W3: Reflection Log
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WhatisPhilosophy..ppsxWhat is Philosophy?
LOVE OF WISDOM
The etymology of philosophy reveals that the word is derived from the Greek ‘philosophia’:
Philo = loving
Sophia = knowledge or wisdom
So, we can understand ‘philosophy’ to mean the love of wisdom, but this is not a very informative characterization.
A WAY OF THINKING…
When the word ‘philosophy’ is used in casual conversation, it most often refers to a way of thinking, a deeply held belief, or an ideological commitment of some type. You might hear someone say:
“My philosophy is that we should live life to the fullest!”
Or:
“I tend towards a libertarian philosophy when it comes to issues of personal freedom.”
A CONVERSATION THROUGH THE AGES….
Another way to understand the word ‘philosophy’ is as a conversation that has continued across time, addressing questions that matter to us, but that cannot be answered by using our 5 senses to gather empirical data. For this reason, philosophical questions have been a subject of thought and conversation in all human populations throughout our history.
OUR QUESTIONS
Philosophical questions address many subjects. Some common examples are:
Why is there something, rather than nothing?
Is the physical realm all that exists, or do transcendental concepts like heaven, gods, and souls also exist?
Can we be certain that reality really is as it appears to us?
How should we behave and to whom are we morally obligated?
OUR QUESTIONS
What is the essential nature of personhood?
What justifies the state?
What type of political society is best?
Do human rights really exist?
Are all people equal?
How should we resolve our differences in society?
What is beauty and why are we inclined towards it in art and music?
WHAT MAKES THESE PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS?
The uniting characteristic of philosophical questions is that they are ‘non-empirical questions.’ In other words, they are questions that cannot be answered conclusively using empirical data. This means that we cannot simply collect data through observation and experimentation – no matter how much we collect – and produce answers to philosophical questions that are uncontroversial and for which a consensus can be achieved. Since empirical data cannot assist us in philosophy as it does in the sciences, we rely or reason and ideology.
THE ROLE OF REASON
Logic and reasoning are the primary tools of philosophy. Reasoning is, of course, used in other disciplines as well. However, reasoning is the sole basis from which a philosopher draws conclusions. Due to this fact, reasoning well is important to us. As such, philosophers beginning with Aristotle have formulated systems of logic by which to study and understand how to apply reasoning accurately. We make arguments to support our conclusions and our arguments are evaluated according to the quality of their reasoning.
THE ROLE OF IDEOLOGY
We must have a beginning point from which to reason to a conclusion in making arguments. In philosophy, that beginning point is very often an ideological claim. ‘Ideology’ refers to fundamental beliefs that individuals hold with conviction. They are those basic beliefs that many of us take to be the foundation of our very identity. They are they things that we stand for as individuals and fight for as societies. Humans quite often differ in our ideological beliefs, though, and this is why we find a variety of ways of living and thinking around the world.
EXAMPLES OF IDEOLOGICAL CLAIMS
Here are just a few examples of ideological claims:
Justice requires us to treat people as equals
Democracy is the best form of government
Freedom is worth dying for
Actions that are wrong are wrong for all people at all times
If a creature can feel pain, we are responsible for not unnecessarily causing it pain
Everything happens for a reason
IDEOLOGICAL REASONING
Now that you know about reasoning and ideology, consider the following argument that a philosopher might make:
1. Justice requires us to treat people as equals
2. Racial profiling does not treat people as equals
Therefore, 3. Racial profiling is unjust
To evaluate this argument, you would consider whether you agree with its premises (1, 2). You would also consider whether the premises, if true, really do support the conclusion (3). Making and evaluating arguments in this way is the work of philosophy.
PHILOSOPHY AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE
Having read the description of philosophy in this presentation, you can probably see that philosophy happens in many places and at any time. You can do philosophy in your own mind, by talking with other individuals, by getting involved in political activism, and by arguing for your ideas about the difference between right and wrong. However, philosophy is also a formal academic discipline.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE ACADEMY
In fact, philosophy is the founding discipline of the academy. An ancient philosopher you may have heard of named Socrates is considered to be the father of western philosophy. As a politically disgruntled citizen of the city-state Athens in ancient Greece, Socrates set out to discover who amongst the leaders of Athens had the requisite knowledge of justice, the state, and its proper function in order to rule effectively. His search for knowledge and his political activism were perceived as a threat by the aristocratic class of Athens and eventually, Socrates was put to death.
Socrates had a student named Plato who was so incensed by his mentor’s death that he set out to create a safe space in society to pursue knowledge without fear of retribution. This was the first school, as we understand it today. The Academy was held mostly on a plot of land that had been willed to Plato and was named after the Greek hero Academus.
HOW DOES PHILOSOPHY EXIST IN THE ACADEMY TODAY?
Today, academia is comprised of many diverse schools and disciplines. The philosophical foundations of academia can still be seen, though, as the highest degree in many fields is the PhD – the doctor of philosophy. In any discipline, once you are engaged with the theory that guides practice, you are engaged with philosophy. This engagement occurs in its fullest form at the level of graduate study, but even introductory level students are introduced to the theoretical foundations of disciplines and are encouraged to evaluate them.
However, philosophy is also an academic discipline of its own and so we find stand-alone philosophy departments in colleges and universities around the world. In some departments, though, philosophy is paired with religion or the fine arts.
A CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERIZATION
Today, we can say that philosophy is the academic discipline that deals with non-empirical questions and their answers.
As has been discussed in this presentation, non-empirical questions are those that cannot be answered conclusively using empirical data.
Empirical questions, however, can be answered conclusively by using empirical data and science deals with those with ever-increasing effectiveness.
A FINAL NOTE
Be aware, though, that despite the fact that empirical questions can be answered conclusively, science does not take itself to ever offer ‘the final word’ simply because we are not omniscient beings. Scientists leave open the possibility that further data may arise which might require us to modify our understanding of the world. It could be, then, that at least some empirical questions will never be answered conclusively by us due to the limited nature of our knowledge.
Claims arrived at through scientific research are considered more or less certain to the degree that scientists believe further relevant data might be discovered. As such, key ideological beliefs such as ‘all things being equal, the future will continue to be as the past has been,’ do affect how scientists understand the natural world.
So, while we can distinguish philosophy from science as an academic discipline, there are still important philosophical issues related to science. These are addressed in the philosophy of science.
