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PHILOSOPHY 101 SPRING 2010 INSTRUCTOR: WILBURN

PHILOSOPHY 101 SPRING 2010 INSTRUCTOR: WILBURN. Lecture 1: Introduction and Problems. Philosophical Problems:. What sort of things are there? Ex: Matter and souls? How can we tell? Ex: Is sense experience the only source of knowledge.?

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PHILOSOPHY 101 SPRING 2010 INSTRUCTOR: WILBURN

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  1. PHILOSOPHY 101SPRING 2010INSTRUCTOR: WILBURN Lecture 1: Introduction and Problems

  2. Philosophical Problems: • What sort of things are there? Ex: Matter and souls? • How can we tell? Ex: Is sense experience the only source of knowledge.? • What are our obligations to others? Ex: Duty to help or not to harm?

  3. Scientific Questions • How many different kinds of quarks are there? • Where in the brain is visual experience processed? • Do most people believe in contempory America that abortion is wrong?

  4. Philosophy vs. Science What’s the difference between scientific and philosophical questions?

  5. Now, think about importance? We know why scientific questions are important. Why are philosophical questions important Philosophy and Freedom?

  6. Branches of Philosophy • Metaphysics: reality • Epistemology: knowledge • Axiology: value • Logic: good reasoning

  7. Philosophical Problems • Some of our beliefs about the nature of reality, knowledge, and value seem inconsistent with one another. • If two beliefs are inconsistent with one another, both cannot be true. • In an attempt to discover the truth, philosophy attempts to eliminate the inconsistency.

  8. Classic Philosophical Problems • The Mind-Body Problem • The Problem of Free Will • The Problem of Personal Identity • The Problem of Relativism and Morality • The Problem of God and Evil • The Problem of Skepticism and Knowledge

  9. The Mind-Body Problem If the mind is immaterial, how can it interact with the body?

  10. The Problem of Free Will If every event is caused, how can there be free will?

  11. The Problem ofPersonal Identity If we are constantly changing, how can we retain our identity over time?

  12. The Problem ofRelativism and Morality If everything is relative, how can there be objective moral standards?

  13. The Problem of God and Evil If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, how can there be evil in the world?

  14. The Problem ofSkepticism and Knowledge If our only source of knowledge is sense experience, how can we acquire knowledge of the external world?

  15. Solving Philosophical Problems • Philosophical problems arise because the belief that certain concepts apply to certain things seems to conflict with other beliefs we have. • To show how its possible (or why it’s impossible) for a concept to apply, we have to identify the conditions for applying it.

  16. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions • Something x is a necessary condition for y if and only if it is impossible for y to exist without x. • Something x is a sufficient condition for y if and only if it is impossible for x to exist without y.

  17. Socrates and the Socratic Method • Identify a problem or pose a question. • Propose a hypothesis. • Derive a test implication. • Perform the test. • Accept or reject the hypothesis.

  18. Science and the Scientific Method • Science wants to know what makes an event occur. • Philosophy wants to know what makes a concept apply.

  19. Logical vs. Causal Possibility • Something is logically impossible if and only if it violates the law of non-contradiction. • Something is causally impossible if and only if it violates a law of nature.

  20. Practice Possibilities • Are the following situations causally possible? Are they logically possible? • A human with feathers • Traveling faster than the speed of light • A cat speaking English • A bowling ball speaking English • A rabbit laying multicolored eggs • A soft-shelled prime number • A thinking machine • A computer with a soul

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