Introduction to the Philosophical Journey

1. Introduction to the Philosophical Journey • Kierkegaard–despairs over achieving fame for making life easier for people • Kierkegaard–task was to create difficulties everywhere

2. Philosophy and Aerobics • Kierkegaard's point: gain something valuable only by facing difficult issues • What philosophy can give is self-understanding • Self-understanding is a difficult task–"no pain, no gain" • First definition: philosophy is the search for self-understanding

3. Philosophy and Love • Philosophy means "love of wisdom” • Pythagoras: first to call himself a philosopher • Socrates: philosopher has a passion for wisdom; was intoxicated by this love • Second definition: philosophy is the love and pursuit of wisdom

4. Philosophy and Peanut Butter • What makes certain questions philosophical questions? • Orwell: meanings of words are important to philosophy • Third definition: philosophy is the asking of questions about the meaning of our most basic concepts

5. Philosophy and Colds • Everyone is, in one sense, a philosopher • Philosophy has to be learned and practiced • Catch ideas as you catch a cold • Philosophy asks for evidence and justification • Fourth definition: philosophy is the search for fundamental beliefs that are rationally justified

6. What Do Philosophers Study?-1 • Logic: Study of principles for distinguishing correct from incorrect reasoning • Epistemology: Questions about nature and source of knowledge, concept of truth, and objectivity or relativity of our beliefs

7. What Do Philosophers Study?-2 • Metaphysics: Area of philosophy concerned with fundamental questions about the nature of reality • Philosophy of religion: Questions about the existence of God, problem of evil, and relationship of faith and reason

8. What Do Philosophers Study?-3 • Ethics • Are there any objectively correct values? Or are they all relative? • Which ethical principles (if any) are the correct ones? • How do we decide what is right or wrong?

9. What Do Philosophers Study?-4 • Political Philosophy • What makes a government legitimate? • What is justice? • What is the proper extent of individual freedom? • What are the limits of governmental authority? • Is disobeying the law ever morally justified?

10. Philosophy as a Journey • Text is a guidebook to a journey • Readers are explorers • Limitation of the metaphor: the philosophical journey is never finished

11. Guideposts for Your Journey-1 • Scouting the territory • Charting the terrain–what are the issues? • Choosing a path–what are my options? • What do I think? • Questionnaire • Key to the questionnaire • Leading questions • Surveying the case for... • A reading from...

12. Guideposts for Your Journey-2 • Looking through X's lens • Examining the strengths and weaknesses of X • Philosophy in the marketplace • Thought experiment • Stop and think • Spotlight on… • Checklist • Reward of the journey.....self-understanding

13. Socrates and the Search for Wisdom • Two questions arise from Socrates’ death: • 1. Why was a philosopher considered so dangerous? • 2. Why was Socrates willing to die for his philosophical ideas?

14. Socrates’ Life and Mission-1 • Born 470 B.C. in Athens • Father was a sculptor and mother was a midwife • Information about his life comes from Plato's dialogue, Apology • Apology means a formal defense at a court of law • Oracle at Delphi said no man was wiser than Socrates

15. Socrates’ Life and Mission-2 • Socrates would not forsake his mission, even on pain of death • Socrates calls himself a gadfly • Socrates is perceived as arrogant in arguing his sentence • For Socrates, the real danger in life is not death but living an evil life

16. Seven Stages of Dialectic • 1. Unpacking the philosophical issues • 2. Isolating a key philosophical term • 3. Professing ignorance and requesting help • 4. Proposing a definition • 5. Analyzing a definition through questioning • 6. Producing an improved definition • 7. Facing ignorance

17. Socrates’ Teachings • The unexamined life is not worth living • The most important task in life is caring for the soul • A good person cannot be harmed by others

18. Argument and Evidence:How Do I Decide What to Believe? • Does the conclusion logically follow from the other statements? • Avoid the bottom-line syndrome: looking at the conclusion and not paying attention to the reasons

19. Criteria for Evaluating Claims and Theories • Clarity • Consistency • logical inconsistency • self-referential inconsistency • Coherence • Comprehensiveness • Compatibility • Compelling arguments

20. Elements of Arguments • Premise(s) • Conclusion • Premise and conclusion indicators

21. Evaluating Arguments • Valid and invalid • Deductive argument • Sound, strong, and cogent arguments • Inductive argument

22. Conditional Statements • Antecedents • Consequents • Sufficient condition • Necessary condition

23. Deductive Arguments • Modus ponens • Modus tollens • Fallacy of denying the antecedent • Fallacy of affirming the consequent • Syllogism • Hypothetical syllogism • Disjunctive syllogism • Fallacy of affirming the disjunct • Reductio ad absurdum arguments

24. Inductive Arguments • Probability • Three fallacious inductive arguments • Hasty generalization • False cause • False analogy

25. Informal Fallacies • Ad hominem (abusive, circumstantial) • Appeal to ignorance • Begging the question • Composition • Division • Equivocation • False dichotomy • Strawman • Wishful thinking