5L 3 Basic Intro To Philosophy 22

MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
• The word philosophy is derived from the Greek words philia (love) and sophia (wisdom)
and means “the love of wisdom.”
• Pythagoras was said to have been the first man to call himself a philosopher; in fact, the
world is indebted to him for the word philosopher.
• It is said that when Leon, the tyrant of Philius, asked him of who he was, he said, “a
Philosopher” and he likened the Philosopher to spectators at ancient games.
• Before that time the wise men had called themselves a sage, which was interpreted to
mean those who know.
• Pythagoras was more modest. He coined the word philosopher, which he defined as one
who is attempting to find out. According to him, men and women of the world could be
classified into 3 groups:
• 1. those that love pleasure
• 2. those that love activity and
• 3. those that love wisdom.
MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as
those connected with
• existence,
• knowledge,
• values,
• reason,
• mind, and
• language.
• Philosophy is the rational attempt to formulate, understand, and answer
fundamental questions.
NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY
• 1. Philosophy is a set of views or beliefs about life and the universe,
which are often held uncritically.
• We refer to this meaning as the informal sense of philosophy or
“having” a philosophy.
• Usually when a person says “my philosophy is,” he or she is referring
to an informal personal attitude to whatever topic is being discussed.
• 2. Philosophy is a process of reflecting on and criticizing our most deeply held
conceptions and beliefs.
• These two senses of philosophy— “having” and “doing”— cannot be treated
entirely independent of each other, for if we did not have a philosophy in the
formal, personal sense, then we could not do a philosophy in the critical,
reflective sense.
• Having a philosophy, however, is not sufficient for doing philosophy.
• A genuine philosophical attitude is searching and critical; it is open-minded and
tolerant—willing to look at all sides of an issue without prejudice.
• To philosophize is not merely to read and know philosophy; there are skills of
argumentation to be mastered, techniques of analysis to be employed, and a
body of material to be appropriated such that we become able to think
philosophically.
• Philosophers are reflective/thoughtful and critical.
• 3. Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the world as a whole.
• Philosophy seeks to combine the conclusions of the various sciences
and human experience into some kind of consistent world view.
Philosophers wish to see life, not with the specialized slant of the
scientist or the businessperson or the artist, but with the overall view
of someone cognizant of life as a totality
• 4. . Philosophy is the logical analysis of language and the
clarification of the meaning of words and concepts.
• Certainly this is one function of philosophy.
• In fact, nearly all philosophers have used methods of analysis and
have sought to clarify the meaning of terms and the use of language.
• Some philosophers see this as the main task of philosophy, and a few
claim this is the only legitimate function of philosophy
• 5. Philosophy is a group of perennial/ever lasting problems that interest
people and for which philosophers always have sought answers.
• Philosophy presses its inquiry into the deepest problems of human
existence.
• Some of the philosophical questions raised in the past have been answered
in a manner satisfactory to the majority of philosophers.
• Many questions, however, have been answered only tentatively, and many
problems remain unsolved.
• What is truth?
• What is the distinction between right and wrong?
• What is life and why am I here?
• Why is there anything at all?
Logic
• Logic is the systematic study of the rules for the correct use of these
supporting reasons, rules we can use to distinguish good arguments
from bad ones. nithi paddathiyak eka haraha gihilla monwada hari monwada weradi balanna puluwan
• Most of the great philosophers from Aristotle to the present have

been convinced that logic permeates/spread all other branches of
philosophy.
• The ability to test arguments for logical consistency, understand the
logical consequences of certain assumptions, and distinguish the kind
of evidence a philosopher is using are essential for “doing”
philosophy
bawitha wana samanya prashna tikak
generally dakinna tyna dewal pawatina dewal pilibanda saththu athara minissu athara thyana sambandatha wage dewal study krana
eka.
METAPHYSICS
• A traditional branch of Philosophy.
• For Aristotle, the term metaphysics meant “first philosophy,”
discussion of the most universal principles; later the term came to
mean “comprehensive thinking about the nature of things.”
mokak hari deyaa kelinma balanne nethuwa wiyangarthayen hoyana eka
• It means, usually, the study or theory of reality. aththa geburuin dakina eka
• The question of metaphysics is:

• is real? eka aththada
• Is reality some kind of “thing”. mokak haru dekin goda negena deyakda
• Is it one or is it many? eka deyakin goda negitta deyakda
• If it is one, then how is it related to many things around us?

• Can ultimate reality be grasped by five senses, or is it
supernatural or transcendent?
• Metaphysics undoubtedly is the branch of philosophy that the

modern student finds most difficult to grasp.
•
• Metaphysics attempts to offer a comprehensive view of all that
exists.
• It is concerned with such problems as the relation of mind to

matter, the nature of change, the meaning of “freedom,” the
existence of God, and the belief in personal immortality
EPISTEMOLOGY
• The technical term for the theory of knowledge is epistemology, which comes
from the Greek word episteme, meaning “knowledge.”
• In general, epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the sources,
nature, and validity of knowledge.
• There are three central questions in this field:
• (1) What are the sources of knowledge? Where does genuine knowledge
come from or how do we know? This is the question of origins.
• (2) What is the nature of knowledge? Is there a real world outside the mind,
and if so can we know it? This is the question of appearance versus reality.
• (3) Is our knowledge valid?
• How do we distinguish truth from error? This is the question of the tests of
truth, of verification.
EPISTEMOLOGY
• Traditionally, most of those who have offered answers to these questions
can be placed in one of two schools of thought—rationalism or empiricism.
• The rationalists hold that human reason alone can discover the basic
principles of the universe. meyla hitla thma uttara ganne ona parasayaka ahithanna puluwan
• The empiricists claim that all knowledge is ultimately derived from sense
experience and, thus, that our knowledge is limited to what can be
experienced. meyalata em be. athdekim anuwa witrai hitanne
• It should be clear that there is a necessary relation between metaphysics
and epistemology.
• Our conception of reality depends on our understanding of what can be
known. man gawa tyana denuma mta terum ganna puluwn parasaya anuwa wwenas wenwa
• Conversely, our theory of knowledge depends on our understanding of

ourselves in relation to the whole of reality
AXIOLOGY - VALUES
• Value theory is the branch of philosophy that studies values.

• It can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy.
• In broad terms ethics concerns itself with the question of morality.
• What is right and what is wrong in human relations?
• Within morality and ethics there are three major areas:
• Descriptive ethics,
• Normative ethics, and
• Metaethics. wistharathmakawa
• Descriptive ethics seeks to identify moral experience in a descriptive way.

• We seek to identify, within the range of human conduct, the motives, desires, and
intentions as well as overt acts themselves
ETHICS
• Descriptive ethics consider the conduct of individuals, or personal
morality; the conduct of groups, or social morality; and the culture
patterns of national and racial groups.
• A second level of inquiry is normative ethics (what ought to be).
• Here philosophers try to work out acceptable judgments regarding
what ought to be in choice and value. try krenwa minissunta accept kranna puluwan pilithuru labadenwa
• “We ought to keep our promises” and “you ought to be honorable”

are examples of normative judgments— of the moral ought, the
subject matter of ethics.
• Third, there is the area of critical or metaethics.
• Here interest is centered on the analysis and meaning of the

terms and language used in ethical discourse and the kind of
reasoning used to justify ethical statements.
• Metaethics does not propound any moral principle or goal

(except by implication), but rather consists entirely of
philosophical analysis. What is the meaning of “good?” and Can
ethical judgments be justified? are typical problems for
metaethics.
monwahari deyak hndai kyala tiranaya kranne komada
AESTHETICS sawundarya
• Concerns the theory of art and beauty.

• Questions of art and beauty are considered to be part of the realm of values
because many philosophical problems in aesthetics involve critical judgments.
• There are wide differences of opinion as to what objects call forth the
aesthetic response, and what beauty really is.
• Our concepts of beauty may differ not because of the nature of beauty itself,
but because of varying degrees of preparation in discerning beauty.
• Therefore, if we cannot perceive beauty in objects that others find beautiful,
it may be wise to withhold judgment until we are capable ourselves of making
a competent analysis of the aesthetic experience.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
• Social and political philosophy investigates value judgments
concerning society, the state, and the individual’s relation to
these institutions.
• The following questions reflect the concerns of social and
political philosophy:
• Why should individuals live in society?
• What social ideals of liberty, rights, justice, equality and
responsibility are desirable?
• Why should anyone obey any government?
• Why should some individuals or groups have political
power over others?
• What criteria are to be used in determining who
should have political power?
• What criteria are to be used in determining the scope
of political power, and what rights or freedoms should
be immune from political or legal control?
• To what positive goals should political power be
directed, and what are the criteria for determining
this?
IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY
• The study of Philosophy enables us to think carefully and clearly about important
issues.
• In studying Philosophy, we learn to take a step back from our everyday thinking
and to explore the deeper, bigger question which underpins our thought.
• The focus in the study of Philosophy is to learn not what to believe, but how to
think.
• Studying philosophy sharpens your analytical abilities, enabling you to identify
and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in any position.
• It hones your ability to construct and articulate cogent arguments of your own.
• It prompts you to work across disciplinary boundaries and to think flexibly and
creatively about problems which do not present immediate solutions.
• Because philosophy is an activity as much a body of knowledge, it also develops
your ability to think and work independently

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MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY

• Most of the great philosophers from Aristotle to the present have

• The question of metaphysics is:

• Is it one or is it many? eka deyakin goda negitta deyakda

• If it is one, then how is it related to many things around us?

• Metaphysics undoubtedly is the branch of philosophy that the

• It is concerned with such problems as the relation of mind to

• Conversely, our theory of knowledge depends on our understanding of

• Value theory is the branch of philosophy that studies values.

• Descriptive ethics seeks to identify moral experience in a descriptive way.

• “We ought to keep our promises” and “you ought to be honorable”

• Here interest is centered on the analysis and meaning of the

• Metaethics does not propound any moral principle or goal

• Concerns the theory of art and beauty.

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