Western Philosophy PDF

# Western Philosophy ## Thales - First individual to attempt to reduce multiplicity into unity. - Everything is related to each other. - His approach highlights the difference between religion and philosophy. - Lived between 624 to 546 BCE. - Considered the first philosopher (Father of Philosophy...

# Western Philosophy ## Thales - First individual to attempt to reduce multiplicity into unity. - Everything is related to each other. - His approach highlights the difference between religion and philosophy. - Lived between 624 to 546 BCE. - Considered the first philosopher (Father of Philosophy) in the Western civilization. ## Socrates - Lived around 470 BCE in Athens, Greece. - Didn't care about external appearances. - Not concerned with wealth or worldly goods. - Believed "an unexamined life is not worth living". - His philosophical approach involved making dialogs with numerous people. - Focused on finding answers to questions relevant to everyone's life. ## Plato - Lived around 428 BCE. - Philosopher, mathematician, and student of Socrates. - Believed that knowledge was innate. - Believed it was the role of the philosopher to help others realize their knowledge through questioning and critical thinking. - Used the "Allegory of the Cave" to explain his two worlds: the Real and the Unreal. - His approach to philosophy focused on solving the question of the Real and the Unreal. ## Aristotle - Lived around 384 BCE. - Studied under Plato and later opened a school called Lyceum. - Opposed Plato's Theory of Forms. - Believed that human persons are composed of body and mind. - Believed that using your intellectual capacity to the fullest would be the accident of your being. ## Definition of Philosophy - Came from the two Greek words *philos* (love) and *Sophia* (wisdom). - **Love:** Strong desire for a particular object. - **Wisdom:** Correct application of knowledge. # Philosophical Tools and Processes ## 1. Philosophical questions - Philosophy was born because of ignorance. - An ignorant person asks questions and the more they question, the more knowledge they acquire. ## 2. Logical Reasoning - In philosophy, reasoning is the process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to form a conclusion or judgement. # Philosophical Reflection - According to Gabriel Marcel, philosophical reflection is the act of giving time to think about the meaning and purpose of life. ## 1. Primary Reflection - Ability to think logically. - Ability of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments. ## 2. Secondary Reflection - Enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality. # Moral Theology - Moral theology employs the STOP sign as the guidepost of moral decision-making. ## S: Search - Search out the facts. - Exhaustively search out all means to better understand the issue. # Praying - Unique tool of theology. - In the realm of faith. - Philosophy's reasoning helps to undergo theological reflection - "Its faith seeking understanding". # T.O.P. - **T:** **Think**: Reflect and analyze the facts, its negative or positive effects, advantages and disadvantages. - **O:** **How it affects others**: In every decision you make, consider how it will affect others. Every action has a social dimension that affects you, others, and the community you are a part of. - **P:** **Pray**: # Branches of Philosophy | Branch | Study of | Question | |--------------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------------| | Metaphysics | Existence | What's out there? | | Epistemology| Knowledge | How do I know about it? | | Ethics | Action | What should I do? | | Politics | Force | What actions are permissible? | | Aesthetics | Art | What life can be like? | ## Explanation of Branches - **Ethics:** The study of action. - *Ethos* - Character. - **Politics:** The study of forces. - *Polites* - Citizen - *Polis* - City. - **Aesthetics:** The study of art. - *Aesthesthai* - Perceive. - **Logic:** The science of correct thinking. - *Logos* - Word/reason - Deductive reasoning - Inductive reasoning - **Epistemology:** The study of knowledge. - *Episteme* - Knowledge - Rational - Empirical - **Metaphysics:** The study of reality. - *Meta* - Beyond - *Physikon* - Nature # Two Major Branches of Philosophy - **Cognitive Branches:** Provide a description of being and knowing. - **Normative Branches:** Concerned with the standard of the good. # First Principles - **Principle of Identity:** Whatever is, whatever is not is not. Everything is its own being, and not being is not being. - **Principle of Non-Contradiction:** It is impossible for a thing to be and not to be at the same time. - **Principle of Sufficient Reason:** Nothing exists without sufficient reason for its being and existence. - **Principle of Excluded Middle:** A thing is either is or is not; between being and not being there is no middle ground possible. # Study of All Things - What makes philosophy distinct from other sciences is that it is not one-dimensional or partial. - Philosophy is multi-dimensional. # Science - An organized body of knowledge. - Systematic. - Follows certain steps or employs procedures. # Philosophy is also defined as... - The science that by natural light of reason studies the first causes or highest principles of all things.