Philosophy 101 What is philosophy, and why are we studying it in TOK ?

What is philosophy?  “One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.” –Socrates  So what is philosophy?  What comes to mind when you think of philosophy?

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder  Novel  History of Western Philosophy  Metaphor of the rabbit’s fur to define philosophy  Philosophy as…  A “search for truth” (Gaarden 15)  Asking big questions  Practical?  “A philosopher never quite gets used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable— bewildering, even enigmatic” (Gaarder 20).

Asking big questions  Who am I?  Where does the world come from?  Is there meaning behind what happens in our lives?  Is there life after death?  How should we live?  Is there a basic substance to life?  What causes change?  How do we know right and wrong?  Are there universal truths?  Do we have free will?

The philosopher’s project  What is the philosopher’s project?  “Precisely what it is that each particular philosopher is especially concerned with finding out” (Gaarder 32)  The “big question” that each philosopher explores  Create-your-own philosopher’s project for TOK!  What is the big question you want to answer this year as you study the theory of knowledge?  Write your question in your TOK journal, along with an explanation of why you chose it.

Silent Discussion  Leave your journal on your desk.Move your body to a classmate’s desk.  Read and respond in your peer’s journal.  Repeat.  Return to your desk and read the responses.  Discuss! Your philosopher’s project (and explanation) will be the basis for this silent discussion. Respond with:  Your answer to the question  Comments on the choice of question  Questions for the student