第一讲-西方哲学(英语)

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哲学的生命不在与结果而在于思考

苏格拉底：未经审慎的生活是不值得过的。尽管经过了理性的省察我们不一定就能找到生活的方向，但是不经过理性的省察就一定找不到生活的目标。海德格尔晚年编辑自己的著作全集时曾经写下了这样一句话：他的著作是“道路，而不是著作”（Wege――nichtWerke），这里的“道路”用的是复数。言外之意，哲学问题的终极解决是不可能的，我们所能做的就是不断地探索。所以，学习哲学就是“上路”――踏上爱智慧的思想之路，哲学永远“在途中”。

如果把我们与哲学家们统统看作是“人类”的话，那么我们思想他们的思想，重走他们的道路，也可看作是一种“回忆”，回忆我们“曾经”思考过的问题，因而也可以看作是我们