Lecture Notes: Introduction to Philosophy

Overview of Philosophy

• Philosophy covers thousands of years and multiple details; focus on the big picture.
• Essential questions:
  • What is philosophy?
  • What are the main problems of philosophy?

Core Concepts

• What we know
• Inquisitivity: Asking deep, significant questions
• Epistemology: How we know what we know
• Ethics: What we ought to do (less focus in this course)
• Metaphysics: What exists?
• Connection between mind and reality

Mind and World Connection

• Visual representation of the mind with thoughts as electrical charges.
• Thoughts reflect reality, leading to questions about knowledge:
  • How do we know if our thoughts correspond to reality?
  • Are our concepts shared between individuals?

Examples of Skepticism

• Issues of communication and differing concepts:
  • Example: The concept of "God" can differ between individuals.
  • Early Platonic dialogues illustrate ambiguous concepts like "justice."

Plato's Forms

• Plato attempted to solve skepticism with the concept of 'Forms':
  • A perfect, unchanging template for all things (e.g., triangularity).
  • My thoughts connect to these Forms, assuring that they correspond to reality.
• Problems with Forms:
  • How do we define Forms?
  • How do we ensure they are mind-independent?
  • Counterfeit Forms: How to distinguish true Forms from false ones.

Historical Impact

• Plato's Academy moved towards skepticism after his death.
• Augustine and early Christian Philosophy:
  • Forms exist in the mind of God; God illuminates our minds.
• Descartes introduced the "evil deceiver" argument, challenging innate ideas and the existence of a good God.

Kant and Idealism

• Kant's resolution:
  • Distinction between 'things in themselves' (noumena) and appearances (phenomena).
  • Mind constructs reality based on innate categories.
  • Knowledge of the world is limited to what appears to us; we cannot know the noumena directly.

Critique of Idealism

• Hegel's response:
  • Rejects the need for noumena; asserts reality is a mental construction.
  • Ideas and concepts evolve over time; this challenges the universality of knowledge.

Final Thoughts

• The implications of idealism raise questions about the nature of law, morality, and causation.
• Concerns about the relativity of moral truths and the security of knowledge in a changing world.
• The notion that everything is a social construct can lead to philosophical ambiguity and doubt about shared reality.

Reflection

• Questions of shared reality among individuals and the nature of consciousness.
• The mystery of how multiple minds construct reality similarly.
• Examination of the implications of accepting only one mind or the concept of a world mind.