Welcome to Philosophy

Philosophy - the pursuit and love of wisdom Philosophy is…… ….an activity… ….a difficult activity… ….directed toward the goal of freedom… ….concerned with the elements of human existence…

Lucky Louie: Why? First we wonder: - Why do close friends and family get killed when we still need them? - Are suicide, abortion and euthanasia ever justified? Then we search for answers:- we want the TRUTH - find answers for ourselves (with help from philosophers, perhaps) - this does not mean everyone’s answer is correct (eg. “The world is flat.”)

Belief  conviction of truth, often based on evidence Opinion  belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge Argument  discourse intended to persuade; a reason given in proof Choice  freedom to chose your answer  need to found your answers on reasons Freedom  liberation from slavery or restraint Rationality  quality or state of possessing reason What is truth in philosophy?  the more well founded, the more likely a response is to lead to the truth  philosophy aims at the creation of well founded arguments which are difficult to refute (disagree with) The goal of philosophy  is to not lose all your beliefs but to make the beliefs YOURS You have autonomy  the freedom to choose your beliefs based on rationality

Choosing to be a thinking person makes you part of a community of thinking people. Like other communities, the thinking community has certain values to uphold. Whether you’re about to give your opinion, prove a point, or make a case for taking some action, these values will be applicable in this class. So how can you be successful in our thinking community? Keep these items in mind while in Philosophy class and you will become a valued member of our thinking community. 1.Humility: Do you recognize that your own knowledge is limited? Do you respect people’s knowledge, even when that knowledge is not apparent? All may not be as it seems! 2.Courage: Do you consider all ideas, even if they’re unpopular? 3.Empathy: Do you put yourself in other people’s shoes and imagine why they think the way they do? Or do you thing that you alone know the truth? 4.Autonomy: As your own thinking skills improve, are you confident that you can control what you think and why? 5.Intellectual integrity: Do you hold yourself to the same high standards of thinking and argument that you apply to other people? 6.Fair-mindedness: Do you treat all viewpoints equally and respectfully? Do you argue them on their merits, not on the basis of who says them?

Either consciously or unconsciously we all have biases. Here are some strategies to overcome your bias: Suspend your judgment as you gather and evaluate information. Don’t make your mind up about an issue until you’ve done all your research. As you do your research, don’t ignore other people’s views. You might be tempted to focus on how much you disagree with someone else’s view. Don’t ask “How does this contradict what I believe?” Instead, ask “what does this mean? Or What can I learn from this?” Park your ego at the door. Don’t assume that you have the whole issue figured out. Consider someone else’s ideas and evaluate them reasonably. Recall a time when you felt strongly about something and then changed your mind. What persuaded you? New information? Re-evaluating your assumptions? Could you change your mind on this issue, too? Write down all the facts you have about the issue, event or situation. Stick to facts and do not include any options or views. What do the facts alone tell you?

Socrates ( B.C.E.) - He lived in and around Athens. - He did not write anything, all recorded work is from students Aristophanse, Xenophone, and Plato - He was the first philosopher to focus on the questions of ordinary living rather than the nature of reality - Was considered to be a gadfly (a person who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or just being an irritant) to the citizens of Athens because he constantly asked questions - He was the teacher of Plato - He developed the Socratic Method of questioning - He was put on trial for impiety, teaching false doctrines and corrupting the youth - He was forces to drink hemlock

Socrates continued… “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  viewed philosophy as a social activity  did not write – his character is captured in the “Dialogues of Plato”  He claimed that to know is to be Justice Just Truth Truthful Beauty Beautiful He made no claim to any kind of knowledge: “There is one thing that I know and that is that I know nothing.” Despite being called the wisest man in all of Athens, Socrates pleaded ignorance to the very end. At the conclusion of his trial, he said “The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways – I to die and you to live. Which is better God only knows.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates

Plato ( B.C.E.) - He was born onto an affluent Athens family - After death of his mentor Socrates, he shifted away form political ambitions and turned to philosophy - He traveled to Greek colonies to meet Pythagoreans and see volcanoes - He founded the Academy in 388 B.C.E. - He was the first philosopher to create a full blown system to explain all major philosophical issues - He wrote in the dialogue form and his main character was often Socrates, so there is some question of which philosophic ideas belong to Socrates and which belong to Plato; according to most experts, the majority of his later works, Plato is developing his own ideas.

Plato continued…. - His major works include Euthyphro–pretrial Socrates; Apology- trial of Socrates; Crito-Socrates in jail; Phaedo– execution of Socrates; Meno–theory of ideas and metaphysics; The Republic–greatest work on political philosophy; Timeanus – structure of nature with references to religion - He was a teacher of Aristotle - Later in life, he tried to serve as tutor to Dionysius, a Syracusan prince, in the mold of philosopher-king - He died in 349 B.C.E.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Page 4-6

i)Philosophy is an activity of journeying upward to the light; the process is as important as the product - in studying the works of philosopher it is as if they are still alive …. it is different than history ii) Philosophy is a difficult activity…. it involves questioning the most basic assumptions in life…. you must be critical, consistent, honest and prepared to take risks… the process is aided by a teacher iii)Philosophy promotes freedom by releasing the chains of prejudice and falsehoods which enslave us iv)Philosophy examines the most basic concerns of human existence… What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What can I know? What should I do? What is truth? What is real?