Transcript Intro notes

Good Morning…
Ms. Krall
Room 347
First Things First…
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Are you in the right
class?
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Welcome to
Philosophy and
Ethics!
The Agenda for the next couple
of days….
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Student information
Syllabus overview
Introduction to the
class and first unit.
Books!
Student Information
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On the index card
provided…
Name
Parent/Guardian name
Parent/Guardian contact
number
Contact email
Internet access at home?
Google doc account?
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Why are you taking this
course?
What is your predicted
grade?
Why is this so?
Course Expectations…
Welcome Back!
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On the agenda today
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Syllabus Questions…
Books
Intro notes
What is Philosophy?
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First, let’s answer
some questions…
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What is wisdom?
What is common
sense?
What is knowledge?
What does it mean to
be ‘book smart?”
Philosophy
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Philo (love) +
sophia (wisdom)
Philosophy is the
love (or pursuit) of
wisdom
The Simplest Definition is
Sometimes the Best!
“Philosophy is thinking really hard
about something.” (Alvin Plantinga)
Based on Two Premises
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One: Wisdom,
(having good
judgment)
So, Philosophy is
the love (or
pursuit) of good
judgment
Number Two…
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Philosophy begins
with wonder.
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Wonder —>
reflection —>
critical examination
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At the world
At what we do
At what we are
Philosophy involves
argument: giving
reasons
Components of Philosophy
Logic
 Epistemology
 Aesthetics
 Metaphysics
 Ethics
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Logic
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This branch of Philosophy deals with the
METHOD of argument.
It offers answers to questions such as:
“Is that reasoning sound?”
“Is that statement true?”
“Is that conclusion valid ?”
Epistemology
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The theory of
knowledge
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What is knowledge?
How do I know?
Can I know anything
at all?
If so, where do I get
it?
Can I know anything
independently of
experience, through
philosophical reflection
alone?
Aesthetics
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This branch deals
with beauty in Music
and Art.
It offers answers to
questions like:
“Is that good music?”
“Is that painting
better than this one?”
Metaphysics
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The study of what there is
What is the world made of?
 What kinds of things are there?
 What is real? What is merely apparent?
 What am I?
 Is there a God?”
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Ethics
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The pursuit of good
judgment about
action.
What should I do?
What should I be?
What kind of life
should I lead?
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“What makes actions
“right” and
“wrong”?”
The Great Eight Questions
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Define “worldview”
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Define “beliefs”
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The perception of the
surrounding world, which
could include personal beliefs.
We need to define the reason
for believing what we believe!
But…Is Philosophy Practical?
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Philosophy asks questions…
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What the world is like,
How we know it, and
What we ought to do about it,
Which, in turn affect our lives every day
Philosophy is the most practical of all
disciplines
Four steps to Philosophical Analysis
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“Stop the world”
Decide “what and how”
Zero in on an idea
Think about it
Socrates (470 -399)
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Wrote nothing;
appears as character
in dialogues of Plato
(427-347 BCE)
First in West to
advance philosophical
arguments
To philosophize is to
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Seek wisdom and virtue
Lead an examined life
Reflect on what life is and ought to be
Put your life in perspective
To see and reflect on “the big picture”
Socratic method (dialectic)
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Socrates asks what ___ is
Someone answers
Socrates analyzes the definition and asks
questions to show that
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It’s unclear
It’s too narrow
It’s too broad
Someone proposes another definition, etc.
Dialect
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Form of argument where one person
starts with a question or idea (thesis) and
another person states the opposite idea
(anti-thesis); The discussion will
eventually lead to a universal definition
(synthesis).
What is dialectic for?
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Socrates was accused
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of undermining belief in the Athenian gods
and
of corrupting the youth of Athens
His defense, and his explanation of his
methods, is in Plato’s dialogue, The
Apology
Apology
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“I sought to persuade every one of you to
look to himself, and seek virtue and
wisdom before he looks to his private
interests, and look to the state before he
looks to the interests of the state; and
that this should be the order which he
observes in all his actions.”
Apology
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Socrates' assumption: To be virtuous, you
need to know what virtue is,
Or at least engage in dialectic to find out
Apology
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Socrates was convicted
The prosecution proposed the death
penalty
Socrates got to propose an alternative
punishment
People expected him to propose exile
The Unexamined Life
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“If I say again that
the greatest thing
a man can do is to
converse about
virtue every day,
and that the
unexamined life is
not worth living-you are still less likely
believe me.”
Plato (428-348)
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Student of Socrates
Founded the Academy
Created a system to
explain all major
philosophical issues.
Wrote The Republic
The Republic
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Referred to as the Polity
(constitutional
government of the city.)
Plot centers around 6
men meeting in a house
of a rich merchant.
Socrates is primary
character
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Meeting discusses
questions on justice, rule,
obedience, art, and
education.
One major concept
discussed is the “Allegory
of the Cave”
Is divided into ten
chapters and is regarded
as a philosophical classic.
The Allegory of the Cave
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What does the phrase “appearance versus
reality” mean?
Think of an example where something you
thought to be true or real ended up being
false and an illusion.
And what the heck is an “Allegory?”
(symbolic representation)
Premise to Allegory of the Cave
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Socrates explains two
existing worlds…
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To Sum up, according to
Plato, the world
accessible through
reflection is more real
than the world we sense
around us.
One of being (reality
attainable only through
contemplation)
One of becoming
(appearance found
through our senses)