Chapter 1 - Why Philosophy

From Vaughn Textbook, Topics: The Quest for Understanding; Socrates and the Examined Life; and Thinking Philosophically

What is the greatest practical benefit of studying philosophy?

It gives us the intellectual wherewithal to improve our lives by improving our philosophy of life

What is the greatest theoretical benefit of studying philosophy?

Similar to many other fields, it is understanding for its own sake → knowing how the world works just for the sake of knowing

What are the four main divisions of philosophy?

Metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic

What is metaphysics?

The study of reality

What is epistemology?

The philosophical study of knowledge

What is axiology?

The study of value, including both aesthetic and moral value

What is logic?

The study of correct reasoning

What is the philosophical method?

The systematic use of critical reasoning to try to find answers to fundamental questions about reality, morality, and knowledge

What is ethics?

A part of axiology that is the study of morality using the methods of philosophy

Why did Socrates say that “the unexamined life is not worth living”?

For Socrates, an unexamined life is tragedy because it results in harm to the soul → the soul is harmed by lack of knowledge, ignorance of one’s self, and ignorance of the most important values in life

What is the Socratic method?

Question-and-answer dialogue in which propositions are methodically scrutinised to uncover the truth

How did Socrates use the Socratic method?

He would ask people about their views and then critically question these beliefs until they were exposed as false or confused → main point not to win arguments but to get closer to the truth

What is an argument?

A group of statements in which one of them (the conclusion) is supported by the others (the premises)

What is a statement?

An assertion that something is or is not the case and is therefore the kind of utterance that is either true or false

What is a conclusion?

In an argument, the statement that is being supported by the premises

What is a premise?

A statement that supports the conclusion of an argument

What two conditions must be met for an argument to be good?

A good argument must have solid logic and true premises

What is a deductive argument?

An argument intended to give logically conclusive support to its conclusion

What is an inductive argument?

An argument intended to give probable support to its conclusion

What is a valid argument?

A deductive argument that provides logically conclusive support to its conclusion

What is a strong argument?

An inductive argument that succeeds in giving very probable support to its conclusions

What is a weak argument?

An inductive argument that does not give probable support to its conclusions

What is a sound argument?

A valid deductive argument with true premises

What is a cogent argument?

A strong inductive argument with true premises

What is the argument form of modus ponens?

If p, then q.
p.

Therefore, q.

Is modus ponens valid?

Yes

What is the argument form of modus tollens?

If p, then q.

Not q.

Therefore, not p.

Is modus tollens valid?

Yes

What is the argument form of affirming the consequent?

If p, then q.

q.

Therefore, p.

Is affirming the consequent valid?

No

What is the argument form of denying the antecedent?

If p, then q.

Not p.

Therefore, not q.

Is denying the antecedent valid?

No

What is the straw man fallacy?

The fallacy of misrepresenting a person’s views so they can be more easily attacked or dismissed

What is the ad hominem fallacy?

The fallacy of rejecting a statement on the grounds that it comes from a particular person, not because the statement itself is false or dubious

What is the appeal to popularity fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing that a claim must be true not because it is backed by good reasons but simply because many people believe it

What is the genetic fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing that a statement can be judged true or false based on its source

What is the equivocation fallacy?

The fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same significant word in an argument

What is the appeal to ignorance fallacy?

The fallacy of trying to prove something by appealing to what we don’t know → it is arguing that either a claim is true because it hasn’t been proven alse or that a claim is false because it hasn’t been proven true

What is the false dilemma fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing erroneously that since there are only two alternatives to choose from, and one of them is unacceptable, the other one must be true

What is the begging the question fallacy?

The fallacy of trying to prove a conclusion by using that very same conclusion as support

What is the slippery slope fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing erroneously that a particular action should not be taken because it will lead inevitably to other actions resulting in some dire outcome

What is the composition fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing erroneously that what can be said of the parts can also be said of the whole

What is the division fallacy?

The fallacy of arguing erroneously that what can be said of the whole can be said of the parts

What is motivated reasoning?

An obstacle to critical thinking in which reasoning is for the purpose of supporting a predetermined conclusion rather than to discover the truth

What is the availability error?

An obstacle to critical thinking in which we rely on evidence not because it’s trustworthy b because it’s memorable or striking (psychologically available)

What is the Dunning-Kruger effect?

An obstacle to critical thinking in which we are ignorant of how ignorant we are → the dumber you are the more confident you are that you are not actually dumb

What are the guidelines for reading philosophy?

1. Approach the text with an open mind

2. Read actively and critically

3. Identify the conclusion first, then the premises

4. Outline and paraphrase the argument

5. Evaluate the argument and formulate a judgement

What does it mean for an argument to have solid logic?

The conclusion follows logically from the premises

What does it mean for an argument to have true premises?

What the premises assert must in fact be the case

What is confirmation bias?

An obstacle to critical thinking in which we resist conflicting evidence and only seek out and use confirming evidence

What is evidence?

Something that makes a statement more likely to be true

What is a fallacy?

A common but bad argument