Download What is Philosophy?

Philosophy 6: Logic in Practice
 Day
1 Agenda
 I Course Requirements
 II Philosophy: Origins, influence,
importance
 III The role of reasoning as a bullshit
detection kit.
Some philosophical issues
 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?


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.
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


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?
 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 (Trust and obey vs reason and argue)


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?



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?


For fun! To satisfy our
natural curiosity, to
seek better answers
to the existential
questions. To enjoy
the pleasures of
philosophical
reflection.
For selfimprovement.
Reflection improves
practice.


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

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.

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



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.


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



That department of
knowledge which deals
with ultimate reality, or the
most general causes and
principles of things. Oxford
Dictionary.
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




…a collective name for
questions which have not
been answered to the
satisfaction of all that have
asked them. William James
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
A critical discussion of critical
discussion. John Passmore
Philosophy of science is philosophy enough.
Origins of Philosophy
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
 Authority

 Tradition
 Testimony

 Experience
 Evidence
 Desire
 Faith
 Presupposition

How is the reliability
of a belief assessed?
What are the criteria
for determining the
truth value of a
belief? (Or, how is
bullshit detected?)
Does it matter?
That’s just your opinion
 What
is an opinion?
 Personal opinions and public policy
 Policy proposals must be reasonable; that
is, they must be based on reasoning that
all rational beings can understand and
assess. This means there are public
criterion to determine whether opinions
are reasonable or unreasonable.
Our immigration policy will
put the sanctity of families
at the forefront and will be
grounded in civil, human,
and labor rights.
Round ‘em up in a
nice, humane way
Reasonable or Unreasonable?
How logic can help us stay
grounded in reality
 Whose
reality?
 Workplace
 Family
 Self
 Community
 Nations
 Nature
 Culture
Worldview
Fact and fiction
 True and false
 Appearance and
reality
 Conceptions
 Social Constructs