KNOWLEDGE & REALITY Prof. James C. Klagge Philosophy 1204 KNOWLEDGE & REALITY Prof. James C. Klagge Name that tune?

Summer I, 2006 Professor James C. Klagge Lectures: Office: Major Williams 241 Phone: 231-8487. E-mail: Jklagge@vt.edu Office Hours: M 12:30-1:30, W 8:30-9:30, Th 2-3 and by appointment. Lectures: Monday through Friday 9:30-10:45am or 11-12:15. Torgersen 1000. Notes to be posted at www.phil.vt.edu/Jklagge/Homepage.htm

Name 3 bookstores.

Always bring your books with the assigned readings for that day to class!!! Read along with quotes.

What is Philosophy? “What is…? Define the following: Game Murder Yellow Chair What’s essential? Color, shape, material, use? What’s not?

What is a chair?

What is a chair?

What is Philosophy? Define “chair” again. What is Philosophy? Let’s start with some examples.

Examples of Philosophical Issues: Do you know how old you are? How could you prove it? Could those things be wrong? What does it take to know something? Can you prove it? I claim the world began 15 minutes ago (at 12:20pm). Can you prove me wrong? Burden of proof.

How old is the Earth? 5 Billion years old? 6000 years old? Science vs Theology/Creation science. Who’s right?

Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) Earth was created in 4004 B.C. on Sunday, October 23rd Irish bishop. How did he come up with that? at 9 am!

Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden on Monday, November 10th! At what time? But, back to creation…

Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) Earth was created in 4004 B.C. on Sunday, October 23rd Can you disprove it? at 9 am!

What about ancient fossils? What do these prove? Cambrian trilobites--approximately 570 million years old.

Philip Henry Gosse (1810-1888) English naturalist Omphalos: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot 1857 “Omphalos” is Greek for navel. Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? If they did, does that prove they had been fetuses? God created them as adults with belly buttons. Food in stomach? Calluses on feet? (Trees with rings.)

Examples of Philosophical Issues: Do you know how old you are? Are you the same person who registered for this course? Have you changed at all since you registered? Do those changes make you a different person? What would it take to be different/same? Public policy issue: What do we know? What do we teach in schools? PI: Many changes: hair, gained weight, cells die/replaced, clothes, beliefs… But if not, then you still need to force-add class. What differences are consistent with identity?

Is life after death possible? Same body? Same memories? Couldn’t someone else mistakenly think they remember being you? Cf. Star Trek transporter: same person? What is the Self? What would make a being after your death BE you?

Examples of Philosophical Issues: Do you know how old you are? Are you the same person who registered for this course? Could computers think? Can other animals think? What does it take to think? What can computers do? Do they have a soul? How do we know? Do they need a soul? What do we mean by “think”? Emotion? Feeling? Creativity? Computers can beat us at chess.

1997: “Deep Blue” vs. Kasparov 1996: Kasparov defeats Deep Blue 4 – 2 (3 – 1 – 2 ) 1997: “Deep Blue” vs. Kasparov Kasparov had won a match in 1996, but first victory game of computer over an international grandmaster.

“The Hand of God.” IBM’s “Deep Blue” Kasparov: Born in 1963 Deep Blue won rematch in 6 games. Analyzes 200 million moves per second. During the final match, Kasparov attributed one move the computer made to… Kasparov: Born in 1963 in Azerbaijan.

1997: “Deep Blue” vs. Kasparov Deep Blue wins match 3.5 – 2.5 2 games for Deep Blue 1 game for Kasparov & 3 draws Kasparov had won a match in 1996.

Kasparov v. Deep Junior 2003: 3-3 tie

+ Philosophy Sophia Philia = = Wisdom Love Love of Wisdom What kind of wisdom? Wisdom = knowledge? Love of Wisdom

Philosophy Not Science: Conceptual, not Empirical Not Math: Informal Reasoning, not limited. Not Religion: Open to all possibilities. Philosophy: ability to step back and examine selves critically. Seek/achieve reflective awareness of ourselves. Method: Ask questions, consider possibilities, look for exceptions, try out ideas, argue, look at both sides of an issue.

Socrates 470-399 BC in Athens First important philosopher. Remarkable, memorable character. Devoted life to examination/conversation. Memory preserved by friend/student…

Plato 427-347 BC in Athens Student and friend of Socrates Wrote about 2 dozen dialogues with Socrates as main character. Realistic but probably fictional accounts of conversations. Wrote the “Meno”

Readings for next class: First half of the “Meno”--pp. 58 to 80d on p. 70, in Five Dialogues, by Plato. Introductory Chapter 1, pp. 3-7, in What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel. Not much reading. Read carefully. Bring books.