Thursday, August 30, 2012
Group 3 Section 14 Summary
Today during our discussion we started off introducing ourselves and discussed the definition of philosophy. Most of us agreed it was asking questions that don't necessarily have a right or wrong answer or trying to explain things that may not have an answer at all. We then played with the idea that everyone's definition of philosophy will be different and derived from their own personal experiences and beliefs. Another interesting topic we discussed was who can be considered a philosopher? Is it a particular type of person, or can anyone who presents a thought provoking question be considered a philosopher?
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It was nice getting to know a little something about everyone. I look forward to working with you all this semester. unfortunately I have a family obligation and will be unable to attend class on Tuesday. Thank you for your understanding. 1)Aristotle's lecture note's made a huge impact on western philosophy? True or false
ReplyDelete2)What do you think Aristotle meant when he said Children can't truly be happy?
If reference to Thursday's discussion, I think that in order for a question to be considered philosophical, it really can't have a right or wrong answer because if it did, there would be nothing to discuss about it. A philosopher can be anyone who poses questions about, well, anything really, so long as it doesn't have a concrete, non-debatable answer.
ReplyDeleteNow on to Aristotle,
1) What was the name of the school Aristotle set up in Athens?
2) How was Aristotle's idea of "seeking happiness" different from the way we generally think it about today?
"Most of us agreed it was asking questions that don't necessarily have a right or wrong answer or trying to explain things that may not have an answer at all." - Nikki
ReplyDeleteWhile we all agreed upon this, I find after reading about Aristotle, it goes a bit deeper than that.
"I think that in order for a question to be considered philosophical, it really can't have a right or wrong answer because if it did, there would be nothing to discuss about it." - Kendall
In our readings about Aristotle, one of the key things the chapter discussed is that, for many years after Aristotle, most took Aristotle's word as fact. However, some of what he believed was in fact false. Many of ideas that people have believed to be fact, like Aristotle's, have over the years been examined and proven false. If we all recall, the earth was a one time pressumed to be flat, and if by chance you were to reach the end of it, you'd fall off.
After taking this into deep thought, I realise that philosophy is not just about asking questions about the unknown, but the known as well. Because what we know today, what we consider to be fact, can always be changed tomorrow. Questioning facts is just as important as questioning the unknown because even if we always arrive at the same answer we just make the facts stronger. However, on the off chance that we one day prove the facts wrong, well... then we just make our world stronger.
Questions for Aristotle-
Fact) Who did Aristotle name his book, The Nicomachean Ethics, after? (A:His son)
Thought) Aristotle's view of eudaimonia was a life long, and even after, view in which our virtues, vices, interactions with others, and the heritage we left behind all played into what he considers true happiness. Do you agree this is happiness or could it be something else?