Introduction to Philosophy

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Introduction to Philosophy
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The Great Questions

• The philosophers asked What is Beauty? What is
  Goodness? What is Justice? What is the best way
  to govern a society? What people are fit to be
  rulers? (p. 6, What the Bleep do We Know?)

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Definitions

• Philosophy pursuit of wisdom
• Ontology/metaphysics the study of what is real
• Epistemology the study of knowledge, its scope
  and limits
• Axiology the study of values
• Ethics the study of good and what constitutes a
  good life
• Aesthetics the study of the beautiful

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The Value of Philosophy

• Seeks knowledge increases knowledge
• Gives freedom from narrow and practical aims an
  escape from the daily round
• More apparent than real
• Asks questions
• Frees us from prejudices
• Read the article The Value of Philosophy by
  Bertrand Russell.

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Philo-sopher

• Philo-sopher one who loves wisdom
• Knows, in reality, he knows and understands very
  little
• Draws people's attention to the eternally good,
  beautiful and true

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Mythology

• Attempt to explain how things came to be, origins
  of the world, connected to religion, supernatural
• Oral tradition
• Roman and Greek
• Most well-known Greek Homer writer circa 850
  BC Illiad and the Odyssey

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Rational Thinking

• Aim of early Greek philosophers is to find
  natural rather than supernatural explanations for
  natural practices 580 Before Common Era (BCE)
  or Before Christ (BC)
• Emergence of rational thinking, explanations
  without appealing to religion or tradition
• First teachers who encourage students to think
  for themselves, argue and discuss
• Eastern Mediterranean was the birthplace of
  Western Philosophy

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Aegean Sea
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Eastern Philosophy

• Confucianism
• Taoism
• Buddhist Philosophy
• Hindu Philosophy

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Sophies WorldA Course in Philosophy. Handle
with care. (p. 11)?

• The best way of approaching philosophy is to ask
  a few philosophical questions... (p. 13)?
• Today as well each individual has to discover
  his own answer to these same questions. (p. 13)?
• The only thing we require to be good
  philosophers is the faculty of wonder. (p. 15)?

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Analogy of the Rabbit's Fur

• Who is the magician?
• All mortals are born at the very tip of the
  rabbit's fine hairs, where they are in a position
  to wonder at the impossibility of the trick. But
  as they grow older they work themselves ever
  deeper into the fur. And there they stay. (p.
  18) Where are you?
• Why do adults stay deep into the fur?
• What are the benefits of crawling back up to the
  tip?

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Natural Philosophers Pre-Socratics

• Nature of the physical world
• Science
• Thales 625BC 545BC Greek colony in Asia
  Minor first known philosopher everything from
  water single basic substance
• Anaximander 610-546 BC all created things are
  limited that which comes before and after must
  be boundless - basic stuff could not be as
  ordinary as water
• Anaximenes 570-526 BC source of all things
  must be air or vapour

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Democritus

• 460-370 BC
• everything was built up of tiny invisible
  blocks (p. 43)?
• Each block was eternal and immutable
• firm and solid
• not all the same different shapes and sizes
• unlimited number
• Called atoms, un-cuttable (p. 43)?

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How accurate is Democritus theory to what we know
today?

• Atoms theory still exists
• P. 84 the lego horse Platos idea of the
  model plan World of ideas

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Athens circa 450 BC

• Cultural center of the Greek world. (p. 61)?
• Focus changed from natural philosophy to the
  individual and the individuals place in
  society. (p. 62)?
• Democracy evolved
• Art of rhetoric saying things in a convincing
  manner. (p. 62)?

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Prominent Philosophers

• Sophist a wise and informed person (p. 62)
• man and his place in society (p. 62)
• No absolute norms for what was right or wrong.
  (p. 63)?
• Protogoras (485-410 BC) Man is the measure of
  all things (p. 62)?

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Socrates

• 470-399 BC
• there are norms
• wrote nothing down
• greatest influence on western thinking
• taught in the city squares
• known to us through Platos writings
• we must use our reason to grasp philosophical
  truths p. 65
• feigned ignorance Socratic irony

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Socrates
died because of his convictions
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The unexamined life is not worth living.


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Reading Assignment

• Athens (p. 72-77)?
• Plato (p. 78-93)?
• Aristotle (p. 104-120)?

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Plato

• 428-347 BC
• Pupil of Socrates
• theory of ideas
• Myth of the cave denies the reality of the
  natural world
• We must become enlightened

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Myth of the Cave

• From The Republic
• What we take in with our senses is not real, but
  rather a poor copy of it we see only shadows
  imprisoned by our senses the shadows are less
  real than the actual
• Should take in the world intellectually
• Ignorance is likened to imprisonment

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Earthly knowledge is but Shadow.
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Put the Myth of the Cave in your own words.
l
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Plato and Aristotle
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Aristotle

• 384-322 BC
• student of Plato
• Elemental theory fire, water, wind, earth
• Rejected Plato's world of ideas
• Senses are important
• Good character ethics and morality
• Women as inferior
• logic

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Four Cardinal Virtues(according to the Greeks)

• Courage
• Justice
• Temperance
• Intelligence
• According to Aristotle all virtues necessary
• According to Plato knowledge (wisdom) most
  important

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Cynics

• 400 BCE
• Humans one with nature
• True happiness is in our attitude is not related
  to wealth or material possessions not in
  fleeting things
• Only need bare necessities
• People need not be concerned with health or other
  peoples problems
• Death should not disturb
• Virtue

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Stoics

• 300 BCE
• Natural laws
• Everything has a necessity, fate
• Nothing happens accidently
• Must endure suffering
• No use in complaining related to own modern
  definition
• Neg feelings bad judgment

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Epicureans

• 300 BCE
• garden philosophers
• Pleasure is the highest good.
• Pleasure not just physical includes friendship,
  art, self-control
• Live for the moment (carpe diem)
• Death is not a concern
• Today epicurean has negative connotation of
  living for pleasure

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Mystics

• Cosmic spirit one with God

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Jesus Christ as a philosopher

• Way of life
• Taught by speaking to the people
• Never wrote anything down
• Persecuted for his views
• Whom does he resemble?
• Socrates

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Christs teachings

• Love your neighbour, as yourself
• Love your enemy
• Definition of Love
• Love is patient and kind love is not jealous,
  or conceited, or proud love is not ill-mannered,
  or selfish, or irritable love does not keep a
  record of wrongs love is not happy with evil,
  but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up
  its faith, hope and patience never fail. (Good
  News for Modern Man)

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Definitions
Teliology Monism dualism
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Middle Ages/Medieval

• St Augustine - 350 CE religion Platos world
  of ideas is world of God God and nature
  morally responsible
• Religion and philosophy becoming one
• Ockham (Occam) Everything should be made as
  simple as possible, but not simpler. (Einstein)
• Aquinas philosophy and theology -
  christianized Plato
• Peckam theologian relied on Augustine
• Scotus Aristotle's views nature senses and
  intellect

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Research Project

• In a small group (4-6) research an era or group
  of philosophers
• Ancient Eastern
• Medieval
• Renaissance
• Baroque
• Enlightenment
• Romanticism
• Modern and Existentialism

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Research Project contd

• Library time Fri, Mon, Tues - Who are the
  prominent thinkers of the era? What were the
  key ideas from the era? What did they think?
  How did they differ in thinking?
• Class time Wed

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Presentation of Research

• Creative How might these thinkers interact?
  Create and present a political campaign, rap or
  music video, tea or dinner party include
  costumes and props (last year someone shaved his
  head to resemble Buddha )
• Information Teach the class about this era
  include a handout with a summary of key ideas.
• Length 10-20 minutes
• Due Date Tues Feb 26

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Ancient Eastern

• Hinduism yoga, 3rd largest religion (Islam,
  Christianity), love, peace
• Buddhism enlightenment, 3 jewels (Buddha - look
  up to enlightened one, Dharma be like Buddha,
  Sangha community of enlightened), Kharma, end
  mental suffering
• Confucianism Kung-tzu, 5 classics, Golden Rule
  and Silver Rule (be nice to others), respect and
  morality
• Taoism Yin and Yang, positive and negative,
  balance, duality that forms a whole
• Wu-wei action through non-action

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Renaissance

• Machiavelli 1469-1527 control populace
  politics, government - two books, The Prince is
  still used today in politics (Stalin really liked
  The Prince), ends justify the means, fear tactic
  in leadership (better feared than loved)
• Erasmus church is corrupt, opposed to church,
  but remained a catholic, wanted to better/purify
• Luther reformation, better/clean up church
• Calvin, Knox, Brahe, Descartes, Bacon
• Humee

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• Spinoza 1632-1677 Ethics pantheism all
  is God one substance God is the cause of all
  things, which are in him Rationalist Mystic
  Man is the derived mode of all of Gods
  attributes
• Hobbes 1588-1679 first materialist
  natural, physical world is all there is
  government and political thinking - The Leviathan
  The value or worth of a man is, as of all
  things, his price.

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• Locke 1632-1704 father of empiricism and
  liberalism, education. All mankind is good and
  ought not to harm one another. No mans
  knowledge here can go beyond his experiences.
  primary and secondary qualities in all objects
• Hume 1711-1776 nothing is certain,
  empiricist, take actions because of morals
  senses Beauty is in the mind which contemplates
  them. sensation is outward sentiment and
  reflection is the inward

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• Leibniz 1646 1716 rationalist borrowed
  reality There is a reason why every fact is as
  it is and not otherwise. calculus (Leibniz or
  Newton)

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Enlightenment

• 17th to 18th century
• Moving from religion to fact/science
• Age of reason
• Not a single movement or thought, but rather a
  set of values
• Figure out a reason why we are here without using
  religion as an answer thinking outside the box
• The way people thought was changing
• Politics and how people were governed

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European Thinkers

• Voltaire (French) rationalist - theatre is
  greatest form of art no reason for war
• Rousseau (French) humans innately good, but
  corrupted by society common good of society
  should live according to social rules
• Smith (British) wealth and economics money
  shapes the individual
• Immanuel Kant (German) rationalism and
  empiricism come together
• Schopenhauer (German) western philosophy meets
  eastern greatly influenced music, literature
  and other arts

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Existentialism/Modernism

• Kierkegaard 1813-1855 father of
  existentialism - individual finds own identity a
  problem mystery of own existence
• Existentialism study of existence, questioning
  ones existence, perceive what is thought to be
  true
• deBeauvoir - 1908-1986 French existentialist
  Sartre - feminism
• Sartre we create our own purpose, bad faith to
  lie to ones self free choice
• Descartes I think therefore I am. doubted
  method of doubt - rationalist

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Nietzsche

• 1844-1900
• Influenced by Schopenhauer (1788-1860 the
  philosopher of pessimism)
• Humans are too dependent on existing values and
  morals, which are derived from the ancient Greeks
  and religions
• God is dead.
• There are no facts, only interpretations.
• Übermensch Superman what humans should
  aspire to
• Idealize Socrates like Jesus

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Senses or Reason

• Epistemology the theory of knowledge -nature of
  knowledge what we can know
• Empiricists believe that we learn through our
  senses we learn based on observation, experience
  we are born with a clean slate (tabula rasa).
  Remember Empiricist Experience.
• Rationalists believe one has to have an
  understanding of ones self to learn Know
  thyself senses offer a limited world rely on
  truths, logic and intuition
• Kant synthesized the two need reason and the
  senses to learn

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Aristotle

• Philosophy begins and always begins and has
  always begun with wonder, and nothing is so
  productive of wonder as a little doubt...except
  perhaps a big doubt.

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Knowledge as justified true belief

• At the gates of knowledge the sceptic stands
  guard before we can enter the citadel we must
  answer his challenge. (Annas and Barnes, 1985)
• Why?
• Are you sure?
• How do you know?
• Might it not be otherwise?

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Knowledge the Fortress of Philosophy

• Doubt
• Errors
• Illusions
• Biases

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Innate vs Acquired Knowledge
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New words
Priori statements using reason alone Posteriori
judgements using sensory experience Noumenal
pertaining to things as they are in themselves
(not as they appear to our senses) Phenomenal
pertaining to the senses
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Rationalists
Descartes Leibniz Spinoza
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Empiricists
Locke Berkeley Hume
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Evaluations
1. Presentation all categories 2. Intellectual
Journal personalizing your learning Thinking
and communication 3. Quiz - Knowledge (least
weight) 4. Essay Thinking and application
(most weight)
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Philosophy Essay

• Part 1 Biography
• Part 2 Presentation of key ideas
• Part 3 How did your thinker break from or change
  previous ideas? (Refer to 2 or 3 other thinkers)
• Part 4 Historical impact (significance of your
  thinker)
• Part 5 Relevance to contemporary thinking

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Part 1 Biography (Introduction)?

• Birth time and place
• Family information
• Education
• Hobbies, interests
• Thesis Why is this philosopher important??

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Part 2, 3, and 4

• Overview of the philosophers ideas
• How did these ideas connect with or contradict
  with previous thinkers?
• What new thinking did your thinker introduce?
• What impact did this thinker have?

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Part 5 (Conclusion)?

• Why do we still talk about this thinker today?
• What relevance does this thinker still have?
• Connect to modern day?

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Philosophy Essay Planning

• Plan your thinking before you begin to write
• Topic Your philosophers importance
• Audience interested students and adults
• Purpose To convince your audience of your
  philosophers importance
• Outline traditional, mind map or cluster,
  looseleaf

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Draft 1

• Draft 1 turn-off spell and grammar check
• Dont worry about fonts
• Just write its ideas that count

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Draft 2

• Read first draft
• Are details vivid and convincing?
• Check organization paragraph structure, topic
  sentence for each paragraph, smooth transitions
• Fix grammar and spelling errors

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Draft 3

• Get a trustworthy, honest proof reader.
• Decide which suggestions you will use and which
  ones you will discard.
• Polish your paper.

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Final Draft

• Neatness
• Title page, including the title of your essay
• Double space
• Bibliography

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Writers Block

• Insecurities
• Fear of risk
• Lack of perseverance
• Remember no first draft sounds polished write
  it anyways
• Use free writing
• Manipulate your environment work at the best
  time of the day for you dont write with the tv
  on tell family members not to interrupt