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METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING

METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING. The Subject Matter The Methods of Philosophical Thinking The Question How can you think philosophically about anything? Anything of daily concern Anything of ultimate concern. METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING. The Method

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METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING

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  1. METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING • The Subject Matter • The Methods of Philosophical Thinking • The Question • How can you think philosophically about anything? • Anything of daily concern • Anything of ultimate concern

  2. METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING • The Method • You are to practice the methods of philosophical thinking by thinking about this question: What is an apple? • The Learning Objective • An exercise in thinking • Philosophical thinking skills • Non-philosophical thinking skills

  3. How can I think philosophically? • The Question • What is an apple? • Student Answers

  4. VIEWING THE APPLE • The How Questions • How should you view an apple? • How should you think about an apple? • Is viewing different from thinking? • Is thinking different from viewing?

  5. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Answers • Viewing is essentially empirical. • Sensibility • Thinking is essentially intellectual. • Thinking is non-empirical. • Thinking can be rational & irrational. • Rationality

  6. A Review Question • The Questions • What is thinking according to Aristotle? • What is thinking according Allen Watt? • What is thinking according to Nishida? • The Student Answers • Student 1 • Student 2 • Student 3

  7. Watt’s View of Thinking • Thinking • What thinking is not. • A manipulation of symbols • Why is “thinking” not feeling and sensing? • Explain. • Feeling • Emoting • Sensing • Why is “feeling” or “sensing” not “thinking” and different from “thinking”? • Explain.

  8. Aristotle’s View of Thinking • The Quote • The Analysis

  9. Nishida’s View of Thinking • The Quote • The Analysis

  10. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Methodological Question • How should one address these two how questions? • How should an apple be viewed? • How should an apple be thought about? • The Answer • Status of the apple • Typology of viewing/thinking

  11. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Question • What is the status of an apple? • The Answer • Non-Philosophical Status • A concrete thing • Philosophical Status • A particular • A universal • A general universal • The ultimate universal

  12. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Question • What is a particular? • The Answer • A philosophical concept used to represent each and everything concrete thing like an apple.

  13. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Question • What is a universal? • The Answer • A philosophical concept used to represent all particulars of one type/class/kind.

  14. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Question • What is a general universal? • The Answer • A philosophical concept used to represent all universals of all particulars.

  15. VIEWING THE APPLE • The Question • What is the ultimate universal? • The Answer • A philosophical concept used to represent all particulars and all universals (all things that are). • The One

  16. VIEWING THE APPLE • A typology of viewing/thinking • Philosophical Way • Philosophical Viewing • Philosophical Thinking • Non-Philosophical Way • Non-Philosophical Viewing • Non-Philosophical Thinking

  17. VIEWING THE APPLE • METHODS OF • NON-PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING • What is an apple?

  18. NON-PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • The Question • How do people view and think about an apple non-philosophically? • The Answer • A practical view • A business view • An economic view

  19. NON-PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • The Question • How do people view and think about an apple? • The Answer • A medical view • A literary/poetic view • A mathematical view

  20. NON-PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • The Question • How do people view and think about the apple? • The Answer • A military view • A religious view • A scientific view

  21. NON-PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • The Question • How can you view and think about an apple philosophically? • The Answer • Critical and creative uses of relevant fields, doctrines, and theories of Western philosophy. • Moving from descriptivethinking to theoreticalthinking

  22. Methods of Non-Philosophical Thinking • Method of Practical Thinking • The Question • How is “an apple” viewed and understood practically? • The Answer • A delicious thing to consume! • Taste • Nutrition

  23. Methods of Non-Philosophical Thinking • Method of Medical Thinking • The Question • How is “an apple” viewed and understood medically? • The Student Answers • Student 1 • Student 2 • Student 3

  24. Methods of Non-Philosophical Thinking • Method of Business Thinking • Method of Economic Thinking • Method of Literary Thinking • Method of Musical Thinking

  25. Methods of Non-Philosophical Thinking • Method of Math Thinking • Method of Military Thinking • Method of Religious Thinking • Method of Scientific Thinking

  26. What is philosophical thinking? • METHODS OF • PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING • What is an apple?

  27. A METHOD OF DOING EASTERN PHILOSOPHY • The Question • What are we going to do in this class? • The Answer • CREATING A PHILOSOPHY? • No! • HOLDING A PHILOSOPHY? • No! • PHILOSOPHIZING? • Sometimes. • DOING A PHILOSOPHY? • YES!

  28. DOING PHILOSOPHY • The Question • What tools do we need for doing Eastern philosophy? • The Answer • WESTERN TEXTUAL HERMENEUTICS • WESTERN DOCTRINES OF REALITY • FIELDS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY • METHODS OF PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING • FIVE STEP FORMULA FOR DOING PHILOSOPHY

  29. TOOLS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY for doingEASTERN “PHILOSOPHIES” • TOOLS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY • TEXTUAL HERMENEUTICS • DOCTRINES OF REALITY • FIELDS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY • THREE WESTERN LAWS OF THINKING • APPLICATIONS OF WESTERN TOOLS • Can these tools of Western philosophy be applied for scholarly studies of Eastern Dao, Dhamma, and Darshana? • YES. If they can be applied selectively and creatively.

  30. Philosophical Views of an Apple Metaphysics Metaphysical View Epistemological View Epistemology Cosmology Cosmological View Ontological View Ontology

  31. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • Epistemological Thinking • Epistemology • A field of Western philosophy • A study of knowledge • Western theories of knowledge • Epistemological theories

  32. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • The Epistemological Question • How do we know that an apple exists? • The Epistemological Answer • Identify Western theories of knowledge • Empiricism • Idealism • Rationalism

  33. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • Empiricism • Empiricist Theory of Knowledge • An Empiricist View • An apple exists because it can be experienced empirically.

  34. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • Rationalism • Rationalist Theory of Knowledge • An Rationalist View • The idea of an apple is innate in one’s mind.

  35. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • Idealism • Idealist Theory of Knowledge • An Idealist View • An apple is inherently mental because it is a (mental) projection of one’s mind. • “To be is to be perceived.”

  36. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • A Buddhist Idealist Theory of Knowledge • Textual Hermeneutics (an exercise) • A Mahayana (Buddhist) Text • The Lankavatara Sutra • Phan 2002: 277.1.1

  37. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • A Textual Analysis • The Mahayana Thesis • Textual citation • Phan 2002: 277.1.1 • Textual interpretation

  38. Methods of Philosophical Thinking • A Textual Analysis • The Mahayana Arguments • Textual citation • Phan 2002: 277.1.2 • Textual interpretation • The Critique • Students

  39. PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • Which of the following is a Western doctrine of reality? • Dualism • Materialism • Creationism • Evolutionism • Ontology • Cosmology • Metaphysics

  40. PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • Which of the following is a field of Western philosophy? • Dualism • Materialism • Creationism • Evolutionism • Ontology • Cosmology • Metaphysics

  41. PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWING AND THINKING • The Question • How to distinguish a doctrine/theory from a field of philosophy? • The Answer • A “logy” clue • An “ism” clue

  42. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Materialism • A Western theory of reality • A materialist View • An apple is material because it is made up of matter. • All things are material. • All things are derived from primal matter.

  43. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Dualism • A Western theory of reality • Everything is composed of two distinct aspects, mind and matter, forming a duality. • A Jain Doctrine of Reality • All things are derived from Jiva (Soul) and Ajiva (Not-Soul).

  44. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • The Question • What is an apple? • A Jain Answer • An apple is constituted by its Jiva and its Ajiva. • An apple deserves one’s respect for what it truly is.

  45. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Test Questions • Can the Jain view of an apple be characterized theoretically as dualistic or a dualistic view? • Can the Jain view of an apple be characterized theoretically as metaphysical or a metaphysical view? • Student Answers

  46. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Cosmology • A field of Western philosophy • Study of the cosmos • Origin of the cosmos • Cosmic laws, structures, processes • Fate/future of the cosmos

  47. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Student Exercises • Pose a cosmological question • Offer a cosmological answer using the following doctrines: • Creationism • Evolutionism • The Big Bang Theory

  48. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • A Cosmological Question • How did an apple come into being/existence? • A Creationist Answer • An apple is one of the proofs of divine creation. • Oh God! Thank you for all the delicious apples I have enjoyed.

  49. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • A Cosmological Question • How did an apple come into being/existence? • A Evolutionist Answer • An apple is one of the cosmic manifestations of world evolution and the on-going evolutionary processes.

  50. VIEWING/THINKING ABOUT THE APPLE • Ontology • A field of Western philosophy • A study of reality (that which is) • The being of reality • What is real? • What is unreal?

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