Philosophical Problems January 6, 2015 Introduction

What We'll Do Classic Questions Philosophical Technique

What Philosophy Is Everyone's Theory department 'Theory' means different things in – Physics and Biology – Economics and Politics – Psychology – Literature Philosophy encompasses all of it

Some Areas of Philosophy Ethics - Good and bad, right and wrong, virtue and vice Political Philosophy Epistemology - Theory of knowledge and rationality Metaphysics - What there is Mind Language

Olaf the Philosopher Yeah Why

Why Questions What made it happen? – Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? What does its happening consist in? – What is a dinosaur? What is extinction? How do we know it happened? – What is reason to believe the asteroid theory? Why make it happen? – Why would it be good/bad to kill the dinosaurs?

Some Big Philosophical Questions What is knowledge? Why should we care about knowledge? What is rightness, or virtue? What are our duties to others near and far? Are minds part of the physical world? What is a person?

Plan of Course Historical work before the mid-term break Contemporary work after the break

History The origins of European philosophy in Socrates ( BCE) and Plato ( ). Arguments that the mind and body are distinct

Contemporary Ethics – Nature of Duty – Duties towards the distant in space and time – Ethics of abortion Metaphysics – Nature of persons – Time Travel

Books Adamson's Classical Philosophy Plato's Five Dialogues

Podcast

Other Resources Readings posted via Canvas iClicker (wasn't in bookstore due to blunder)

Assessment Read the syllabus! Will include – Attendance – Discussion section participation – Multiple Choice – Short Answer – One (short) essay question – Online final

Philosophical Techniques Arguments Thought Experiments Paradoxes

Argument Clinic Monty Python, Argument Clinic (YouTube)

Monty Python Search "Argument Clinic" to see full sketch Several were philosophy majors

What is An Argument A connected series of statements to establish a definite proposition

Two Parts to an Argument Premises - Connected Series of statements Conclusion - The statement being established

Example of an Argument 1.If a child was drowning in a pond in front of you, you would be morally obliged to rescue them. 2.Providing medical supplies to the deeply impoverished is in all morally relevant respects just like rescuing a child drowning in front of you. So, you are morally obliged to provide medical supplies to the deeply impoverished.

Thought Experiment A simple theory of knowledge is that it is true, reasonable belief. Dharmottara ( CE) argued against this theory.

Dharmottara's Example A traveller sees a black cloud over a hill. It looks like smoke, so he concludes there is a fire over the hill. The black cloud is actually a swarm of flies over a fire. So his belief there is a fire is true, and it is reasonable, for the black cloud did look like smoke. But, says Dharmottara, it is not knowledge.

Knowledge and Explanation Dharmottara's example was ignored in the west for 1200 years, until a similar case was discovered by philosophers at Wayne State. It is now almost universally accepted as a good counterexample. There is a very active dispute about why it works, about why the traveller lacks knowledge.

Paradox 1.Someone with no money is not rich. 2.You can't go from being not rich to being rich by getting one penny. 3.Jay-Z is rich.

Puzzle Which statement fails? If they are all true, where does the argument they are inconsistent fail?

For Next Time Pascal’s Wager