Studying philosophy philosophical thought #1: In the book of life, the answers are not in the back…
Download 13.77 Kb.
|
STUDYING PHILOSOPHYPhilosophical thought #1: In the book of life, the answers are not in the back…Plato’s Republic: Why do I have to read a #@$% thousands’-year-old book???!!
MARKING & ANNOTATING the Republic, Book 1
Plato (427-347 B.C.)
Characters in The REPUBLIC
According to Wikipedia BOOK 1 - Prologue I.1: Descent to the Piraeus I.2—I.5: Cephalus. Justice of the Older Generation I.6—1.9: Polemachus. Justice of the Middle Generation I.10—1.24: Thrasymachus. Justice of the Sophist
In his History of Western Philosophy (1945), Bertrand Russell sees three parts in Plato's Republic: -Book I-V: the Utopia portion, portraying the ideal community, starting from an attempt to define justice -Book VI-VII: since philosophers are seen as the ideal rulers of such community, this part of the text concentrates on defining precisely what a philosopher is -Book VIII-X: discusses several practical forms of government, their pros and cons.http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gormanteachingplatorepublic1.html
ANTICIPATING TEST QUESTIONS: Multiple choice questions: What is "justice" as argued by Polemachus?
Thrasymachus' "justice" is a form of _______.
Short answer or longer essay questions:
STRATEGIES FOR READING PHILOSOPHYPhilosophical thought #2: Experience is a hard teacher; it gives the test first, then teaches the lesson afterwards…1. Read for the professor's questionsGenerate questions from your lecture notes. View your notes as a set of answers from which you write questions.When you go to your textbook, use the questions from your lecture notes as a key. Use your text as a reference book: in it, you need to find examples illustrating the major points in class.Don't take extensive notes from your reading; instead, make a list of key words (both yours and the philosopher's) illustrating given arguments.2. Read for examplesA philosopher shifts between using the complex "language of philosophy" (terminology specific to philosophy and/or terms taken from common speech - “to know”- but used in a special sense) and ordinary, everyday examples to illustrate his points.If you locate and focus on the real examples, you can learn to follow a philosophical argument with less stress.Skim the reading for concrete, out-of-context words ("shoemaker,” "joke,” "thief”) and read the full sentence in which they appear – it will illustrate in concrete terms the point the philosopher is making.Glance away from the book and make up another example of your own that is parallel. Now look for confirmation at the actual principle stated in dense, philosophic terms.Working from examples is learning by building on what you already know, not trying to memorize difficult-to-digest passages written in strange jargon.If you are not sure of a given point, go to your professor with your parallel examples (yours vs. the philosopher's) and ask if your example fits.You'll know then if you've made a correct generalization, if you've really understood the point at hand.3. Read for the philosopher's controlling principleFor example, a controlling idea for Plato is that conversation about philosophical subjects is the most important of all human activities ("the unexamined life is not worth living").For Aristotle's Ethics: that happiness is the quality of the whole life, so the happy man "puts it all together."It is a useful mental exercise to pretend that you believe something then try to uncover the philosopher's hidden and unstated assumptions (e.g. that women are inferior).Finally, you will want to decide if the philosopher adheres to his principles throughout his work.Philosophical thought #3, with apologies to Rene Descartes: I don’t think much; therefore, I must not be…Philosophy CategoriesTheoretical Philosophy - epistemology, metaphysics - examines what is or what happens in the worldPractical Philosophy - ethics, politics - examines what ought to be done or sought afterPhilosophical StylesPhilosophical Dialogue Plato Conversational, enriched with drama and personalities. Solution-oriented, letting the readers discover things for themselves.Philosophical Treatise or Essay Aristotle, Kant Order is imposed on a specific subject – physics, politics, ethics, reason.Meeting of Objections Aquinas Combination of question-raising and objection-meeting; imbued with the spirit of debate and discussion.Systemization of Philosophy Descartes, Spinoza. Philosophy organized in a mathematical fashion, giving it certainty and formal structure.Aphoristic Style Nietzsche A subject is touched upon, a truth or insight suggested; then the reader is left, to make the connections and arguments himself.PHIL 000: Elementary Nihilism. Students learn the philosophy of total self-negation. Those who bother to attend classes will be failed. 3 creditsWRITING A PHILOSOPHICAL PAPERTo develop an argumentative opinion
If your opinion agrees with a point:
If your opinion disagrees:
How are you going to approach the topic?to Analyze (neither supporting nor opposing)
To Compare/ Contrast
To Evaluate Is it correct?
To Criticize
“I was thrown out of NYU: On my metaphysics exam, I looked within the soul of the boy sitting next to me.” - Woody AllenDirectory: res -> docs -> services docs -> Writing your medical school essay docs -> Chapter 12. Clinical Internship and the Post-doctoral, Pre-licensure Period docs -> Katherine Ludwig Jansen docs -> Katherine L. Jansen docs -> Australian history and society docs -> Trs 720B: Saint Augustine, The Confessions services -> During class the professor docs -> The Catholic University of America University Honors Program hstr 102 Liturgy and the Christian Life Spring 2009 t th 2: 10-3: 25 Caldwell 451 Dr. Margaret Mary Kelleher, O. S. U docs -> Gerald p. Fogarty, S. J Download 13.77 Kb. Share with your friends:
|