History of Western Philosophy in Five Minutes Video

Philosophy 1010 Class #1 Title: Introduction to Philosophy Instructor: Paul Dickey E-mail Address: pdickey2@mccneb.edu faculty.mccneb.edu/pdickey2 http://pauldickey9.wix.com/paul-dickey#!bio/c1ktj Course: Introduction to Philosophy Phil 1010 Class Website: www.quia.com Create your own userid & password

& Complete Syllabus Quiz on www.quia.com Reading Assignment for Class #2: Velasquez, Philosophy: A Text With Readings (12e) Chapter 1, Sections 1.1, 1.2,and 1.3 & Complete Syllabus Quiz on www.quia.com

Introductions Syllabus The Philosophical “Attitude” State a theoretical claim about your instructor, yourself, or the class. Support your claim with a reason why your classmates should believe it to be true. Syllabus The Philosophical “Attitude” 4

Philosophy Begins with Wonder! Wonder is an emotion comparable to surprise and awe that people feel when perceiving something rare or unexpected. It is specifically linked to curiosity and is the emotion leading to philosophy and science. Video

What is a Philosophical Question?

What is true love. – Is beauty a matter of fact or a matter of taste What is true love? – Is beauty a matter of fact or a matter of taste? – Is there a God? – What do I want to do with my life? – What is the purpose of art? – Is there a difference between health and beauty? – Do I want to be beautiful? – Is everything I think I know true? -- Is lying always wrong? -- Does every question have an answer? – Do I have to accept reality or can I determine my own reality? -- Why can’t people just get along together? – Who should take care of the environment? -- What would happen if there were no government? – Why do bad things happen to people? -- What is the meaning of my life? – Will getting married make me more or less free? Is love more important than freedom? …. What is true love? …..

Why are these questions philosophical questions? What the characteristics of these questions so that we say they are philosophical? Is there a difference between philosophical questions and scientific questions? Is there a difference between philosophical questions and speculation?

Questions, So Many Questions … What Kind of Questions are These Anyway? May be deeply personal Answers cannot be “proven” but some opinions make more sense than others and generally arguments can be given for our views (thus, they are not entirely subjective) Necessary to ask for our world to “make sense” Often confuse us We have to answer for ourselves. We cannot expect everyone to agree with us and they may also have good arguments for their views Throughout our life we may have to reconsider our answers

Some Shots at Defining Philosophy . . . Do these definitions give YOU a satisfactory understanding of what the lady on the beach is doing? Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. …www.fsu.edu (Florida State University) Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of man, and of man's relationship to existence. … In the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees, but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible. …Ayn Rand, Philosophy, Who Needs It (p. 2)