Philosophy 1 Introduction to Philosophy Spring, 2002 Dr. G. J. Mattey

What is Philosophy? Three kinds of answer –Philosophy treats a certain subject-matter –Philosophy uses a certain method –Philosophy is the sort of thing people called “philosophers” have done

The Subjects of Philosophy Metaphysics: the general nature of reality Epistemology: the nature of knowledge Ethics: the values of human action Aesthetics: the nature of beauty Logic: the forms of inference History of Philosophy Philosophy of X (e.g., science)

The Methods of Philosophy Analysis of language or concepts Analysis of mental activity Theorizing about what is beyond experience Theorizing about methods Theorizing at a high level of generality Posing and trying to solve puzzles Support of claims through argumentation

The History of Western Philosophy Hellenic philosophy (Plato) Hellenistic philosophy (Epicurus) Medieval philosophy (Aquinas) Modern philosophy (Descartes) Analytic Philosophy (Russell) Continental philosophy (Sartre)

Time Line 6 th to 4 th cent. BC: Hellenic 3 rd cent. BC to 2 nd cent. AD: Hellenistic 3 rd cent. to 4 th cent.: Neo-Platonic 5 th cent. To 14 th cent.: Medieval 15 th cent. to 16 th cent.: Renaissance 17 th cent. to 18 th cent.: Modern 19 th and 20 th cent.: Analytic, Continental

Plan for the Course Part One: Metaphysics and Epistemology Part Two: Ethics Each class will cover reading from a classic text in the history of Western philosophy Emphasis will be on the most influential philosophical theories and the basic arguments supporting them

Philosophy’s Greatest Hits Plato: The Republic Aristotle: Metaphysics, Nichomachean Ethics Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy Hume: A Treatise of Human Nature Kant Critique of Pure Reason, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals