When you come in pick up:
• 1 sticky note- write 1st and last name
• 1 Card- write 1st and last name
• 1 Syllabus
VIDEO
1
WHAT YOU NEED…
2
WHAT IS THIS?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm8mrCXii8
3
Why Get an
Education?
Is it a stepping stone to make
money?
WHY STUDY GEOMETRY?
O In Plato's Republic . . . the interlocutor
(person speaking with Socrates) appears to
bring certain plausible reasons to bear
upon the mathematical sciences, to show
that they are useful to human life,
arithmetic . . . geometry for sieges, the
founding of cities and sanctuaries, and the
partition of land, music for festivals,
entertainment . . . for astronomy, for
farming, navigation and other undertaking .
..
O WHY DOES HE CLAIM GEOMETRY SHOULD
BE LEARNED?
O DO YOU AGREE?
O Socrates, reproaching him, says:
"You amuse me, because you seem to fear
that these are useless studies that I
recommend; but that is very difficult, nay,
impossible. For the eye of the soul, blinded
and buried by other pursuits, is rekindled and
aroused again by these and these alone, and
it is better that this be saved than thousands
of bodily eyes, for by it alone is the truth of the
universe beheld."
• What are these teeth
designed for?
• What does this tell us
about dogs?
O This giraffe is designed to
_______.
What about people?
O Learning
O Communication
Learning
It’s what humans do….
O It’s part of what it means to be human! All
humans learn all the time, everyday.
O But some things are more worthy to learn
than others…
O This is Reason #1
Reason #2
O This baby knows probably only a few words
(understanding).
O Imagine you only knew 10 words.
O How would this limit you?
O How would knowing more words free you?
O How can this be applied to all learning?
Question
O If what we have just said is true… why is
Google potentially dangerous for
humanity?
O You WILL be exposed to ideas that you have
never thought of before.
O You WILL be required to think about and
attempt to understand these ideas.
O You WILL NOT be graded on whether or not
you believe any of these ideas (I strongly
disagree with many of them.)
18
19
20
Grading
O Your grade in this class will be
based on four things:
O Tests (M.C. /Short Answer) and
Projects
O Discussion/Participation
O Your Notebook. I want everyone to
get a Composition book FOR THIS
CLASS.
21
O Do the Readings
O Participate in discussion!!!!
22
23
PHILOSOPHY IN THE
MARKETPLACE
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
24
LEARNING LOG
Why did you take this class?
What is philosophy?
Why is it important to study philosophy?
25
26
WHAT DO PHILOSOPHERS
STUDY?
Epistemology-Questions about nature and source of knowledge
concept of truth, and objectivity or relativity of beliefs
Metaphysics- Religion- Questions about the existence of God,
problem of evil and relationship of faith and reason. Study of
fundamental questions about the nature of reality
Ethics- Are there any objectively correct values? Or are they all
relative? Which ethical principles (if any) are the correct ones? How
do we decide what is right or wrong?
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution
27
without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Focusing on nowhere
Investigating miles
I looked under tables
I'm a seeker I'm a really desperate
I'm tryin to find the key
To fifty million fables
man
“THE SEEKER ”
They call me the seeker
I wont get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
I been searchin low and high
I wont get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
I learned to raise my voice in anger
Yeah but look at my face ain't this a
smile
I asked bobby dylan
I'm happy when life's good and when
I asked the beatles
its bad I cry
I asked timothy leary
I got values but I don't know how or
But he couldn't help me either
why
I'm lookin for me
People tend to hate me
Cuz I never smile
You're lookin for you
Were lookin at each other and we don
know what to do
As I ransack their homes
They wanna shake my hand
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/who/theseeker.html
28
“WHAT IS TRUTH?”
-PONTIUS PILATE
“THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE”
-AGENT MULDER (X-FILES)
“ALL I WANT IS THE TRUTH. JUST
GIMME SOME TRUTH”
-JOHN LENNON
RENE DESCARTES
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maryastell132730.html?src=t_truth
IS IT?
HOW DOES ONE FIND IT?
https://craigyoshihara.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/680657-xfiles.jpg
30
WHAT DO PHILOSOPHERS
STUDY?
How does the song “The Seeker” relate to philosophy?
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution
31
without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
PHILOSOPHER’S JOURNAL
Why did you take this class?
List the benefits of studying
philosophy.
32
ARTICLES ON WHY STUDY
PHILOSOPHY
 http://www.nytimes.com/20
 https://sites.google.com/site
08/04/06/education/06philoso
/whystudyphilosophy/
phy.html?_r=0
 http://www.iup.edu/philosop
hy/about/
 Watch
33
LIST BENEFITS TO
STUDYING PHILOSOPHY
34
O Create a poster to
demonstrate 5 reasons
why Philosophy is
important.
O It must have:
O A title
O Five color pictures
O Five paragraphs. One for
each reason. Include a
quote or example from
the readings in each
one.
35
PHILOSOPHER’S JOURNAL
“Wisdom without knowledge is useless.
Knowledge without wisdom is dangerous.”
 Do you agree with these statements? Which ones?
Why?
36
SOCRATES LIFE AND
MISSION
 Born 470 B.C. in Athens
 Information abut his life comes from
Plato’s dialogue, Apology
 Oracle at Delphi said no man was
wiser than Socrates
 People thought Socrates was
dangerous.
 Socrates1
37
SOCRATES
Read p 15-17
What would make an idea dangerous?
What ideas (if any) do you find uncomfortable, troubling, or even
dangerous?
Can you think of any past ideas that people thought were dangerous,
but turned out to be true?
Can you think of any ideas that you once thought were dangerous but
now believe?
What ideas are worth living for?
What ideas are worth dying for?
38
Share 3 minutes with a neighbor about the
question that interests you most.
Switch and share with neighbor again- 3 minutes.
Switch one more time- this time discuss the most
difficult question.
39
Discussion
• We will begin with a
volunteer.
• I am not interested in
necessarily addressing
all questions. This is a
Socratic Dialogue…we
will see where the
conversation goes.
40
41
STRATEGIC READING
 Plato’s “Apology”
42
STRATEGIC READING
 Number paragraphs
 Circle Key Words
 Pick one sentence that best sums up
each paragraph and underline it.
DISCUSS
• What Key words did you choose? Why?
• How are key words related to other key
words? Draw connecting lines, or make notes
in the margin.
• Compare underlined phrases
• How do they relate to the key words? Draw
connecting lines/ make notes in margins.
Plato’s Apology
O Read 23-24
O Write:
O Something interesting X2
O Something you didn’t understand
X2
O A question you have about the
reading.
45
46
SOCRATES’ LIFE AND
MISSION
 Socrates would not forsake his mission, even
on pain of death
 Socrates calls himself a gadfly
 Socrates is perceived as arrogant in arguing
his sentence
 For Socrates, the real danger in life is not
death but living an evil life
Click for 8bit Video
47
THE SOCRATIC METHOD
(DIALECTIC)
1. Unpacking- he finds a philosophical issue to debate
2. Key terms- he zeroed in on a particular word that needed definition
3. Professing ignorance- he asks the person for “help understanding”
4. Definition #1- proposed by the other person
5. Analyzing a definition through questioning- he exposes problems with the
definition
6. Definition #2- a better definition is presented by the “opponent”
7. Repeat #5 and #6 until the person becomes so frustrated that he admits
ignorance
8. Now you know why they wanted to kill him.
48
REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM
Reducing to an absurdity
Showing logically that an opponent’s idea
ends up in a contradiction/ absurdity
49
THE REPUBLIC
Socrates never wrote anything.
His student Plato wrote what we know about him.
He used DIALOGUES.
In the following dialogue we will see the Socratic
Method at work.
50
CHARACTERS
Cepahalus- an old man who
claims to have had a fulfilled life
(Step 1: Unpacking)
Thrasymacus- a young,
arrogant teacher who attempts to
argue with Socrates
Socrates
51
Justice
and piety.
52
What is
justice?
53
I know!!
54
That’s nice, because I
don’t know. Why don’t you
enlighten us with your
wisdom, Thrasymacus?
55
O What is Thrasymacus’s definition of
justice?
O Is it satisfactory?
56
O What contradiction does Socrates
find?
O Could Thrasymachus fix it?
57
O What is Thrasymacus’s new
definition of justice?
58
I know!!
INJUSTICE
IS BEST!!!
59
60
Socratic Dialogue
O With a partner I want you to
write a Socratic-style dialogue.
O It should be at least 2 pages
(front/back of one page.)
O Be sure to use the 7 steps.
O You may argue about one of
the following topics:
O Is there such a thing as truth?
O What is beauty?
O What is love?
O ????
61
62
63
PLATO
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
 Read Plato p 32-35. Using Strategic Reading. Answer questions on
p 31.
 Watch cartoon:
 cartoon
 https://Legend of Zelda
64
WHAT DO PHILOSOPHERS
STUDY?
 Epistemology-Questions about nature and source of knowledge
concept of truth, and objectivity or relativity of beliefs
 Metaphysics- Religion- Questions about the existence of God,
problem of evil and relationship of faith and reason. Study of
fundamental questions about the nature of reality
 Ethics- Are there any objectively correct values? Or are they all
relative? Which ethical principles (if any) are the correct ones? How
do we decide what is right or wrong?
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution
65
without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
LEARNING LOG
 Summarize the allegory of the cave.
 How does the allegory of the cave address the 3 philosophical
issues?
 Share
 Discuss
66
67
ELEMENTS OF ARGUMENTS
Premise(s)
Conclusion
68
69
DEDUCTIVE AND
INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS
 Two videos
 Arguments
 Deductive and Inductive
70
DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS
 Modus ponens
 Modus tollens
 Fallacy of denying the antecedent
 Fallacy of affirming the consequent
 Syllogism
 Hypothetical syllogism
 Disjunctive syllogism
 Fallacy of affirming the disjunct
 Reduction ad absurdum arguments
71
INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS
Probability- Inference to the best
explanation
72
Inductive Arguments
Inductive Argument: An argument
in which the truth of the premises
is supposed to prove that the
conclusion is probably true.
Strong Inductive Argument: An
inductive argument in which the
truth of the premises really does
prove that the conclusion is
probably true.
Cogent Argument: A strong
inductive argument in which all the
premises are actually true.
Examples
#1 Most recording artists have talent.
Paul McCartney is a recording artist.
Therefore, McCartney probably has talent.
This argument is strong.
---------------------------------------------------------#2 Paul McCartney is a recording artist.
Paul Mccartney has brown hair.
Therefore, most recording artists have
brown hair.
This argument is weak.
Most girls like to play sports.
Paul McCartney is a girl.
Therefore, Paul Mccartney probably likes to
play sports.
This argument is strong but uncogent.
Deductive
Arguments
Deductive Argument: An argument in which the
truth of the premises is supposed to necessitate
the truth of the conclusion, i. e. if all the premises
are true, the conclusion has to be true.
Valid Deductive Argument: A deductive argument
in which the truth of the premises really does
necessitate the truth of the conclusion, i. e. it’s
NOT possible for all the premises to be true and
the conclusion still be false.
Invalid Deductive Argument: A deductive
argument in which the truth of the premises
really does not necessitate the truth of the
conclusion, i. e. it’s possible for all the
premises to be true and the conclusion still
be false.
Sound Argument: A valid deductive
argument in which all the premises are
actually true.
.
Determining Whether a Deductive
Argument is Valid or Invalid
1) Assume all the premises are true, even if
one or more is clearly false.
2) Using only the information in the
premises plus common knowledge ask:
Does the conclusion have to be true?
Yes: Valid Argument
No: Invalid Argument
N.B.: An argument is invalid if it’s possible
for all the premises to be true while the
conclusion is false.
N.B.: Whether an argument is valid or
invalid depends solely on its form NOT its
content.
Examples
If Barack Obama is President of the USA,
then Michelle Obama is First Lady.
Barack is President of the USA.
Therefore, Michelle is First Lady.
This argument is valid.
Material Implication: The truth of the
antecedent (A) is sufficient by itself for the
truth of the consequent (B).
If A, then B.
A.
Therefore, B.
A’s being true makes B true. A is true. So,
B is also true.
If Abraham Lincoln died of cancer, then
Lincoln is dead today.
Lincoln is dead today.
Therefore, Abraham Lincoln died of cancer.
(This argument is invalid.)
If A, then B.
B.
Therefore, A.
Counter-Example: A way to show that an
argument form is invalid. It’s an
argument in the which all the premises
are clearly true and the conclusion is
clearly false.
If the moon is made of green cheese, then
astronauts can eat moon rocks.
The moon is made of green cheese.
Therefore, astronauts can eat moon rocks.
If A, then B.
A.
Therefore, B.
This argument is valid but unsound.
Homework
O Read 40-43
O Write:
O Something interesting X2
O Something you didn’t understand X2
O A question you have about the reading.
84
85
HANDOUT#1
86
LOGICAL FALLACIES
Continuing our foray into the world of
Argument
Courtesy of: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html
What is Fallacy?
• Fallacies are defects that weaken arguments.
• First, fallacious arguments are very, very common and
can be quite persuasive, at least to the causal reader or
listener. You can find dozens of examples of fallacious
reasoning in newspapers, advertisements, and other
sources.
• Second, it is sometimes hard to evaluate whether an
argument is fallacious.
• An argument might be very weak, somewhat weak,
somewhat strong, or very strong. An argument that has
several stages or parts might have some strong sections
and some weak ones.
Hasty Generalization
• Definition: Making assumptions about a whole group or
range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate
(usually because it is atypical or just too small).
• Stereotypes about people ("frat boys are drunkards," "grad
students are nerdy," etc.) are a common example of the principle
underlying hasty generalization.
• Example: "My roommate said her philosophy class was
hard, and the one I'm in is hard, too. All philosophy
classes must be hard!"
• Two people's experiences are, in this case, not enough on which to
base a conclusion.
Ad hominem
• Definition: attacks the person, rather than the claims
Denying the Antecedent
• Definition: premise does not support conclusion
• If A, then B
• Not A
• Therefore, not B
Post hoc (false cause)
This fallacy gets its name from the Latin phrase "post hoc, ergo propter
hoc," which translates as "after this, therefore because of this."
• Definition: Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B.
• Of course, sometimes one event really does cause another one that
comes later--for example, if I register for a class, and my name later
appears on the roll, it's true that the first event caused the one that came
later. But sometimes two events that seem related in time aren't really
related as cause and event. That is, correlation isn't the same thing as
causation.
• Examples: "President Jones raised taxes, and then the rate of violent
crime went up. Jones is responsible for the rise in crime.“
• The increase in taxes might or might not be one factor in the rising crime
rates, but the argument hasn't shown us that one caused the other.
Slippery Slope
• Definition: The arguer claims that a sort of chain reaction, usually
ending in some dire consequence, will take place, but there's really
not enough evidence for that assumption.
• The arguer asserts that if we take even one step onto the "slippery slope,"
we will end up sliding all the way to the bottom; he or she assumes we
can't stop halfway down the hill.
• Example: "Animal experimentation reduces our respect for life. If we
don't respect life, we are likely to be more and more tolerant of violent
acts like war and murder. Soon our society will become a battlefield in
which everyone constantly fears for their lives. It will be the end of
civilization. To prevent this terrible consequence, we should make
animal experimentation illegal right now."
• Since animal experimentation has been legal for some time and civilization
has not yet ended, it seems particularly clear that this chain of events won't
Also known as
necessarily take place.
“the Camel’s Nose
Appeal to Authority
• Definition: Often we add strength to our arguments by
referring to respected sources or authorities and
explaining their positions on the issues we're discussing.
• If, however, we try to get readers to agree with us simply by
impressing them with a famous name or by appealing to a
supposed authority who really isn't much of an expert, we commit
the fallacy of appeal to authority.
• Example: "We should abolish the death penalty. Many
respected people, such as actor Guy Handsome, have
publicly stated their opposition to it."
• While Guy Handsome may be an authority on matters having to do
with acting, there's no particular reason why anyone should be
moved by his political opinions--he is probably no more of an
authority on the death penalty than the person writing the paper.
Appeal to Pity
• Definition: The appeal to pity takes place when an arguer tries to get
people to accept a conclusion by making them feel sorry for
someone.
• Example: "I know the exam is graded based on performance, but you
should give me an A. My cat has been sick, my car broke down, and
I've had a cold, so it was really hard for me to study!"
• The conclusion here is "You should give me an A." But the criteria for
getting an A have to do with learning and applying the material from the
course; the principle the arguer wants us to accept (people who have a
hard week deserve A's) is clearly unacceptable.
• Example: "It's wrong to tax corporations--think of all the money they
give to charity, and of the costs they already pay to run their
businesses!"
Appeal to Majority
• Definition: also called the Bandwagon fallacy. “If a lot of people
agree, it must be true!”
Straw Man
• Definition: One way of making our own arguments stronger is to
anticipate and respond in advance to the arguments that an opponent
might make. The arguer sets up a wimpy version of the opponent’s
position and tries to score point by knocking it down.
Red Herring
• Definition: Partway through an argument, the arguer goes off on a tangent,
raising a side issue that distracts the audience from what's really at stake.
Often, the arguer never returns to the original issue.
• Example: "Grading this exam on a curve would be the most fair thing to do.
After all, classes go more smoothly when the students and the professor are
getting along well." Let's try our premise-conclusion outlining to see what's
wrong with this argument:
• Premise: Classes go more smoothly when the students and the professor are
getting along well.
• Conclusion: Grading this exam on a curve would be the most fair thing to do.
• When we lay it out this way, it's pretty obvious that the arguer went off on a
tangent--the fact that something helps people get along doesn't necessarily
make it more fair; fairness and justice sometimes require us to do things that
cause conflict. But the audience may feel like the issue of teachers and
students agreeing is important and be distracted from the fact that the arguer
has not given any evidence as to why a curve would be fair.
False Dichotomy
• Definition: In false dichotomy, the arguer sets up the
situation so it looks like there are only two choices. The
arguer then eliminates one of the choices, so it seems
that we are left with only one option: the one the arguer
wanted us to pick in the first place.
• Example: "Caldwell Hall is in bad shape. Either we tear it
down and put up a new building, or we continue to risk
students' safety. Obviously we shouldn't risk anyone's
safety, so we must tear the building down."
• The argument neglects to mention the possibility that we might
repair the building or find some way to protect students from the
risks in question--for example, if only a few rooms are in bad
shape, perhaps we shouldn't hold classes in those rooms.
Begging the Question
• Definition: A complicated fallacy, an argument that begs the question asks the reader
to simply accept the conclusion without providing real evidence
•
the argument either relies on a premise that says the same thing as the conclusion (which you
might hear referred to as "being circular" or "circular reasoning"), or simply ignores an important
(but questionable) assumption that the argument rests on.
• Sometimes people use the phrase "beg the question" as a sort of general criticism of arguments,
to mean that an arguer hasn't given very good reasons for a conclusion, but that's not the
meaning we're going to discuss here.
• Examples: "Active euthanasia is morally acceptable. It is a decent, ethical thing to help
another human being escape suffering through death." Let's lay this out in premiseconclusion form:
• Premise: It is a decent, ethical thing to help another human being escape suffering through
death.
• Conclusion: Active euthanasia is morally acceptable.
• If we "translate" the premise, we'll see that the arguer has really just said the same
thing twice: "decent, ethical" means pretty much the same thing as "morally
acceptable," and "help another human being escape suffering through death" means
"active euthanasia." So the premise basically says, "active euthanasia is morally
acceptable," just like the conclusion does! The arguer hasn't yet given us any real
reasons why euthanasia is acceptable; instead, she has left us asking "well, really, why
do you think active euthanasia is acceptable?" Her argument "begs" (that is, evades)
the real question (think of "beg off").
Can you name this Fallacy?
1) It is ridiculous to have spent thousands of dollars to
rescue those two whales trapped in the Arctic ice. Why
look at all the people trapped in jobs they don’t like.
RED HERRING
Can you name this Fallacy?
2) Plagiarism is deceitful because it is dishonest.
BEGGING THE QUESTION
Can you name this Fallacy?
3) Water fluoridation affects the brain. Citywide, student’s
test scores began to drop five months after fluoridation
began.
POST HOC (false cause)
Can you name this Fallacy?
4) I know three redheads who have terrible tempers, and
since Annabel has red hair, I’ll bet she has a terrible
temper too.
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Can you name this Fallacy?
5) Supreme Court Justice Byron White was an AllAmerican football player while in college, so how can you
say that athletes are dumb?
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Can you name this Fallacy?
6) Why should we put people on trial when we know they
are guilty?
BEGGING THE QUESTION
Can you name this Fallacy?
7) You support capital punishment just because you want
an “eye for an eye,” but I have several good reasons to
believe that capital punishment is fundamentally wrong…
STRAW MAN
Can you name this Fallacy?
8) The meteorologist predicted the wrong amount of rain for
May. Obviously the meteorologist is unreliable.
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Can you name this Fallacy?
9) You know Jane Fonda’s exercise video’s must be worth
the money. Look at the great shape she’s in.
POST HOC (false cause)
Can you name this Fallacy?
10) We have to stop the tuition increase! The next thing you
know, they'll be charging $40,000 a semester!
SLIPPERY SLOPE
Can you name this Fallacy?
12) Look, you are going to have to make up your mind.
Either you decide that you can afford this stereo, or you
decide you are going to do without music for a while.
FALSE DICHOTOMY (Dilemma)
Can you name this Fallacy?
13) I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements. I
really need the job since my grandmother is sick.
APPEAL TO PITY
Can you name this Fallacy?
14) I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the hit series "Bimbos
and Studmuffins in the OR." You can take it from me that
when you need a fast acting, effective and safe pain killer
there is nothing better than MorphiDope 2000. That is my
considered medical opinion.
APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
INFORMAL FALLACIES
 Logical Fallacies 2
 https://Fallacy Examples 3
 Cartoon5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmIb2Jb-KC8 fallacies 4
 Examples- friends5
 Matt Damon 1
 Pepsi6
 Direct TV 1
114
HANDOUT#2
 Use A-11 to A-14
115
Philosophy Homework
O Read 28-30
O Write:
O Something interesting X2
O Something you didn’t understand X2
O A question you have about the reading.
116
 Think of a product to
sell or political ideal and
design an ad poster
using one of the logical
fallacies that we
learned about this
week.
 Draw the poster on a
new page in your
Philosophy Notebook.
You may use colored
pencils.
117
S O C R AT I C S E M I N A R A S S I G N M E N T:
SOCRATES’ TEACHINGS
The unexamined life is not worth living
• What does he mean by “unexamined life?”
• Why does he say this?
• Do you agree?
The most important task is caring for the soul
• What does Socrates mean by soul?
• Why does he think that caring for the soul is the most
important task?
A good person cannot be harmed by others
• What does this mean?
• What does he mean by “good person”?
118
Share 3 minutes with a neighbor about the
question that interests you most.
Switch and share with neighbor again- 3 minutes.
Switch one more time- this time discuss the most
difficult question.
119
PLAN
Monday- Study Guide and Review/ Finish
Fallacy ad
Tuesday- Test/ Notebook collection
Wednesday- Begin Unit 2: Epistemology
120
TODAY
Finish Fallacy Project
Work on Study Guide.
Test tomorrow/ Composition Ntbks Collected
Tomorrow
Feel free to grab textbooks/ work together
121
THE PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNEY:
A N I N T E R A C T I V E A P P R O A C H , 6 TH E D I T I O N
BY DR. WILLIAM LAWHEAD
SLIDES PREPARED BY DR. LEE WALTON, WALLACEWALLACE
STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent
of McGraw-Hill Education.