WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY

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WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
We cannot become what we need to be by remaining
what we are. - Max DePree
To teach how to live with uncertainty, yet
without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps
the chief thing that philosophy can do.
Bertrand Russell
Philosophy A route of many roads leading from
nowhere to nothing. Ambrose Bierce
Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end,
when philosophic thought has done its best, the
wonder remains. Alfred North Whitehead
Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you
don't know. Bertrand Russell
The pursuit of what is true and the practice of
what is good are the two most important objects
of philosophy. Voltaire
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Definitions

• Philosophy
• philo (love) sophia (wisdom)
• the love (or pursuit) of wisdom
• Wisdom
• the ability to judge what is right or true based
  on the knowledge gained from experience and
  reflection

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To philosophize is to

• ask questions - Why is the philosophical
  biggie!
• reflect on what life is and ought to be.
• seek wisdom and truth.
• see and reflect on the big picture.
• lead an examined life to try to put your
  experiences in perspective.
• The unexamined life is not worth living.
  Socrates

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For some people this is very hard
Weirdos from Another Planet by Bill Watterson
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Branches OF PHILOSOPHY

• LOGIC
• AESTHETICS
• METAPHYSICS
• ETHICS
• EPISTEMOLOGY

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LOGIC

• This branch of philosophy is concerned with the
  method of argument.
• It deals with questions such as
• Is that statement true?
• Is that reasoning sound?
• Are those statements consistent?
• Is that conclusion valid?
• Well be using elements of this branch all year.

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METAPHYSICS

• This branch deals with the question of reality
  and existence.
• It considers ideas about the physical and
  non-physical world such as
• What is real?
• What is the nature of the universe?
• What is the purpose of mankind?

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EPISTEMOLOGY

• This branch deals with the theory of knowledge.
• It considers questions like
• How do we know something is true?
• How do we know anything?
• Is there such a thing as a universal truth or is
  truth relative?
• Does true knowledge come from experience or
  reason?

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AESTHETICS

• This branch deals with beauty.
• It contemplates questions like
• What is beauty?
• Is beauty relative?
• Is that good music? Why?
• Is that painting better than this one? Why?

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ETHICS

• Ethics deals with questions about right and
  wrong.
• Is morality relative?
• What is justice?
• What is good? What is evil?
• What should I do?
• What kind of life should I lead?

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Pop Quiz Which branch? (Not including Logic)

• It is better to suffer an injustice than to
  inflict it on others.
• Vampires exist only in books or movies.
• Nobody can know whether a fetus is a person or
  simply a collection of cells.
• Everything that exists is a physical object.
• Paris Hilton is more beautiful than Jessica
  Simpson.
• Dont pursue a major that will not make you rich.

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To do philosophy requires

• COURAGE
• You never know what youll find at the end of a
  philosophical investigation.
• Philosophy has a great potential to unsettle or
  even to destroy one's deepest and most cherished
  beliefs.

http//www.vuletic.com/hume/ph/philosophy.html
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To do philosophy requires

• PATIENCE DISCIPLINE
• One must be prepared to to labor over difficult
  and subtle issues.
• Thinking about philosophical questions tends to
  (and should) make everyone's head hurt.
• Those that choose to put up with the headache
  recognize that there is no shortcut to truth, and
  the eventual understanding is worth the struggle.

http//www.vuletic.com/hume/ph/philosophy.html
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To do philosophy requires

• HUMILITY
• because one must always keep in mind how little
  one knows and how easy it is to stray down a
  misleading path or be trapped in a limiting
  belief.
• The only true wisdom is in knowing you know
  nothing. Socrates
• the tyranny of custom (Well talk about it in a
  second.)

http//www.vuletic.com/hume/ph/philosophy.html
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How to do philosophy

• Define the issue as clearly as possible.
• Determine your initial point of view.
• Can you give an example that supports your point
  of view?
• Can you determine the origin of your point of
  view?
• Can you determine what assumptions you had or
  what influenced your initial point of view?
• Can you identify the evidence, reasons and
  arguments that support your initial point of view?

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How to do philosophy

• Identify and analyze other points of view on this
  issue.
• Determine the origin of that point of view
• Determine/define any assumptions the creator of
  this point of view had or what influenced this
  point of view.
• Identify the evidence, reasons and arguments that
  support this point of view.
• Evaluate the logic, consistency and validity of
  this point of view.

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How to do philosophy

• Predict what the consequences of subscribing to
  each point of view might mean.
• Identify your conclusions about the issue and be
  able to support or justify your conclusions.

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What does this look like in the real world?
Analyze this situation by following the 5 steps
with the students sitting around you. Be ready
to share with the rest of the class.
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You wont have to do this analysis without help.
To assist you we will be studying the ideas of
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• Socrates
• Aristotle
• Lao Tsu
• Charles Darwin
• Sigmund Freud
• Carl Marx

• Albert Einstein
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Rene Descarte
• Blaise Pascal
• Bertrand Russell

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Some things to think about

• We (your teachers) will promise to keep open
  minds if you promise to do the same.
• You need to be willing to look at issues from all
  sides to come to valid conclusions.
• We (your teachers) dont have all the answers, so
  we dont expect you to have them, either.
• In this class, your analysis and support (your
  critical thinking) are more important than the
  answer itself.

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One final quote

• Philosophy, though unable to tell us with
  certainty what is the true answer to the doubts
  which it raises, is able to suggest many
  possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free
  them from the tyranny of custom.
• Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy

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Speaking of Bertrand Russells The Problems of
Philosophy

• Your homework assignment is to read the first
  chapter of this book called The Value of
  Philosophy.
• You need to apply the annotating skills you
  learned today.
• This is due Tuesday.