week 4 discussion board replies

PLEASE REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION BOARD QUESTIONS IN 250 WORDS EACH.

Jessica Blakely 

Week 4 Discussion 1

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Week 4, Thread 1

 

Question: If someone has a false belief, they believe to be true, how do they know they are wrong?

Answer:

                Russell says, “a true belief is not knowledge when it is deduced from a false belief.” This bring on the question, if someone has a false belief, that they believe to be the truth, how do they know they are wrong? Russell goes on to explain that a true belief is not considered knowledge when it comes from a false belief. That half ways answers the question, that means that it isn’t knowledge that the person has, but a false belief. However, that second statement also brings up more questions. Why does that person believe that fallacious statement, and who did they come to that understanding? Based on the previous chapters, Russell explains that if we experience something with our senses, that has to be true. What if the statement in question came from the perceivers senses and now we are saying it isn’t knowledge, but a false belief? But it cannot be false, because it was perceived by someone, which means I can only be true. It seems that the answer has to be what Russell does not accept, that “nothing is knowledge except what is validly deduced from true premises.” That would account for everything that we sense to be truth. Like Russell, I think that we have walked in a circle, and that when you think about things to much, or too deeply that is what happens with most topics.

Russell, B. (1912). The Problems of Philosophy. Chrukey, A. (Eds.). Home University Library. Retrieved from  http://www.ditext.com/russell/russell.html .

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Courtney Malloy 

Week 4 Discussion 1 

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My first question is: Does our consciousness provide us comfort?

My answer to this question is: My first question came from reading Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling from the assigned reading this week. He speaks on the consciousness of man and how if the world were without this it would be a world lacking comfort. I began to wonder if our consciousness provides us with the comfort, is the need for comfort the reason we choose to do certain things. Kierkegaard speaks in detail about Abraham, a character from the bible and his loyalty to God. One would assume that Abraham carried out his actions because of what God had promised him. However, for those who don’t believe what is behind their actions towards others. Are they hoping that karma will hopefully be initiated by their good works, with hopes that it will also reflect in their life? It maybe they are doing it because they know what despair feels like and wouldn’t want anyone else to feel the same. The question remains whether these actions are comforting to them. One must first look at what comfort means, it is a feeling of ease, allowing someone to feel at peace about something. When someone is comforted any pain, they may have felt is concealed. This allows me to believe that consciousness does provide us comfort. When someone gives a homeless man on the corner with his family money or maybe a meal, the person feels sadness looking at the situation of the man. Giving them money would help them feel a bit better about the situation even if it doesn’t greatly impact the family to where they are removed from the situation. The person is content knowing they have contributed to their well-being in some way. Those who believe in a higher power can justify their actions by saying they believe it is what they are supposed to do, they are still comforted in the fact that the higher power they believe in will look at their actions and allow them to reflect in their own life giving them benefits they can use here, or will contribute to where they are in the afterlife. I believe that our consciousness is somewhat still selfish and feeds on our need for comfort in the midst of the daily trials we face.

 

Resources

Kierkegaard, S., & Hannay, A. (2014). Fear and trembling: Dialectical lyric by Johannes De Silentio. Retrieved December 18, 2018, from https://nu.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/institution/National University/National University Online (NUO)/PHL - Philosophy (NUO)/PHL 100/Week-4/Kierkegaard fear-and-trembling-johannes-de-silentio.pdf.

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