第一講-西方哲學(xué)(英語)

IntroductionWhatisphilosophy?BranchesofPhilosophyWesternPhilosophyHowisphilosophyrelatedtooureverydaylife?Whatisphilosophy?Philosophyisthestudyofgeneralandfundamentalproblemsconcerningmatterssuchasexistence,knowledge,values,reason,mind,andlanguage.Philosophyisdistinguishedfromotherwaysofaddressingthesequestionsbyitscritical,generallysystematicapproachanditsrelianceonreasonedargument.Questionsthatcanbeansweredempirically,bytheuseofthesenses,arenotphilosophicalquestions.Statementsofordinaryperceptionarenotphilosophicalquestions.

Questionsthatthesciencescananswerarenotphilosophicalquestions.Questionsaboutwhathashappenedinthepastarenotphilosophicalquestions.Questionsinarithmetic,algebraandotherbranchesofmathematicsarenotphilosophicalquestions.

Whatisleftforphilosophytoconsider?＊Philosophyisthestudyofreality.＊Philosophyisthestudyofjustification.＊Philosophyistheanalysisofvariousconceptsthatarecentraltoourthought.branchesofphilosophyepistemologymetaphysicsethicsontologymoralityaestheticsempiricismrationalismMetaphysics:thestudyofthenatureofbeingandtheworld.Traditionalbranchesarecosmologyandontology.Epistemology:concernedwiththenatureandscopeofknowledge,andwhetherknowledgeispossible.Amongitcentralconcernshasbeenthechallengeposedbyskepticismandtherelationshipsbetweentruth,belief,andjustification.Ethics,

or"moralphilosophy":concernedwithquestionsofhowpersonsoughttoactorifsuchquestionsareanswerable.Themainbranchesofethics:naturalethics,

relativeethics,andMeta-ethics.Meta-ethicsconcernsthenatureofethicalthought,comparisonofvariousethicalsystems,whetherthereareabsoluteethicaltruths,andhowsuchtruthscouldbeknown.Ethicsisalsoassociatedwiththeideaofmorality.Plato'searlydialoguesincludeasearchfordefinitionsofvirtue.

PhilosophicalthinkingintheWesternworldorOccidental,asdistinctfromtheEasternorOrientalphilosophiesandvarietiesofindigenousphilosophies.Platoisphilosophy,andphilosophyPlato.-----WaldoEmersonWesternphilosophyQuotationsFromSomeGreatThinkersaboutPhilosophyTobeaphilosopherisnotmerelytohavesubtlethoughts,noreventofoundaschool,butsotolovewisdomastoliveaccordingtoitsdictates,alifeofsimplicity,independence,magnanimityandtrust.----HenryDavidThoreau

Whenhewhohearsdoesn’tknowwhathewhospeaksmeans,andwhenhewhospeaksdoesn’tknowwhathehimselfmeans–thatisphilosophy.------VoltaireThevariousopinionsofphilosophershavescatteredthroughtheworldasmanyplaguesofthemindasPandora’sboxdidthoseofthebody;onlywiththisdifference,thattheyhavenotlefthopeatthebottom.---------JonathanSwiftPhilosophyisnotatheorybutanactivity.-------LudwigWittgenstein

Wisdomistheperfectgoodofthehumanmind;philosophyistheloveofwisdomandtheendeavortoattainit.

------Seneca

Thereisnothingsostrangeandsounbelievablethatithasnotbeensaidbyonephilosopherortheother.-------Descartes

Theobjectofstudyingphilosophyistoknowone’sownmind,nototherpeople’s.Whyshouldwestudywesternphilosophy?1.Ithelpsustoknowtheessenceofwesterncivilization.2.Itisanepiccontainingbrilliantideasoftheancestorsandtheestablishedtraditionsforthebettermentofthedescendents.3.ItishelpfulforabetterunderstandingoftheEnglishlanguageitself.ahealingartintellectualself-defenseaformoftherapymap-makingforthesoulcartographyforthehumanjourneyPhilosophizingHowphilosophyisrelatedtoourdailylife?Philosophyisfullofdisagreement.DefinitionsWhatishuman?Whatisbeauty?Whatisgoodandevil?Ifatreefallsintheforestandnobodyhearsitfall,isthereasound.Yes!No!SoundwavesarealternatingcondensationsandrarefactionsofairparticleSoundsensation哲學(xué)的生命不在與結(jié)果而在于思考

蘇格拉底：未經(jīng)審慎的生活是不值得過的。盡管經(jīng)過了理性的省察我們不一定就能找到生活的方向，但是不經(jīng)過理性的省察就一定找不到生活的目標。海德格爾晚年編輯自己的著作全集時曾經(jīng)寫下了這樣一句話：他的著作是“道路，而不是著作”（Wege――nichtWerke），這里的“道路”用的是復(fù)數(shù)。言外之意，哲學(xué)問題的終極解決是不可能的，我們所能做的就是不斷地探索。所以，學(xué)習(xí)哲學(xué)就是“上路”――踏上愛智慧的思想之路，哲學(xué)永遠“在途中”。

如果把我們與哲學(xué)家們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)看作是“人類”的話，那么我們思想他們的思想，重走他們的道路，也可看作是一種“回憶”，回憶我們“曾經(jīng)”思考過的問題，因而也可以看作是我們