What is Philosophy? - Lecture Notes PDF

Lecture 1.1: What is Philosophy? Salomy Krishna If you expect philosophers to look like this… On occasion, the Philosophy lecture topics may include content deemed sensitive by some. (Today’s lecture may be one of those.) If any among you feel even the slightest emotional stress related to the...

Lecture 1.1: What is Philosophy? Salomy Krishna If you expect philosophers to look like this… On occasion, the Philosophy lecture topics may include content deemed sensitive by some. (Today’s lecture may be one of those.) If any among you feel even the slightest emotional stress related to the content of this course, you’re most welcome to have a chat with me after class. Alternatively, you can also reach out to a Wellbeing staff, but please don’t feel you need to deal with it alone.  Origin Of the word ‘philosophy’ (thanks, Google!) Phileo - to love Sophia - wisdom  Major areas within Philosophy Metaphysics At its core, the study of metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality, of what exists in the world, what it is like, and how it is ordered. In metaphysics, philosophers wrestle with questions like: Is there a God? What is truth? What is a person? Do people have minds? If so, how is the mind related to the body? Do people have free wills?  Epistemology Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is primarily concerned with what we can know about the world and how we can know it. Typical questions of concern in epistemology are: What is knowledge? Do we know anything at all? How do we know what we know? Can we be justified in claiming to know certain things?  Ethics The study of ethics often concerns what we ought to do. In struggling with this issue, larger questions about what is good and right arise. So, the ethicist attempts to answer questions such as: What is good? What makes actions or people good? What is right? What makes actions right? Is morality objective or subjective? How should I treat others?  Logic Another important aspect of the study of philosophy is the arguments or reasons given for people’s answers to these questions. To this end, philosophers employ logic to study the nature and structure of arguments. Logicians ask questions like: What constitutes "good" or "bad" reasoning? How do we determine whether a given piece of reasoning is good or bad?  History of Philosophy The study of philosophy involves not only forming one’s own answers to such questions, but also seeking to understand the way in which people have answered such questions in the past. So, a significant part of philosophy is its history, a history of answers and arguments about these questions. In studying the history of philosophy, one explores the ideas of historical figures such as: Plato Locke Marx Aristotle Hume Mill Kant Descartes Sartre Philosophical questions arise in almost every discipline. This is why philosophy also encompasses the areas below: Philosophy of Law Philosophy of Feminism Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of Science Philosophy of History Philosophy of Language Political Philosophy Philosophy of the Arts  Why Philosophy? “Our world is built on ideas. We have ideas about how science should be conducted, how a liberal society should defend itself, how discussion is better than conflict, how far toleration should be extended. We have ideas about which voices are authoritative, what rights we have, how laws should be made, or where liberty ends or injustice begins. These ideas have a historical pedigree, and took their modern shape from the time of the scientific revolution in the 17th century, through the Enlightenment and down to the present.” - Simon Blackburn (Professor of Philosophy at University of Cambridge)  Why is philosophy important? 1. We do have ‘big questions’ about life. 2. We cannot rely on common sense. 3. We struggle to explain what goes on in our minds. 4. Our emotions can send us in dangerous directions. 5. We are constantly losing a sense of what matters and what doesn’t. We are – as the expression goes – constantly ‘losing perspective’. The aim here isn’t necessarily to change your mind. It is to test whether the ideas guiding your life are sound. - The Philosopher’s Mail - A questioning mind….. “Philosophy teaches its students to become thoughtful and reflective, and so to know themselves better. By so doing it opens them up to being careful about their own ideas and habits of thought. It is a matter of opening the questioning mind, taking charge of ideas, rather than being enslaved by them. Philosophical practice centers upon these virtues. It shows students not results, but processes. It gives them an attitude to difficult problems, as well as a set of analytic tools for approaching them. It alerts them to the enemies of ideas: dogma, spin, unclarity, complacency, or simple ignorance of alternatives.”  South Park Season 1, Episode 6 - ‘Death’  Summary of South Park South Park is an American animated sitcom, which tells of the adventures of four school age boys who live in the small Colorado mountain town of South Park. They are named Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. Stan and Kyle are the protagonists, representing the creators of the show Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Cartman is ultra conservative, racist, and bigoted. He always picks on Kyle for being Jewish. Kenny is poor, and is always wearing an orange hoodie over his face which muffles his voice. Stan and Kyle Cartman and Kenny The parents Mr. Garrison Chef Jesus  Summary of South Park: Cont’d South Park is highly irreverent*. Many of its jokes appeal to “toilet humor,” but the plots of entire shows often aim at mocking religious or political views without reservation. There are episodes on presidential elections, global warming, homosexual marriage, sexual harassment, racism, elderly driving, smoking, steroid use, drug legalization, atheism, and terrorism.  Video viewing Questions 1. Why did Kyle’s mother ban the boys’ favourite cartoon show, Terrance and Phillip? 2. Comment on the following themes as exemplified in the video: 1. Vulgarity 2. Moral concerns of the American culture 3. Discussion of controversial moral topics 4. South Park as a “disgusting” show  South Park Season 1, Episode 6 ‘Death’ https://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/u 9aiib/south-park-death-season-1-ep-6 (play min 1:00-7:20) Should South Park Be Banned? Discuss. Why/why not? Should parts of this cartoon be censored? – Which, and why? What is your feeling regarding flatulence? Do you consider it rude/vulgar/normal?  Criticisms against South Park Mocks religious beliefs Leads the younger generation to question accepted authority and values Corrupts young people and culture What can South Park teach us about… …Philosophy?  The characters in South Park think about several important questions regarding the meaning of life. Let me introduce you to the man who is considered the father of western philosophy, who also contemplated about the meaning of life… Have you heard of… …Socrates? Socrates 470 – 399 BC (possibly) Hailed as one of the founders of Western Philosophy An enigmatic figure, of which little is known Most of our knowledge of him comes from the writings of his greatest pupil, Plato… …Why? According to Stangroom & Garvey: Socrates wrote nothing of a philosophical nature Never claimed to know anything Denied being a teacher His student, Plato, was the one who recorded his dialogues with his teacher. So… What did Socrates do? Here’s what he did… Socrates was charged for: – Impiety (false teachings about the gods, possibly that they don’t exist) – Corrupting the youth of Athens  Plato’s Apology, p. 30 Socrates You say you have discovered the one who corrupts them, namely me, and you bring me here and accuse me to the jury…All the Athenians, it seems, make the young into fine good men, except me, and I alone corrupt them. Is that what you mean? Meletus That is most definitely what I mean. Socrates You condemn me to a great misfortune. Tell me: does this also apply to horses do you think? That all men improve them and one individual corrupts them? Or is quite the contrary true, one individual is able to improve them, or very few, namely the horse breeders, whereas the majority, if they have horses and use them, corrupt them? Is that not the case, Meletus, both with horses and all other animals?...It would be a happy state of affairs if only one person corrupted our youth, while the others improved them. You have made it sufficiently obvious, Meletus, that you have never had any concern for our youth; you show your indifference clearly; that you have given no thought to the subjects about which you bring me to trial.  “I know that I don’t know” “I go around seeking out anyone, citizen or stranger, whom I think wise. Then if I do not think he is, I come to the assistance of the god and show him that he is not wise” (Apology, pp. 28-29).... Why do you think Socrates did this?  ‘Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil’ The parallel between Adolf Eichmann and Eric Cartman in South Park The problem of thoughtlessness, as opposed to engagement in questioning and dialogue  The book was authored by political theorist Hannah Arendt, and originally published in 1963. Arendt, a Jew who fled Germany during Adolf Hitler's rise to power, reported on Adolf Eichmann's trial for The New Yorker. “The banality of evil”, in part, refers to Eichmann's deportment at the trial, displaying neither guilt nor hatred, claiming he bore no responsibility because he was simply "doing his job" ("He did his duty...; he not only obeyed orders, he also obeyed the law." p. 135). In brief… Issue of choice: The inability to think for oneself – Led to serious historical consequences – Can lead to present / future tragedies Lessons from today: Thoughtlessness / non reflective / non critical Like Cartman, who consumes evil and imitates it as blindly and thoughtlessly as Eichmann Allowing evil to emerge in modern society “Breaking the silence of our culture’s repressions could be the starting point for a Socratic dialogue that helps us to think, analyze our desires and aggression, and become good.” - William W. Young III References: Irwin and Johnson (main text) Stangroom and Garvey (2005) http://theconversation.com/why-there-should- be-a-philosophy-gcse-34497 (Slide 13) William W. Young III (Flatulence and Philosophy)  Tutorial 1 A discussion on Plato’s Apology of Socrates The text will be available on Moodle. Task: 1. Read the full text before attending the tutorial. 2. Read any online commentaries that may help you understand the text better.  Reflection Task Write a 500-word reflection on your philosophy of life. Express your ideas as completely and clearly as you can. Think deeply and beyond superficialities and refuse to be satisfied with the first idea that you have. 1. What do you value most in life? Why? 2. What moral beliefs influence your choices and your behaviour towards others? How do you determine the ‘right’ thing to do? 3. What gives your life meaning? What is the purpose of your life? 4. How do you find truth? What is an example of something you know to be true? 5. Do you believe that your choices are free? Do you hold yourself responsible for your choices? Source: Chaffee, J. (2014)