What Is Philosophy?
Philosophy is the attempt to answer big questions: questions that cannot be answered simply by looking them up or by performing experiments.
These are questions we answer by reason, argument, and careful discussion. One philosopher described them as “the biggest questions a human can ask.”
How We Will Approach Philosophy
Reverence
We will approach philosophy with reverence: awe, respect, curiosity, and humility when these are the right attitudes to have.
Respect
We will respect the search for truth and each other as we search for truth.
Philosophy involves going out on a limb. If you care about truth, you have to be willing to go out there. It might be scary. It might hurt your pride a little. But the search for truth requires us to move forward despite those feelings.
If you have something to say, you should say it.
Relativism is not allowed.
Examples of relativism:
- Whatever a person thinks is art is art.
- Whatever a person thinks is morally right is morally right.
- Whatever a person thinks is knowledge is knowledge.
To claim relativism is to stop searching for the truth.
Humility
The truth is not something any one person can hold in its entirety. The best anyone can have is glimmers and glances.
You do not have all the answers, so do not think you do. Do not be offended when someone thinks you are wrong.
The person across from you does not have all the answers either, so do not assume they do. Do not be afraid to argue against them.
If you have something to say, you should say it.
Curiosity
When we revere something, we want to know more about it. This includes being curious about what other people say.
If someone says something that does not seem correct, ask a question.
If you have an idea, you should want to know how other people respond to that idea.
If you have something to say, you should say it.
Awe
Awe is the feeling we have when we feel connected to something much larger than we can fully comprehend.
You probably will not have this feeling at first, but you should try to cultivate it. The best way to cultivate it is to get involved in the discussion.
Then you may come to find out that the world is bigger and more complex than you ever thought.
If you have something to say, you should say it.
A Brief Outline of Philosophy
Philosophy can be divided into three broad areas.
- Value Theory asks what is good, beautiful, just, and how we ought to live.
- Descriptive Philosophy asks what exists, what we can know, and what reality is like.
- Methodology asks how philosophical questions should be investigated.
This year we will explore questions from each of these areas.
Value Theory
Ethics
- Duty to Oneself
- Special Obligations
- Ethics of Care
- Moral Luck
- Lifeboat Ethics
Aesthetics
- Can Taste Improve?
- Can Food Be Art?
Political Philosophy
- What Is the Purpose of Government?
Descriptive Philosophy
Metaphysics
- Do Objects Have Natural Boundaries?
Epistemology
- What Makes Someone an Expert?
- The Münchhausen Trilemma
Methodology
Methodology asks how philosophical questions should be investigated.
Questions include:
- What makes a good argument?
- What is the role of logic?
- What counts as a good explanation?
- How should we evaluate evidence?
- When should we change our minds?
Methodology gives us the tools we use to investigate every other branch of philosophy.
Beyond the Western Tradition
Throughout the year we will also examine philosophical traditions from outside the Western tradition.
This year we will explore Jain philosophy through the question:
- What Do We Owe Other Living Things?
One of the goals of the club is to discover that philosophy is much larger than any one philosopher, culture, or tradition.