INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 2

Western (Continental and Anglo-American) and Eastern (Asian) Traditions

Two Major Lenses of Philosophy

China

developed philosophical views embedded within religious doctrines around 2000 BCE, possessing social, political, and religious institutions of a high order according to William Turner.

The Five Classics (Wujing), The Four Books (Sishu)

Sacred Texts of China (Two Primary Collections): 

Book of Changes, Book of History, Book of Poetry, Record of Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals

What are The Five Classics (Wujing)

Book of Changes (I Ching or Yijing)

One of the five classics.
A manual for divination and understanding cosmic shifts. 

Book of History (Shujing)

One of the five classics.
A compilation of speeches and documents from ancient rulers.

Book of Poetry (Shijing)

One of the five classics.
An anthology of early Chinese poems and songs. 

Record of Rites (Liji)

One of the five classics.
A guide to social forms, ceremonies, and administrative customs.

Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

One of the five classics.
A historical record of the State of Lu. 

Lun-yu, Chung-yung, Ta-hsueh, Meng-tse

What are The Four Books (Sishu)

Lun-yu (The Analects)

One of the four books.
Conversations and sayings of the Master.

Chung-yung (Doctrine of the Mean)

One of the four books.
A treatise on maintaining balance and harmony in life

Ta-hsueh (Great Learning)

One of the four books.
A guide to self-cultivation and leadership

Meng-tse (Mencius)

One of the four books.
The expanded teachings of the philosopher Mencius

human conduct and moral duties

Confucius focused on?

philosophy of the Tao

Lao-tzu introduced speculative thought through the?

speculative thought

Lao-tzu introduced ____________ through the philosophy of the Tao.

Indian/Hindu Philosophy

Flourished between 1500 and 1000 BCE with the early Vedas, with specific philosophical treatises found in the Atharva-Veda, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.

Universal Identity, Maya, Superiority of Unified Knowledge, Immortality, Deliverance

5 Essential Philosophical Pillars in the Upanishads

Universal Identity

One of the essential philosophical pillars in the upanishads.
All being is unified in Brahman. 

Maya

One of the essential philosophical pillars in the upanishads.
Cosmic illusion hiding the true nature of reality

Superiority of Unified Knowledge

One of the essential philosophical pillars in the upanishads.
Knowing things through Brahman or Atman is superior to isolation

Immortality

One of the essential philosophical pillars in the upanishads.
Eternal nature of the soul

Deliverance

One of the essential philosophical pillars in the upanishads.
Mysticism and liberation from worldly bandage

dichotomic

Logical structure of Western Tradition

monistic

Logical structure of Asian Tradition

dichotomic

separating self from the world

monistic

emphasizing unity or oneness

Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes

3 Ionian thinkers

Thales

who sought the basic stuff or Urstoff?

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

3 Great Greek Philosophers

Socrates

Directed attention toward the meaning and conduct of life; good life dedicated to knowledge and virtue. 

Plato

Established the Academy

world of the senses

transient physical appearances and mutable

world of ideas

changeless true reality and immutable

Aristotle

Claimed that essence resides within things themselves

Aristotle

Established the Lyceum.

Aristotle

He distinguished Doxa from true knowledge

Doxa

beliefs formed through experience

true knowledge

justified through reasoning

Stoicism, Epicuranism, The New Academy

Three Major Hellenistic Schools

Stoicism

One of the Three Major Hellenistic Schools.
Founded by Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus; emphasizes reason (logos). 

Epicureanism

One of the Three Major Hellenistic Schools.
Founded by Epicurus; life and conduct should conform to nature

The New Academy (Skepticism)

One of the Three Major Hellenistic Schools.
Headed by Carneades; adopted a skeptical position to discover truth. 

Neoplatonism

A grand synthesis bridging ancient Greek philosophy and Christian philosophy.

Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus

They founded Stoicism

Epicurus

He founded Epicureanism

Carneades

He heads The New Academy (Skepticism)

Medieval Philosophy

Focused on the existence of God and defense of religious faith

Medieval Philosophy

considered "Christian philosophy" by Etienne Gilson

Augustine, William of Ockham, St. Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas

4 Thinkers of Medieval Philosophy

Modern Philosophy

Inaugurated by René Descartes

Modern Philosophy

Divided into Rationalists and Empiricists followed by the Enlightenment

René Descartes

Father of Modern Philosophy

cogito, ergo sum

René Descartes is known for?

Immanuel Kant

"Thoughts without content are empty; intuitions without concepts are blind"

Edmund Husserl

Father of Phenomenology

givenness

Husserl focused on "_______" rather than Kantian noumena.

Edmund Husserl

He urged philosophy to return "to the things themselves" (zu den Sachen selbst!).

zu den Sachen selbst

Edmund Husserl is known to have said?

Martin Heidegger

He wrote Being and Time

Martin Heidegger

he linked phenomenology to understanding "Being" through "temporality"

The Ontic (Entities), The Ontological (Being Itself)

Two Levels of Reality

The Ontic (Entities)

One of the Two Levels of Reality.
Specific things that exist (objects, people, atoms). 

The Ontological (Being itself)

One of the Two Levels of Reality.
The very act or meaning of existence ("What does it mean to exist at all?"). 

Existentialism

Popularized by Jean-Paul Sartre with the principle "existence precedes essence" (humans have no fixed blueprint, making them radically free and responsible).

Jean-Paul Sartre

He popularized Existentialism

existence precedes essence

Jean-Paul Sartre popularized Existentialism with the principle?

Postmodernism

Rejection of universal reason, emphasis on individual subjects, and profound mistrust of metanarratives. 

teaches you to ask questions and seek understanding.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Doing philosophy ___________

you to reason well.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy teaches

articulate your ideas clearly and convincingly, not with fancy words or fluff, but with clarity and logic.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy helps you __________________

you to live a conscious life.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy empowers ____________

complexity and multiple perspectives

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy teaches you to embrace ________________

filter for your personal beliefs.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy acts as a _____________

for yourself.

One of the 7 Relevances of Philosophy.
Philosophy empowers you to think ______________

Doing philosophy teaches you to ask questions and seek understanding,
Philosophy teaches you to reason well,
Philosophy helps you articulate your ideas clearly and convincingly, not with fancy words or fluff, but with clarity and logic,
Philosophy empowers you to live a conscious life,
Philosophy teaches you to embrace complexity and multiple perspectives,
Philosophy acts as a filter for your personal beliefs,
Philosophy empowers you to think for yourself

The 7 Relevances of Philosophy.