Mythology and Branches of Philosophy
What do myths try to explain?
The origin, nature, and ultimate destiny of the world and its human beings.
What is the best way to approach Philosophy?
Questions
Charles is studying History for his final exam, there are many events he does not understand, but he decides to learn them by heart in order to pass the exam. Is he a critical thinker? Justify your answer.
No, he is not questioning, reflecting, analysing, etc.
Is this an argument?
"There is a god in heaven and he is fair."
No, there is no premise, that is just a conjunction of two propositions.
Why was Camus interested in Sisyphus' punishment?
For its disturbing familiarity.
How did humanity leap from "mythos" to "logos"?
When they started trying to answer important questions through analysis instead of stories.
Why is it important to know who we are and where we come from?
Because human beings do not live only on bread.
Calling someone stupid instead of debating with arguments is an obstacle to critical thinking. What kind of obstacle is it?
Fallacy (ad hominem)
Identify the premise(s) and conclusion(s).
I should be a lawyer because I wish to travel which costs a lot of money and lawyers make a lot of money.
Premises:
Lawyers make a lot of money.
Traveling costs money.
I wish to travel.
Conclusion: I should be a lawyer.
Why was Sisyphus' punishment tragic, according to Camus?
Because Sisyphus is self aware and therefore aware of the futility of his task.
Name the branches of philosophy that ask the questions: a) Am I real? and b) How do I know I am real?
a) Metaphysics and b) Epistemology
What is the essence of philosophy?
The search for truth.
When a clinic says their treatment has a 60% success rate and you prefer that one over the one with 40% failure rate, that is due to an obstacle to critical thinking known as:
Framing
Is the argument valid? Why or why not?
I like my philosophy teacher and I do all the activities she gives us and study for her class. Therefore I will probably pass Math.
Invalid because my hard work in Philosophy is not related to my Math grade.
What should we do about the absurdity of life?
Accept that there is no outside meaning, we create our own meaning.
What kind of magic is linked to women and therefore associated with the goddess in primitive societies?
Giving birth, creating new life, and also, the place where life ends.
What is the difference between a philosopher and a sophist?
That one is in a constant search for knowledge while the other one thinks they posses knowledge.
When you believe your team wins when you and your friends do a dance before the game and forget all the times you've danced and they've lost, or you did not dance and they won, but today you danced and they won and you think "Yeah! Always works!" :) This is an obstacle to critical thinking known as:
confirmation bias
Is the argument sound? Why or why not?
Plato was Socrates' teacher therefore Plato and Socrates knew each other.
Not sound. Socrates was Plato's teacher, not the other way around.
How can we construct meaning from absurdity? Give an example.
By changing our attitude. For example, we might not find meaning in coming to Philosophy class because we will be studying engineering, but it is a stepping stone towards a high school diploma which is necessary to go to college and become an engineer. Also, it might help us learn how to live.
How has the myth of Narcissus gone from "mythos" lo "logos"?
Because a personality disorder was named on its honor. Psychology is now the science in charge of studying this type of behavior, no more stories.
If we already have Science, why do we need Philosophy?
Because Science pertains to particular objects and Philosophy to the whole of being.
Heuristics
Is the argument deductive or non-deductive?
"Miss Linda's tests are usually hard so next monday's test will probably be hard."
Nondeductive (it is not certain, we are not going from the general to the particular, we are using the past to try to predict the future)
Why does Camus imagine Sisyphus happy?
Because he has accepted that his fate is absurd and yet he makes the rock his own, he finds meaning in his punishment.
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart."