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Liberato Moises
III AB Political Science Assignment
No. 1
The inquiry into what knowledge is, what can be known, and what
lies beyond our understanding; the investigation into the origin, structure,
methods, and validity of justification and knowledge; the study of the
interrelation of reason, truth, and experience
The inquiry into the nature, criteria, and metaphysical status of value.
Axiology, in turn, is divided into two main parts: ethics and sthetics.
Logic
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to
do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and
independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the
following :
Aristotle
Aristotle was the first thinker to devise a logical system. He drew
upon the emphasis on universal definition found in Socrates, the use of
reductio ad absurdum in Zeno of Elea, claims about propositional structure
and negation in Parmenides and Plato, and the body of argumentative
techniques found in legal reasoning and geometrical proof. Yet the theory
presented in Aristotles five treatises known as the Organonthe
Categories, the De interpretatione, the Prior Analytics, the Posterior
Analytics, and the Sophistical Refutationsgoes far beyond any of these.
Aristotle holds that a proposition is a complex involving two terms, a subject
and a predicate, each of which is represented grammatically with a noun.
The logical form of a proposition is determined by its quantity (universal or
particular) and by its quality (affirmative or negative). Aristotle investigates
the relation between two propositions containing the same terms in his
theories of opposition and conversion. The former describes relations of
contradictoriness and contrariety, the latter equipollences and entailments.
The analysis of logical form, opposition, and conversion are combined in
syllogistic, Aristotles greatest invention in logic.
A. Socrates, born in Athens in 470 BC, is often credited as one of the founders
of Western philosophy. The cloud of mystery surrounding his life and
philosophical viewpoints propose a problem; a problem so large that its
given a name itself: The Socratic Problem. Since he did not write
philosophical texts, all knowledge related to him is entirely dependent on
the writings of other people of the time period. Works by Plato, Xenophon,
Aristotle, and Aristophanes contain all of the knowledge known about this
enigmatic figure. His largest contribution to philosophy is the Socratic
method. The Socratic method is defined as a form of inquiry and discussion
between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to illuminate
ideas. This method is performed by asking question after question with the
purpose of seeking to expose contradictions in ones thoughts, guiding
him/her to arrive at a solid, tenable conclusion. The principle underlying the
Socratic Method is that humans learn through the use of reasoning and
logic; ultimately finding holes in their own theories and then patching them
up.
B. Plato, student of Socrates, also has mystery surrounding him. His birth day
is estimated to fall between 428 BC and 423 BC. Hes known for being the
founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in
the Western world. My favorite of Platos contributions to philosophy, and
the one Im going to focus on, is the Theory of Forms. This theory was
created to solve two problems, one of ethics and one of permanence and
change. The ethical problem is: how can humans live a fulfilling life in an
ever changing world if everything that they hold close to them can be easily
taken away? The problem dealing with permanence and change is: How
can the world appear to be both permanent and changing? The world we
perceive through senses seems to be always changingwhich is a pretty
clear observation. The world that we perceive through the mind, seems to
be permanent and unchanging. Which world perceived is more real? Why
are we seen two different worlds?
To find a solution to these problems, Plato split the world into two: the
material, or phyiscal, realm and the transcendent, or mental, realm of forms.
We have access to the realm of forms through the mind, allowing us access
to an unchanging world. This particular world is invulnerable to the pains
and changes of the material world. By detaching our souls from the material
world and our bodies and developing our ability to concern ourselves with
the forms, Plato believes this will lead to us finding a value which is not open
to change. This solves the ethical problem. Splitting existence up into two
realms also leads us to a solution to the problem of permanence and
change. Our mind perceives a different world, with different objects, than
our senses do. It is the material world, perceived through the senses, that
is changing. It is the realm of forms, perceived through the mind, that is
permanent.
10. What is the difference between natural logic and scientific logic?
Natural logic the natural faculty of distinguishing the true from the false:
the logical doctrine applicable to natural things as opposed to the logic of
faith while scientific reasoning is the foundation supporting the entire
structure of logic, a scientific logic uses evidence to make a case for
whether a scientific idea is accurate or inaccurate.
4: When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband
or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority,
for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5: Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary
authorities to be found.
6: Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do
the opinions will suppress you.
7: Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was
once eccentric.
10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's
paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.