Branches of Philosophy

Read sources and answer the following questions. Each response should be at least 4-5 sentences. USE Branches of Philosophy, AND Part 2 Branches of Philosophy. Don’t forget to cite if using information from the text.

1. Based on what you learned about the branches of philosophy, how would you describe the character of philosophy? Use your own words.

2. Based on what you learned about the branches of philosophy, how does Logic serve as a foundation for “doing” philosophy?

3. Based on the readings in this section, what does Socrates say about why people do bad things?

4. Based on your readings in this section, what is Hedonism?

5. Based on your readings in this section, what is the primary motive of human behavior, according to the Greek Skeptics?

Answer preview

Socrates is considered the father of Western ethics, and he explores the concept and the reason behind doing good and evil. In his theory, Socrates posits that people indulge in wrong actions due to ignorance. He claims that there is only one good, knowledge, and one bad; ignorance, whereby knowledge is regarded as self-awareness; therefore, people who do bad indulge in such acts unintentionally. This is so because Socrates claims that if people knew the right thing to do, they would not be associated with doing bad things. In his argument, people will always do the things they believe will produce positive effects; however, due to ignorance, people end up doing bad things. If people who do bad things were aware of their actions, they would not do the wrong things. Thus, these people do bad things because they believe it is good for them. People will choose the actions they deem to be good for them in the same way; people who do bad things believe that what they are doing is good, despite their efforts being evil.

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Branches of Philosophy