Introduction

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One Conception of Philosophy

Philosophy is that discipline which attempts to understand problems which are important but mysterious and unclear in the formulation and which we do not yet know how to solve. If philosophers clarify these problems and we discover they can be fruitfully studied by science or math, then philosophers give the problem over to another, often a new, discipline. While the problems cannot be so solved, and perhaps also if the problems will never be so solved, then philosophers study them.

Branches of Philosophy

• Metaphysics: study of fundamental nature of the universe. Example issues include:
  • Is there a God?
  • Is the mind physical?
  • What is time?
• Epistemology: study of knowledge. Core questions are:
  • What is knowledge?
  • How do we get knowledge?
  • What justifies belief and makes it knowledge?
• Logic: study of the forms of reasoning and of pure structure. This is hard to describe but easy to show. Examples include:
  • What is good reasoning?
  • What kind of structures are possible, and what are the features of those structures?
• Ethics: study of how one should live, and how we should live together. Questions addressed include:
  • What is the good?
  • How should we make moral decisions?
  • How should one live?
  • How should we live together?
• [History: study of past philosophy]

Progress and Challenges
It is common to suppose that there is no progress in philosophy. I believe that there is (hence the definition I provide). But don't take my word for it. I will try to convince you of a number of things this semester, including:

• No one has identified a valid argument for the existence of good, and the most famous arguments, if they worked, would prove the existence of only a "philosopher's God." It follows that religion must be based on faith.
• All knowledge requires some assumptions -- for example, scientific method is based on faith in induction -- nonetheless, scientific method is the best and most compelling method we have to answer questions about physical world.
• Many of the traditional objections to the idea that a computer might think have been shown invalid. The strongest remaining concerns are meaning, and consciousness.
• Ethics is possible without religion. In fact, there are compelling arguments that it is independent of religion.

Still, philosophy is concerned with difficulties, and these include:

• Explaining norms (that some things have purpose) remains the single greatest challenge to philosophy.
• Compatibilism is the view that we are determined and "free." Many find this view an evasion of the problem of free will.
• Ends-justify-the-means reasoning is often better than a set of ethical rules, and sometimes worse. We don't know how to reconcile rules and ends reasoning.
• ....