NOTES THURSDAY 9/26/02

How to find the web board: College departments --> Social Science --> Philosophy/religion --> Jeffery Borrowdale --> Phil 203

3 REASONS FOR TAKING NOTES:
1. cement information into your brain,
2. Help absent students,
3. To help students study for exams,
4. Helps the instructor make FAIR exams.

STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 2 DAYS OF NOTES ON THE WEBOARD, NOT THREE, BY THE NEXT DAY BEFORE CLASS STARTS.

Metaphysics/Ontology: "after physics" (physics = study of nature) - Aristotle.

Philosophy Time line:
First there were the Natural philosophers/primitive scientists.
The first Greek philosopher was Socrates, "the father of philosophy." Plato was a student of Socrates, and Aristotle was a student of Plato.

For Socrates, philosophy was a dynamic social thing. Plato was into writing, especially dialogues where Socrates is the main character. (His later works are probably peppered with Plato’s own thoughts.) Aristotle wrote a book on physics, then a book on metaphysics.

Q? “Why is there something rather than nothing?” is a philosophical question as opposed to “What is a star?” which is a scientific question.

Metaphysics - Theories of Reality ~or~ Ontology - Theories of Being

CORE OF PHILOSOPHY:
Metaphysics - Theories of Reality
Epistemology - Theories of Knowledge
Ethics - Theories of Value/Morality (Right vs. Wrong, good vs. evil)
Logic - Rules of reasoning

Q? What is truth? Truth is that which corresponds with reality. A true statement describes the world as it actually is. A quality of beliefs or statements.
Q? What kinds of things are true? Beliefs and statements.
Example: philogiston - An ancient term used to explain less weight in fuel after combustion, has negative weight. This term concept was considered true until it was proven false, now as a concept it seems absurd to us.

Beliefs change over time. Just because you believe does not mean it’s true. We should be skeptical of knowing truth.

Ex: A statement: There is no absolute truth. Q? Is this true? It seems contradicting to ask this question.

Q? Do words mean things? Western philosophy would say “YES” Eastern would say “no.”

Skepticism - There is no absolute truth but we can never know it.
Relativism - Truth is relative to the individual or society.
Absolutism - There is truth, and it is knowable.