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Introduction To Philosophy

The document provides an introduction to philosophy, defining it as the study of fundamental principles and first causes through reason. It outlines the contributions of early Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and discusses the main branches of philosophy: metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, logic, and aesthetics, along with their key questions. Additionally, it emphasizes the multidimensional nature of philosophy and its distinction from science.

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12 views6 pages

Introduction To Philosophy

The document provides an introduction to philosophy, defining it as the study of fundamental principles and first causes through reason. It outlines the contributions of early Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and discusses the main branches of philosophy: metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, logic, and aesthetics, along with their key questions. Additionally, it emphasizes the multidimensional nature of philosophy and its distinction from science.

Uploaded by

sharia.liao22
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction to Philosophy

Unit 1: Doing Philosophy

❖ Bertram Russel
- Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you do not know.

Philosophy Came from two Greek Words:

★ Philo - to love
★ Sophia - Wisdom

❖ Pythagoras (570 - 495 BCE)


- He believed that people have 3 reasons why they study
philosophy
- Lover of Gain, Lover of Honor, Lover of Philosophy

❖ Philosophy
- Defined as the science that by the natural light of reason studies the
first causes or highest principles of all things.

★ Science
- Organized body of knowledge
- Systematic
- It follows certain steps or employs procedures.
★ Natural Light of Reason
- Uses a philosopher’s NATURAL capacity to think or human reason or
so-called unaided reason.

★ Study of All Things


- It makes philosophy distinct from other sciences because it is not one-
dimensional or partial.
- A philosopher does not limit himself to a particular object of inquiry.
- Multidimensional or holistic

★ First Causes or Highest Principle


- Principle of Identity
- Principle of Non-Contradiction
- Principle of Excluded Middle
- Principle of Sufficient Reason

➔ Principle of Identity
- States that each thing is identical with itself. "The snow cannot be a
cloud, the water cannot be a pole"
-
➔ Principle of Non-Contradiction
- A thing cannot be true and untrue at the same tine in the same respect.
"A is B" and "A is not B"
-
➔ Principle of Excluded Middle
- States that for every proposition, either this proposition or its negation
is true. It means that a statement is either true or false.
-
➔ Principle of Sufficient Reason
- Everything must have a reason or cause.

Early Greek Philosophers


❖ Socrates (470 - 399 BCE)
- Founder of Western Philosophy

❖ Plato (427 - 347 BCE)


- Founded the Academy

❖ Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE)


- Father of Political Science

Basic Problems
★ Nature of the universe
★ Standard of justice
★ Validity of knowledge
★ Correct application of reason
★ Criteria of beauty

These basic problems are the subject matter of the branches


of philosophy

Branches of Philosophy
❖ Metaphysics
- It’s an extension of a fundamental and necessary drive in every human
being to know what is real
- Study of reality and existence.

Metaphysics Big Questions:


- What is our place in the universe?
- What is consciousness?
- Does the world really exist?
- Why is there something, rather than
- nothing?
- Do we have free will?
- Does God exist?
- Do we even matter?

Thales (624 - 545 BCE)


- The arche or originating principle of nature was a Single material substance:
water
- First Philosopher
- Experience is reality and others are appearances.

❖ Ethics
- explores the nature of moral virtue and evaluates human action
- Study of the natural of moral judgments.
- It insists that obedience to moral law be given a rational foundation.

Ethics Big Questions:


- Is it ethically permissible to prioritize the treatment of certain patients over
others based on factors like age, socioeconomic status, or likelihood of
recovery?
- Is it morally acceptable to lie to protect someone's feelings or prevent harm,
or does honesty always take precedence?
- Should businesses be held accountable for the environmental impact of their
operations, and if so, to what extent?

Socrates
- To be happy is to live a virtuous life.

❖ Epistemology
- It deals with the nature, sources, limitations, and validity of knowledge.
- It addresses varied problems. the reliability, extent, and kinds of
knowledge, truth, language, science and scientific knowledge.
- How do we know?

Epistemology Big Questions:


- What is knowledge, and how does it differ from belief or opinion?
- Can knowledge be derived solely from experience, or are there innate
concepts that shape our understanding of the world?
- Can we ever be certain that the future will resemble the past based on past
experiences?

True knowledge = Wisdom = Virtue

★ Sources of Knowledge

➔ Induction
- Gives importance to particular things seen, heard, and touched.
It forms general ideas through the examination of particular
facts.
- The advocates of the Induction methods are called empiricists.

➔ Deduction
- Gives importance to general law from which particular facts are
understood or judged.
- The advocates of deduction method are called Rationalists.

➔ Pragmatism
- The meaning and truth of an idea are tested by its practical
consequences.

❖ Logic
- Reasoning is the concern of the logician
- Rulebook for good good reasoning and clear thinking.
- It helps us understand how to put together
- Arguments correctly and figure out if they make sense.

★ Premise
- Statement or proposition that serves as evidence or support for a
conclusion

★ Conclusion
- Statement or proposition that is inferred from the premises in an
argument.

★ Deductive Reasoning
- Involves deriving specific conclusions from general principles

★ Inductive Reasoning
- involves making generalizations based on specific observations or
evidence

❖ Aesthetics
- Branch of philosophy that delves into art.
- The study includes what makes it a thing of beauty.
- It vitalizes our knowledge. It makes our knowledge of the
world alive and useful.
- It helps us to live more deeply and richly.
- It brings us in touch with our culture.

Aesthetics Big Questions:


- Does beauty exist independently of human perception, or is it purely a
subjective experience?
- Can we establish universal standards of beauty, or is beauty entirely in the
eye of the beholder?
- What elements of art—such as color, form, composition, or subject matter—
contribute to emotional reactions in viewers?
- How do artists use symbolism, metaphor, and allegory to convey deeper
truths or insights?

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