Introduction to Philosophy I - Book Report/Review Example

Muhammad Naeem 01 May, Philosophy and Science Generally when it comes to philosophy, people think that it must be something boring and incomprehensible. But philosophy is something very simple and deals with basic questions of the life. These questions include ‘existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language’ (Teichmann 1) (Grayling 2). Although these questions are plain and general but their answers are way too difficult and important. They have confused many a man. A philosophical question is concerned with comparing things and asks about ‘goods and bads’ of the choices.

But science generally propounds questions which are concerned with how things work. An answer is deemed right if it is supported by the experimental results. It is not a hard and fast rule that scientific and philosophical questions are limited to these domains but it is just to make clear what philosophical and scientific questions generally ask. Word unexamined can be manipulated in two ways. First pertains to a life that has never been scrutinized by the person living it. He has no clue why he is here and what his life is all about?

Second refers to a life that has never been put to test by the people around. His life is merely a closed book. Nobody has the right to question what is written inside it. This quote invites individuals to think about the purpose of his and others’ lives. Socrates’ view that philosophy is an integral part of our lives is quite true because philosophy is concerned with the issues that are important for every individual to devise a set of standards and creeds for himself. His decision to adopt philosophy as his way of life was quite right and justifiable because those who don’t contemplate life are like animals.

Plato Utopia is governed by the philosophers who unlike modern bespectacled philosophers, are men of action rather than men of thought. They must be free from corporal and other needs that can hinder their duties. They must possess only what is essential for living, nothing extra. Unlike democracy, Plato’s aristocracy suggests an equal chance for everyone to become the guardian of the state. Unlike usual aristocracies which are hereditary, Plato’s aristocracy is an equal chance for the son of the guardian to the cobbler’s son.

Either of them who has the highest degree of ability can pave his way to the top. To make sure that these aristocrats are the people of action they are given ‘the training of the life as well as the erudition of the schools’. (Durant 3) So, their lives were tough like soldiers and they were mindful like philosophers. Generally philosophers lack most of the qualities of a ruler but their characters can be molded to make the rulers out of them like Plato devised a frame of ‘exercises’ that can turn philosophers to rulers.

He gave details of every little aspect of their lives. From family to social life everything is prescribed. How they should feel towards their families, properties, society and nation is properly jotted down. Hume’s Wrecking Ball is a test which demands that if an idea cannot be traced back to its founding impression, then it must be rejected no matter what it pertains to. Hume is more concerned about these impressions and the components of an idea that can be used to get the impression. Ideas that were long held but were never questioned were put under test.

The concepts of God, cause, world and self were scrutinized using this test. Hume argues that there must be some ‘necessary connection’ between the cause and the effect. This connection is perceived only after referring to our book or past experiences. A good example that can make our concepts clear is that of ‘fire’ (cause) and ‘smoke’ (effect). Only because of our past experience we expect smoke out of fire. If we go for some logical reason (e.g. fire exerts some force other than our force of expectation on smoke to come out – this is experimentation which makes the basis of ‘natural laws’ of science) then we won’t be able to come up with an answer.

This is what Hume called a ‘constant conjunction’ of events (here fire and smoke are the objects). This helps us associating two events. (Radcliffe 4) Hume’s arguments have very little impact on the scientific methods today as they are not that persuasive. Sometimes our experience can help us comprehending the concepts but experimentation is the key to justify how these ideas are actually implemented. So science provides this attitude rendering the Hume’s postulates futile or less effective.

Works Cited Teichmann, Jenny, and Katherine C. Evans. Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing, 1999. Print. Grayling, Anthony. Philosophy 1: A Guide through the Subject. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. Durant, Will. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers. New York: Pocket, 1991. Print. Radcliffe, Elizabeth and et al. Late Modern Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. Print.