PHIL 3060 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Syllogism, J. O. Urmson, Compatibilism

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 3060
• Professor: Peter Eardley

Document Summary

Human soul has three major faculties: the rational perceives universals, and desires objects under the aspect of the good/happiness, the sense appetitive sense perception and sense desire, the vegetative growth/reproduction. Plants have vegetative part, animals have vegetative and sense appetitive part, humans have. To demonstrate, here is a practical syllogism: major premise (general main principle): all sweet things are to be tasted, minor premise (facts of the situation): this is a sweet thing, conclusion: therefore, this ought to be tasted. So, ignorance of minor premises, or facts of particular situations, is excusable, but one is to be held accountable ignorance of the universals/principles. The moral life has to do with two faculties of the soul: the rational part, and the sense appetitive part because they can be exercised rationally or irrationally (whereas the vegetative part cannot) States of the soul (book vii of the ethics): superhuman virtue/excellence. Mostly attributed to gods; beyond the reach of ordinary mortals: virtue/moral excellence.