An Introduction to Philosophy
An Introduction to
Philosophy
What is Philosophy ?
What are your thoughts or ideas?
What is Philosophy ?
• There are many, many definitions of “philosophy”
• Philosophy concerns itself with the most fundamental human questions about reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language
Basic Human Questions
HCOM301
Ancient Evidence of Ideas
More Conventional Early Writing
Indus Script @ 2000 BCE
Phoenician Alphabet 1000 BCE
Plato’s Writing 370 BCE
Tao te ching 300 BCE
Closer to HomeIn Mesoamerica
Mayan Codex@ 500 CE
Mixtec in
Oaxaca@ 1000 CE
Mexica Migration Story@ 1400 CE
Mesoamerican CodexEarly Writing
The Axial Age900-200 BCE
“The spiritual foundations of humanity were laid simultaneously and independently and these are the foundations upon which humanity still subsists today.”
Karl Jaspers, 1949
The Axial Age900-200 BCE
By the Middle Ages500-1500
Human inquiry into higher learning had been divided into just four fields:
1. Theology
2. Medicine
3. Law
4. Philosophy
In fact,
For the past thousand years,
people who study almost any field
at the highest level are awarded
a “Ph. D.”
Doctor of
PhilosophyDegree
Over the centuries…
Broad human inquiry into these basic questions has evolved into some subsets or sub-disciplines within the general field of Philosophy
Branches within Philosophy
Branches within Philosophy• Ontology: what exists, and what is the nature of
reality?• Epistemology: what is knowledge, and how do
we know things?• Ethics: how should we live and behave? What are
right and wrong, moral and immoral?• Logic: what is correct reasoning?• Aesthetics: how are standards for beauty, taste,
humor, comfort arrived at?
Fields of Applied Philosophy
Philosophy of EducationPhilosophy of Politics or GovernmentPhilosophy of ArtPhilosophy of Medicine or Health CarePhilosophy of SciencePhilosophy of BusinessPhilosophy of HistoryEtc.
Focus of HCOM 301
Basic Philosophy• Ontology ☚• Epistemology ☚• Ethics ☚• Logic• Aesthetics
Applied Philosophy Philosophy of Education Philosophy of Politics or
Government Philosophy of Art Philosophy of Medicine or
Health Care Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Business Philosophy of Life ☚ (Worldviews)
Assignment on 8-26