Rethinking Our World

Rethinking our world Linguistic analysis * Claims that almost all philosophical problems can be dispensed with once their underlying linguistic basis is exposed * No matter how hard we try to solve a problem we fail, then we be dealing with a moody problem/ meaningless set of words * 2 British philosophers = Bertrand Russell & AJ Ayer * Focused on logic, linguistic meaning & verifiable facts wait on us do * Think more(prenominal) clearly * Be precise in what we mean * Spot hidden assumptions & dishonesty in all forms of propaganda crappert function us with * Moral problems * Life choices * Facing own mortality Seeing the people we love suffer * Our own suffering uniform symbolism & argument * Arrive at the basic structure of truth * Process is facilitated by representing objects & relationships symbolically * Any statement that is true/false by definition can be expressed in form of symbolic logic empiricist philosophy * Gained through traditional 5 senses(seeing, hearing, to uching, smelling, tasting) gives us our most tried form of information * Concerned with establishing the truth by means of scientific testing * Searching for objective truth * Linguistic analysis, logical symbolism & empiricism = logical mpiricism Can help us * Understand how our physical world operates * Test truth of certain claims * Refute what is false * Respect natural laws of the human race * Learn from experience Failings * Places too much emphasis on science * Ignores human values * Views human beings as machines * Tend to ignore anything that cant be explained scientifically * Confines truths to that which can be experiences through senses faultfinding Rationalism * Encourage mocking & apply-mindedness * Socrates, 470-399 BC * Challenge existing ideas & beliefs by questioning them * Essential for the future of true democracy Emphasis that scientists must be objective * Completely against societies where people cant speak their minds freely & deal things openly * Foc uses on avoiding falsity table service us to do * Question what people in authority tell us * Be more open to what other people think * Examine our own opinions more carefully * Be more tolerant & correspondence * Solve problems Cant help us to do * Make quik decisions * Find meaning of life * Can crystalise us feel insecure * Solve problem of suffering Types of false argument * Name-calling * False cause & effect Falsely representing an opinion in order to discredit it * Appeal to emotion * Falsely claiming that, because a point of posture is popular, it must be true Existentialism * What is meaning of life? * Modern believe that our duty is to decide for ourselves what life is roughly Can help us to do * Question other peoples ideas & values * Be more open about ourselves * Trust our instincts * Spot fakes * Enjoy life more Failings * Too trusting * Can be confusing * whitethorn lead to despair * May leave us feeling helpless & angry * May be seriously disruptive Nihilism * P hilosophy of nothing No purpose in life = waste of time * Can lead to emphasis & chaos, but also free people who have grown up in very repressive religious environments African ism * Holistic philosophy which shares certain ideas with Buddhism philosophy it stresses the importance of human community & communitys place in the Universe * Claims that rapture at least partially consists of vivification for others, supporting each other * Its an anti-materialistic philosophy Can do * Build communities * Encourage human beings to be more humble * Give deeper understanding of ourselves * Help us appreciate mystery Re-examine need for tradition in human life Cant help us do * Doesnt challenge power structures * Unable to accept women as mens equals * Doesnt encourage critical thinking * Tends to ignore needs of somebody person * Tolerates cruel superstitious practices System theory * Sees things as a whole rather than splitting things into parts & encourages us to keep the objective of a system in mind The enneagram & Human personality 1. Reformer 2. Helper 3. Movie star 4. Individualist 5. Scientist 6. Loyal supporter 7. Pleasure-seeker 8. Achiever 9. Peacemaker Critical theory Most famous version = Maxism wants to abolish all inequalities of wealth & all social inequalities Influences * Maxism * Feminism * Black properlys movements * Postmodernist thinking * Socialism Help us do * Realistically assess power * Identify those who have power & those who dont * Identify weaknesses in existing power relations * Define own, personal power & weaknesses * Re-examine our priorities * Re-assess our lives Fails * Become fanatical * Sometimes too simplistic in its analysis of power * Too idealistic * authorise to despair & violence * Ignore human emotions & desires * Very grim philosophyReligious Leaders & social criticism * Buddha- Buddhism search for reality using, primarily powers of the mind Path consists of * secure thinking * right attitude * right means of earnin g a living * right conduct * right views * right speaking * right effort * right concentration * Moses on a call for social justice under the One God. * Mohammed vision of society was of all humankind united under Allah * the Nazarene of Nazareth radical criticism of oppressive social & economic structures & His single-minded focus on what He called The Kingdom of God * Karl Marx stood for hope & better tomorrowFeminism * Sexual stereotyping * Creating big place for women in the world * Rejecting view that women are inferior to men Type of feminism * Critical rasionalism questions traditions * Critical theory challenges all forms of power * Empiricism asks us to look at reality objectively & social reality * African philosophy attempts to decolonise the efforts of domination by white males * Logical empiricism feminism precisely define problems women face Claims * Women people in own right * Women should reject mens definitions of what makes a women valuable * Not make defensive c laims to equality with men Womens happiness doesnt depend on having a romantic/marital relationship with a man * nominate right to pronounce an abortion men dont get pregnant & bear children Phenomenology * Look at things & ourselves as they really are * Believes theories about themselves, life & Universe can be very misleading lead to falsehood & deep unhappiness * Promote religious belief * Confront ourselves in all our ambiguity & complexity & thus get nearer to real me * Encourages us to resist power structures by a process of retreat & non-engagement rather than confrontation Hermeneutics * Greek interpretations Similar to existentialism * Take imaginaryy & symbolism seriously * Claims that arts & crafts are important in human life * Believes happiness is linked to our own creativity in whatever form thet takes * Encourages us to be poets, writers, authors, actors, painters, designers Main ideas * Emphasis the importance of listening & observing * Claims that individuals l ife-experience influences the way he/she understands world * Affirms importance of dialogue in arriving at an understanding of any issue * Is anti-authoritorian & encourages the individual to create his/her own meaning & understandingHelp us do * Create meaning * Discover own hidden artistic abilities * Resist scientific arrogance & domination * Understand each other * Be more tolerant of each other Cant help us with * Define problems * Overcome injustice * Be decisive * Take put through * Be more logical Modernism * Science, reason & technology will fix it all Postmodernism * Doesnt believe in definitions Examines following aspects of human correspond * Way in which we see ourselves * Failure of science to solve many problems Fact that reason may not be a good spotter to solving certain problems * Power of large, modern institutions over individual * Need to experience all our emotions to the full * Our inner needs * Mental anguish & unsoundness * Where we get our standards of right/wrong * Trust these standards * Criminality & delinquency * Technology is morally neutral Methods of enquiry in philosophy * Phenomenology who are we? * Hermeneutics symbols & images speak to us * Empiricism what is actually going on * Some forms of feminism who says the male is the norm?