Philosophy Unit 1
Choosing one of the quotations by philosophers, explain what you think it means and what you think of it.
Bertrand Russell said, "The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it." When I first read this, my initial thoughts went towards the tomato earlier mentioned in the reading. A tomato, something simple as not to seem worth stating, was used as a basis for a philosophical problem: what is existence? This is a perfect example of what Bertrand Russell was trying to say. By asking such simple questions about such an ordinary object, somehow the topic of existence was brought up and it ended with something so paradoxical that no one would believe it. The tomato was simple and made into something complex afterward.
What is conceptual analysis?
Conceptual Analysis is the process of revealing the concepts that are the parts of some given concept. Essentially, it is breaking a concept down so we can understand it. Concepts are quite complex, and are often made of other concepts. For example, a car is partially made up of an engine, tires, and seats. The concept of a car is then contains the concepts of an engine, tires, and seat. But each of these concepts are made of other content, for example, tires are made of rubber and carbon black.
What is empiricism and rationalism?
Empiricism is seeking the truth or knowledge by sensory experience. Meaning, when we go through a physical experience we discover some sense of truth. In contrast, rationalism is looking for truth by reasoning. In other words, having facts and solid sources of information used to back the knowledge of an idea or of truth.
"The Basic Picture" alludes to Kant's claim (footnote 3) that "concepts without percepts are empty; percepts without concepts are blind." What is his point?
His point is that understanding requires both the senses and mental concepts working together.
In the reading "The Basic Picture," what are the two realms?
In the reading "The Basic Picture," we find the distinction between two realms: the realm of the physical that is encountered by the senses and the realm of the mind that is encountered through conceptual thought.
Describe the difference between the intension of a concept and the extension of a concept.
Intension of a concept is its meaning, whereas extension of a concept is an example.
Explain the fact/evidence distinction.
Suppose we get our facts from a web page, the web page would be the evidence for the facts. A philosopher must always consider if where he/she gets their evidence is sufficient to give us knowledge of the facts. Basically, our access to truth will always be indirect and that we must judge from certain evidence, in the form of thought or sense, whether one or another fact obtains. It also suggests that our claims about the world and what we believe to be true, will always be subject to challenge.
What is the critical method?
The critical method states that no claims can be considered truth without support. If these claims are advanced without support they will be considered suppositions, and that any claim can be challenged. This calls for evaluated supporting evidence. The critical method is important to be recognized because it serves as a reminder that if one brings up a point, they need to have known evidence to support it, and if they truly stand behind their point, they need to be ready to defend their claims because it will be challenged. This form of constructive criticism is a good thing for the philosopher because it allows them to reevaluate their way of thinking. I think the critical method can also be considered a reality check for those who think that their views are always "set in stone". As stated in the reading, "the philosophical endeavor is thus a communal effort." With that being said, one has to be open to other people's views because it can contribute to our overall goal in someway shape or form.
What is the primary task of epistemology?
The primary task of epistemology is to ask "how do I know?"
How would you describe the problem of "surface tension" in philosophy?
The problem with surface tension in philosophy is that there is so much that we can not understand and are unable to understand. We are unable to penetrate the surface of certain topics in philosophy and without certain tools to do so, we are stuck with only knowing what we know, leaving us stuck on the surface, with no way below the water.
What are the two "realms" discussed in this reading? How do you understand them? In what way do you think they can be related?
The two realms are the Sensory Realm and the Mental Realm. I would describe the Sensory Realm as something that you can physically touch, smell, see, hear, or taste; essentially, something that uses one of the five senses. These are things that are part of the physical world and in a way, cannot be denied that they exist. I would describe the Mental Realm as anything that you can think of in your imagination. The text uses the example of a pink elephant, which you would not naturally see in the physical world of the Sensory Realm. These Mental Realm objects can be things that exist, or can simply be things that are made up; there, anything goes. I think that they strongly influence each other in that the Mental Realm is almost limited by what we know in the Sensory Realm. If someone were to ask you to think of a new color that doesn't exist from any of the ones we already know, you can't do it because everything that you think of can be traced back to something you know in the physical world. The Mental Realm also influences the Sensory Realm in ways like thinking that you heard someone call your name, or experiencing a placebo effect from a sugar pill; mentally you believe that something has happened when physically nothing really has.
What is the tomato example and what was the point of it?
What is a tomato? What is a fruit? What is a plant? What is an organism? What is a material being? What is a being? A tomato is a kind of fruit. A fruit is a part of a plant. A plant is a kind of organism or living thing. An organism is a kind of material being. A material being is a kind of being. ...?... The point of the tomato example is to show that our questions about particular beings can lead to philosophical questions about being itself and even non-being.
What are the three basic questions of philosophy?
What is it? What is it worth? How do I know?
What three things are required to demonstrate an understanding of a concept?
You need to state the intension of the concept, present a member of the concept's extension and then demonstrate the match between the concept's intension with a member of its extension.
What is the theoretical and practical approach involve?
the theoretical approach in philosophy involves constructing an account of what is or exists, while the practical approach deals with the goals, hopes, interests, and preferences of human beings.
What are the twin goals of philosophy?
truth (a theoretical goal) and goodness (a practical goal), and as the reading suggests, truth relies on an account of "what is" while "goodness consists in the welfare of humans"
