”
85. “Pascal makes it
clear that though we have an understanding of infinity, we don’t understand
it.”
86. “The purpose of
Pascal’s wager is not to convert anyone, but only to convince sceptics to
believe.”
87. “I believe that the
foundation Descartes arrives at is a valid one. He provides conclusive
baking, and it stands to reason that it is a rational foundation.”
88. Writing a paper on
Descartes a student said: “the only way we can avoid deception is by avoiding
it or by correcting it once it has happened.”
89. “Morality revolves
around gratitude. Man only does what is moral if others view it as such. And
gratitude defines what is morally correct.”
90. “According to Kant,
man “treats himself as an end to all things. He does everything for
himself.”
91. While discussing
Singer’s “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” and Urmson’s “Saints and Heroes” a
student wrote: “while everyone ought to be a saint, they are not obligated.”
92. Writing about
Descartes’ Meditation III a student wrote: “he mentions in the meditation
about looking at things in the natural light especially after waking up from a
dream to wonder if everything he perceived could be a dream.”
93. Writing on Hobbes a
student informs us that his “...fear of parliamentarians led him to establish
a new home in Holland.”
94. Writing on Hobbes,
another student informs us that “in the state of nature, self-preservation
comes before life.”
95. A student wrote about
someone who “...learned to no avail the answer.”
96. In writing about
Pascal’s “wager” a student wrote: “infinity in numbers cannot be used to help
create and accept the idea of God. Infinite numbers are based on finite
numbers, which can be proved to be real. We can count. But God’s existence
is not based on something real.”
97. “Pascal’s intentions
are to prove that God can exist without knowing God’s own nature.”
98. Writing against
Berkeley, a student wrote: “obviously, in our day and age, if a man stood on a
street corner and talked about perceiving tables and chairs in his minds [sic]
he would must [sic] probably be taken to the nearest hospital in a straight
jacket.”
99. “Self-identity can be
produced only by the one possessing it and therefore, this is the only one who
really knows who he is and what he is.”
100. Writing on personal
identity a student wrote: “many times I have wondered whether it is my mind or
my body, or both that make me what I am. It has been impossible for me to
physically separate them.”
101. “The only difference
between the awakened and dreaming states is that in the awakened state there
is a great deal of regularity and in the dreaming state there is a great
degree of continuity.”
102. “Anselm wants to
prove that God is that than which nothing greater can be perceived.”
103. “Anselm thinks that
people who do not believe in the existence of God are fools.”
104. Writing a test
answer to a question about problems with Anselm’s ontological argument a
student writes: “this doesn’t make any sense to me how existence not being a
predicate denies a perfectly good argument on the existence of God by Anselm
but that is the problem they raise.”
105. “...in order to be
an affective philosopher one should not contradict oneself.”
106. “I feel Socrates was
being consistent in what he said. It’s just that he wasn’t clear or specific
enough in his meaning. The fact that he didn’t spell this out specifically
and in detail is because he is a philosopher and in philosophy there are
really no definitive answers to questions rather there are many more questions
raised about supposedly definitive answers.”
107. “The consistency of
Socrates’ ideas and beliefs are very inconsistent.”
108. A student wrote a
paper about the skepticism and the “burden of truth” (rather than “burden of
proof”).
109. “Usually, people
often become aware of your present sensations only when they malfunction.”
110. “Cargile’s arguments
seem to disprove the stoic defense of skepticism set up by Unger.”
111. After briefly
discussing the case of Smith, Jones, and ten coins, a student concludes that
“Gettier thinks we can get knowledge by coincidence as opposed to conclusive
reasoning (Dretske) or causal chains (Goldman).”
112. Writing about
Plato’s Crito a student indicated that if Socrates escaped and, thus,
“contradicted himself...the other philosophers wouldn’t want to converse with
him because he contradicted himself.” Thus, the student concludes, Socrates
will not try to escape.
113. In discussing the
Third Meditation, a student maintained that “Descartes says that everything
that has a cause has an effect.”
114. In writing a paper
on Descartes’ proof regarding God’s existence a student spoke of the “none
believers.”
115. Writing a paper on
BonJour's coherence theory a student talked of the “circulatory” [rather than]
circular form of justification some coherence theorists employ.
116. I have had several
students write about Hobbes and his “rationale egoists.”
117. “According to
Descartes there should be something that is responsible for having done the
things that he hasn’t.”
118. A student wrote a
paper on Plato’s Crito wherein Socrates’ options in the trial included
“vanishment, a monetary fine, imprisonment, or death.”
119. In writing a paper
on whether Socrates contradicts himself regarding one’s obligation to obey the
law in the Apology and the Crito, a student maintained that he
approached “...each issue independently...[deciding] which route of action
would represent the greatest good for the greatest number of persons.”
120. In writing on
Plato’s Apology a student maintained that his various inquiries lead
“...Sophocles to learn that “I am likely to be wiser to a small extent, than
others that I do not think I know what I do not know.””
121. “The courts believed
that they had knowledge because they had authority and the public followed.
Since they thought they had knowledge, they did not. Socrates knew that he
did not have knowledge; therefore, he did know what was best for him.”
122. A student wrote that
Socrates “believed that action equaled knowledge and thus took action.”
123. Socrates’ forms
maintain “...that a man is not worth living if he does not examine his soul
which is philosophy.”
124. Writing on Hobbes a
student informs us that “to an egoist good is defined as the object of his
desires and pain as the object of his diversions.”
125. “To disprove that
there is no omniscient evil genius who is deceiving us about everything is as
difficult a task as attempting to prove that one is not dreaming at any one
particular instance.”
126. “Descartes stated that we can be perceived by our
experiences but in order to be deceived of them there has to be an original.”
The student, presumably, is thinking of Ryle’s argument about counterfeit
coins (at least part of the time).
127. “Arguments according
to Hume dealing with inductions are either deductive or reflective.”
128. “I think Descartes
was existence conscious.”
129. “Although Singer
uses many valid arguments to support his views, the fact that he parallels
moral obligation with duty, makes some of his argument refutable.
130. A student wrote of
“an unsurmountable help.”
131. “If we become
judgmental of others, we are opening ourselves for judging.”
132. Writing on Berkeley
a student maintained: “since senses are only ideas in the mind then there
really is no sensation.”
133. Hume claims that “we
do not need experience because custom and habit explain our knowledge.”
134. “Psychological
egoism has both good and bad points. It’s good in that one’s only concern is
for one’s self-interest. Yet it’s bad because seeking one’s self-interest
means being selfish.”
135. “Like all
tautologies, this statement fails to represent what it is describing in a
precise manner.”
136. In discussing
Pascal’s wager a student wrote: “even if one were to play the martyr and
experience a tortured death, the pain would actually be very minute because
the infinite reward [of believing] would be unsurmountable.”
137. Writing on
Descartes’ dreaming argument a student maintained: “because our knowledge of
past events can be recalled to have occurred fluently, no missing link in time
has occurred. Consequently, we are not living in a dream unless one can
consider a lifetime a dream.”
138. Writing on
Descartes’ dreaming argument a student maintained: “dreams do not have to go
by the norms of reality. They can include incidents or occurrences that
involve physical or mental impossibilities.”
139. Writing on
Descartes’ dreaming argument a student maintained: “this deception is not
possible by trying to show that it is possible by trying to show that it is
possible.”
140. “Descartes refuses
to believe that he has a body though or that his mind is in any way connected
to anything physical. The flaw in this point; however, is that Descartes is
giving himself a mind before he even has a body to put it in. Biologically,
it has proven that one cannot exist without the other.”
141. “Feinberg, on the
other hand, says that it is not the aim of the act, but the goals, which
determines whether the act was selfish or not.”
142. “The third argument
states that one often deceives himself; meaning that one convinces himself
that his action is unselfish even when it is. This argument is inconclusive
because it can not be proven in any scientific, empirical way. Only the
individual would knows if he is deceiving himself.”
143. A student wrote
about the “psychologist egoist” (intending no doubt, except for the Freudian
slip, to write about psychological egoists).
144. Writing on Hick’s
response to the problem of evil, a student says: “Hick says that God should
have never created evil and then there would be no problem of evil.”
145. A student wrote of
Socrates’ “unrelentless pursuit for universal definitions.”
146. A student wrote that
Socrates “provides to the Athen people the opportunity to admit their
ignorance and acquire knowledge.”
147. “The people of
Athens also thought of Socrates as a weird and corrupt citizen because he was
interested in things in the sky.”
148. Socrates “...failed
to find one who was wiser. Socrates then concluded that in fact the oracle
was wise.”
149. “Socrates did not
believe himself when he said that he truly knows nothing at all.”
150. “...Socrates takes
his practice of philosophizing as a mission, which the gods ask him to do as a
way of servicing them.”
151. Describing the
guardians and philosopher kings, a student said that Plato tells us that
“...he wants those who have a concern for the collectively, who are interested
in what is best for the totalitarian rather than themselves....”
152. “Hobbes tries to
keep order by introducing the law of the Gospel....”
153. “Hobbes’
Leviathan, a work on contemporary political philosophy....”
154. “In conclusion,
there is an inconsistency in Hobbes’ views, since I am not completely
convinced by his argument that all individuals are rational egoists.”
155. “Plato and Mill are
both two great philosophers who ....”
156. “Plato believed that
people should be censored from watching obscene movies because this might
influence them by allowing their appetites to be in control instead.”
157. Writing on J.S. Mill, a student maintained that
“when individuals experience pleasure they are happy, therefore happiness is
intrinsically valuable.”
158. In writing a paper
on the views of Plato and Mill regarding censorship a student
maintained:”...Mill and Plato wrote these works in two completely different
eras. Mill’s work is much more contemporary, therefore his views are similar
to what most of us would think today. Plato on the other hand is dealing with
a society which is not nearly as developed...and therefore has to use
old-fashioned and more conniving methods in order to persuade people to act in
the required manner.”
159. “Intrinsic is to be
good of in itself where one pursues only for its own safety.”
160. “According to Mill
the greatest happiness principle is intrinsically valuable.”
161. A student wrote that
the fallacy of composition “states that if the parts are true then the whole
is also true.”
162. “Unlike Hobbes, who
says people pursue their own happiness regardless of anyone else, Mill’s
theory revolves around a form of hedonism.”
163. “Descartes talks
about how if we dream that we exist but we don’t really exist, then we must
exist.”
164. “Mill is not an
egoist—he just believes in the attainment of happiness to please oneself.”
165. A student wrote that
“Socrates believes that a life of disobeying the gods is a life unworth
living.”
166. “This would dismay
all his accomplishments, not to say, it would perplex his followers
extremely.”
167. “Socrates believed
that the most important part of the body was the psyche.”
168. “Plato, one of
Socrates’ henchmen, portrays....”
169. “For Socrates
material things were not important. He proved this because he was
poverty-stricken.”
170. “Socrates believed
he was on a divine mission; therefore the gods’ law is the higher law.”
171. “Here is when
Socrates...”
172. A student wrote a
paper about Plato’s view of the “human sole.”
173. “Plato believed that
humans are naturally social beings, but lack self-efficiency.”
174. A student informs us
that for Plato: “the workers would be craftsmen and trade people.”
175. “I believe that the
state of nature is inevitable, but with the correct changes, it can become
avoidable.”
176. “Although Hobbes’
view and definition were inaccurate, it does not mean that his philosophy
would have been deficient.”
177. Writing on Descartes
a student said: “I think you will conclude that his argument is plagued by a
circularity which undermines the validity of it.”
178. “In the second meditation, Descartes finds himself
and questions what is certain and indubitable.”
179. “The Meditations
had a lot to prove and clarify to become an excepted piece of work in the 17th
century.”
180. According to a
student, Berkeley said “that he can indeed imagine a tree existing unperceived
by no one.”
181. Writing on Anselm a
student maintained that “...it is more perfect to exist contingently; so that
perfect being must exist necessarily—and therefore undoubtedly exists.”
182. “Descartes avoids
facing the idea of being nothing hoping to avoid the reality of what might
be.”
183. “The reason why
Ryle’s objection would not be effective against Descartes’ argument is that
Ryle does not take into consideration the fact that Descartes does away, not
just from the information obtained through the senses, but from the senses as
well.”
184. Writing on Descartes
a student maintained that “the individual should take for granted his absolute
certainty, for whatever the matter may be, since he is doubtless, therefore
all-knowing.”
185. Descartes’ causal
principle “...states that every cause must have an effect trying to establish
that we are the effect of God’s cause.”
186. “Through the concept
of cause and effect Descartes proves that the cause of the idea of a perfect
being must have been put there by the perfect being and therefore He must
exist.”
187. “Socrates was a man
to whom his soul was the most important part of his body.”
188. “Socrates agrees
that a spoiled soul is not worth living.”
189. According to a
student, Socrates said that “since death is the unexamined life, then who is
to say that it is bad or good.”
190. “This may be
understood, but does not make any sense whatsoever.”
191. Regarding Hobbes’
version of the “social contract,” a student said: “...this contract does give
the sovereign the powder to make a subject engage in an act that may cause the
subject harm or that may even be dangerous or deadly.”
192. “Hobbes...believed
that the most important part of the body was the body.”
193. “Singer also says
things like we ought to do something.”
194. “Singer says that if
we ought to do something we can do something and therefore it is our
obligation to do it.”
195. A student informs us
that in his “Saints and Heroes” Urmson “...points out that if you demand too
much from humans, the concept of morality will be hurt.”
196. “In the biological
realm the hostile environment is conducive to survival of the fittest.”
197. “Rescher argues that
success and truth are related to each other through evolutionary evolution.”
198. Writing on Peter
Unger’s “In Defense of Skepticism” a student noted that “Unger, being the
steadfast skeptic that he is, concedes that it is impossible for anyone to
know his thesis to be true; however this does not seem to preclude him from
advancing it anyway.”
199. “Because these
propositions are logically measurable and understandable, they’re
knowledgeable.”
200. A student tells us
that in the Apology, Socrates “...was trailed, convicted, and sentenced
to death.”
201. In the Apology
Socrates informs the jury that the Oracle Adelphi....”
202. “Socrates would
accept death rather than seizing to philosophize.”
203. “The city is wise
because the guardians and rulers which make up the first class in the city,
make it wise because they are the ones who have wisdom and knowledge.”
204. “The reason why
Socrates makes this statement is because people differ in terms of their task
and skills. For example, if your car broke down, you would take it to a
mechanic so he can fix it. You would not take it to a carpenter. Now, let us
say your house has been damaged. You would take it to a mechanic....”
Presumably, the student lives in a mobile home!
205. “Plato thinks that
the soul is the most important part of the body.”
206. “Being capable of
rationalizing is what has enabled us to evolve and survive all these
years....”
207. “Here is when Hobbes
has a problem.”
208. “It is an extended
thing, separate from but grasped by the mind, that is the sit of reason....”
209. “To coin an age-old
phrase....”
210. “The auxiliaries and
pheasants own more material things than the guardians.”
211. Plato’s “...guardian
must also be a lover of wisdom, meaning he must not attack anyone he does not
know....”
212. “In Meditation III, Descartes made his argument
air-tight by bringing about the existence of god.”
213. “...if you do not
have your existence, then you do not have anything.”
214. “To detach from what
is you, to remove oneself from one’s existence, is implausible.”
215. “Consistency demands
as a requirement that two propositions contradict each other.”
216. “An arbitrary choice is bad because it is an
arbitrary choice.”
217. “This theory
[BonJour's] is right, based on a priori empirical observations....”
218. “The problem with an
infinite regress [of justifications] is that one must go through an infinite
number of entrances.”
219. “...no one is
immortal except for those that are dead already.”
220. “Socrates was a man
with an inert desire to speak his mind.”
221. Plato says that
“...no man is an island unless he lives on one.”
222. “After much effort,
Descartes finally finds himself.”
233. Writing a paper
which discusses Descartes’ cogito a student distinguishes between the
“occurrent” and “substantial” conceptions of the self and says: “at the
discrete moment of time when he is thinking he necessarily exists.”
224. “Descartes believes
that the idea of God that he finds in his mind is the only possible cause of
that idea.”
225. In a single paper on Descartes, a student gives us
three malapropisms: “one cannot be deceived unless he doesn’t have thoughts,”
“your sense perception is untrustworthy, because your dreams can deceive you,”
and “Descartes convinces you that he exists by explaining that if he can be
deceived...he exists.”
226. In another paper on
Descartes, a different student treats us to two malapropisms: “in the 1600’s a
time of brilliance was in the air and so was a time of doubt,” and “since we
can interpret what is going on around us we can also assume that in addition
to our senses our vision plays a important role as well.”
227. A student informed
me on a test that Anselm’s deity is “then that which can never be greater.”
228. Another student on
the same test said “Anselm knows there is a being or thing that which is
greater than he is.”
229. A student wrote a
paper which discussed the skeptical problems posed by “optical allusions.”
230. Writing on Russell
and Rescher on theories of truth, one student maintained: “although both offer
logical and conclusive arguments, they can never prove themselves valid.”
231. “Faced with this
dilemma the very notion of a coherence theory of justification is menaced to
succumb.”
232. “BonJour should have
become a professional football player, so good is he at dribbling the ball
around [philosophical] obstacles.”
233. A student writes
that BonJour’s “doxastic presumption” holds that “the justificatory issue is
that the belief that I indeed hold the beliefs that I myself claim to hold is
the overall grasp of my system of beliefs if I have to have cognitive access
of a coherent system of beliefs.”
234. “Socrates’
reputation, given to him by the oracle at Delphi, stated that he was the
wisest of men.” The oracle, presumably, is like the wizard of Oz (who gave
the lion courage, the tin man a heart, and the scarecrow wisdom).
235. “During the
Apology they convict Socrates to death.”
236. “This is critical in the explanation of Socrates’
vagrant disregard for the laws of the state with regard to practicing the art
of philosophy.”
237. Writing on Hobbes,
one student gave me two malapropisms: “Look at today’s society, how many times
do you hear that someone killed another person for money, drugs or just for
the shear pleasure.” and ““Of course there have to be the few who are rational
egoists who kill, steal and rape for their own personnel needs.”
238. Writing about how Descartes knows he didn’t cause
his idea of a deity, one student informs us that “He believes he is not the
cause of the idea of “god” because he has seen and read about “god” from
previous centuries.”
239. In writing an essay
in response to a fairly standard test question on Anselm, a student
distinguished between “necessary” and “convenient” existence.
240. “Socrates has no
other choice than to accept his sentencing to death.”
241. “Socrates, a
rambling philosopher, walked around claiming to know what was best for the
soul.”
242. “Socrates tries to
explain to Crito the importance of the laws and convince him not to escape
from prison.”
243. “Plato’s Crito
is set in Socrates’ jail cell after his death sentence.”
244. “Socrates has
respect for and obeys just laws such as not parking in handicap spaces.”
245. “Unger has a valid
argument to begin with but it becomes neutralized when the reader comes to
realize he has committed self-refutation.”
246. “Simply knowing
something does not imply that one has knowledge.”
247. “Socrates believes
that to obtain happiness in life one must engage in some type of philosophical
dialysis.”
248. “Anselm says
existing in the understanding is something that the fool does.”
249. “Socrates wanted to
point out that if a person harms you and you harm back, then it is wrong for
him to do so.”
250. “Plato believes that
there are three psyches of the soul.”
251. “Socrates believed
that he knew nothing, and to a small extent knew at least that much.”
252. A student maintains
that Plato contends that “...man is also rational in the sense that man uses
rationalization to solve problems.”
253. A student maintains
that “Descartes’ causal principle states that in order to have the cause, the
effect must be true.”
254. “Our senses deceive
just as our eyes could deceive us.”
255. “Hobbes understands
the fact that people, even under a contract, would try to break it for
self-fish reasons.”
256. “Your
phenomenological way of perceiving which is the way you perceive things
through your eyes is something that heavily relies in what you’ve been taught
or have experienced.”
257. “Lehrer’s defense of
skepticism in my opinion while in many cases does seem valid, its not
convincing.”
258. “Instead of
stimulating critical thinking, skepticism discourages it. For it strangles us
in a circle.”
259. “Plato leaves the
reader somewhat misunderstood here.”
260. “It appears as if
Hobbes contains a true problem and it is indeed serious.”
261. “The answer is very
complicating.”
262. “...or maybe they
inherited all their riches from their descendants....”
263. “This civil state is
the ultimatum to the state of nature.”
264. “Wittgenstein is a
philosopher, therefore he must philosophize.”
265. “Hobbes’ state of
nature is full of things such as rational egoists, commonwealths, and many
other things. According to Hobbes, one should be submitted to an absolute
sovereign.”
266. “During [Socrates’]
trial, one of the most important things he says to the jury is that he would
not stop philosophizing even if the jury ordered him not to.”
267. “[Socrates] explains
that people are too many, and that he and Crito should listen only to the ones
who know about the specific topic being discussed.”
268. A student informs us
that in the Republic, “Plato distinguishes [people] into three classes:
the rulers, the oscillators, and the workers.”
269. “Plato’s auxiliaries
have true belief but only some knowledge, whereas, the rulers have mere
belief, but full knowledge.”
270. Writing of Plato’s
Socrates one student informed me that in the Apology he was “condemned
to philosophize.”
271. A student told me
that Plato’s Apology provides “...a bold account of his whole life,
which led to his sentencing of death.”
272. A student tells us
that Plato’s Socrates “feels the part of the body what matters the soul/psyche
not the physical body.”
273. “Hobbes is a social
contrast.”
274. “According to Hobbes human beings are rational
egoists which makes them only want what they desire.”
275. In discussing
Hobbes’ view that contracts require coercive power, a student managed to
attribute a unique theory of meaning to Hobbes: “In his opinion, if there is
no coercive power then words are meaningless.”
276. Writing on Hobbes, a
student informs his reader that “...he explains the idea that in the state of
nature, there is constant competition for sacred goods.”
277. The first sentence
of a paper on Kant’s ethics read: “Kant and his ethical theory is one that
begins and ends in much a confusing manner.”
278. “Crito wants
Socrates to escape from jail after being found guilty and punished to death.”
279. “Plato’s Socrates is
accused of an unjust conviction.”
280. “This is evident
when kings, legislators, and diplomas are exempted from penalties for
infractions others would be liable for.”
281. “Hobbes believes
there will be no state of nature in the state if we live in a civil state.”
282. “Socrates could talk
forever and about all kinds of themes. That’s why he was considered one of
the greatest philosophers of all time.”
283. “Socrates is not
willing to compromise any of his beliefs because it would harm his soul, which
he thinks is the most important part of his body.”
284. “Anselm is trying to
explain that in order to believe in God you must first have an understanding
of God.”
285. “Justice is
something that is ideal; therefore, to Socrates the ideal state is justice.”
286. “This is extremely
contrary to Christian belief, which says that one must except God and the
Bible without question—it is called faith, and the New Testament says that
this is the only thing that will get you into Heaven.”
287. A student talked
about the constitutional right to “bare handguns”—causing me to have odd
mental images.
288. A student talked
about the famous statement by the “Cridle Delphy” wherein Socrates was
informed that no one is wiser than he.
289. Another student
spoke of Plato’s three part methodology (elenchus, aporia, and
dialectic) and indicated that the translation for the second step was
“prolixity.” [It should, of course, be “perplexity,” but you can understand
the student’s confusion].
290. For Hobbes a limited
government would be no good because it could never have more power than the
subgroups that composed it, which means that it could fall victim to revelry.
291. According to Hobbes,
“…all men thrive to satisfy their desires….”
292. “…I do agree with
their attempts just not the way they are going about doing it.”
293. According to one of
my students, “Anselm believes that God is nothing greater than that which can
be conceived.”
294. “Athens had recently
been through the dark ages, where there was no art, no culture, no writings,
and Athens was going through an enlightenment period. Socrates was crucial
and necessary to this period.”
295. Writing regarding
St. Anselm, a student informs us that “the necessary existent things exist
because we need them.”
296. In the Apology
Socrates fought his ideas to the death.”
297. Socrates, a student
informs us, “knows that life is worth examination.”
298. “At this point,
Socrates’ brothers Glaucoma and….”
299. “By 1660, the son of
the excited king, Charles the Second, was invited to become king.”
300. “There are numerous
dilemmas for Descartes’ mind-body dualism, including sleep, the unconscious,
and subconscious, which present serious problems for the duelist.” Presumably
duelists find it hard to shoot minds?
301. “Gettier claims that
it is possible to have justified true belief be false.
302. “Nothing we create
is anything if not useful, to some degree or other.”
303. “The dogastic
presumption, as introduced by BonJour, allows us to retain our epistemic
responsibility.
304. “Socrates thought
that a just life was the same as the good life, and that a good life was worth
leaving.”
305. “Socrates accepted
his sentence with stoicism.”
306. “For Wittgenstein a
preposition denotes an area in logical space.”
307. “According to
Aristotle’s virtue-based theory, all ends aim toward some good.”
308. Hobbes’ first law of
nature is that “every man may use all the helps and advantages of war to
obtain peace.”
309. “Picture an Athenian
courthouse around roughly 400 B.C. filled to capacity with Greek citizens
waiting for a trail to begin.”
310. “Anselm’s argument
is weak, but logical.”
311. One of my students
informs us that the Athenian jury “convicted Socrates to death.”
312. “Various
philosophers of their time continued to use philosophy as a form of
improving others. Their views
might have chanced a bit but it is still the same.”
313. "Plato’s
Socrates believes that the soul is the most important part of the body.”
314. “It is very
evident that Hobbes has a severe problem here because if no one is going to
risk themselves for the benefit of the state then who is?
315. “The
objections are clear, simple and most importantly logical which makes them
completely if not almost irrefutable.”
316. “There are
three parts to the tripartite soul.”
317. “According to
Plato, the characteristics of the good state are oligarchy, timocracy, and
piety.”
318. “Coherence
theorists offer circulatory theories of epistemic justification.”
319. “Socrates
tries to inflict logic into the jurymen by making a concrete argument for
his goodness.
320. A student
wrote a paper about a philosopher’s “infinite digress” meaning to talk about
the individual’s problem with an infinite regress!
321. “Descartes
wrote essays on the philosophy of meditation.”
322. “The state of
nature can best be characterized by the individual rational equalists that
inhabit it.”
323. “…and it is up
to this point that the similarities between Stoicism and Spinoza begin to
disappear.
324. Writing about
the view of ancient Greek philosophers, a student talked about their belief
in the concept of a “Legos!”
325. “…has often
been an issue that can never be truly resolved.”
326. One student
contended that Hobbesian egoists would give up their :…right to bare arms so
that others would give up their arms too.”
327. “Sigmund
Fraud, a psychoanalyst in the early 1900s believed that dreams were
manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties…”
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Last revised:
09/25/2014.