Lecture 01 Notes

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— filed under: Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy

Philosophy 101: Introduction To Philosophy

Spring 2005

Professor Ramsey

Course Objectives:

Introduction to Central Themes of Philosophy
1. Repository For Unanswered Questions
  - Is There A God?
  - What Makes An Action Right?
  - Do We Have Free Will?
  - How Do We Know What Is Real?
2. Focus On Topics in Metaphysics, Ethics and Epistemology
3. - Metaphysics: The Study of the Nature of Reality
  - Ethics: The Study of Morality
  - Epistemology: The Study of Knowledge
Introduction to Important Philosophers
1. People vs. Issues
  - In this course, we will focus primarily on important issues in philosophy.
  - We will study important philosophers as their writings pertain to the issues we are studying.
  - Why? We Study Certain People Because Of What They Said About Important Issues; We Don’t Study Certain Issues Because Important People Wrote About Them.
2. Classical vs. Contemporary Thinkers
  - In this course, we will study both classical and contemporary thinkers because both have made important contributions to the philosophical topics that we will address.
3. Analytic vs. Contential Philosophy
  - Analytic Philosophy--Breaks down a big problem into smaller, more manageable problems.
  - Continental Philosophy--Asks big questions, gives big answers.
  - In this course, the emphasis will be on philosophy in the Western Analytic Tradition rather than Continental or Eastern Philosophy.
Introduction to Doing Philosophy
1. Ideals of Good Reasoning
  - Clarity and Precision
  - Valid Arguments with Defensible Premises
  - Intellectual Integrity: Striving for truth rather than just winning the debate.
  - Note--None of these ideals come naturally. Oddly, studnts are rarely taugh how to think and argue in an intellectually responsible manner. Much of what presented as "honest intellectual discussion" on TV is neither honest nor intellectual nor discussion.
2. Asking Hard and Dangerous Questions
  - Hard Because They Are About Things Taken For Granted
  - Dangerous Because We May Not Like The Answers
Appreciation of Our Own Ignorance
1. The Wisdom Of Socrates: “Wisdom Is Knowing What You Don’t Know”
2. Will Learn to Critically Examine Many Things Taken for Granted
3. May Leave Class Believing Less Than Before

Copyright 2009, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. Ramsey, W. (2006, September 19). Lecture 01 Notes. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/philosophy/introduction-to-philosophy-1/lectures/lecture-01-notes. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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	Info Lecture 01 Notes Document Actions — filed under: Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy Philosophy 101: Introduction To Philosophy Spring 2005 Professor Ramsey Course Objectives: Introduction to Central Themes of Philosophy Repository For Unanswered Questions Is There A God? What Makes An Action Right? Do We Have Free Will? How Do We Know What Is Real? Focus On Topics in Metaphysics, Ethics and Epistemology Metaphysics: The Study of the Nature of Reality Ethics: The Study of Morality Epistemology: The Study of Knowledge Introduction to Important Philosophers People vs. Issues In this course, we will focus primarily on important issues in philosophy. We will study important philosophers as their writings pertain to the issues we are studying. Why? We Study Certain People Because Of What They Said About Important Issues; We Don’t Study Certain Issues Because Important People Wrote About Them. Classical vs. Contemporary Thinkers In this course, we will study both classical and contemporary thinkers because both have made important contributions to the philosophical topics that we will address. Analytic vs. Contential Philosophy Analytic Philosophy--Breaks down a big problem into smaller, more manageable problems. Continental Philosophy--Asks big questions, gives big answers. In this course, the emphasis will be on philosophy in the Western Analytic Tradition rather than Continental or Eastern Philosophy. Introduction to Doing Philosophy Ideals of Good Reasoning Clarity and Precision Valid Arguments with Defensible Premises Intellectual Integrity: Striving for truth rather than just winning the debate. Note--None of these ideals come naturally. Oddly, studnts are rarely taugh how to think and argue in an intellectually responsible manner. Much of what presented as "honest intellectual discussion" on TV is neither honest nor intellectual nor discussion. Asking Hard and Dangerous Questions Hard Because They Are About Things Taken For Granted Dangerous Because We May Not Like The Answers Appreciation of Our Own Ignorance The Wisdom Of Socrates: “Wisdom Is Knowing What You Don’t Know” Will Learn to Critically Examine Many Things Taken for Granted May Leave Class Believing Less Than Before Copyright 2009, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. Ramsey, W. (2006, September 19). Lecture 01 Notes. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/philosophy/introduction-to-philosophy-1/lectures/lecture-01-notes. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.