Class Two: Sept. 13, 2011 “The First Metaphysicians”

Arguments Inductive : In a strong inductive argument if the premises are true, the conclusion is probably true, by virtue of a supportive inference. Deductive : in a valid deductive argument if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true, by virtue of a logically necessary inference. Types of Fallacies Formal : mistakes in reasoning due to a failure in following the rules for the formal structure of valid arguments. These fallacies do NOT concern truth or falsity but form. Informal : mistakes in reasoning due to carelessness regarding relevance and clarity of language. These fallacies bear directly on issues of truth and falsity.

 Blossomed in last 30 years.  Women appear excluded from philosophy’s history.  Male bias in Greek and modern philosophy.  Feminist Philosophy has many of the same Greek philosophical categories.

Feminist theorists have asked whether and, if so, to what extent our frameworks for understanding the world are distorting in ways that privilege men or masculinity. Also considered the structure of social reality and the relationship between the social world and the natural world, because such structures have been “built by men”.

The Ionians 1) The Ionians: From Ionia, and they tried to identify “reality” with some sort of sensible substance (i.e., taste, touch, smell, see, hear). Thales, “Water, water everywhere.” The Italians 2) The Italians: From Italy (duh!). Numbers, numbers everywhere … Gee, Thanks Pythagoras. The Pluralists 3) The Pluralists: Reality is identified with a “plurality” of substances while maintaining that each of these, at least, is a Being and thus one and immutable.

Thales of Miletus "First, and most simple the Pre-Socratics invented the very idea of science and philosophy. They hit upon that special way of looking at the world which is the scientific or rational way. They saw the world as something ordered and intelligible, its history following an explicable course and its different parts arranged in some comprehensible system. The world was not a random collection of bits, its history was not an arbitrary series of events."

 We know a lot about him from the writings of others, but he probably didn’t write anything himself.  Studied cosmology and got well known for that work.  Water, water, everywhere, says Thales. Ruins at Miletus

Pythagoras of Samos A 2 +b 2 =C 2 A 2 +b 2 =C 2

Pythagoras of Samos  Born on the island of Samos 570 B.C.  We are told more about him (his life, character, beliefs) than about any other pre-Socratic philosopher. Yet, still have trouble separating fact from myth about him.  It’s doubtful he wrote anything down; or only wrote a little.  First to use the term “philosopher” & applied it to himself.  Best known for mathematics.  Born on the island of Samos 570 B.C.  We are told more about him (his life, character, beliefs) than about any other pre-Socratic philosopher. Yet, still have trouble separating fact from myth about him.  It’s doubtful he wrote anything down; or only wrote a little.  First to use the term “philosopher” & applied it to himself.  Best known for mathematics.