Philosophy
How the Great Conversation works: Great ConversationGreat Conversation
"You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about … You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers you; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you … The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still ...
Abuse of power often leads to philosophical change
When reading a philosopher, ask what problem he is trying to solve, and whether his solution would work
The Major Questions
- what do I know?
- how do I know that?
- can a man know God / transcendent things?
- or can we know the physical world?
Types of Philosophy
Descriptive
Prescriptive
- starts with first principles
- Euclid for the world
- simple principle that explains everything
- builds a whole system of how the world works
Major Camps
- Mystical Philosophy
- cloud of unknowing
- via negativa / via positiva
- cloud of unknowing
- SkepticismSkepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism is a valid, and helpful thing. [[The Chastity of the Intellect]]
Skeptical of what?
- meta-narratives?
- epistemology?
- senses?
A skeptic is one who doubts the viability & veracity of claims
Greek Camps of Skepticism
Academic Skepticism (can't express anything about what we know)
Pyrrhonic Skepticism (can't know anything about what we know)
Pyrrho lived very consistently w/ his philosophy, until he got mad at his cook for making bad fo...
Reasons to Believe Something
- culture says so
- I want it to be true
- that's how reality really is ( < everything seems to be this one )
Philosophical songs
- A Man for All Seasons - Al Stewart (what do we believe?)