人文科学入門 Andrew Komasinski, PhD Hokkaido University of Education Asahikawa Classroom Expectations Come to class on time. Do not sleep in class. Ask questions if you do not understand. You are responsible to turn work in on time. Read assigned materials. “人文科学” and Humanities • 科学 = Science of • 人文 = humanity and culture ≈[ほぼ一緒] • Humanities = things that relate to our human nature (人間性) Natural Sciences and Humanities “Natural Sciences” • Studies Natural World (自然界) • Foundation in Physics, Chemistry, Biology • Uses data and experiments “Humanities” • Studies the human world and condition • Foundation in Philosophy, Culture, Literature • Uses our reasoning and writing Humanities: Background I In the West, universities gave roughly (大体) four different types of degrees (学号): • JD • Juris Doctorate = 法学博士 • MD • Medical Doctorate = 医学博士 • ThD • Doctor of Theology = 神学博士 • PhD • Doctor of Philosophy = 哲学博士 Humanities: Background II Question: What can you get a PhD in now? Answer: Chemistry, Physics, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, Economics, History, Philosophy, English, Japanese, Linguistics, Science Education… Question: Why? Humanities: Background III Question: Why are most disciplines (分 野) PhDs? Answer: Most disciplines came from philosophy at some point. But when the field becomes more specialized it gets its own area of study. Humanities and Philosophy • Philosophy is what is left (残っている) after other disciplines come into existence • Philosophy also asks about different disciplines and what they mean • What does it mean to do chemistry? • What does it mean to think about geography? • Is there right and wrong in economics? Outline of Weeks 8-15 • [12/4]: Overview of Humanities • [12/4]: Overview of Philosophy • [12/11 12/18]: Plato No Class 12/25 • [1/8 1/15]: Aristotle • [1/22 1/29]: Modern Philosophy 1/29 – Report Due Requirements for Weeks 8-15 From the syllabus’s 成績評価: • (1)出席:欠席が2回を超えたら単位 を認定しない。 • (2)課題レポート。 Implementation (施設) = 1 Report Reports: Details sent to me via e-mail: komasinski.andrew@a.hokkyodai.ac.jp • 1 page A4 • Grading: • Length … Is it really at least one page? • Content … Does it show you understood the lectures? • Insight … Do you add any of your own thoughts? • Grammar … Does the content make sense? Reports: E-mail sent to me via e-mail: komasinski.andrew@a.hokkyodai.ac.jp • Address me as “Dr. K” in the e-mail • Include sentences at the top: I am Hiroshi Abe. I am a student in 人文科学 入門. My student number is c30000ah. I have attached my report. Reports: Grammar and Language • If you write your report in English, you can get full credit on the grammar even if it is not perfect or completely natural. • If you write your report in Japanese, I can only give you a C on the grammar (since I cannot check it) • If you write your report in French (など), 問 い合わせ • You can show me both languages. Who am I? • Many of you have already taken classes from me. • I was born in Indianapolis, IN • I have a BS in Chemistry and Philosophy (学士は哲学と化学) from Wheaton College – near Chicago. Graduate Work • MA in Philosophy and PhD in Philosophy • My specialization is moral selfhood (道 徳的自我) • I look at the way that relationships help us to know right and wrong and influence our behavior. • My favorite philosopher is Soren Kierkegaard. What this means for you… • Every class with me is an intercultural experience (多文化経験になる) • I am not used to lecturing for 90 minutes • I want to ask you questions • I want to have you work in groups and discuss what I am saying • I want to give you time to respond • I do not want to transfer information. I want you to be grasp (握る) material on your own Overview of Western Philosophy Western philosophy divides into roughly four periods: ANCIENT Philosophy (古代) MEDIEVAL Philosophy (中世) MODERN Philosophy (近代) CONTEMPORARY Philosophy (現代) ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY [<400CE] • Pre-Socratics (ソクラテス以前) • Thales, Anaximander, Heraclitus, Parmenides • Socrates/Plato (プラトン) • Aristotle (アリストテレス) • Stoics / Epicureans / Academic Skeptics Key Questions: What exists? What kind of things are they? How do we gain knowledge? How should we live? MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY[400CE-1400CE] • Augustine ---• Ibn Sina [Avicenna] • Albert Magnus • Thomas Aquinas • William Ockham • John Buridan [354-430 CE] [980-1037 CE] [1200-1280 CE] [1225-1274 CE] [1287-1347 CE] [1300-1358 CE] Key Questions: What to do with science and God? How to understand the re-discovery of Aristotle? MODERN PHILOSOPHY [1400CE-1900CE] KEY QUESTION: How can we know? What can we know? EARLY MODERNITY • Rationalists (合理主義) • Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza • Empiricists (経験主義) • Locke, Berkeley, Hume LATE MODERNITY • Kant, Hegel • Kierkegaard, Nietzsche • Bentham, Mill CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY [1900CE-NOW] ANALYTIC Philosophy- Wittgenstein, Quine, Vienna Circle = Solving problems using modern logic CONTINENTAL Philosophy- Adorno, Arendt, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, Foucault, Derrida = Deconstructing [哲学実態を疑いている] Truth and Philosophy AMERICAN Philosophy = Pierce, Dewey, James, Rorty =Practical Philosophy [無抽象的] COMPARATIVE Philosophy = studying Confucius, NISHIDA, Indian thought, etc. =Learning from Other EASTERN THOUGHT AND PHILOSOPHY In one sense, “philosophy” means Socrates and the people who come after him. His opponents (相手) were “sophists.” In another sense, philosophy means asking questions like: Where do things come from? What do we mean when we call things “humans”? What should we do with our lives? Is it wrong to … ? Must we ….? In the second sense, people like Buddha, Jesus, and Confucius can be called philosophers. Method for Class Each class involves: • A) Explaining cultural background of the material we are reading • B) Looking at certain key ideas the philosopher develops • C) Understanding the arguments the thinker makes Reading for 12/11 For the next class, please read Plato’s Apology (弁解)