Philosophy
A crash course.
Schools of Thought
O These are some of the philosophical areas
of thought or study.
O We’ll look at specific scholars later—today
we’ll focus on a few areas.
On your notecard…
O “I think, therefore, I am.”
O What does this mean in a literal sense?
O How can you turn this into a philosophical
question?
O Do you know who said this and what school
of philosophy he represents?
Aesthetics
O Aesthetics is the study of art and beauty as
concepts as well as how we ought to
evaluate potential instances of beauty and
artistic creation.
Aesthetics: Questions
O What is beauty?
O Are some things objectively beautiful?
O What makes for a great work of art?
O Can something be humorous even if it never
makes anyone laugh?
O What makes something ugly or
objectionable to view?
O Why should we care about art?
Africana Philosophy
O Africana Philosophy deals with the
systematic ways in which persons of color
have been oppressed, marginalized, and
otherwise forgotten throughout the history
of western and contemporary society. It also
proposes solutions for ensuring that the
contributions of persons of color are
appropriately valued and taken seriously.
Africana Philosophy:
Questions
O What is race?
O How should we view interracial marriage?
O What is racism? Is it possible to get rid of it?
O Do we owe slave reparations?
O Should there be affirmative action? If so, in
what form?
O Why is diversity important?
Ethics
O Ethics deals with the question of how people
ought to act with regard to themselves,
other people, and the world.
Ethics: Questions
O What should I do in a particular situation?
O How should I decide what to do in a particular
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situation?
When, if ever, is it okay to tell a lie?
Do animals have rights?
Should we care about strangers?
Are we ever in a situation where there is no morally
correct course of action?
Should corporations have the same rights as people?
Given worries about overpopulation, is it morally
acceptable to have more than one child?
Existentialism
O Existentialism begins with the claim that
existence precedes essence. This means
that humans are radically free to choose
their own life plan and, furthermore, have
an obligation to do so. Any limitations
placed on this radical freedom by either the
government or other persons are moral
failings, according to existentialist thinkers.
Existentialism: Questions
O Why do certain life plans seem shallow while
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others seem deeply meaningful?
What is it to be authentic?
What is wrong with hypocrisy?
What is the purpose of life?
What attitude should we take toward life?
Is faith (religious faith, faith in the goodness
of others, faith in a rational universe, etc.) a
form of delusion?
Feminist Philosophy
O Feminist philosophy critically examines the
ways in which gender, sex, race, class, etc.
are socially constructed, oppressive
concepts. It also provides appropriate
political responses to the subordination of
various groups.
Feminist Philosophy:
Questions
O How do you tell when a group is oppressed?
O What is it to be a woman or a man?
O Should oppression and subordination be dealt
with by political activism?
O Is there a difference between gender and sex?
O Should women be primary caregivers for
children?
O What does racial oppression have in common
with gender oppression?
Logic
O Logic is the study of abstract symbolic
reasoning. It resembles mathematics in that
it works from axioms and seeks to prove
theorems, but it differs in that it does not
involve numbers. It is also self-reflective in a
way that mathematics tends not to be.
Namely, it questions the truth of its own
axioms.
Logic: Questions
O What is infinity?
O What makes an argument a good argument?
O What is truth? What is falsity?
O What is the fundamental meaning of words
like “and,” “or,” “but,” and “therefore.”
O Can something be both true and false? Or
neither?
O What is nonsense?
Metaphysics
O Metaphysics is the study of what exists and
the structure within which the objects that
make up the world operate.
Metaphysics: Questions
O What is time?
O What does it mean for one event to cause
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another event?
Could everything exist only in my mind?
Do I have a soul? Or am I just a material
body?
How am I the same person today that I was
yesterday, or five years ago?
What makes something alive?
And so on.