UPDATE. The tentative reporting schedule is set, make sure you're on it. Let me know ASAP if you're not. Those whose topics do not clearly relate to something the class is doing on your designated reporting date: consider changing your topic, if you can't find a plausible connection.
For the NEXT EXAM, bonus questions from the presentations will be included. That is, you can still earn up to 20 points from the questions pertaining to our class readings but you may also earn points (not exceeding 20) for correct answers to questions about the reports. PRESENTERS, you can suggest bonus questions for the exam...If your EXAM #2 score exceeds Exam #1, we'll drop #1 and double your points on #2.
October
4/5 Mill, Darwin, Kierkegaard, Marx-LH 24-27. FL 21-22, HWT 23-24. Presentations begin: #H1 Arielle, JS Mill; Cassandra, Darwin; Natalie, Kierkegaard; Moon, Marx; #H2 Hannah, Happiness; Aniyah, Transience & touching in Japanese philosophy; Camron, Darwin; Aaron, Kierkegaard #H3 Katelyn, African-Americans in the 50s-60s; Lillian, hedonism Brielle, FL 7-8
6/7 Peirce & James, Nietzsche, Freud-LH 28-30, FL 23-24, HWT 25-26. Presentations continue: #H1 Bryson, Nietzsche; Carlos, free will; Jesse, Descartes; CJ Watkins, Emil Cuaron #H2 Aaron, Kierkegaard; Thomas F., Cosmic philosophy; Chris, C.S. Peirce; Jodi, Impartiality-HWT 25 #H3 Brielle, FL 7-8; Hannah, Freud; Jadon, Personalism
FALL BREAK
==
To be scheduled: #H1 Eva, ___ #H2 LG, '60s-'70s (FL); Wynton, ___; #H3 Tyler L, Plato's cave; Edward A., ___;
==
13/14 Russell, Ayer, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus-LH 31-33, FL 25-26, HWT 27-28. Presentations continue: #H1 Stuart, Ayer; Kade-Jah, Camus; Logan, Existentialism; Jordan, Russell. #H2 Beck, Sartre; Natalie, free will;
Jordan, Nietzsche; #H3 Nate, Camus; Channing, de Beauvoir; Gabe, Existentialism; Kaitlyn, Ayer
18/19 Wittgenstein, Arendt, Popper & Kuhn, Foot & Thomson-LH 34-37, FL 27-28, WGU Introduction-p.35. Presentations continue: #H1 Luz, Hannah Arendt; Cameron, Foot & Thomson; Eva, tba #H2 Alex, Wittgenstein; Alana, Hannah Arendt; #H3 Andrew, Popper & Kuhn; Dominick, Wittgenstein; Madison, Existentialism
20/21 Rawls, Turing & Searle, Singer-LH 38-40, FL 29-30, WGU -p.79. Presentations continue: #H1 Clayton T,, Berkeley; Eboni, Locke; Anna Marie, Hume #H2 Tyler, Peter Singer; Natalie, free will; Jordan, Augustine #H3 Gracie, Rawls; Matthew, Turing; Ryan, Diogenes & cynicism; Lucille, Epicureans
25/26 WGU -p.122. FL 31-32.
27/28 WGU -p.165. FL 33-34. Presentations conclude: tba. Exam 2
==
It's time to select and assign report presentation topics. Take a look at the syllabus for October, topics should be related to what we're reading and discussing in class during the month.
Your ten-minute presentation should tell us something interesting and relevant we'd not have known just from reading our texts. You can prepare a PowerPoint (etc.) if you wish, but that's not required. If your reporting date happens to be on a nice Fall day, consider taking us outside.
Post a brief summary of your topic, with any suggested readings (etc.) and a discussion question or two, in the comments' space below prior to your scheduled reporting date.
If you have a particular topical interest you'd like to report on, indicate that in the comments space below by the end of this week (Friday the 17th). First come, first served. We want to avoid redundancy.
Topics related to our recommended texts (FL, HWT) are also eligible.
If you do not indicate a particular topical interest, I'll assign it. jpo
Here is my presentation blogpost for Cosmic Philosophy:
ReplyDeleteFor my presentation, I will be covering the idea of Cosmic Philosophy, or better put, the Philosophy of Cosmology. This, in essence, means thinking deeply about the origins and nature of the universe. Cosmology itself is this. It is the studying of event like the big bang and what has led up to us existing as we do on planet Earth today. This presentation, which I’ll be giving in class, will discuss certain ideas of Cosmic Philosophy along with some famous astronomers who have themselves indulged in it. One we know well already, that being Carl Sagan, for he has been mentioned numerous times during our lectures. I connect the ideas of this presentation to Chapter 28 of Little History, which cover Peirce and James. I will specifically focus of William James and his ideas of pragmatism and how this links to cosmology and why I believe it could be subjective- being up to your own thoughts. Because of my own personal connection to the topic and my love for outer space, I will include many of my own thoughts and ideas. One such idea I will discuss is called “Optimistic Nihilism.” An idea created by the YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, it is personally one of my favorite methods of thinking when it comes to ideas like, existential crises, which are not uncommon when you think about the origin and fate of the universe. This idea will be further discussed in the presentation, but I have included the link below with my sources. I will see you all there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRqu0YOH14
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmology/
https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2014/05/22/why_does_neil_degrasse_tyson_hate_philosophy.html
Thanks, Thomas. James said in Pragmatism that our personal philosophies reflect how each of us just feels the push & pressure of “the Kosmos”…
ReplyDeletePRESENTERS, you can post your summaries here OR under my QUESTIONS post for the scheduled date of your presentation.
ReplyDeleteH03
ReplyDeleteFor my midterm presentation I did a video that goes over the cultural changes that took place in the African American community during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The first section of my video will go over how I came across my topic through Chapters twenty one and twenty two of the book Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen, the second part of the video will go in brief detail about certain influences that took place for the civil rights movement to begin, and a breakdown of how African Americans specifically in Tennessee worked against segregation during the civil rights movement in the 1950s. The concluding portion of my video will focus on the My Black is Beautiful campaign that took place in the 1960s and 70s. In class though I will be going over the information provided in my video presentation. After my presentation concludes there will be questions provided for a discussion to take place.
The questions I was able to create follow as:
1.Do you feel like you’ve learned anything new from the presentation? With the civil rights movement that took place in Tennessee? Or with the Black is Beautiful Campaign?
2.Were you shocked by anything you listened to in the video?
3.After seeing and listening to this presentation do you feel like you’ll go home and maybe do some of your own research of African American history for yourself? Or even have more discussions regarding Black history?
Civil Rights Movement | Tennessee Encyclopedia This source goes over the civil rights movement in Tennessee.
Tennessee 4 Me - Civil Rights Movement (tn4me.org) This website focuses on the civil rights movement in Tennessee along with the details of the Sit In that took place in Chattanooga.
Black is Beautiful: The Emergence of Black Culture and Identity in the 60s and 70s | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu) And the last source is about the Black is Beautiful Campaign that took place during the 1960s and 70s.
Lastly, copy the link of my video below into another tab to watch my presentation.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eorwwc51gi2pfyl/My%20Movie.mov?dl=0
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19MKn54_A67yFX-XSwFSVEjxlIvxoDovctw_JPuHm5II/edit?usp=drivesdk
DeleteH01
ReplyDeleteMy topic is Soren Kierkegaard. He was a Danish writer and philosopher in the early 1800s. He is known as the father of existentialism and his main goal was to renew the Christian church. In my presentation I plan on giving an in depth look into the the life and philosophy of Kierkegaard while also discussing some of his many works. Finally, I plan on giving my reasons for choosing Kierkegaard for my presentation.
While researching I found a book that I would recomend, "Soren Kierkegaard" by Johannes Hohlenberg. This book gives a deep look into the life of Kierkegaard and his writings. It is a very interesting read if you are interested in finding out more on Kierkegaard.
Discussion Questions
Existentialism focuses on taking personal responsibility. Kierkegaard believed the Danish church was not serious enough. Should church be serious?
Kierkegaard tried to improve the church by writing. How would you improve the church?
(H2)
ReplyDeleteSo my topic was the art behind the Japanese Philosophy "transience". This philosophy is based on the idea that we should admire the fleeting moments that nature presents us with. Instead of this philosophy being based on deep thought like most Western philosophies, it is more based around feeling and being in tune with that feeling. However, it is not just ANY feeling, it is centered around feelings of somber, melancholy, and emptiness. We must try and understand the solitude of things in nature and how they are eternally impermanent. An example of this would be watching the cherry blossoms in Japan. The beautiful flowers are flying away, leaving the tree itself cold, bare and empty. Admiring this natural solitude and impermanence of the flowers is a prime example of finding the beauty in transience. The cherry blossoms is a prime example of how we can admire how beautiful yet sad the solitude of the tree is in nature. We can apply this concept to our every day lives too. A sad example of this could be when a love one passes. Instead of reminiscing over their life and how sad it is that they are gone, we can admire the beauty in the fact that they were here on this Earth for their allotted amount of time, but now they are at peace and moving on from this world. They are transient and no longer here, representing impermanence.
My questions to everyone are: Do you think that this philosophy can be tied to ideals in culture like celebrating the dead instead of traditional funerals.
How do you recognize yourself being transient in your life through growing up and your own experiences?
someone recommended haikus and texts would be
https://www.faena.com/aleph/mono-no-aware-the-gentle-sadness-of-things
https://haikupedia.org/article-haikupedia/kobayashi-issa/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete
DeleteOutline
start with the basics,
ex.) Epicurus
Simple definition of hedonism
Source- “The Little History of Philosophy,” by Nigel Warburton
move to Good vs. Bad of hedonism
Basically an analysis of the two extremes
ex.) over indulging, materialism, gluttony
ex.) comfort, happiness, better quality of life
move to the modern view
ex.) how a capitalist society makes us feel like the more things we have the happier we are
Source- “Hedonism and the Good Life,” by Christine Vitrano
finish with “Can money buy happiness?”
Use this as a discussion question to see what the class thinks about it
Insert my own view- “money can buy comfort so that we aren't ‘unhappy’ and so that we have our basic necessities covered”
Another discussion question- “Is happiness subjective? Can anyone else determine what makes you happy other than yourself?”
My answer is that no one can determine what makes an individual happy so that can be a range of things- for some it’s material items, for others is the security of knowing that they don’t have to worry about money and expenses
[H2] : HANNAH LITVJAK
ReplyDeleteFor my presentation, I will be discussing the idea of measuring happiness, thus pooling back into the question if eudaimonia can ever be achieved. Aristotle's perspective on true happiness is that it can only be found through the practice of virtue; essentially implying that happiness is earned with pure intentions. Within the chapter we are reading, Mill brings about some questions regarding levels of happiness, and how seclusion and the qualms of dissatisfaction as well as choosing which level of happiness to live within. I will dip into my own philosophy of "coexistence", which connects to both the reading and Aristotle, as well as dipping further into some of Aristotle's thoughts and opinions on reaching true happiness. I will also be relating with my own struggles of reaching happiness, as well as attempting to provide some insight as to why Mill thought the way he did. Next I will provide some interesting points from Darwin and natural happiness, thus bringing about possible solutions as to how to be happy.
- DQS -
1. How did your experiences in life shape how you view happiness? Do you think there is a universal term for happiness?
2. Is eudaimonia possible to achieve? Are people naturally born with eudaimonia and then turned away from it, or vice versa?
3. Is happiness all on one level, or are there multiple layers to it?
4. What did Aristotle refuse to equate eudaimonia with?
- REC. TEXTS -
1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-006-9023-4
2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-05654-005
3. https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/the-key-to-happiness-according-to-aristotle-7de6b207749e
(H2) - Camron Stevens
ReplyDeleteMy presentation topic is Charles Darwin, so I decided to focus on three key aspects of his life: his voyage to the Galapagos Islands, Darwinism, and his theory of evolution by natural selection. In addition, I plan on explaining Darwin’s evident contribution and influence on several of today’s philosophies, such as the philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of the mind. During his voyage, he was given the opportunity to examine the wildlife that resided on the Galapagos Islands, and study how species adapted to their environmental surroundings. In particular, he noticed the distinct variations in tortoise and finch species. His collection of data, field observations, and examinations ultimately lead to his discovery of evolution and natural selection. As time passed, his ideas and beliefs developed into a social concept known as Darwinism. The idea of supernatural phenomena, typology, and determinism were each rejected in his theories because they went against the premise of his idea of evolution by natural selection. (I plan on defining terms, such as “typology” and “determinism” as well). His perspective on evolution, however, vastly differed from those of many philosophers and scientists. So much so that his concepts and ideas were not completely considered until after his death. While still alive, he was viewed as an atheist because his beliefs seemed to oppose those of God and the creation of the Earth. Furthermore, philosophers discovered loopholes and contradictions in his theory. Though he may have experienced hardships and challenges, Darwin’s theory is now almost universally acknowledged and a common belief of many scientists.
Discussion Question:
Have you ever accepted or participated in something that went against your beliefs or religion? Have you ever condemned something, intentionally or unintentionally, that went against your beliefs or religion?
Recommended Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN_ALbAkvus&t=85s
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/33224/pg33224-images.html
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/darwinism/
Google Slides Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Uqb1b3wO_N6zUtN5rLKANJvluhgQequardbklguD1CM/edit?usp=sharing
Sources:
Lennox, James. “Darwinism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 24 July 2019, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/darwinism/.
Mayr, Ernst. “Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 24 Nov. 2009, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/darwins-influence-on-modern-thought1/.
Jesse Helms (H1)
ReplyDeleteTopic: Atheism Within Philosophy
In this presentation, I will be covering several topics within the field of atheism in philosophy including: what atheism actually is and its different forms, famous atheist philosophers, brief history of atheism, and how atheism has affected the philosophy world as a whole.
Suggested Reading
• Why I Am Not A Christian (Bertrand Russell)
Discussion Question
• Are "Jesus people" nowadays more or less likely than the general populace to ingest hallucinogens?
• Do you engage in "magical thinking" and indulge superstitious beliefs in the absence of evidence?
• Do you strongly desire or need certainty in your life, or are you okay with not knowing things for certain?
(H03)My topic is Sigmund Freud. Freud had a huge impact on the study of psychology although few people today take his work seriously. His theories about the impacts of unconscious memories, feelings, and wishes, is arguably the most impactful part of his work. He invented the concept of psychoanalysis which is both a theory and a type of therapy. As a therapy, the analyst has the patient recount dreams and childhood memories and then figures out the unconscious ideas behind what the patient has just told them. Freud believed dreams were the key to the unconscious and that every dream had meaning. He used case studies of his patients as his primary form as research and in my presentation, I will be going over two of these major studies.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Questions:
To what extent do you think the unconscious effects one's life?
Do you think Freud was on to something with his theory of dreams?
Further Reading
https://psychoanalysis.org.uk/our-authors-and-theorists/sigmund-freud
https://www.freud.org.uk/education/
http://courses.washington.edu/freudlit/Dora.Notes.html
https://www.simplypsychology.org/little-hans.html
(H01) Arielle Cooper
ReplyDeleteMy topic is John Stuart Mill, a utilitarian philosopher during the 19th century. Mill's ideas were centered around hedonism, liberty, equality of the sexes, and the importance of individuality. Mill was heavily influenced by the ideas of his father, James Mill, and philosopher Jeremy Bentham during the early years of his life. He used their ideas to form his own about what pleasure is. He published On Liberty, The Subjection of Women, and Utilitarianism, among other works. He was an early advocate for equality among the sexes and is credited for being one of the only male feminists in politics during his time.
Recommended Listenings/Readings:
-Podcast: Episode 23 John Stuart Mill’s Political Philosophy (Part I and II), The Panspycast Philosophy Podcast (2 hr duration)
-Podcast: Richard Reeves on Mill’s On Liberty, Philosophy Bites (13 minutes)
-Podcast: Roger Crisp on Utilitarianism, Philosophy Bites (13 minutes)
-Video: John Stuart Mill-On Liberty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8etKYSPqyMM
-Overview Article: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Stuart-Mill
Discussion Questions:
1. Mill argued that individuals have the right to freedom unless it harms another person. He said that there is a difference between harm and offense. What constitutes as harm is still up for debate. At what point would you consider something to be harmful rather than just offensive?
2. Do you value debate? Do you think that we should continue debating things that are common knowledge?
3. Was there a time that you followed an idea without really knowing the facts behind it?
Powerpoint:
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RGAj_gGdIBli4gATolqRSxcc6rGKAnSSwy6GCIbM9ZI/edit?usp=sharing
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteH01
ReplyDeleteMy topic is Charles Darwin. I plan on talking about his life and how he influenced other philosophers because he himself was not one. A major aspect of his research was being a naturalist on his voyage on the HMS Beagle. His findings on this journey, specifically the Galapagos Islands with the finches, led him to come up with his Theory of Evolution and idea of Natural Selection. These theories helped develop his founding of the Philosophy of Science (specifically biology) and why the world is the way it is and how it is constantly changing.
Youtube Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcpB_986wyk
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever had an opinion or "theory" that went against many individuals beliefs? How did this impact your standing behind this opinion?
Are you going into the career path you thought you would be growing up? Or did something cause you to change direction?
https://mtmailmtsu-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/clp7c_mtmail_mtsu_edu/EU2n8B0LEkNAk6y-VkSncc0BGOI8U791aC9BRKUNnclx0w?e=l4A0uv
H03
ReplyDeleteMy topic is personalism, with specification in Boston personalism (Bowne, Brightman, & Harkness) I plan on discussing about a general overview of what personalism is and the many different branches and kinds of personalism there are. And then I focus on some of the main influences of personalism in America, which in this case are Borden Parker Bowne, Edgar S. Brightman, and Georgia Harkness. I will discuss their philosophical viewpoints about their discoveries about personalism and how it pertains to their religious beliefs (specifically Methodists). One thing is that personalism is very fluid and caters to anyone no matter what your religious beliefs or philosophical standpoints are.
I recommend this website:
https://iep.utm.edu/personal/#SSH4bii
It goes into a greater detail about the many different branches of personalism not just in America but around the globe.
Discussion Questions:
Georgia Harkness once said "Life gives us nothing higher than personality." Do you agree with her perspective on this subject or do you have a different realization?
From what I have discussed, why do you think personalism is important, specifically in today's modern society?
This is the entire project, for those that want to take a look :)
Boston Personalism.pdf
https://mtmailmtsu-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/jad2ah_mtmail_mtsu_edu/_layouts/15/doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7Bba139f3f-1995-44db-87d7-7051f74dc479%7D&action=edit&cid=37aaaf97-7b90-4d77-88d2-685a84a025d3
H1
ReplyDeleteIn my presentation on Thursday, I will be presenting on Emil Ciaron. The specific discussion I wish to lead will be around his particular views on suffering, failure, and existentialism. Ciaron is one of the most interesting philosophers I have come across and while I do not agree with many of his views his perspective on failure and confronting reality inspire me.
Before my presentation begins, I would like you to consider how failure has affected you. What did you take away from it? How do you see failure in the greater context of your life?
https://1drv.ms/p/s!AtFXiqWaYmH7jj5ZXleZJxYUFEng?e=jPdawr
H02
ReplyDeleteFor my presentation, I chose to do Fantasyland's Chapter 34 titled "Blue-Chip Witch Doctors: The Reenchantment of Medicine". I decided to do this topic because I believe it relates surprisingly well to what we are experiencing currently. To begin, I would like to go over some key points from chapter 34 since I am presenting this a bit early. First, I will discuss the hippie movement. Next, I will mention how Dr. Oz contributed to popularizing alternative medicine. Last, I will list how the government has regulated alternative medicine. After this, we will look at some of the advantages of alternative medicine. Then, I will mention an article that discusses recent vaccine hesitancy. I will then move on to talk about an article that researches the spread of misinformation. Finally, we will look at how the alternative medicine industry is worth billions of dollars and is likely to stay.
Discussion Question:
Have you ever tried alternative medicine and experienced any benefits? Do you think it might have been the placebo effect?
Recommended Links:
https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2017/02/02/americans-health-care-behaviors-and-use-of-conventional-and-alternative-medicine/
doi:10.1017/ipm.2020.38 -research article on meditation
Sources:
Tram, K. H., Saeed, S., Bradley, C., Fox, B., Eshun-Wilson, I., Mody, A., & Geng, E. (2021). Deliberation, Dissent, and Distrust: Understanding distinct drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases : An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi-org.ezproxy.mtsu.edu/10.1093/cid/ciab633
Di Domenico, G., Nunan, D., Sit, J., & Pitardi, V. (2021). Free but fake speech: When giving primacy to the source decreases misinformation sharing on social media. Psychology & Marketing, 38(10), 1700.
Slideshow:
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UPZVf70t5Pk70yC0BOQmtdvHwgWpJ9_ttBn6d5FK4Zc/edit#slide=id.gab8d1ca927_3_493
https://mtmailmtsu-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/bmw7g_mtmail_mtsu_edu/ESJ6O10wG3tJkbm6G8tDA3wB2p87xxttEi0U2V-abeCRog?e=Iisy4e
ReplyDeleteH01 For my presentation I chose the topic of free will. I began by defining it and giving some context about the two distinct groups of thought on it as well as information about their sub groups. I then explain how science has affected people's perception of free will or how they expect it to affect the debate of free will. I conclude by talking about the implications of one's answer and how they could affect an individual.
ReplyDeleteMy discussion question is do you believe there to be more than one "voice of reason" that determines our actions, and how does this affect our free will?
Sources: Free Will - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophyhttps://plato.stanford.edu › entries › freewill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will#Scientific_approaches
Presentation: https://mtmailmtsu-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/cfa2j_mtmail_mtsu_edu/ESw91MYK5WpCoGzx4elpY68B38lxY9rTGEfknZz-A9wcYQ?e=q09m4Z
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteH03
ReplyDeleteFor my presentation I will be talking about existentialism. This is the philosophical belief that we are each responsible for creating meaning in our own lives. To define existentialism in one sentence: existence precedes essence. This originates from perhaps the most famous existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Satre. Existentialists argue that the individual makes meaningful, authentic choices in a universe where ultimately nothing matters.
My discussion question is:
Do you think it’s valid to live absurdly? Can we only derive meaning from ourselves?
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sZna6W0jBwokr-HuRTXg-v4DNpqHZDyEW1r3izXViQc/edit?usp=sharing
H01
ReplyDeleteI apologize for continually forgetting to ask, but since it's nearly midway into October and I still don't have a presentation topic for myself, would you be able to suggest a topic for me? One aligned for a later presentation date in the month would be preferred for the sake of preparation time, but I understand if there are none such spots left at this time.
I don't see my name on this post despite supposedly being set to reply with it, so in case you also can't see it I'm Thomas Morowsky.
DeleteH01
ReplyDeleteMy presentation will be over existentialism. In my presentation I will be relating the ideas of Jean-Paul Satre, Albert Camus, and Soren Kierkegaard. The goal is to deliver a general over view of each existential philosopher and how their ideas tie into eachother aswell as how they contrast. Finally I will wrap up with some commentary on the relevance of existentialism today.
Discussion questions:
1. Do you agree with Sartre that “existence precedes essence”
2. How do you answer Camus’s fundamental question of philosophy?
Andrew Michael H03
ReplyDeleteMy presentation is on Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn
Popper was a rationalist and thought the central problem in the philosophy of science is that of distinguishing between science and what he termed “non-science”
For Popper a key feature of any hypothesis is its falsifiability. According to him, science shouldn't rely on induction. He argued that science would best progress using deductive reasoning as its primary emphasis
Kuhn's philosophy was that in any scientific area, there was a pre-paradigm period of competing theories. Following a breaking discovery, a community of scientists would agree on a set of theories or a paradigm. Normal science would then be carried out, where scientists work within the paradigm. The paradigm would remain constant before going through a paradigm shift when scientists find observations that aren't explained by the current paradigm, so then a new theory is proposed adding on to the old paradigm.
DQ:
-Should we only focus on ideas that can be proven false and ignore qualitative ideas?
-Is there really a difference between something's falsifiability and verifiability?
(H2) My presentation is on Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who specialized in logic and language. His writings, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921), and Philosophical Investigations (1953), were massively influential to philosophers across the world. Released decades apart, the books covered two different philosophies. Each had a effect on two different generations of philosophers, and even putting his mentor, Bertrand Russell, to question his own legacy. Wittgenstein's principal theory is that the concepts philosopher's debate over are limited due to the limitations of human expression, particularly language. Furthermore he thought that alot of what philosopher's postured was nonsensical because of this, since they were using language in a narrow way to talk about large universal concepts.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: Can there be a "private language"?
I think it could be possible to have a private language. With the example given in LH, the man uses the letter S to describe a feeling he experiences. I do agree with Wittgenstein's argument that the man might not be able to tell what feeling is S and what isn't, but on the other hand, it's possible to assign names for things on a personal level for things that aren't connected to a feeling. For instance if you see someone on the street everyday, yet you don't know their name, you could come up with a name for them in your mind. So everytime you see them, and you're sure it's them, you will know them by that name.
Sources:
https://iep.utm.edu/wittgens/
https://literariness.org/2019/04/21/key-theories-of-ludwig-wittgenstein/
LG Willis (H02)
ReplyDeleteWhen most people think about the 1960’s, they picture Woodstock, Hippies, The Beatles, Civil Rights Movements, Women's Rights Movements, LGBTQ+ protests, anti-war campaigns, the race for space, the assassination of JFK and MLK Jr.
So many major events in American history began (or peaked) in the 60s.
The 60's and 70's were a transformational time in the United States. In my presentation, I will discuss some factors that contributed to the radical change in American philosophy during this time period. I will also summarize some of Kurt Anderson's thoughts on how Americans are all living in their own "Fantasyland" (or skewed sense of reality). I will then open the floor for some discussion questions with my peers.
Sources:
1. Anderson, Kurt. Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire (a 500-Year History). Random House Publishing Group. June 5 2018.
2. Robey B. A guide to the baby boom. Am Coll Cardiol Extended Learn Suppl Tape. 1982 Sep;4(8):16-21. PMID: 12311762.
DQ:
In what ways does our generation relate to the youth of the 60s? What have we learned from them? What could they learn from us?
Is absolute tolerance (or the idea that everyone's beliefs are valid) healthy or toxic?
In what ways are you living in “Fantasyland”? What distracts you or comforts you when you begin to think about the true reality of the world?
H03
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Summary:
I did my presentation over the theory of existentialism. People often do not stop to think about what it truly means to exist. As I have read up on the term existentialism I have learned about all that goes into just simple existing. Existentialism is basically defined as a philosophical theory that argues that every individual is free and responsible. They determine their own actions by free will. More widely known as the "philosophy of existence." Soren Kierkegaard and Fredrich Nietzsche were the first contributors to the concept shortly after Pascal's work was published. Later, Jean Sartre accepted the idea and became as the most well known existentialist. The theory basically focuses on existing and how your actions determine your existence and how people know you.
DQ:
What is it like to be a human in the world?
What does it mean for a person to be free?
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ReplyDeleteFor my presentation, I will be discussing Alan Turing. Turing is considered by many to be the father of computer science, and has been very influential in how we think about and use computers today. He is also responsible for coming up with the imitation game, which is a test to conclude if a computer is intelligent or not. I will be discussing the philosophy of this, and how he thought about it.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Questions?
What do you think about the imitation game, do you think it is a good way of judging a computers intelligence?
Do you believe that computers could ever be sentient?
Sources to Check out:
"Computing Machines and Intelligence"
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/alan-turing-overlooked.html
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing/
H01
ReplyDeleteFor my presentation, I will be discussing John Locke. Locke is most famous for his interpretation of the human mind as a blank slate and his ideas of how government should function. We will discuss Locke's relationship with the British monarchy and how that may have affected his political views and his theory of war. We will also discuss Locke's thoughts on how to educate children and how he believes humans gain their knowledge.
Discussion Questions
Is there always a clear aggressor and an innocent victim?
Do you believe that children should be taught in a way that caters to their individual needs?
H01
ReplyDeleteMy presentation is on Ludwig Wittgenstein. He was born as the son of a powerful steel magnate, but he turned to philosophy a little later in his life. He has a fascination with language, and formed two philosophies as a result. They aren't conflicting; they are complimentary. I will be discussing these two philosophies and attempting to explain them in more clear terms.
I present Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein was a Viennese philosopher who was a professor at the University of Cambridge in London. His two most notable works are the 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' and 'Philosophical Investigations'. Wittgenstein's philosophy is deeply rooted in language and how it could've possibly proven a hindrance to philosopher of the past. He encourages people to think deeper of words and they could possibly mean rather than taking them at face value for their definition. For example the word game, their many things that aren't completely similar but still could be described as a game. He gives an example of a beetle in a box. Everybody in a society has a box with a beetle in it. Everyone, however, only knows what a beetle is because of what is in their box, no one is allowed to look in someone else's box. Because of this it doesn't really matter what is inside of the box, people can only know what a 'beetle' is in relation to what is inside of their box. In another example of how feelings and sensations are described he gives an example of a man keeping a log. This man logs down every time he feels a particular sensation as the letter 's'. This is his private language so to speak, no one else knows what 's' means by his standards. However, this is unreliable as he could possibly forgotten a past sensation and logged it down twice, but he would have nothing to back it against except for his own memory. According to Wittgenstein, this is why all language has to have some public aspect to it. When we communicate feelings and sensations, there has to be some common understanding so people somewhat understand what we are trying to describe.
ReplyDeleteThis was my comment, my name didn't appear on it.
DeleteMy presentation is a little interesting tidbit I discovered about Hume's relationship with Newtonianism. My discussion question relating to my presentation is: do you think that everything, from physics to human behavior, can be pinpointed down to just a few, simple patterns?
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