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Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophy. James A. Van Slyke. What is Philosophy?. Introduction. “the unexamined life is not worth living” - Socrates philosophy p hilos = love s ophia = wisdom. Philosophical Puzzles. My definition: Bringing together several areas of knowledge into a coherent whole

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Introduction to Philosophy

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  1. Introduction to Philosophy James A. Van Slyke What is Philosophy?

  2. Introduction • “the unexamined life is not worth living” • - Socrates • philosophy • philos = love • sophia = wisdom

  3. Philosophical Puzzles • My definition: Bringing together several areas of knowledge into a coherent whole • Similar to a puzzle • How do all the pieces of life fit into a meaningful explanation?

  4. Objectives of Phil course • History of the subject of philosophy • Problems and solutions • Skills in Reasoning and Writing • Interaction of Christian Faith with different worldviews

  5. Main area of discussion • Examination of Worldviews • Broad category which contains a general picture of life and the universe we live in • Contains aspects of several disciplines including science, religion, sociology, culture, literature, etc. • Default assumptions about the nature of the universe

  6. what philosophy should not do • Give up your religious beliefs • Distrust everything you have believed before • Reject a theorywithout thinking about it • Dismissthe beliefs of another

  7. What philosophy should do • Challenge You • Allow you to “try things on” • Seek evidence for arguments • Provide a context for discussion • Invite you to revise your own worldview • Invite you to apply what you have learned

  8. History ofPhilosophy • Major Periods • Ancient (624 BCE – 270) • Plato • Aristotle • Medieval (354 – 1350) • Augustine • Aquinas • Modern (1450 – 1900) • Descartes • Kant • Postmodern (Contemporary) (1940 - ?) • Wittgenstein • Derrida

  9. Worldview Questions • Seven Questions • 1. What is There? What is Everything Made of? • 2. How is it Organized? • 3. What Makes things Happen? • 4. What is the Place of Humans in the Cosmos? • 5. How Should we Live? • 6. What is Ultimately Important? • 7. How do we know?

  10. Understanding Worldviews • Seven Important questions of any worldview • 1. What is There? What is Everything Made of? • Ontology • “The study of the essence of things and of what there is” (Pojman) • Sub-category of metaphysics

  11. Understanding Worldviews • 2. How is it Organized? • Metaphysics • “The philosophical investigation of the nature, constitution and structure of reality” (Dict. Of Phil.) • “The study of ultimate reality, that which is not readily accessible through ordinary empirical experience” (Pojman) • 3. What Makes things Happen? • Causation • Relationships between causes and effects?

  12. Understanding Worldviews • 4. What is the Place of Humans in the Cosmos? • Ethics • What isJustice? • What is Morality based on?

  13. Understanding Worldviews • 5. How Should we Live? • What is the good for humankind? • What types of behaviors lead to Human flourishing? • 6. What is Ultimately Important? • Theology • Atheism, Primal Religions, Buddhism

  14. Understanding Worldviews • 7. How do we know? • Epistemology • How do we construct answers to the following questions? • How do we justify our answers? • “The study of the nature of knowledge and its justification” (Dict. Of Phil.) • “The study of the nature, origin, and validity of knowledge and belief.” (Pojman)

  15. Big Questions • Philosophy of Religion • Does God Exist? • Why is there evil? • Reason vs. Faith • Theory of Knowledge • How do we decide between competing rational claims • How do we justify our knowledge?

  16. Areas of Study • Philosophy of Mind • How does the mind relate to the body? • What is the essence of human nature? • Free Will • Is human behavior free or determined? • Ethics • What is right behavior? • How do you know? (epistemology) • Who decides what you ‘ought’ to do?

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