Some philosophical issues
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What am I?
What is consciousness?
Could I survive my death?
Am I a puppet of destiny or do I have
my own free will?
Does the world presuppose a creator?
How do I know if my opinions are
objective or just subjective?
What is Philosophy?
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The term philosophy is a compound from the Greek
words philo (love) and sophia (wisdom). It is best
defined as the love of exercising one’s curiosity and
intelligence.
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Pythagoras (ca. 530 BCE) was the first to call himself
a philosopher. Three classes of people at the games:
Athletes- skilled seekers of fame; merchants- shrewd
seekers of wealth; spectators- contemplative seekers
of truth. For Pythagoras, rational reflection on
abstract mathematical concepts purifies the soul by
freeing it from attachment to bodily desires.
Philosophy’s Four Main Areas
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Metaphysics:
Examines the nature
of reality. What is
real? Does God
exist? What is the
self? Are we free?
Logic: Examines
reasoning. How can
we make reliable
inferences?
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Epistemology:
Examines the
concept of
knowledge. What
can we know and
how do we know
what we know?
Ethics: Examines
the concepts of right
and wrong.
Science, Philosophy, and
Religion
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What is the scientific
method? Why is it
reliable? What topics
are outside the reach of
science?
What methods does
religion use to support
claims about the nature
of ultimate reality?
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What are some conflicts
between religion and
science?
What methods do
philosophers use to
support claims about
issues in metaphysics,
morality, and
epistemology?
What are some conflicts
between philosophy and
religion?
Why study philosophy?
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For fun! To satisfy our
natural curiosity, to
seek better answers to
the existential
questions. To enjoy the
pleasures of
philosophical reflection.
For self-improvement.
Reflection improves
practice.
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Thinking about what
you are doing, why you
are doing it, and how
you could do it
differently make you
better at what you do.
Theory affects practice,
bad theories lead to bad
practices. E.g.. Karma,
samsara, spirits,
heaven, egoism.
Personal Freedom
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Only by subjecting the
values and beliefs of our
culture to critical scrutiny
can we avoid being duped by
persuasive propagandists
who have an interest in
manipulating us. To be truly
autonomous and self
determined we must learn to
think critically, to question
what we hear and ask for
evidence.
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For a better society. True
democracy requires citizens
who can contemplate the
common good without being
duped by groups with a
religious or political agenda.
Only careful, critical thinkers
can evaluate social policy
proposals from an objective
and impartial perspective.
Plato’s Conception of
Philosophy
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Philosophical wisdom
stands up to critical
scrutiny. A clear,
articulate, rational
system of ideas.
Dialectical methodcritical analysis of
traditional beliefs.
Rational search for
unchanging reality.
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To know a things reality
is to know the end or
purpose it serves. To
know human nature is
to grasp the ideal that
human nature strives to
realize.
Discovering this ideal
shows one how to live a
life of fulfillment.
Recent Philosophers on
Philosophy
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That department of
knowledge which deals with
ultimate reality, or the most
general causes and
principles of things. Oxford
Dictionary.
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All those enquiries which
have for their object to trace
the various branches of
human knowledge to the
first principles in the
constitution of our nature.
D. Stewart
…the scientific knowledge of
man. J.S. Mill
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…a collective name for
questions which have not been
answered to the satisfaction of
all that have asked them.
William James
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The attempt to arrive at a
general description of the whole
universe. G. E. Moore
Every philosophical problem…is
found to be not really
philosophical at all, or else to
be…logical (arising out of the
analysis of propositions).
Bertrand Russell
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A critical discussion of critical
discussion. John Passmore
Philosophy of science is philosophy enough.
Origins of Philosophy
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A paradigm shift in ancient Greece- from
supernatural to natural explanations of the
universe.
Supernaturalists rely on divination and
inspiration to discover divine motives. What
is Zeus thinking and how can we influence
him? Claims are supported by intuition,
shared subjective experience, and appeals to
authoritative traditions. Naturalists rely on
evidence and reasoning; claims that are open
to criticism and investigation on the basis of
consistency and empirical evidence.
The Sophists
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As belief in the old religious myths waned, and a new
class or merchants arose, a group of philosophers
emerged teaching oratory skill and debate. For a
fee one could learn to win friends and influence
people. These enlightened men, who were liberated
from superstition and ignorance, would teach their
customers how to acquire wealth, fame, and honor.
Man is the measure of all things. Protagoras
When Zeus is uncrowned, chaos succeeds to his
place, and chaos rules. Aristophanes
Some bases of beliefs
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Authority
Tradition
Testimony
Experience
Evidence
Desire
Faith
Presupposition
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How is the reliability
of a belief assessed?
What are the criteria
for determining the
truth value of a
belief?
Does it matter?
How logic can help us stay
grounded in reality
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Whose reality?
Workplace
Family
Self
Community
Nations
Nature
Culture
Worldview
Fact and fiction
 True and false
 Appearance and
reality
 Conceptions
 Social Constructs