D A Y 1

PHILOSOPHY OF

KNOWLEDGE & REALITY

WELCOME

• Welcome to Phil001: Philosophy of Knowledge & Reality

• Javy W. Galindo

1. Is everyone in the correct class?

2. Roll

3. Introductions

4. What is this course about (in general)?

5. Syllabus Review and How to Do Well

6. What is the heart of Philosophy? – (The unexamined life).

7. Why is this course important?

• Name

• What Philosophy classes have you’ve taken at De Anza or other colleges?

• What topic/question are you hoping to explore in this class?

• “I don’t know” is not an acceptable answer to this question.

INTRODUCTIONS

Part I:

What is this course about?

The Course (In General)

WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY?

“Philosophy”

Ancient Greek: Philosophia

• Philo:

• “love of”, “loving”, or “friendship”

• Sophia:

• “wisdom, knowledge”

Philosophy often thought of as “love of wisdom”

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy often thought of as “love of wisdom”

But what does that mean? Where does it take you?

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?LOVE OF WISDOM?

Two men were drinking beer together. One of them held his glass to the light, scrutinize it thoughtfully, and then observed, “Life is like a glass a beer.”

His friend looked up at the glass and turned to his friend, and asked, “Why is life like a glass a beer?”

“How should I know,” the other answered, “I’m not a philosopher.”

What does it mean here?

Search for insight.

INSIGHTFUL?

INSIGHTFUL?

INSIGHTFUL?

INSIGHTFUL?

INSIGHTFUL?PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT MAP

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

POPULAR NOTIONS:

• Complex intellectual abstract activity without any practical value.

• Meaningless

• Impractical

• Evil & Dangerous

“Philosophy: The most interesting path to poverty.”

BUT CONSIDER THIS QUOTE

“People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the

basis of what they find attractive.”

Should ask: What’s the argument (reason) for the

belief?

Why is this important?

Blaise PascalFrench Philosopher 1600s

NOT JUST ABOUT “ARGUING”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsxVzhvQ02s

NOT JUST ABOUT “ARGUING”

Why is this not philosophy?

• Philosophy is “love of wisdom” not love of “disagreement.”

• An argument is a claim supported by premises (reasons for believing the claim).

SO WHAT’S PHILOSOPHY AGAIN?

Search for:

• Adequate, reasonable explanations for all that we know and think.

• Justification for our beliefs.

• Answers to the ultimate questions of life.

• Understanding & coherence.

• Learning how to live life in a very enriching, meaningful way.

Thinking carefully. Being more aware…

NOT THINKING CAREFULLY:HOMER GETTING ACCEPTED INTO COLLEGE

PHILOSOPHY IN A NUTSHELL

Living thoughtfully.

Having an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.

MAYBE NOT A PATH TO POVERTY

• You’ll gain skills:

• Critical thinking,

• Argument skills,

• Communication,

• Reasoning,

• Analysis,

• Problem solving…

• Which allow you to:

• Justify your opinions

• Spot a bad argument, no

matter what the topic

• Explain to people why

they are wrong and you

are right

• See how there are several

sides to a story.

• Choose a story (a

philosophy of life) that

works best for you.

SYLLABUS REVIEW

How to do well:

• Read, read, read…

• Not a lot of “work”, but a lot of reading and reflection.

• Listen and participate in class.

• Review instructor feedback.

• Take good notes.

• Write/ask questions.

• See me in office hours.

What this class is:

• A place to explore and think critically about ideas.

• A place to respect personal beliefs.

What the class is not:

• Not a class you can miss.

• Not a class where you can do other work.

Part II:

What is the heart of western philosophy?

Asking questions.

THE MAIN BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

• Metaphysics:• What is real?

• Epistemology:• What can be known and how?

• Ethics:• How should we act and why?

• Aesthetics:• What is beautiful and why?

• Logic:• How good is an argument?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Provide one sentence answers for each of first two questions and fill in the blank for the third:

• Who are you?

• Why are you in this class?

• Life is all about ___________________?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

In Groups:

• Discuss your answers in groups; each person getting a chance to share their answers to each of these questions.

• Then identify the most interesting/uncommon answer for each and (if there is one) the most common answer for each question.

THE HEART OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY:

SOCRATES

HEART OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

Socrates

(c.470-399 B.C.E.)

“THE” Greek Philosopher

• Wrote nothing.

• Almost everything we know comes from his students (Plato primarily).

• Never claimed to teach, but asked questions.

THE HEART OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY:

SOCRATES

Oracle of Delphi(Truth/Fortune Teller)

• Chaerephon asks if anyone wiser.

• “No one is wiser than Socrates” - Oracle

• Socrates begins a quest to learn what this means.

• Begins to question everyone’s beliefs to see how wise they are.

• Get’s him into trouble with authorities.

Entrance:“Know They Self”

WHY IS THIS COURSE IMPORTANT?

Reflecting at the trial:

Why not just stop questioning and be free?

“Because the unexamined life is not worth living.”

What does he mean by this?

• Who are you?

• Why are you in this class?

• Life is all about ___________________?

WHY IS THIS COURSE IMPORTANT?

Philosophy brings to light…

The underlying assumptions that make

up our worldview.

WHAT IS A WORLDVIEW?

• The “story” you tell yourself of how the world works.

• The “sum-total” of your fundamental assumptions about everything.

• A worldview is a habituated way of seeing and doing.

• Does everyone possess a worldview?

• YES!!!

HOW ARE WORLDVIEWS FORMED:

1.Informally

2.Uncritically

3.Inter-generationally • (i.e., what is passed down

from parents to children);

4. Intra-generationally • (organizations, clubs, or

“special interest” groups);

5. Community/Cultural • (shared beliefs)

6.Over time

7.Habits

QUESTIONING OUR WORLDVIEW:PHILOSOPHY OF KNOWLEDGE & REALITY

5 Major Questions

• What, if anything, is real?

• Who am I? What am I?

• How do I know anything? What can be known?

• Do I have freedom of choice?

• If choice exists, how should I choose to live my life?

QUESTIONING OUR WORLDVIEWS

Plato (427-347 BC)

Greek Philosopher, Student of Socrates

What is the path to true knowledge?

What is the role of the philosopher?

In “The Republic” Plato uses an allegory of prisoners in a cave.