For students of Borcoman at Coconino Community College

1. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
P H I L O S O P H YP H I L O S O P H Y
A TEXT WITH READINGSA TEXT WITH READINGS
1212thth
EDITIONEDITION
Manual VelasquezManual Velasquez
Chapter 1: “The Nature of Philosophy”Chapter 1: “The Nature of Philosophy”

2. Outline of Topics in Chapter 1Outline of Topics in Chapter 1
• Thinking critically
• 1.1 What is Philosophy?
• 1.2 The Traditional Divisions of Philosophy
• 1.3 A Philosopher in Action: Socrates
• 1.4 The value of Philosophy
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

3. Thinking CriticallyThinking Critically
• KEY CONCEPTS
– Critical thinking (8-9)
– Valid Reasoning (10)
– Vagueness and Ambiguity (12-13)
– Argument (15-16)
• Premise/reason
• Conclusion
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

4. Thinking CriticallyThinking Critically
• KEY ACTIVITIES
– Identifying premises and conclusion (31-34)
• Determining assumptions
– Evaluating an argument (24-25)
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

5. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
1.1 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?1.1 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
• The word philosophy comes from the
Greek words philein, meaning “to love,”
and sophia, meaning “wisdom.”
• Philosophy begins with wonder about our
most basic beliefs.
– Its goal is to help us achieve autonomy the
freedom of being able to decide for yourself
what you will believe in, by using your own
reasoning abilities

6. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
Plato’s Myth of the CavePlato’s Myth of the Cave
• The Myth of the Cave, from The Republic
of Plato, provides a powerful image of
philosophy (5-6)
– What is the setting?
– How does the story begin?
– What happens to the prisoner once he’s
unchained?
– What happens to him when he returns to the
cave?

7. Key Points inKey Points in
The Myth of the CaveThe Myth of the Cave
– The myth describes the philosopher's climb
from the dark cave of philosophical ignorance
up into the light of philosophical wisdom.
– The story begins with chained prisoners
watching shadows cast on a cave wall by
objects passing in front of a fire. They mistake
the shadows for reality.
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

8. Key Points inKey Points in
The Myth of the CaveThe Myth of the Cave
• If a prisoner is freed and forced to see the fire
and objects, he will have difficulty seeing and
will think the shadows are more real than the
objects.
• The prisoner would at first be blinded if he
were dragged out of the cave into the light.
• If he returns to the cave, he would be unable
to see and would be laughed at.
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

9. Philosophy and thePhilosophy and the
Myth of the CaveMyth of the Cave
• Plato’s myth is an allegory for what it
means to “do” philosophy.
1. Philosophy is an activity -- not an outcome.
2. The activity of philosophy can be hard work.
3. The aim of this activity is freedom.
4. Freedom is achieved by examining our most
basic assumptions.
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

10. Examining our Most BasicExamining our Most Basic
AssumptionsAssumptions
• Both Plato and the woman philosopher
Perictione remind us that, as the pursuit of
wisdom, philosophy involves the
examination of our most fundamental
assumptions.
– Write out two basic assumptions you make
about human nature, the nature of reality or
morality?
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

11. The Diversity of PhilosophyThe Diversity of Philosophy
• The search for wisdom cuts across all
races, cultures and sexes
– Therefore, this text will look not only at
Western philosophers, but also Indian, African,
and Asian philosophers.
– Additionally, although woman philosophers
have been ignored or neglected, this book
includes discussions of an approach to
philosophy that tries to capture the special
philosophical insights of female philosophers.
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

12. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
1.2 The Divisions of Philosophy1.2 The Divisions of Philosophy
• Philosophy has traditionally pursued three
kinds of questions:
– What is knowledge?
– What is real?
– What is right and good?

13. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
What is Knowledge?What is Knowledge?
• The field of philosophy that addresses this
question is called epistemology.
– Epistemology deals with questions about the
nature of knowledge, its reliability and extent,
and the nature of truth.
• Write out two examples of epistemological
questions.
• What sorts of epistemological assumptions does
the feminist philosopher Gail Stenstad call into
question? What claims does she make?

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What is Reality?What is Reality?
• The field of philosophy that addresses this
question is called metaphysics.
– Metaphysics addresses questions of reality,
the nature of mind, self, and human freedom,
as well as some topics that overlap with
religion
• Write out two examples of metaphysical questions.
• What metaphysical assumptions did Paul Henri
d’Holbach call into question? How does Frankl
argue against Holbach?

15. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
What is Right and Good?What is Right and Good?
• The field of philosophy that addresses this
question is called ethics.
– Ethics is the study of our values and moral
principles and how they relate to human
conduct and to our social and political
institutions.
• Write out two examples of ethical questions?
• What ethical assumptions does Gandhi call into
question? What alternative viewpoint does the
egoist philosopher Harry Browne offer?

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Divisions of PhilosophyDivisions of Philosophy
• Philosophy also includes a range of
inquiries usually referred to as "the
philosophy of . . .”.
– These examine the basic assumptions
underlying particular areas of human
knowledge or activity. They include:
• Philosophy of science
• Philosophy of art
• Political philosophy

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1.3 A Philosopher in Action:1.3 A Philosopher in Action:
SocratesSocrates
• To better understand philosophy, we’ll
take a close look at Socrates, a
philosopher in action.
– Socrates was born 469 BCE in Athens,
Greece, a flourishing and vigorous city-state.
– He was well-known for his practice of
questioning powerful men about their beliefs.
• This eventually led to his death, after Athens lost to
Sparta in the Peloponnesian Wars, and fell into a
severe economic and political crisis.

18. The Dialogues of PlatoThe Dialogues of Plato
• Socrates left no writings, so most of what we
know about him comes from the Dialogues of
Plato, one of Socrates’ disciples.
– The Dialogues are short dramas in which the
character of Socrates usually plays a major role.
• There is some controversy over whether Plato’s
Dialogues reflect the real conversations and views of
Socrates.
• We’ll look at four dialogues: A) Euthyphro,
B) Republic, C) Apology, and D) Crito.
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOSOPHYPHY

19. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
A)A) EuthyphroEuthyphro
• Euthyphro shows Socrates questioning
traditional religious beliefs about “holiness”
or action required by religious duty.
• Under what circumstances do Euthyphro
and Socrates meet?

20. Thinking about HolinessThinking about Holiness
• What sort of account of holiness does
Socrates seek from Euthyphro, and how
do Euthyphro’s answers fall short?
• Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Do the gods
love what is holy because it is holy, or is it
holy because they love it?”
– How does Euthyphro answer this?
– What other answers are there? Is there a best
answer?
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21. B)B) RepublicRepublic
• In the selection from the Republic,
Socrates is exploring the question, What is
justice?”
• He uses his questioning method to show
Thrasymachus, a well-known teacher, that
he does not know what he is talking about.
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22. Thinking about JusticeThinking about Justice
• How does Thrasymachus answer the question,
“What is justice?” (25-26)
– How does Thrasymachus explain his answer?
• Explain how Socrates tests the truth of
Thrasymachus’ answer (26-27)
• Write out Socrates’ argument against
Thrasymachus’ conception of justice. List the
premises and conclusion as separate statements.
• Are you convinced by his argument? hat questions
does this raise for you?
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

23. C)C) ApologyApology
• Shortly after the scene described in
Euthyphro, Meletus and others indicted
Socrates and brought him to trial.
• The Apology is Plato’s account of the
speech Socrates delivered in his own
defense.
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24. Exploring Socrates’ defenseExploring Socrates’ defense
• Why is Socrates on trial?
• What is Socrates’ explanation of the origin
of the charges against him? (27)
– How does Socrates come to do philosophy?
– What does Socrates conclude about his own
wisdom, and how does arrive at this
conclusion?
CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

25. D)D) CritoCrito
• Even after his trial, Socrates continues his
practice of doing philosophy.
• In Crito, Plato recounts Socrates’
conversation with his close friend, Crito,
the day before his execution. Crito tries to
convince him to escape.
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26. Do we have an Obligation toDo we have an Obligation to
Obey the Law?Obey the Law?
• Review Socrates’ three arguments against
escaping (33-34).
– Are any terms vague or ambiguous?
– Are there any debatable assumptions? Which
premises seem acceptable and which not?
– Can you provide an alternative argument for
Socrates’ conclusion, or for a different
conclusion?
– Under what condition is it permissible to
disobey the law?
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27. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
1.4. The Value of Philosophy1.4. The Value of Philosophy
• How does the philosophy help one to…
1. Achieve freedom?
2. Build one’s own life?
3. Cultivate Awareness?
4. Learn to think critically?

28. CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
Male Bias:Male Bias:
An Objection to PhilosophyAn Objection to Philosophy
• Some feminist philosophers have
questioned whether philosophy has any
value to women.
– They argue that philosophy is essentially a
male activity because the basic ideas and
methods of philosophy are biased against
women and in favor of men.

29. Two Critical PerspectivesTwo Critical Perspectives
• Janice Moulton focuses on the way most
philosophers use an “adversarial method”
of inquiry.
– What problem does Moulton find with this?
• Genevieve Lloyd argues that the history of
philosophy shows that male philosophers
have often associated favorable traits with
men and unfavorable ones with women.
– How does Lloyd explain her position?
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30. Why Philosophize?Why Philosophize?
• The feminist critique raises an important
question: Why should a woman engage in
a man’s game played by men’s rules?
Why should women philosophize?
– How does Lloyd answer this question?
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