Welcome to Intro to Philosophy

Leo Stan
(Lstan@conestogac.on.ca)

1.  Have you previously exposed to or ever taken any class (high-school or
postsecondary) on philosophy? (Yes/No)

2.  What made you choose this course?

a.  I am somewhat interested in philosophy;
b.  I am deeply interested in philosophy;
c.  Sounds interesting/intriguing;
d.  Happens to fit my schedule;
e.  Other (please describe shortly).

3.  What are your expectations from this course?

 Welcome to Intro to Philosophy
Leo Stan
(Lstan@conestogac.on.ca)

4.  Have you ever written an essay for a Humanities course? (Yes/No)

•  If so, are you very familiar with the formal structure of a Humanities-related
essay (i.e., intro, body, and conclusion), and what is expected of you from
such work?

4.  Please indicate which of the following sentences is grammatically correct.

a)  Its very rainy today.
b)  I hope your fine after last night.
c)  Yesterday, it’s much warmer then tonight.
 What is philosophy?

1. Metaphysics
Descriptive
(“is”)
2. Epistemology

a. Ethics
Normative
(“ought”)
b. Political Theory

c. Aesthetics
 What is philosophy?

1.  Metaphysics:
•  What is real(ity)?
•  What is the world ultimately made of? or What is the
universal essence of everything?
•  Presocratic philosophers and Plato.
 What is philosophy?

2.  Epistemology:
•  What is knowledge? Or What does it mean to know?
a.  Can we actually know anything? (optimism vs.
skepticism);
b.  What are the means through which we know anything?
Reason? Senses? Reason + senses?
•  Includes philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and
philosophy of language;
•  Socrates (Plato’s Symposium), Rene Descartes, & John
Locke.
 What is philosophy?

3.  Ethics:
•  What is good and evil? If so, how do we define them?
•  Is there free will and so, what is the nature of (personal and
collective) responsibility?
•  How should we behave? or What should we do?
•  Meaning of life;
•  Religion vs. atheism;
•  Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, Friedrich Nietzsche, &
Buddhism.
 What is philosophy?

4.  Political philosophy:

•  How should we govern ourselves? or What is the best form of
government?
•  What is the meaning and institutional means of justice?
•  Inequality, poverty, discrimination, oppression, fairness;
•  Personal happiness and/versus public good;
•  Freedom/individual human rights and/versus equality/justice/
dignity/emancipation;
•  Socrates (through Plato’s eyes).
 What is philosophy?

5.  Aesthetics:
•  What is the meaning of beauty (and ugliness)?
•  Does art have any educational role? Is art a means of
knowing? Could art manipulate our minds or propagandize
and if so, how?
•  Questions regarding the artist’s intention in comparison with
the audience’s beliefs, cultural background, prejudices, etc.;
•  What are the ethical implications of art?
•  What is the relation between (a) art and (b) economics,
politics (i.e., governmental policies), and social life, in
general?
•  Socrates’s speech from Plato’s Symposium.