Outlines of these slides may be viewed at creighton/~eeselk

1. Outlines of these slides may be viewed at • www.creighton.edu/~eeselk • or people.ceighton.edu/~ees33175 • Choose this course and follow the links. • I highly recommend that you print the outlines of the slides before each class & then use your printed copy for filling in notes of the classroom discussion. general introduction - 1

2. General introduction • 1. Why philosophy at Creighton? • A distinctive feature of Jesuit, Catholic higher education: • (1) addressing ultimate questions & • (2) doing so from two viewpoints • revelation • critical reason • with the goal of? general introduction - 2

3. General introduction • Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) established this as one of the distinctive goals of the universities he founded. • Ignatius assumed that these two perspectives are harmonious general introduction - 3

4. General introduction • 2. The two principal parts of the course: • Historical - will study some classics • What is the value of studying classics? • Problems • What problems will we cover in this course? general introduction - 4

5. General introduction • (1) the legitimacy of the state • (2) justice • (3) civil disobedience • (4) existence of God • (5) theories of truth • (6) liberty & its bounds • (7) choice vs knowledge • (8) cognitive, ethical, & aesthetic relativism general introduction - 5

6. General introduction • 3. The nature of philosophy • 7 traits • (1) Types of issues are very general & very fundamental • e.g., truth • morality • foundations of knowledge • limits of liberty • existence of God • See Blackburn’s list on p. 3 general introduction - 6

7. General introduction • (2) Is critical • in the sense that philosophy raises questions, very basic questions • quote from Stuart Hampshire • Socrates in the Apology compares himself to a fly buzzing around a lethargic horse. general introduction - 7

8. General introduction general introduction - 8

9. General introduction • "Almost all the philosophers who have survived and are still read were to some degree subversive and unsettling, loosening the hold of accepted categories and habits of classification, and suggesting a scheme of description of their own design. This radical resistance to the usual certainties, and particularly to the usual pictures of the mind, is the beginning of philosophy. . . .” general introduction - 9

10. General introduction • “After all, our adherence to customary categories and classifications are largely a result of family inheritance. It is a contingency of birth. Thus at a certain stage in our lives it seems proper to leave our familiar home and look the strange clothing that will fit a deviant and unsocialized consciousness." (Stuart Hampshire, "Philosophy and Fantasy," NYRB, 26 Sep. 1968: 51.f) general introduction - 10

11. General introduction • (3) Philosophy is integrative • attempts to build grand visions of human life and the world which include all dimensions • (4) The method of philosophy • argumentation • empirical vs conceptual questions (Blackburn 3) • Blackburn’s notion of philosophy as “conceptual engineering” (2) general introduction - 11

12. General introduction • (5) Philosophy is primarily reflective rather than practical • Philosophy “bakes no bread” • So why study philosophy or any subject which bakes no bread? • The “high ground” reply (Blackburn 6) • Philosophy seeks answers to big questions because it wants to understand. It seeks knowledge for its own sake rather than for utility. general introduction - 12

13. General introduction • The “middle-ground reply” (Blackburn 7) • Reflection is continuous with practice, and practice can get worse or better depending on the soundness of our reflections. general introduction - 13

14. General introduction • The “low-ground” reply (Blackburn 10) • Continuation of point made in middle-ground reply but brought to the level of life & death. • Ideas about rights, the value of other persons affect how we treat others. “In the end, it is ideas for which people kill each other” (Blackburn 11). general introduction - 14

15. General introduction • (6) The history of philosophy is an essential part of doing philosophy • This is true of all of the humanities • Why? general introduction - 15

16. General introduction • (7) The similarities & differences between philosophy and theology • Similarity  both are concerned with big and fundamental questions (e.g., the existence of God, meaning of human life, ultimate destiny). • Difference  but philosophy & theology approach these questions from different perspectives: reason & revelation. general introduction - 16

17. General introduction • Difference  some branches of theology, especially systematic theology, are parasitic with respect to philosophy. The reverse does not seem to be the case. general introduction - 17

18. General introduction • 4. The areas (sub-disciplines) of philosophy • (1) Epistemology • (2) Metaphysics • (3) Ethics • (4) Logic • (5) Philosophy of studies • (6) Historical studies general introduction - 18