Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Group 2 (MW 4:10) - 1/29/14 - Intro to America the Philosophical

Hey everyone. John Connor Coulston here. I can't promise that this post will be as meme filled as Jasmine's but, I'll try to work on that, lol.

First off, I've noticed that the other groups have dope names. Currently, we don't have one of those, so we're still just Group 2. Next class let's decide on something cool like the Mighty Morphin Philosophy Rangers or something. 

Anywho, today in class we discussed the first ten pages of America the Philosophical by Carlin Romano. The focus of this discussion was that even though America isn't often seen as philosophical, Romano says we have "the most philosophical culture in the history of the world."
We also touched on the fact that most of us couldn't name an American philosopher. However, he can now name two- James and Oliver.

Hold on a sec, I think I figured out how to-

Awww yeah

As far as group activities, we figured out how to use the scorecard and divided the reading. In case you need a reminder of the assignments:
  • Little History of Philosophy - Socrates & Plato
  • Philosophy Bites Back - McCabes & Hobbes
  • America the Philosophical - pages 13-23
So yeah, I guess that's it. See everyone Monday.



- John Connor Coulston
@jccoulston



10 comments:

  1. Jason Dziadosz2:07 PM CST

    Hey John, wanted to remind you that we don't have class on Monday, just the opportunity for extra credit by attending the lecture/seminar.

    FQ: Philosophy is referred to as what distasteful lunch meat, and by Whom?

    DQ: Susan Jacoby uses "dopey TV shows" (I would think she had shows such as The Kardashians, The Bachelor, etc... in mind), as an example of America's dumbed down society. Socrates insists that a life unexamined is not a life worth living. Are these TV shows an example of trading insight for mind-numbing distraction? Or would you say that examining the lives of others (even on TV) is an insight into our own lives?

    Link: http://www.wetpaint.com/kardashians/gallery/2013-09-09-kim-kardashian-says-12-quotes#1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe that's only for Section 12, the 2:20 class. I may be misunderstanding, but that's what it says in the "Next" section.

      Delete
    2. no, youre right. I just posted under the wrong class. sorry.

      Delete
    3. Right, only sec.12 (Peck Hall 320, 2:20 pm) is not meeting. But they should still be posting FQs, DQs, & links etc. before Monday.

      Delete
  2. Christopher Winfrey8:24 PM CST

    Hey everyone, so I figured I'd get my stuff posted and taken care of. I covered the first three pages of "Socrates and Plato" from A Little History of Philosophy (LH p.1-3).

    To sum up this portion of the reading, I will reiterate a few important points.
    -Socrates was not the first philosopher, though he is known so well for philosophy.
    -Views of him varied, because some people liked him and others found him annoying.
    -While we was younger, he was a soldier.
    -Once middle aged, he began visiting the marketplace asking people questions.
    -He would ask questions that seemed straightforward, but then give counterexamples to show that people didn't know what they were talking about.
    -Socrates did not charge any fees when people requested his knowledge, unlike the Sophists.
    -An oracle called Socrates the wisest man in Athens, though Socrates claimed he knew very little.

    This section also includes stories of Socrates asking questions and giving counterexamples to prove people's lack of wisdom.

    Now for my questions:

    FQ: According to Nigel Warburton, who is the "patron saint" of philosophy?
    FQ: What wars did Socrates participate in, and who were they against?
    FQ: Who were the Sophists?
    FQ: What do the Greek words for the word philosopher mean?

    DQ: Why do you think people build their lives on assumptions (whether these assumptions are accurate or not)?
    DQ: Why did Socrates think that he did not know anything?

    LINK: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/socrates.html
    Check out this link to read some awesome quotes from Socrates.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1:24 PM CST

    Socrates and Plato, A Little History of Philosophy. Pg 7-8

    FQ: How did Socrates died? - Drinking poison

    DQ: Compare and contrast Socrates' and Plato's teachings.

    Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfzmpUoOud4 - The Wisdom of Socrates

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey guys! I read A Little History of Philosophy, pg. 4-6.

    FQ: How did Plato describe his point in which only philosophers discover the nature of reality by thinking rather than relying on their senses?
    FQ: Who was Socrates star pupil?
    FQ: What is Plato's most famous work?
    FQ: What were the three groups in Plato's "The Republic"?
    DQ: Do you agree with Plato when he says that philosophers should be in charge?

    Here's a link going into more detail about Socrates and Plato's relationship.

    http://law2.umkc.edu/mlfaculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/plato&soc.ht

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dylan Aycock2:12 PM CST

    The remainder of the introduction in “America the Philosophical” (pages 13-23) is basically a brief overview of the book’s six parts and its epilogue.

    In part I, “American Philosophy and the Tradition,” we will read about mainstream political philosophy. Some things that will be discussed include: The national debate of what it means to be American, Richard Rorty’s vision of philosophy as a persuasive practice, and an overview of the tradition of uniformly white-male philosophers.

    FQ: Who does Romano refer to as “philosopher-in-chief” (pg. 18) and who has a “pragmatist insistence of data and flexible thinking.” (pg. 22)

    FQ: What book, by Will Durant, sold millions of copies and “introduced more Americans to philosophy than any other work.”

    DQ: If philosophy heightens intelligence and helps develop a more critical and independent frame of mind, do you think philosophy should be taught more in education systems prior to college?

    ReplyDelete
  6. America the philosophical 13-23
    FQ:What is about as rare as seeing an Ivory Billed woodpecker?
    DQ: Why do you think some of the world believes America has little to no philosophical value?

    ReplyDelete
  7. FQ: What was Socrates' view on "life"?
    DQ: Do you agree or disagree with Socrates' view on life?

    Just a little about Socrates:
    http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm

    ReplyDelete

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