What is philosophy?

[Perfection]

Possibly. But semantics, in itself, is important as well, and in philosophy always has been. (Philosophy apart, if a thread on CFC starts with "What is the best...?" I always feel I can't really answer, as what is the best in any given circumstance will always depend, besides other deciding factors, on perception. To my mind, how you formulate something - anything - is of paramount importance - if only for clarity's sake.)

Sure, semantics is a very important field. I have full recognition of its importance. It's just the semantic argument made happened to be stupid and dull.

 

[Agent327]

Stupid and dull? Wow, powerful argument there...

Anyway, next I'll be looking into Anaximenes and Pythagoras.

 

[Bobbtjoe]

According to Wikipedia,

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language.[1][2] Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions (such as mysticism or mythology) by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned argument.[3] The word philosophy is of Ancient Greek origin: φιλοσοφία (philosophía), meaning "love of wisdom."[4][5][6]

According to a printed philosophical dictionary, philosophy is love for the truth and in this sense probably first used in the socratic school; it goes on to mention that the word φιλοσοφοσ, or philosopher, was first used by Heraclit in the sense of one searching for the nature of things. (H. Schmidt, G. Schischkoff, Philosophisches Wörterbuch).

According to an on-line philosophical dictionary:

Literally, love of wisdom. Hence, careful thought about the fundamental nature of the world, the grounds for human knowledge, and the evaluation of human conduct. As an academic discipline, philosophy's chief branches include logic, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, and the appropriate aims and methods of each are the concern of metaphilosophy. (http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/index.htm)


Apart from this, philosophy may also be (sub)divided into ancient, medieval and modern or Western, Christian, Islamic or Eastern philosophy.


Philosophy then, being the oldest theoretical discipline to strive for knowledge and wisdom, may for some have a clear definition, while for others the definition itself is a philosophical problem to be answered. In addition, philosophy is not an empirical science, but a normative one; instead of relying on practical experiment it is founded on reasoning and mental experiment. As a consequence there will never be empirical evidence to support a certain philosophical vison or theory. (The conclusion that philosophy not be a science, however, ignores the fact that all science presuposes certain principles a priori.)


I think that may do by way of an introduction.

So, if anyone has a question relative to philosophy, I shall do my best to answer it, or, failing that, indicate where the answer might be found.

And if anyone feels the need to discuss issues of philosophical interest, feel free to do so here.

philosaphy is your mom. I heard ones as bad as this.

 

[Zack]

philosaphy is your mom. I heard ones as bad as this.

This is a grown up thread.

 

[aelf]

I don't like this post.

 

[Perfection]

Stupid and dull? Wow, powerful argument there...

It's not an argument, it's a statement of opinion.

The argument was on my previous posts.

 

[Traitorfish]

I suppose in it's literal and original sense, "philosophy" refers to more or less all inquisitive thought, but, as I understand it, in the modern world it can be seen to mean something like "thought about thought". It seems that "philosophy", as understood today, concerns itself with fundamental questions about human thought and perception, rather than the more specific, tangible focuses of other fields. "Metathought", I suppose. Debatable, perhaps, but that's my interpretation.

 

[cristina2009]

Philosophy is a comprehensive system of ideas about human nature and the nature of the reality we live in. It is a guide for living, because the issues it addresses are basic and pervasive, determining the course we take in life and how we treat other people.

 

[Zack]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/philosophy

 

[Agent327]

About Anaximenes (Άναξιμένης) there isn’t that much to tell. He lived from c. 585 BCE to c. 525 BCE, making him a younger contemporary of Anaximander, reportedly his friend and teacher. As there isn't even a monography on him in English, I thought I'd give two ancient comments on his teachings instead:


"Anaximenes stated that God is air and his creation and existence immeasurable and in constant motion - as if God could be air, without form [...] or if not all that is created must die."


Cicero, Natura deorum I 26 (DK 13 A10)



"Anaximenes [...], who gave as the causes of all things the infinite air, nor denied nor was sielent about the gods; but not by them was the air made, rather did he believe that they came forth from the air."


Augustinus, Civitas Dei VIII 2 (DK 1 3A10)


So for Anaximenes not the unlimited and inexhaustible apeiron was the principle of all things (like with Anaximander), but rather the air, which in itself he saw as such, making Anaximander's principle an adjective attribute of his won. Improving on Anaximander he also did not consider the sun as farthest from the earth, but rather the stars. In this he was correct, yet he considered the arth as being flat.


(Sources: Daniel B. Graham, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, article on Anaximenes (http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/anaximen.htm); J. Mansfeld (ed.) Die Vorsokratiker I, p. 82-97)

Next up: the Axial Age, after which I'll turn attention to the Pythagoreans.

 

[Ayatollah So]

Hey JEELEN, do you invite guests to introduce topics? I'm curious to see how CFC would react to some of the philosophical puzzles about intentionality - or, to put (IMHO) the hardest problem in plainer English: how can there be any semantic facts? What kind of facts are they?

 

[Agent327]

You are free to discuss issue of philosophical interest; in between I'll be giving a (relatively) short history of philosophy, with links to further reading and/or sources. In addition there are several threads relating to issues of philosophy - most notably Plotinus' Ask A Theologian II thread, which is quite thorough.

 

[Agent327]

I'm curious to see how CFC would react to some of the philosophical puzzles about intentionality - or, to put (IMHO) the hardest problem in plainer English: how can there be any semantic facts? What kind of facts are they?

Yes, well, silence is golden... but if you're really interested, I suggest starting a thread about it. (I'd provide an answer for my own, but I'm a long way from treating modern philosophy and don't want to impose a personal view.)

 

[Bobbtjoe]

This is a grown up thread.

philosophy |fəˈläsəfē|
noun ( pl. -phies)
the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, esp. when considered as an academic discipline. See also natural philosophy .
• a set of views and theories of a particular philosopher concerning such study or an aspect of it : a clash of rival socialist philosophies.
• the study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience : the philosophy of science.
• a theory or attitude held by a person or organization that acts as a guiding principle for behavior : don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed, that's my philosophy.
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French philosophie, via Latin from Greek philosophia ‘love of wisdom.’

 

[innonimatu]

Platonic
--------------
Inventions do not exist.

(What we call an invention, is actually the realization of a possibility that already existed - irrespective of the discovery of it. The invention of the paperclip for instance is, when we look at it closely, the d i s c o v - e r y of the paperclip. Or, to be more precise, the i d e a of the paperclip. The fact that paperclips did not exist before they were invented, does not matter. Similarly, the fact that the atomic bomb did not exist before, does not exclude the p o s s i b i l i t y of its existence - again, irrespective of the fact if someone had the idea to construct it. In other words, the fact that no one had the idea to invent something, has no bearing on the fact that the idea of something already exists. The idea simply has not come into reality yet. Once again: ideas can be as real as what they represent.)

A consequence of consequence of essentialism, that terrible greek legacy which constrained thought for nearly two millenia...

You quoted two different definitions of philosophy in post #1. The simple, "historical", definition:

According to a printed philosophical dictionary, philosophy is love for the truth and in this sense probably first used in the socratic school; it goes on to mention that the word [/FONT]φιλοσοφοσ, or philosopher, was first used by Heraclit in the sense of one searching for the nature of things. (H. Schmidt, G. Schischkoff, Philosophisches Wörterbuch).

is one which I deeply dislike. "Searching for the nature of things", for an ancient greek philosopher, was searching for truth because they believed that things had an immutable essence. While this may seem laudable, it produced mainly elitist, "professional". philosophers who deliberately refused to soil themselves with the "lowly" practical problems of life, to instead pursued their perfect ideas. Were the athenian and alexandrian schools the original ivory towers?
It might have been better if Greece had not spawned those philosophers ("seekers of truth") in the first place!

And then there's the "modern" definition:

Philosophy then, being the oldest theoretical discipline to strive for knowledge and wisdom, may for some have a clear definition, while for others the definition itself is a philosophical problem to be answered. In addition, philosophy is not an empirical science, but a normative one; instead of relying on practical experiment it is founded on reasoning and mental experiment. As a consequence there will never be empirical evidence to support a certain philosophical vision or theory. (The conclusion that philosophy not be a science, however, ignores the fact that all science presupposes certain principles a priori.)

Cautiously ambiguous
I can potentially cover every aspect of human life, and does not compromise with any view except (oddly) still excluding the ("hard") sciences. Oddly because, after a divorce which started about the time of Descartes, the "hard sciences", mathematics and physics foremost, are not very much into philosophy, and the other "natural sciences" are also meeting with limitations and turning to philosophy when a choice of paths is necessary. Not so hard after all...
Still such a vague definition... if philosophy can claim everything, the sum of human endeavors, then it is the sum of human endeavors, and it makes no sense to classify it as a discipline of knowledge. Just break it apart into its many "branches" and address each separately, I say! Once the sum of all science was called "philosophy" - the one positive legacy of universalism from the greeks. Perhaps we'll soon fit every discipline (physics, chemistry, theology, biology, mathematics, history, ethics, etc.) under that single term again.

 

[Bill3000]

I can potentially cover every aspect of human life, and does not compromise with any view except (oddly) still excluding the ("hard") sciences. Oddly because, after a divorce which started about the time of Descartes, the "hard sciences", mathematics and physics foremost, are not very much into philosophy, and the other "natural sciences" are also meeting with limitations and turning to philosophy when a choice of paths is necessary. Not so hard after all...

Uh, what? There are plenty philosophers of science, including scientists themselves, and there were plenty of philosophers that were also mathematicians. Modern philosophy today is intimately entwined with the natural sciences.

 

[Mark1031]

I welcome an education on the major contributions of professional philosophy in the last 50 yrs.

I'm waiting. Anyone... Bueller...Bueller.

 

[innonimatu]

Uh, what? There are plenty philosophers of science, including scientists themselves, and there were plenty of philosophers that were also mathematicians. Modern philosophy today is intimately entwined with the natural sciences.

But conceptually it's still regarded as a separate activity. My point (and your argument too?) its that this is fading away. Perhaps it already did, as you may be arguing.

 

[Fifty]

I'm waiting. Anyone... Bueller...Bueller.

Define a "major contribution"? If it has to boil down to the creation of new guns, drugs, and plastics, then I'm afraid philosophy is quite useless.

 

[Mark1031]

Define a "major contribution"?

It must be an answer to some question on which there was little or no agreement 50 yrs ago but which through the activity of professional philosophers has reach an answer that is generally agreed upon by all or at least 99% of rational educated people.