Philosophy 1010 Class #2 Title: Introduction to Philosophy Instructor: Paul Dickey E-mail Address: pdickey2@mccneb.edu A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. ….. Ralph Waldo Emerson Assignment – Due Next Week: Logic Appendix 1.8 (Text, 9th edition. Please see class website -- www.quia.com.) - Complete the logic Homework Assignment also found on the Quia site. 1

Philosophy Begins with Wonder! Wonder is an emotion comparable to surprise and awe that people feel when perceiving something rare or unexpected. It is the emotion or passion leading to philosophy and science. The feeling of wonder is the mark of the philosopher, for all philosophy has its origins in wonder. …. Plato

Why are these questions philosophical questions? What the characteristics of these questions so that we say they are philosophical? Is there a difference between philosophical questions and scientific questions? Is there a difference between philosophical questions and speculation? 3

Questions, So Many Questions … What Kind of Questions are These Anyway? May be deeply personal Answers cannot be “proven” but some opinions make more sense than others and generally arguments can be given for our views (thus, they are not entirely subjective) Necessary to ask for our world to “make sense” Often confuse us We have to answer for ourselves. We cannot expect everyone to agree with us and they may also have good arguments for their views Throughout our life we may have to reconsider our answers 4

Some Shots at Defining Philosophy . . . Do these definitions give YOU a satisfactory understanding of what the lady on the beach is doing? Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. …www.fsu.edu (Florida State University) Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of man, and of man's relationship to existence. … In the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees, but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible. …Ayn Rand, Philosophy, Who Needs It (p. 2) 5

What is Philosophy? Well, maybe…. Philosophy is the “audacity of hope” for obtaining knowledge and wisdom about the world and about ourselves. – Yes, we can! (Thanks, Barack.) Philosophy is the application of critical reasoning to our wonder about the world and ourselves. Philosophy is the willingness to ask questions about what we have assumed we already know. Philosophy is each individual person’s opportunity and responsibility to live their own life, to be who they are, to become autonomous. 6

What is Philosophy? “We can help one another to find out the meaning of life. But in the last analysis , the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for ‘finding himself.’ Others can give you a name or a number, but they can never tell you who you really are. That is something you yourself can only discover from within.” ….Thomas Merton “The unexamined life is not worth living.” “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” ….Socrates 7

Is Philosophy Important to Living a Good Life? Some claims for Studying Philosophy – Do you agree? Why or why not? Philosophy enlarges our understanding of the world and expands freedom of thought. Philosophy can release us from the "prejudices derived from common sense", from the "habitual belief of an age or nation", and from convictions that have grown up "without the cooperation or consent of (our) deliberate reason". (Russell) Philosophy may help develop the capacity to look at the world from the perspective of other individuals and cultures. It develops tolerance and critical sense. By discussing political and social issues, philosophy raises public awareness and helps in forming engaged and responsible citizens. 8

Is Philosophy Unavoidable? Philosophy is not a bauble of the intellect, but a power from which no man can abstain. Anyone can say that he dispenses with a view of reality, knowledge, the good, but no one can implement this credo. The reason is that man, by his nature as a conceptual being, cannot function at all without some form of philosophy to serve as his guide. …Leonard Peikoff 9

What is Philosophy? (15 minutes) Graham Priest, Professor of Philosophy University of Queensland Video 10

Plato c. 427-347 B. C. Plato is history's first great philosopher because, among other reasons, he provided the first set of answers to some of the largest and most difficult questions: What is the structure of reality? What can be known for certain? What is moral virtue? What is the nature of the ideal state? No philosopher before Plato had ever attempted such a wide and deep exploration of philosophical problems.

Plato & the Allegory of the Cave To better understand what philosophy is, Plato describes the nature of philosophy in the Allegory of the Cave. Plato compares the state of man’s ignorance to living at the bottom of an underground cave chained so that such men cannot move. All they see are shadows created by a fire behind them. Through this symbolism, he then describes the act of philosophy which he likens to the prisoners being freed from their chains. Plato is suggesting to us that this process is the “ascent of the mind into the domain of true knowledge.” Plato suggests that the aim of philosophy is freedom from unwarranted belief. 12

The Allegory of the Cave Video 13

The Matrix / The Allegory of the Cave Video The Matrix Trailer 14

So How Should We DO Philosophy? What does the Parable of the Cave teach us? Philosophy is an Activity Philosophy is hard work The aim of Philosophy is Freedom Philosophy Examines Our Most Basic Assumptions.

So How Should We DO Philosophy? Not “just anything goes!” Philosophy is guided by the commitment to careful reasoning which is “playing by the rules.” Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop ...

Ten Minute Break!

What Are the Major Fields of Philosophy? WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! (or rather, in contrast to other areas of study such as biology where biology studies a particular domain, Philosophy does not necessarily have agreed upon assumptions that it can rely on to define any domain of study. Thus, metaphysics is more accurately “a collection of questions that seem to group together about what is real and what reality is like.” NOTE: Biology is the study of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena. To do biology, scientists thus must work with an agreed upon view of what is life. 18