The Concept of Philosophy Flashcards
(34 cards)
Defining is…
“…enclosing a concept within limits.”
Philosophy doesn’t limit itself to anything. →
To delimit it is to cut its veins off.
[Anatomy of a Definition] What is a square?
definiendum
[Anatomy of a Definition] A square is a shape.
genus/category
[Anatomy of a Definition] A square is a shape that has four equal sides and four right angles.
differentia/distinguishing factor
[Anatomy of a Definition] A square is a shape that has four equal sides and four right angles. Examples of which include the face of a cube, the shape of a chess board or a game board, a slice of bread.
denotata/example
“___________” is sometimes used instead of “differentia.”
Intention
“Genus” and “differentia” as a set is called “_________.”
definiens
“_____________” is sometimes used instead of “denotata.”
Extension
In a nutshell, defining philosophy is a philosophical problem because…
● The term does not have a one-to-one correspondence
● To define is to limit
Philosophical Questions → Inquiry Questions has no _______ or _______ answers but requires __________________ to arrive at answers.
right, wrong, deep thinking
What are the 4 Characteristics of Philosophical Questions?
Fundamental, Universal, Natural, Vital
What is required to become a good philosopher?
Nothing is required to become one. But, to become a Good One, we need an intact Sense of Wonder.
4 scenarios that show the Sense of Wonder.
- Detective Story
- Watching a Magic Trick
- Babies not getting used to the world
- Stumbling upon a Martian
4 Metaphors
Babies, Detectives, Martian, Insect
What scenario is this?
you will feel that you are yourself an extraordinary being; we stop to think and realize how we are extraordinary beings → thus through more reflection, we get to come up with more philosophical questions
Stumbling upon a Martian
What scenario is this?
They slip out into a brand new reality. We have an innate curiosity, we feel like we are in a world with endless possibilities. The x takes it for granted before developing a philosophical mind. An active sense of wonder and the ability to ask questions is the main requirement of a philosopher.
Babies not getting used to the world
What scenario is this?
We cannot understand how it is done. In the case of the rabbit, we know that it was a trick, but we don’t know how it is done. We are like the white rabbit in the sense that we are a part of something mysterious. But the rabbit doesn’t know that it is part of a trick.
Watching a Magic Trick
What scenario is this?
who is the murderer? Police are able to solve a real crime or they might not be able to come up with a solution right away. However, there is only ONE ABSOLUTE truth.
Detective Story
What metaphor is this?
● Intact and active sense of wonder
● Naturally curious and inquisitive
● They will not stop until their questions are met with reasonable answers
Babies
What metaphor is this?
● They toil to find out the answers to their questions
● They use logic to find evidence and clues
● The world is a mystery to them
Detective
What metaphor is this?
● They toil to find out the answers to their questions
● They use logic to find evidence and clues
● The world is a mystery to them
Martian
What metaphor is this?
- little irritants
• sting and annoy people with their questions - philoso-fleas
• tries to climb until it reaches the tip of the rabbit’s fur
• philosophizing is like climbing – leads to enlightenment;
• Empedocles jumped in Mt. Etna to prove immortality of soul
• Heraclitus lost his sanity to philosophy - truth as the motivation
• philosophy is the search for truth (the flea wants to know what the magician knows)
• philosophers will risk it all in order to be close to the truth
Insect
2 Thought Experiments that prove how habituated men are to the world
- The Martian
2. The Floating Dad
