Introduction to Philosophy

• Philosophy involves complex conversations
• People may find philosophy boring, complicated, or only for intellectuals
• It can be seen as a complex web of thoughts
• Philosophical handling of subjects might be avoided
• This avoidance ignores what philosophy truly is
• Philosophy is part of daily activities, even unnoticed
• Philosophy connects to ancient Greeks, like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
• They were key philosophers in classical Greece, spanning the 5th and 4th centuries BC
• The word "philosophy" from Greek origin
• Philosophy combines "philos" (love, affection, friendship) and "sophia" (knowledge)
• Philosophy aims to increase knowledge
• Philosophers are passionate about learning and never satisfied
• Philosophers are not simply scholars focused on accumulating data
• Philosophy centers reflection as a core activity
• Reflection involves looking at oneself and one's thoughts, ideas, and opinions
• Reflexion is like looking at a mirror, reflecting yourself
• Reflecting on meaning involves observing what we think about it
• Reflection always involves questioning

Philosophy as a Theoretical Activity

• Philosophy is a theoretical activity that establishes theories and explanations without lab tests or fieldwork
• "Theoretical" originally meant "contemplation" or "observation"
• Philosophy takes a step back from reality to observe and critically judge it
• It explains the order of reality and establishes relationships between its parts It is called creating systems of thought
• Philosophers explain reality by showing how parts relate and how the whole works
• Philosophers ask critical questions
• Scientists and others also ask questions
• Philosophical questions cannot be answered by science or common sense
• Philosophy questions basic and fundamental things
• Questions involve rigorous reflection to the ultimate consequences
• Philosopher does not settle for comforting opinions
• Science assumes the need to know the importance of acquiring knowledge
• Philosophers question what "truth" means and the importance of knowledge
• The goal of philosophy is to know, share, and prove knowledge

Examples of philosophical questions

• Why do people act wrongly, lie, or kill?
• Why can't humans live outside society?
• What does "something exists" mean?
• Sciences like criminology, political science, or anthropology, use accepted answers without questioning
• Philosophers question everything
• Philosophers create philosophical systems from their ideas
• Plato wrote a dialogue where Socrates and his disciples discuss the meaning of death

Socrates

• Socrates was condemned to death but remained calm because philosophy taught him the meaning of death
• Socrates believed philosophers don't fear death and are hopeful of a greater afterlife
• Living philosophically means preparing for death
• Philosophers value their soul and don't focus on the body and its pleasures
• Death means abandoning the body, which should be seen positively
• Philosophy helps realize this
• Others hold different views on philosophy's value

Aristotle

• Aristotle was Plato's student
• Aristotle defined philosophers as those who understand everything, if possible, but lack each science specifically
• Philosophers overcome difficulties
• Sensory knowledge is common, effortless knowledge is unphilosophical
• Those with rigorous ideas about causes are more philosophical
• Knowledge pursued for its own sake is more philosophical than knowledge studied for results
• Dominating knowledge is more philosophical than subordinate one
• Philosophy is the theoretical science of first principles and causes, like the final cause, which is good

Philosophy in Daily Life

• Philosophy prompts questions that anyone can ask, not just famous philosophers
• Reflection is essential for human life
• Philosophical moments arise from surprising or unexpected situations
• Martin Heidegger's "relation of familiarity" refers to how we're used to everyday things
• Suddenly, the world things change or we change
• Philosophical questions emerge about why things are as are the way it is now
• For example, birth is natural and unquestioned
• But it can cause reflection when someone close has a baby
• Birth involves a new human life from parents' desire
• The new human existence is not only about the parents' desire
• It is a unique individual
• The "miracle of life" is a mystery, as is death and injustice
• The inequality is also a circumstance that generates philosophical reflexion in ordinary life
• Limit situations dramatically affect us
• We ask why they happen to certain people
• We ponder why life is as it is and what life means
• Examples include the death of loved ones or suffering from long-term illnesses
• Everyone is subject to philosophical reflection

Philosophy in people's lives

• Philosophy is present in everyone's lives more than suspected
• Not everyone creates a theory about life or humanity
• We can't avoid reflection as it's natural for those who think

Immanuel Kant

• Immanuel Kant was the modern philosophers
• Immanuel Kant contributed to reflection on human action
• No one is a philosopher if they can't philosophize
• We learn to use our own reason through practice
• Everyone thinks differently in philosophy
• Philosophy is an exercise
• Doing philosophy isn't reading and accepting others' ideas
• The goal is to use reason to be critical of facts
• Philosophy is a doing, a task that is current, of the moment and a certain circumstance
• Philosophy occurs here and now, with others, through discussions of a philosophical idea
• Philosophy is a social, communal activity
• Sciences possess fixed concepts not frequently put up for debate

Karl Jaspers

• Karl Jaspers complements Kant
• Jaspers states philosophers (philósophos) opposed sages (sophós) in Greek
• A philosopher loves knowledge, seeks truth, and isn't trapped by dogmatism
• Philosophy means going somewhere
• Questions are more important than answers
• Dogmatism has closed and static philosophy
• Kant and Jaspers refer to a dogmatism that isn't questioned
• The philosopher needs to question things
• Philosophy is an ongoing journey, not a final product
• Asking questions is more important than reaching answers for philosophers
• Answering everything turns one into a sage
• The activity is to question ideas

Other philosophical aspects

• Every historical era has unique characteristics
• Philosophy reflects on these characteristics and engages with the problems of its time
• Today's philosophical issues are diverse but circle language, science, and ethics
• Freedom in the face of information is a modern issue for philosophical reflection
• Philosophy began discussing freedom 2,500 years ago in Greece, asked questions and gave answers, and that is still occurring today
• Despite technological advancements, our questions remain the same
• We consider how we return to the origin of philosophical thought with nostalgia
• Philosophical questions are still relevant
• Historical context is vital to philosophy's development
• Like Jaspers' philosophical journey, questions are more important than answers, and old questions remain relevant today
• Each era emphasizes different problems
• Philosophers focus on specific topics
• Philosopher Esther Díaz notes the importance of the freedom relating to information
• The permissibility of human cloning is a new problem
• Earlier eras might not have been able to produce answers due to lack of technology
• A long-standing related question is philosophical question what rights we have over humanity

Summary of Philosophers

• Philosophy is theoretical, but there are different views on philosophy
• A discipline questioning everything, no matter how obvious
• It also displays a critical attitude

Philosophical Argumentation

• It is founded on the words communicating real ideas

Philosophical Openness

• This allows differing answers and opinions and the exchange between ideas

Condition for Accepting Ideas

• Ideas must be coherently demonstrated and consistent with other accepted ideas

Philosophical Consequence

• The creating of the philosophical and critical process will create a system of understanding concerning the human existence.

Philosophical Areas of Questioning

• Thought can be grouped into areas
• Questions are always more important than answers
• Philosophers' problems are specific
• It's possible to classify into philosophy branches
• Examples: "Is knowledge possible?", "What is objective knowledge?", "Do we perceive objects as they are?", "Do all perceive them the same?"
• Areas of questioning include Gnoseology (Theory of knowledge) and Anthropology (what is a man)

Branches of Philosophy

• Ethics: From Greek "êthos" (habit), it addresses human conduct (good, bad, involving others).
• Asks about good, values, moral standards
• Philosophical Anthropology: Asks "What is man?"
• Focuses on essentials of being human, not just psychology or sociology
• Gnoseology: Deals with knowledge
• Asks about the possibility and limits of knowledge, its origins
• Metaphysics (or Ontology): It questions things beyond the senses
• Concerns existence, being, God

Philosophical Aesthetics

• This seeks to understand beauty, artistic issues, taste and more

Philosophical Logic

• Logic uses órganon as reasoning aid It establishes reasoning rules

Additional areas of Philosophy

• Philosophy includes political ideas, the understanding of language, science and education
• They all seek a form of rigorous reflection
• The mentioned are main areas in which a philosopher can dedicate their time
• Philosophy can be applied to different areas
• In answering "what is the man?" one may find themselves in multiple fields such as Philosophical Anthropology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
• There are fixed preoccupations depending on the philosopher, but a range of philosophies are available
• The idea is that people chose for the ones they feel better represent