Immanuel Kant Essay

Introduction 1What does ism implicate? -Everyone has a ism -We nourish ideas concerning things, people, the meaning of life, death, God, what is respectable and bad. -We may sacrifice certain attitudes to life, certain ways of bearing at things. -For example -I am an optimist. I bear continuously see a positive case to most unhappy situations. -I dont believe in worry too lots. I deliberate most today. Tomorrow hobo acquire cargon of itself. -Although an one-on-one claim this to be his doctrine and unspoiledly so. barely this is non philosophy as a discipline. It is too broad, vague, superficial, impersonal and unclear.It does not adequately describe the work of a philosopher. -We need to define philosophy more specifically. 2The word philosophy. -The Word Philosophy. -Philia (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = the love of wisdom. 3Definitions of philosophy a. The study of the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life Online Oxford sophisticated Learners Diction ary. b. Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the military personnel as a wholly. 4What does philosophy seek to do? -Philosophy seeks to examine central questions about the universe and about ourselves with the hope of feeler up with consistent principles by which we fuel understand and live.5Human existences discombobulate always sought answers to certain fundamental questions What are these fundamental questions? -What take fors an ventureion preserve or wrong? -What is my purpose in the solid ground? -What is truth? -What makes a penny-pinching life? -Is God important in our lives? -Where does noesis gravel from and how do we know that our knowledge is true. -What is the relationship amidst mind and bole? 6Why do we need philosophy? Why do we need philosophy when we have science and technology? -We have advanced so much in science and technology -We live in cities, we have conquered the line and have ventured into space?-Communication is so developed that distance no yearner matters -We have immense power over nature -We are adapted to produce more goods and services than ever before -So, why do we still need philosophy? 7Yet all these advances cause us to be disturbed and anxious -There is a danger that the very technology we have developed could destroy us. -For example nuclear technology. -We seem to be futile to deal with the problems of war, famine, terror, distribution of wealth, pollution, the threatened extinction of wildlife, exploitation and oppression of the timid . -Knowledge and values appear to be divorced.-This is where philosophy comes in. It helps us to examine our lives as individuals and groups. -Philosophy may not be able to provide solutions to all the worlds problems. But it helps to examine issues clearly, consider options and help us to make informed decisions. -With poor, incomplete and shallow reasoning we cannot build an enlightened confederacy -If we are unable to roll in the hay surrounded by valid and invalid reasoning, indeed we become victims of persuasive orators, cult leaders and unscrupulous policy-making leaders. -Philosophy helps us to see more deeply and clearly into an issue.It helps us to question handed-down and outdate beliefs so that we can make informed choices -Knowledge of ethical systems help us to live ethical lives at the personal and communitarian level. -Knowledge of what constitutes beauty helps us to notify and respect differences in individual and cultural concepts of beauty and prowess. -Being able to think critically will help us to be aware of whatever irrational and oppressive beliefs in religion. 8The traditional divisions of philosophy. a. Logic b. Metaphysics c. Epistemology d. Value surmisal LOGIC aLogic.-The systematic study of rules to distinguish or recognize good arguments from bad. -In an argument, groups will give opposing views. -How do we know which argument is good and which is not good. -Logic helps us to do so by providing ru les to recognize right argument from wrong argument. -It is concerned with tests to find out which arguments are valid. -Logic runs with all the other branches of philosophy. METAPHYSICS -bMetaphysics The study of the nature of being and of the world. -It is concerned with the fundamental nature of all reality, both visible and invisible.-It asks what reality is, why it is, and how we can understand it. Ontology That part of metaphysics that studies being or existence. EPISTEMOLOGY cEpistemology The study of the sources, nature and asperity of knowledge. -It deals with issues like -What are the sources of knowledge? (Origin of knowledge) -Where does genuine knowledge come from? -How do we know? -What is the nature of knowledge? (Appearance and reality) -Is there a real world outside the mind? -If so, can we know it? -Is our knowledge valid? (Truth/Verification) -How do we distinguish truth from error?Two traditional schools of thought have sought to answer the questions above -Rat ionalism -Human reason alone can find oneself the basic principles of the universe -Empiricism -All knowledge ultimately comes from sense experience, and therefrom our knowledge is limited to what can be experienced. There is a relationship between metaphysics and epistemology. Our understanding of reality (metaphysics) depends on our understanding of what can be cognise (epistemology). Our supposition of knowledge (epistemology) depends on how we understand ourselves in relation to the whole of reality (metaphysics).VALUE THEORY dValue Theory The branch of philosophy that studies values. -It can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy. iethics is concerned with morality right or wrong behavior. -the three areas of ethics are descriptive, normative and metaethics. -descriptive ethics (what is ) identifies motives, disposition and intentions of human conduct and acts. It describes moral actions. -normative ethics (what ought to be) proposes th e principles by which people ought to act and live. These are called ethical theories. -Meta-ethics(analysis) on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. It deals with the meaning of key concepts, techniques of reasoning and analysis, and linguistic conventions It deals with matters like what do moral terms mean? What sort of mental state is tough in accepting a moral claim a belief, an perception? Is there any sort of moral reality or facts? Is ethical knowledge attainable? If so, how? In fact, drawing the conceptual distinction between Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics is itself a metaethical analysis. ii. Aestheticsis concerned with the theory of art and beauty. -Many philosophical problems in aesthetics involve critical judgements.? -It deals with concepts of concepts of beauty. Is beauty inwrought or objective? iii. Social and political philosophyisconcerned with value judgments concerning society, t he state and the individuals relation to these institutions -It deals with issues like -Why should individuals live in society? -What should be the social ideals of liberty, rights, justice, equality and responsibility -Why should anyone obey any government?-Why should or so individuals or groups have political power over others -Who should have political power over others? -What should the scope of political power be? -What are the goals of government? Glossary 1philosophyphilia (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = the love of wisdom 2logicThe systematic study of rules to distinguish or recognize good arguments from bad 3metaphysicsThe study of the nature of being and of the world 4epistemologyThe study of the sources, nature and validity of knowledge 5value theoryThe branch of philosophy that studies values.It can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy. 6rationalismHuman reason alone can discover the basic principles of the universe 7empiricismAll knowle dge ultimately comes from sense experience, and therefore our knowledge is limited to what can be experienced 8aesthetics Is concerned with the theory of art and beauty.