CHAPTER 3: DIVISIONS/ DISCIPLINES OF PHILOSOPHY WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON LOGIC AND ETHICS 1. DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
The following are the disciplines or branches of philosophy 1. Axiology 2. Epist pistem emol olog ogy y 3. Cosmolo molog gy 4. Ontology 5. Meta Metaph phys ysic ics s 6. Theodicy 7. psyc sycholog logy 8. Logic st 1 diagrammatic presentations of philosophical Disciplines
Philosophy
Theory of being
Metaphysics, Ontology Cosmology Theodicy
Theory of knowledge
Epistemology Psychology
Theory of value
Theory of Valid reasoning
Ethics
Logic
2nd diagrammatic Presentations of philosophical Discipline The diagram below shows the relevance of philosophical inquiry to those engaged in the acquisition of scientific and technical skills in our world today.
The diagram shows also the relevance of the philosophical inquiry even in physical science, like medicine and engineering and other areas like economics and commerce etc. The diagram with a cluster of disciplines here below advances two convictions of worth in our modern world namely; Philosophy as love of wisdom and search for the ultimate foundation of all things it is MOTHER subject of all other disciplines on higher level of learning or thought pattern. Philosophy was relevant from the times of the Greeks as it is now in that it was and still is a foundation for a better understanding of any coherent discipline of learning.
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Natural Philosophy
Philosophy
Technical Philosophy Biological Science
Physical Science
Engineering Medicine
Ethics, Technology, Music, Aesthetics, Aesthetics, Logic liberal Arts, Arts, (Arithmetic, Mathematics
Speculative philosophy
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Theology, psychology, psychiatry etc
Economic, Commerce etc
A. AXIOLOGY : i) Etymological definition Axiology comes from from two Greek words; “axios” which means “ worthy” and “logos” which means “ the study of ”
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ii) Basic meaning of Axiology Axiology means study study of values; values; the investiga investigation tion of its nature, criteria, criteria, and and metaphysical status. The analysis of values to determine their meaning, characteristics, origins, types, criteria, and epistemological status.
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1. We can briefly elaborate as follows. a) Nature of value: is value a fulfillment of desire, a pleasure, a preference, or simply an interest? b) Criteria of value: de gustibus non (est) disputandum or do standards apply? c) Status of value: how are values related to (scientific) facts? What ultimate worth, if any, do human values have?
2. Axiology is sub-divided into two main parts. a) Ethics:
of morality". ". i) Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the " science (study) of morality In philosophy, philosophy , ethical behavior is behavior is that which is " good" good" or "right "right." ." The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy . This is one part of value theory (axiology) axiology ) – the other part is aesthetics – of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, metaphysics , epistemology, epistemology , and logic. logic. ii) The Term Moral: The English word moral is derived from Latin words Mores and Moralis. Both of them are translated from Greek by the famous Roman Orator Cicero. The Greek word from which the term Moral is derived from is Ethikos which means Custom or pertaining to Character. 2
Ethics is also the study of values in human behavior or the study of moral problems: e.g., (1) the rightness and wrongness of actions, (2) the kinds of things which are good or desirable, and (3) blameworthy and praiseworthy actions. b) Aesthetics comes from Greek word aisthetikos, “one who is perceptive of things through his sensations, feelings, and intuitions” the word aesthesis means “primary, rudimentary sensation” this is the study of beauty, and of related concepts such as the sublime, the tragic, the ugly, the humorous, the drab, the pretty. The analysis of the values, tastes, attitudes, ands standards involved in our experience of and judgments about things made by humans or found in nature which we call beautiful. •
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Therefore, Aesthetics is the study of value in the arts or the inquiry into feelings, judgments, or standards of beauty and related concepts. B. EPISTEMOLOGY • Epistemology is the science or theory of knowledge. Episteme- means knowledge, and Logos means theory/science/study/discussion of. • This is the branch or discipline of philosophy which investigates the origin, structure, method and validity of knowledge. • It responds to questions such as: • • • • • • • • •
What are the sources and grounds of knowledge? What is the scope and extent of knowledge? When do we have assurance that we know? What is the difference between knowledge and faith? What is faith? ls faith the will to believe? ls faith an expectation based on experience in human knowledge? How important is language in knowledge? What role do symbols, intuition, and empirical science play in knowledge?
• The term epistemology seems. to have been used for the first time by J.F. Ferrier in his institute of Metaphysics (1854), when he distinguished two branches of philosophy, epistemology and ontology (which we shall see later). • Epistemology in another sense is an enquiry into the nature and ground of experience, belief and knowledge. • What can we know, and how do we know it? Are the questions central to philosophy? And knowledge forms the main topic of epistemology along with other cognitive notions like belief, understanding, reason, judgment, sensation, imagination, supposing, guessing, learning and forgetting. Types of Knowledge from the Point of view of Epistemology The types of knowledge often occur in pairs 3
i) a priori (analytic) knowledge This is knowledge by definition e.g., by definition only, a triangle is a figure with three sides and three angles It is analytical knowledge. ii) A posterio A posteriori ri knowledge knowledge This is knowledge (empirical knowledge) based upon (sense) experience-it is synthetic knowledge.
A priori and and Postenori Postenori (empirical) (empirical) knowledge knowledge have have long been been contrasted contrasted on the basis of origins analytical/synthetic distinction is relevant here. The philosopher Immanuel Kant, argues that is a priori knowledge is analytic; it risks having no content Kant postulated synthetic a priori propositions known as Transcendental Arguments or notions for our course, these are controversial waters which we do not want to test in our introductory course on philosophy. Propositional Knowledge This entails knowing facts e.g. knowing that Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. This type of knowledge is contrasted with knowing objects (connected with Nairobi)-what make Nairobi to be the capital of Kenya. Knowing How and Knowing That Gilbert Ryle contrasts Knowing how and knowing that and the distinction has been widely used in for instance, Ethics and Philosophy of mind for example moral knowledge might consist in knowing how to behave and scientific knowledge might consist in knowing the earth is spherical rather than flat. C. COSMOLOGY • Etymological definition, Etymological definition, the name comes from two Greek words namely; -Kosmos-order, the form or structure of a thing and -Logos-means study of the ordered universe or harmony of the word, of the universe-as contrasted with Chaos. The universe here is taken as a single integrated whole and not chaotic and disorderly. • It is the study of philosophy which deals with the science of the universe as a whole-the earth-the globe• Cosmology also covers speculations about the cosmos- the world as an orderly systematic whole. • It also deals with the nature of cosmos for instance; the possibility of a form of life existing on the planets is a cosmological question. • The scientists who navigate around the world in search for knowledge about it- are called Cosmonouts. D. ONTOLOGY • The word Ontology comes from two Greek words namely Onta-the really existing things, true reality and Logos-the study of the theory which accounts of. • Ontology refers to the study of the essential characteristic of being in itself apart from the study of particular existing things. • In studying being in its most abstract from it asks questions such as; what is Being-in4
itself? • What is the nature of being-as Being? • Ontology is the branch of philosophy which attempts a) to describe the nature of ultimate being (the one, the absolute, the perfect eternal form. b) To show that all things depend upon it or their existence c) To indicate how this dependence is manifested in reality to relate. d) To relate human thoughts and actions to this reality on an individual and historical bases. e) That branch of philosophy which asks the question; what does “to be” to exist mean? f) Which analysis the variety of meaning (ways) in which things can be said to be, “Exists” Ontology is close to meta-physics and Epistemology.
This is the branch of philosophy which deals with speculations concerning pure being (God) as well as the realm of Human existence. For instance, the nature of life and death is a concern for ontology. E. METAPHYSICS-(Study of things-or beings) • The term “metaphysics” comes from two Greek words names meta- “after”, “beyond”, and physikos, “pertaining to nature”, or physis, “nature,” “natural”
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy which studies the ultimate reality of things. An attempt to find a true account of reality. It is the study of the first principles and ultimate problems. • While drawing up a list of Aristotle’s works around the year 70 AD, Andronicus of Rhodes named some of his books (Aristotle) metaphysics, things they came after his physics book. • The name, however, perfectly fits this field of study; since it seeks the ultimate cause of the being of things, it has risen above what is material and sensible and reached out to spiritual realities. • Metaphysics studies all reality, since everything real has being. • It is not limited to some type of being, unlike the other branches of philosophy. • Thus, the manual object of metaphysics is all reality. • Since metaphysics studies reality fro the point of view of its being, the formal object of metaphysics is the being of reality that is, the being of things3.Study of being Qua beingbeing as being Being (ens-in Latin) • The term being (ens in Latin) denotes everything “that is” It is something that has (habet) an act of being (esse), and has a specific manner of being. • Strictly speaking, God is not a Being, since He is his own-esse or act of being, and He is not limited to any particular or finite manner of being. • Metaphysics studies God as the first cause (ultimate cause) or the act of being of all things. Cause and Causality according to Aristotle In his’ physics and more in his metaphysics, Aristotle has elaborated his doctrine of causality. In doing so, he is putting into a systematic and profound form the philosophy of the ultimate cause which emerged from the pre-Socratic philosophers 5
According According to Aristotle, Aristotle, everything everything that that happens happens has a cause cause that that explains explains its origin, origin, and its end and the manner of its coming to be. Everything that comes to be is due to a cause. FOUR CAUSES • Aristotle distinguishes four types of causes. Each cause can briefly be defined as follows: a) Material cause: it is that matter out of which something is made; it is the intrinsic constitutive element of something (e.g., the wood of the statue) b) Formal Cause: it is the form or shape of something; its essence to be what it is (the shape of the statue) c) Efficient Cause: it is the being in act who brings about the change (the sculptor who makes the statue) d) Final Cause: it is that for the sake of which the change takes place. It is what constitutes the perfection of the being (in the case of the statue, this is the purpose for which the statue was made) Aristotle regards the final cause cause as the most important of of all cause cause as all the the other other cause are ultimately founded on the final cause.
Material Cause Wood
Final Cause Purpose Purpose (most important cause)
Formal cause Shape Efficient Cause The Sculptor
NB: Later on we shall the pre-Socratic philosophers each according to which cause he elaborated Aristotle systematized his doctrine of cause coming from these philosophers. • Cause means: i) That from which, a thing comes from into being e.g., the bronze is the cause of statue and the silver is the cause of the saucer.
ii) The form or pattern, i.e. the definition of the essence and the genera which include this (e.g. the ratio 2:1 and the number in general are causes of the octave in music.) iii) That form which the change or the resting from change first begins, e.g. the adviser is a cause of the action, and the father a cause of the child. iv) The end i.e., that for the sake of which a thing is e.g. Health is the cause of walking. F. THEODICY • Etymologically, Theodicy comes from two Greek words namely; Theos-God 6
Dike-Justice, right, hence theodicy refers to justice rightness of God. • It is the study that attempt to justify the ways of God to humanly. • The attempt to vindicate the goodness and justice of God in ordaining or allowing moral and eternal evil and human suffering. • Any coherently organized body of doctrine concerning the nature of God and his relationship with humans and the universe. • The systematic attempt present, interprets, and justifies in a consistent and meaningful way the belief in gods and/or God. • It is a branch of theology which deals with the study of God from a natural point of view (not from faith) • It studies God not only from the point of his existence the pure being but as the cause of all beings and origin of human life and the end of the conduct and actions of human being. G. Psychology • Etymological definition Psychology comes from two Greek words, namely Psyche- Soul, mind, breath, spirit life. Logos-study of the soul, mind, breath of life, spirit-of a person • Psyche was used originally to refer to the state of being alive; then to the principle of life (breath-spirit, soul in all things that cause life. Psychology is the science that investigates mental states directly. It uses generally empirical methods to investigate concrete mental states like joy, fear or obsessions. Psychology investigates the laws that bind these mental states to each other or with inputs and outputs to the human organism. It also came to refer to the source of conscience and also to conscience to the world soul. • It is also called Meta-Psychology. • Psychology deals with the mind/soul and personality. For instance, whether dreams can foretell the future is a question for metaphysical psychology. From psychesoul/mind and logos-study. •
LOGIC A. Introductory Remark The great advances made by science and technology and the vast amount of knowledge accumulating every day are a direct result of logical thinking. Logic is that branch of learning that tells how human experiences and speculations are to be evaluated. Logic lays fairly strict guidelines to evaluate the processes by which knowledge is obtained.
Further, it helps one in evaluating this knowledge itself. Logic helps us distinguish the good from the bad. Superstition is knowledge deduced or obtained without logic, and speculation is deduction made without proof.
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Both of these methods are like castles built on the sea shore. All it takes is one wave of logic to wash them away, yet people use these flimsy methods all the time to support their positions or to justify their behaviors. On the other hand, science is knowledge obtained by an objective combination of logic and repetitive experiments. True logical arguments build upward or outward from a solid foundation, with each step (called a premise) connected to another. Compare this to superstition or speculation, which is often, random and disconnected. First, a study of logic helps the apologist to think and present his position objectively and accurately. Second, a large number of rational objections brought up against the Bible and the Christian faith stem from logically faulty deductions. Deduction is a tricky matter, especially when faulty deductions are the weapon used by the other side. Unless an apologist has at least some acquaintance with the correct procedures of deduction and unless he or she is familiar with fallacies of deduction the apologist will have a difficult time answering questions raised by the shrewd critic. In all probability, an unprepared apologist will waste time on a non-issue, frustrating the sincere inquirer and losing a strong case. It is quite common these days to witness Christians rising up to answer the critics but only exposing their own inabilities and frustrations. Many times the objections raised by the critics are simply dumb, but the lack of preparation on the Christian's side prompts him to face the criticisms with equally ignorant answers. At the same same time, many of the more sincere inquirers are frustrated frustrated by all this. They They know know that the objection doesn't have any substance, but at the same time they perceive that the answer proposed by the unprepared person is equally ridiculous. This only adds to their agony. An apologist apologist who has done done his or her her homework homework well, however, however, will will be in a position to to analyze the objections, place them into their appropriate categories of logical fallacies, and then intelligently and systematically disprove the opponent’s argument. This approach is fast, reliable and -- most important -- convincing to every honest inquirer. B. Definition of Logic LOGIC: what is it? Logic is the branch of philosophy which treats all forms of thinking in general and particularly Inferences and scientific method. It is the fundamental science of thought. •
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Literary logic is the science or art or reasoning as applied to a department of knowledge. Logical argumentation which is a mode of reasoning is viewed as good or bad according to its conformity or want of conformity to logical pertinence or propriety. Hence, an argument is logical if, and only if it is in conformity with the laws of correct reasoning. Logic, simply put, is the art of valid reasoning and argumentation An argument argument is either either logical logical (right) or or illogical illogical (false) Logic studies concepts, proposition (premises) and syllogisms The object of study of logic is human knowledge in so for as it respects reality. We can distinguish three operations on our process of knowing; •
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1. Simple Apprehension Simple apprehension is the first and most basic operation of the mind. Its end result is the concept, such as the concept man or dog. 2. The operation of Judging It is through this second operation of the mind that we put concepts together; its end result is called JUDGMENT or proposition (premise) such as man laughs 3. The operation of Reasoning (Sylogism) It is through the operation of reasoning by which the mind combines several judgments or propositions in order to arrive at a previous unknown judgment; its end result is called syllogism, such as, “He who breathes is alive, Peter breathes Therefore, he is alive.
- Hence there are three general Darts of Logic; logic of concept, logic of judgment or of the propositions and logic of reasoning or of syllogism. - What is the Central topic of logic? The central topic of logic is valid reasoning, its systematization and the study of notions relevant to it. C. Logic and Other Sciences All branches branches of learning learning can can be divided divided into two two groups: groups: analytical analytical and normative (rule laying).
Analytical Analytical sciences sciences deal only only with describing describing and analyzing analyzing information. information. Normative Normative sciences, however, provide the basic norms and tools that are necessary for reliable analysis and conclusions. Physical sciences like Physics, Chemistry and Botany and sociological sciences like Psychology, sociology, and history etc. are analytical sciences. On the other hand, logic and mathematics are normative sciences. The first category of information needs the second one for validating and establishing truth. Consider the widely publicized model of the atom. Atoms are physical physical realities realities while the atomic model model is an invisible invisible mathematica mathematicall model that that tries to represent actual atoms.
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The model in itself is only a description of the way an atom might be made of. One needs logic both to develop the model as well as to deduce how close it might be to the physical atom. Or consider the proverbial story of Newton and the falling apple. Apples have always been falling and everyone accepted it till that time as a fact of nature. But it is the application of logical thinking that made Newton deduce what might be happening. This means that Logic is that branch of learning that deals with inductions and deductions in every investigation. Hence Logic can even be called "the science of sciences". Obviously, no one can ignore the study of logic if he is serious about defending the Christian faith. D. Deductive/Inductive Logic
There are two types of logic i) Deductive Logic ii) Inductive Logic Deduction and induction are the two basic approaches used in Logic to arrive at valid conclusions. In deduction one arrives at particular statements from general statements. Induction on the other hand starts from particulars and advances to general conclusions, Both approaches are equally valid and important for sciences. For the apologist practicing in the modern world, however, deductive logic is needed more frequently than the inductive counterpart. A large number number of technical technical terms terms are required required to give a complete complete introductio introduction n to deductive deductive logic, but in this discussion we will restrict ourselves to few words very important for the apologist. The first two terms are: PREMISES and DEDUCTION. Premises are the informative statements on the basis of which conclusions (or deductions) are made. In the correct kind of deductive reasoning, the conclusions follow necessarily from the information (Premises) that is given. i) DEDUCTIVE LOGIC • An argument is deductive if it draws a conclusion from certain premises/propositions that to deny the conclusion would be to contradict the premises/proposition. It is an inference in which a conclusion follows necessarily from one or more given premises. • In deductive Logic, one argues from universal to particular conclusion. 10
1st Example 1st premise/proposition; “all eats eat rats
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“this is a cat
Conclusion this cat eats rats. 2nd Example 1. No athletes are vegetarians 2. All football players are Athletes. Conclusion: therefore, no football players are vegetarians ii) INDUCTIVE LOGIC In inductive logic, one argues from particular cases to a universal conclusion Example: Inductive logic is used by positive or empirical sciences which tests a number of cases before making a conclusion. Inductive logic is concerned with the critical investigation of facts it is sometimes called Methodology or applied logic .
An argument argument is inductive inductive in a strict sense sense if it draws draws such such general general conclusions conclusions from such such premises directly in a single step. If this step consists in arguing that because some (or all observed) maize are rotten, therefore further (or all) observed maize are rotten, we have simple or enumerative induction. • There is another type of logic which is called Symbolic Logic which is mathematical (calculus) and symbolic. • Symbol from Greek word symbolon which means, a sign by which one knows or infers a thing; An outside sign representing a hidden meaning or an abstract ideas-Symbollein- to put together to compare. And numbers are signs. Hence symbolic logic. Language Language comes from signs and symbols thus, Sign or Symbol= meaning production Sign/symbols when added produce meaning which is expressed in language by human.
Algebraic Algebraic Equation Equation of language language The signifier or symbolizer= production of meaning which is LANGUAGE S/s =M What is more important? The signifier with capital S or the signified with small s in the meaning of a particular Language. 11
How can professionals e.g. (Lawyers and politicians ) utilize logic in their profession. o Politicians and lawyers utilize language and persuasive language in their careers They are required to persuade their clients through logical argument and not mere rhetoric. o
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Logical argumentation is a mode of reasoning which is viewed as good or bad according to conformity or want of conformity to logical pertinence and , and propriety. Hence politicians and lawyers worthy of their names should engage themselves in logical argument which is conformity with the laws of correct reasoning in order to arrive at truthful and fair conclusion. This is the only way in which they can maintain their integrity by validly convincing and empowering people or in case of lawyer validly winning a case. Logic will enable especially a lawyer to show the necessary connection between the tangible evidence and deductive or inductive argumentation and conclusion. No wonder that both professionals in normal circumstances study philosophy so that it can open up their minds and engage themselves in valid reasoning. In this also to be noted that both Lawyers and politicians may use fallacious reasoning in order to win a case or votes. And in some instances, this illogical argumentation has worked in their favor .
FALLACIES • Criteria for relevance and ambiguity cannot be made formal because of the many ways in which an attempted inference may fall.
• When an attempted inference fails because the premises are irrelevant or ambiguous, we shall describe the argument containing inference as a FALLACY. • The purpose of any inference in LOGIC is to establish Truth of a Conclusion. • An argument whose attempted inference fails to establish the truth of its conclusion is a fallacy. • FALLACIES in LOGIC are incorrect forms of arguments they may appear to be correct since a fallacy cannot inform us of the truth of its conclusion, yet can seem correct, its aim must be to cause us to accept or agree to its conclusion. We have seen that, while a literal use of words can inform us, the use of emotive terms can influence our attitude or feelings. This one way in which an argument may attempt fallaciously to cause us to accept or agree to its conclusion is through the use of emotive language. • Our first criterion of relevance is now the presence of an emotive appeal in premises. Fallacies of this sort may be called fallacies of emotive appeal Such fallacies of appeal are: o Appeal to force- Argumentum ad Baculum o Abusive — Argumentinum ad Hominem o Circumstantial appeal to person’s circumstances- argumentum ad Hominem o Appeal to pity- argumentum ad Misericordiam 12
o Appeal to Ignorance- Argumentum ad Ignoratiam o Appeal to the public- Argumentum ad populum o Appeal to Authority- Argumentum ad Vercundium. • Where fallacies contain threat of harm or punishment, the fallacy is that of appeal to force • To attempt to gain assent through reference to lack of evidence is to commit the fallacy of an appeal to ignorance Argumentum ad ignorantiam. • We might not hear that in the legal context; the innocence of the accused is assumed or affirmed. Hence, lack of evidence of guilt does not prove innocence but simply constitutes the failure to prove guilt and the original assumption stands. Examples of Fallacy i) argumentation ad Misericordium (pity) a) “Passing this course means a great deal to me. it will enable me to stay in school and make my parents very happy. So I hope you can see to it that I get a passing grade”
ladies and and gentlemen gentlemen of the jury, jury, I know know you will will find it in in your hearts hearts it dismiss dismiss b) “ And so, ladies the charges against this man who has had poverty and misfortune to cope with all his life and who has done his best even though, like all of us, he has made mistakes” (lawyer of the defendant.) c) “If you don’t agree that his conclusion follows from these premises. I will flunk (fail) you”(Dean of Students) ii) Argumentum ad Hominem (abusive) “The idea of taxing large incomes at a greater rate than small ones is one of those unfortunate consequences of the ill-fated Ndegwa Commission. Therefore this bill which is related to the commission must be defeated). iii) Arguentum ad Ignorantiam (appeal to Ignorance) “it is obviously foolish to believe in immorality, since no one has ever proved that man has a soul that survives death” iv) Argumentum ad Populum (Public) When we are urged to believe on the ground that others do so, we encounter an “appeal to the public”
v) Argumentum ad Vere cundum (appeal to Authority) The error in fallacious appeal to authority consists in the attempt to associate something or someone already approved by or with some claim to authority or conclusion. E.g. “The president, ministers have agreed that the Harmonized Draft constitution is good for Kenya and there is no need for any single amendment change to it. So, you are supposed to say yes to the draft” Fallacy comes about because of accident, hasty generalization or false course. Fallacies of the second type could be due to faulty selections or fallacies of neglected aspect. 13
The next two fallacies of relevance we will consider might be called fallacies of concealed assumption.
Fallacies of Composition and Division The ambiguity in the fallacies of composition and division concerns the relations of classes and, properties, or wholes. Examples fallacy of division, “Kenya is known for its hospitality. You can be sure you will be welcomed by every mwananchi you meet” Fallacy of Equivocation “Kip Keino was a good Athlete. He should make a good politician”. Fallacy of Composition -“Surely we can’t trust any organization of which he is a member”. - “Pele is the best striker in the world. Therefore we expect the Cosmos (his club) to be the best soccer club in the world”.
NB: Avoid Fallacious Argumentation and conversation. Notice them when they are made by others and correct them. Exercise on fallacies Indicate the fallacy committed in each of the following 1. “The army is notoriously inefficient, so we cannot expect major Kuveu to do an efficient job”. 2. “No mathematician has ever been able to demonstrate the truth of the famous “last theorem” of format, so it must be false. 3. “You can’t park your car here. I don’t care what the sign says. If you don’t drive on I will give you a ticket”.
4. “God exists because the Bible tells us so, and we know that what the Bible tells must be true because it is the revealed word of God”. 5. “America is the wealthiest nation in the world today, so it is absurd to say that poverty is a problem for America”. 6. “Cooks have been preparing food for generations, so our cook must be a real expert”. 7. “Since all men are mortal the human race must some day come to an end”. 8. “There is no point hiring a skilled worker to do the job, because many who are regarded as skilled workers are no more skilled than anybody else”. GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF ETHICS AND MORAL i) Ethics in General
When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"), a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath ("First of all, do no harm"), a religious creed like the Ten Commandments ("Thou Shall not kill..."), or a wise 14
aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. This is the most common way of defining "ethics": norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. 1. Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so ubiquitous that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society? 2. One plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some common ethical norms but different individuals interpret, apply, and balance these norms in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences. 3. Most societies also have legal rules that govern behavior, but ethical norms tend to be broader and more informal than laws.
Although most societies societies use laws to enforce enforce widely widely accepted accepted moral moral standards standards and ethical ethical and legal rules use similar concepts, it is important to remember that ethics and law are not the same. An action may be legal but unethical or illegal but ethical.
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We can also use ethical concepts and principles to criticize, evaluate, propose, or interpret laws. Indeed, in the last century, many social reformers urged citizens to disobey laws in order to protest what they regarded as immoral or unjust laws. Peaceful civil disobedience is an ethical way of expressing political viewpoints. Another way way of defining defining 'ethics' 'ethics' focuses focuses on the the disciplines that study standards of conduct, such as philosophy, theology, law, psychology, or sociology. For example, a "medical ethicist" is someone who studies ethical standards in medicine. One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues.
For instance, in considering a complex issue like global warming, one may take an economic, ecological, political, or ethical perspective on the problem. 4. While an economist might examine the cost and benefits of various policies related to global warming, an environmental ethicist could examine the ethical values and principles at stake. 5. Many different disciplines, institutions, and professions have norms for behavior that suit their particular aims and goals. These norms also help members of the discipline to coordinate their actions or activities and to establish the public's trust of the discipline. For instance, ethical norms govern conduct in medicine, law, engineering, and business. Ethical norms also serve the aims or goals of research and apply to people who conduct 6. scientific research or other scholarly or creative activities. There is even a specialized discipline, research ethics, which studies these norms. ii) ETHICS IN PARTICULAR 15
of morality". ". 1. Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the " science (study) of morality In philosophy, philosophy , ethical behavior is behavior is that which is " good" good" or "right "right." ." The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy . This is one part of value theory (axiology) axiology ) – the other part is aesthetics – of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, metaphysics , epistemology, epistemology , and logic. logic. 2. The Term Moral: The English word moral is derived from Latin words Mores and Moralis. Both of them are translated from Greek by the famous Roman Orator Cicero. The Greek word from which the term Moral is derived from is Ethikos which means Custom or pertaining to Character. a) What does does Ethics/ Ethics/Mor Morals als Stud Study? y?
Ethics and morals study Human acts and not Acts of man i) Human acts Good actions are praiseworthy o Bad actions are blamable or blameworthy) o o
ii) Acts of men (reflex actions) These are acts which man is not the originator. They are also called reflex actions o Man cannot control them e.g. breathing, blood circulation etc o Man cannot be praised or blamed because of them. o c) Moral Agent For a person to be praised or blamed for an action he/she must be a responsible moral agent.
Moral agent must have knowledge and freedom in order to be responsible of the action done o
The people whom we have to excuse from the blame in their actions are nonresponsible moral agents, e.g. the infant, mad people and the sinile. Inanimate beings are not moral agents. And to say say that action action is ethical ethical or moral moral may mean that it pertains pertains to the the language or fields of morals or that is praiseworthy conduct of some moral agent
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d) Free Will and Free Choice Free will is the ability of rational agents to exercise control over their actions, decisions, or choices. •
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judging the merits of multiple options and Free Choice consists of the mental process of judging selecting one of them.
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Without freedom of choice, one is not a moral agent and is therefore not morally responsible of his action. He cannot be blamed or praised for them. e) Conscience Is the inner voice that speaks to a person, praising or blaming him for the action done.
In religion, conscience is seen as the voice of God in a person.
It is an aptitude, aptitude , faculty, faculty , intuition, intuition, or judgment of the intellect, that distinguishes whether one's prospective actions are right or wrong by reference to norms (principles and rules) or values.
f) Fundamental Option Fundamental option is the basic decision that a person makes, orienting him towards other persons, including God. Other small choices may erode or strengthen the fundamental option. There is positive F.O and negative F.O in life. Positive F.O builds a person and others. Negative F.O destroys him because it is egocentric •
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iii) ETHICAL/MORAL VALUE a) What does the term value mean in Ethics?
The word value comes from a Latin varele, which means, to have worth, to be strong. Worth; is the quality of a thing which makes it desirable, desired, useful or an object of interest. Of excellence ; that which is esteemed, priced or regarded highly, or as a good. The opposite of value is disvalue. The opposite of good is negative good, which is evil . Objective value - the view that values are objective in the sense that they can be supported by careful and consistent rational argumentation as being the best under the circumstances.
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b) Value in Ethical/Moral sense Three elements are considered essential for the valuation of moral acts i.e.-to enable the moral agent (person), to make a moral judgment is rooted in his conscience. They are:The object of the action ; by object is meant-the kind of action which in no way harms or distorts neither the personal nature, nor that of the other. A being is in order if it does its proper thing, its proper work. Aristotle said that every being has an End and moves towards that end according to its mode of being. A human being moves like human being, and an animal like an animal. Intention; refers to the aim of the person performing an action in pursuit of a natural want. It is what the moral agent intends to achieve by the use of his operative powers-his aim, or the end of an agent. Circumstances Circumstances can modify the moral evaluation of an act. What, where, who, how, which, when- of the action and agent. 17
D. UNIVERSAL UNIVERSAL CORE CORE ETHICAL ETHICAL VALUES AND AND THEIR IMPLICAT IMPLICATION ION IN BUSINESS Using core ethical values as the basis for ethical thinking can help detect situations where we focus so hard on upholding one value that we sacrifice another — e.g. we are loyal to friends and so do not always tell the truth about their actions. 1. Trus Trustw twor orth thin ines ess; s; 6. Trut Truthf hful ulne ness ss 12. Perse rseveran rance 2. Honesty 7. Respect 13.Self-Restraint 3. Inte ntegrity rity 8. Responsibility 14.Fairness 4. Reli Relia abili bility ty 9. Accountability 15.Caring 10.Transparency Cit izensh nship ip ; 5. 5 Loyalty 16. Citize 11. Diligence VIRTUES i) What is a virtue? •
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Virtue is a positive/good action which has been repeated for a long time by a community or has come through a particular tradition. It has stood the test of time in human life and practice. Virtues are cross-cutting values, regardless of race, religion or age. The virtues do not go out of fashion as might happen to blue jeans. Good human habits are indispensable to a person who wants self fulfillment and that of others. Human maturity therefore is a state of virtues. It is a situation of a person who has acquired good habits, is trying to develop them by exercising them as well as to acquire those that he is lacking.
ii) A virtue as power/faculty •
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Virtues can be said to be a power or faculty which has been brought to perfection. Such a capacity enables a person to do good acts easily, promptly, gladly and naturally in a habitual or stable Manner. The word virtue is related to Latin Vis which means strength; it empowers a person to carry out proper acts effectively. Virtues are important in leadership.
iii) List of Moral Virtues
Meekness, Meekness , Self-respect o The just Courage, Courage , Magnificence o o Liberality o Modesty, o o Sincerity o Wittyness/wisdom/intelligent Temperance o o Friendship Dignity o Just anger o iv) St Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit can be likened to virtues o
i) Love ii) Joy iii) Peace v) Confucius of China
iv) iv) Pati Patien ence ce v) Kindness vi) vi) Gene Genero rosi sity ty
vii) viii) ix)
Faithfulness Gentleness Self-control 18
In the Four Book Of Confucius, four outstanding gifts of “heaven”(TAO)are given; Benevolence (kindness of heart) Gentleness (as abiding sign and cultural heritage, benevolence) o Justice o Wisdom o (See TIMELY AND UNTIMELY VIRTUES, by Bernard Haring, Middle Green, St Paul’s Publications o
1986:14) vi) The Scriptures emphasize three evangelical Counsels/virtues
Faith
- Hope
-Love (charity)
(1st Corinthians Chapter 13)
F. VICES IN LIFE. i) What is a Vice? •
Absence of due dispositio disposition n
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A human act act which is is repeated repeated several several vice and and becomes becomes like second second nature/habit nature/habit in a person person
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Under each cardinal virtue, there is a vice.
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A vise leads leads a person person away away from the goal goal of human human life.
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A vice destroys destroys a person and and society. society.
According According to the the Greek philosopher philosopher Aristotle, Aristotle, virtue is in the middle middle of the two extremes extremes (as illustrated in the following chart) ii) VIRTUES AND CORRESPONDING VICES
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VICE (EXCESS) Anger o Rashness/boldness o Shamelessness o Licentiousness o Envy o Profit (Crematistica) o Wastefulness o Boastfulness o Flattery o Servility o Vanity o Extravagance o Buffoonery(mockery)
VIRTUE VICE (DEFECT) Meekness, Meekness , Lack of energy of will Courage, Courage, Cowardice Modesty Timidity Temperance Drunkenness just anger -no nameThe just Loss Liberality Miserliness Sincerity Self depreciation Friendship Brusqueness Dignity Obstinacy Self-respect Humility Magnificence Meanness Wittiness Boorishness
iii) List of vices according to Dante(Italian thinker and literary Artist They are the ones commonly known in traditional Christianity; or vanity 1. Pride or vanity 3. Lust or anger 2. Avarice (covetousness, greed) 4. Wrath or anger 19
5. Gluttony jealousy 6. Envy or jealousy
or laziness 7. Sloth or laziness POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
What is Political Philosophy? • Political philosophy is the study of city (town), government, politics, liberty, justice, property,, rights, law and enforcement of a legal code by authority. • What they are, why (or even if) they are needed • What makes a government legitimate? • What right and freedom it should protect and why • What form it should take and why • What law is, • What duties citizens owe to a legitimate government if any • When it may be legitimately overthrown if ever, 2. In a vernacular sense; The term political philosophy often refers to a general view or specific ethic, political belief or attitude about politics that does not necessarily belong to the technical discipline of philosophy. 3. Political philosophy ;( analytical) • Can also 1e understood by analyzing it through the general perspectives of metaphysics, epistemology and axiology thereby unearthing the authentic reality side • The knowledge or methodological side the value aspect of politics
4. Three central concerns of political philosophy have been; • The political economy by which property rights are defined, and access to capital is regulated. • The demands of justice in destruction and punishment • ‘The rules of truth and evidence that determines judgments in the law. HISTORY OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY 1. Antiquity
a) Western Philosophy i) It has its origin in ancient Greek society where city states were experimenting with various form of political arguments including monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. One of the first extremely important classical works of political philosophy is Plato the Republic which was followed by Aristotle POLITICS POLITICS and NICHOMAC NICHOMACHEAN HEAN ETHICS. ETHICS. ii) Roman political philosophy was influenced by the STOICS, and the Roman Stateman Cicero who wrote on political philosophy explaining clearly the main stoic theses. b) Far East reference is here made of the independent works of Confucius, mencus, mozi and the le egalit school in China and the law of Mona and Chanakya in India. All sought to find means of restoring political stability ‘they put VIRTUE as the basis of good political leadership and life. They stressed the need of Discipline in acquiring virtue. These civilizations had tany similarities with the ancient Greek civilization in that there was a unified culture divided into vital states. c) Medieval Christian —Europe Political Philosophy 20
In medieval Europe political philosophy was shaped by the works of St. Augustine (city of man and city of God) St Thomas Aquinas division of law in his summa theologia i) God’s cosmic law ii) God’s Scriptural law iii) Natural law or rules of conduct universally applicable within reason iv) Human law of specific rules applicable to specific circumstances Medieval Islam; had a great influence in political philosophy from the 6th century onwards, especially in Arab countries which accepted Sheila law as coming from Allah God and written in the Quran the “Holy Book” Niccolo Machiaveelli; in his influence in Europe • His book the PRINCE (1511-12) and published in 1532 had a great influence in Europe. • Though the work was written for the medici family in Florence (Italy), Machavelli supported the republic of Florence rather than the oligarchy of the medici family • According to machiavelli, good and evil are means used to bring about an end i.e. the secure and powerful state. • He did not believe in the divine right of kings. He shows how consent of a populace is regulated between and among Rulers rather than simply a naturalistic or theological group of the structure of society. • He (as later English Thomas Hobbes) beliveral in the inherent selfishness of the individual • He strongly supported central power as the only means of preventing the disintegration of the social order Me never favored a devolved government that empowers the people at the bottom. Enlightenment Period; (17 th-18th century)-Europe • The thinkers of the age like Immanuel Kant, Eugene Delacrosis/ liberty leading the people (1830) Voltaire (France), John Stuart Mill)England and Dante (Italy) lodged a scatting attack on Heteronous
Powers (rule by another) including The Kings o The Popes (Religious/Church) o (Religion) o And god (Religion) They worshiped human REASON and challenged man to be Auto-nomous-SeIf-rule/rule himself because he is and can determine his own destiny of course means Opposition and chaos-for those who were in power. Contemporary Political Philosophy -Capitalists-for democracy-Government by the people, for the people and of the people which focus on undivided freedom and ownership. -Communism-rule by the state- Soviet Union-focuses on i.e. ownership property by the state. - Socialism-Eccletic philosophy-Accept it abit here and the (Nyerere’s African socialism-Ujamaa Discussion question Analyse and and discuss discuss the Kenyan Kenyan state state and the positive and negative negative political political philosophy philosophy (ies) (ies) that has (ve) been using it since decolonization and ushering in independence in 1963 until today. Propose the best way forward.
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GENERAL RELEVANCE OF PHILOSOPHY TODAY
"What Can You Do with Philosophy? What Can You Do Without It!" Introduction 1.a) Many students do not understand the importance of philosophy today and especially in the business world. They think that philosophy should be convened to those who are studying philosophical studies if you are becoming philosophers. It is generally seen as irrelevant and has no value in some universities and especially in some subjects. b) The purpose of this section is to explain to the students the relevance of philosophy in all spheres of human life, in the university studies and indeed in business, art, law and politics. That is why in well known world universities philosophy is taken as a basic common cause or an elective to those who are studying most of the programmes including engineering and physics. c) Infact at the end of this unit of philosophy the student will understand that philosophy is the mother of all subjects including chemistry, engineering, mathematics etc.
Julie Van Camp, one of the contemporary philosophers is convinced that philosophy is relevant in our modern world for more than before. She puts conviction in this manner; The question is not, "What can you do with philosophy?" rather, “The question is "what can you do without it?" According According to her what, philosopher/ philosopher/mathematicia mathematician n , Bertrand Russell's wrote in his book, Principia Mathematica gives relevance to philosophy because Julie Van Camp held that saw in Principia Mathematica as the work which made possible today's computers because this work developed the groundwork for a digital language. The work by physicists on lasers was once maligned for being useless. It took decades for the endless applications and practical value of laser technology to become clear. 2. Applied and theoretical work (philosophical pursuit) In order to do good "applied" work we must first do good theoretical work. The advances in the applications of philosophy in recent decades - in medical ethics, business ethics, and so on - are possible only by building upon solid theoretical work in philosophy.
This dependence of good applied work on theoretical, "pure" research is true in all disciplines - the sciences, the humanities, mathematics. 3. Seeming marginalization of philosophy today; a concern Julie Van Camp who is a philosopher of Art and Law is very concerned like many philosophers today concern about what appears to be an increasing marginalization of philosophy as a discipline within the academy (Elitist fields of study). 22
She was alarmed, as some of the philosophers were, with with the article in the Los Angeles Times about the job hunting travails of undergraduate philosophy majors at the University of California, Irvine. After studying a discipline once considered to be the queen of the sciences (philosophy) or perhaps, the sovereign - these students were greeted with laughter upon telling prospective employers their majors. We all know that philosophy - as with the other humanities disciplines - is intense training in; how to think, how to reason, how to put together good arguments, how to analyze alternatives, how to speak and write and think clearly. • • • • •
Why doesn't the rest of the world understand that? Why don’t the students of business, engineering, IT, Telecommunication, Pure Science also understand this in our modern world, do they think that positive experimental sciences has taken the role of philosophy and therefore rendering its irrelevant? Philosophy should not be fenced or sandwiched in by positive scientists. Just because it ask questions pertaining wisdom, and the ultimate course of all things while empirical sciences is interested with what you can make use and bring a difference in people lives like putting a satellite on the moon, on in the galaxy to facilitate better communication and communication skills, electronic and print media (news of the world), making aeroplanes, vehicles, mobile phones etc. While we agree that positive experimental sciences have developed humankind in the last two centuries e.g. medicine, farming and industries, one cannot conclude that philosophical thinking belongs to the past and has no relevance to mankind today. The questions of explaining the course of things and their end, the meaning of life, the importance of moral and ethical behaviour and what brings man true happiness still persist in our world today. That is why philosophy is yet to be rediscovered by those who think that it has been overtaken by empirical sciences 4. The means does not justify the end It's easy to blame that prospective employer –a serial killer, corrupt businessman, an economic gangster, a drug baron, a dictator, a barbarian, a technocrat. But we must ask ourselves how he got that way - and how so many other citizens got that way.
The fear of some philosophers (which is a positive fear) is that philosophy will go the way of classics, Greek and Latin. Once at the heart of a liberal arts education, they now rarely even have the status of a department, and are not taught at all at many schools and Universities. 5. Liberal Arts and Positive Sciences The concern is; an warranted war between empirical sciences and liberal arts. Professor Wanjohi has written many books on Philosophy and liberal Arts, he has also written many articles on warranted fear of these perspectives of study. His conviction is that such a fear should not exist because liberal Arts has something to give to empirical sciences and vise versa.
We must not be complacent. Philosophy departments are too easily merged with religion, history, or worse - amorphous "humanities" departments. These are tight fiscal times - and we can assume 23
this will be a permanent fact of life as the state shifts its priorities to building more prisons at the expense of education.
6. The struggle continues The responsibility for avoiding the fate of classics lies with those of us in philosophy. We must ensure that the rest of the academy understands the importance of what we do as much as we do. This is our responsibility. How do we meet that responsibility? Philosophy can enrich all the disciplines at the university, but it is our responsibility to show them this eternal truth. 7. Philosophy is vital to all especially to Businessmen and Lawyers We are better qualified than anybody else in the university to teach aspiring lawyers, and business people, and doctors, and nurses how to approach ethical problems in their chosen careers. We must not abdicate that challenge to others who toss around words like "values" without having the foggiest idea what they are talking about. 8. Philosophy and its roles in the University We are better qualified than anybody else in the university to teach aspiring artists and musicians and dancers how to talk about the nature of art and the meaning of the word "good" as it is used to evaluate art. We must not abdicate that challenge to others who toss around words like "philosophy" and "theory" and "values" without having the foggiest idea what they are talking about. We are better qualified than anybody else in the university to teach aspiring scientists and engineers and mathematicians how to think about the ethical dilemmas they face in their careers and to think about the nature of the reality they are exploring. We must not abdicate that challenge. 9. Philosophers should stand their grounds firmly without fear It is not enough for us to say that our department is listed in the campus phone books and if somebody has an ethical question, we'll answer the phone. If we are nothing but a bargainbasement "answer line" we have abdicated our responsibilities. It is not enough for us to say that those students can come to us - our courses are listed in the catalog. Not if we want to avoid the near-extinction of classics and Latin and Greek. 10. One good example of a man who took the challenge If we look at the greatest practitioners in all the various specialties in the academy - art, music, science - we see that they do not sit complacently in their laboratories and their offices and their rehearsal halls and wait for the world to come to them. The great composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was a tireless salesman for the importance of the arts in the lives of every citizen. He lobbied constantly before Congress and state legislatures; he gave generously of his time to speak on the importance of art education in the schools. 11. Legendary dancer Jacques d'Amboise, the legendary dancer for George Balanchine, has extended himself continuously into the public sphere - teaching in the public schools, lobbying the Congress, constantly speaking out, reaching out about the importance of art in the lives of ordinary people. The late and pre-eminently great choreographer Agnes de Mille did likewise - writing, testifying, lecturing about the art form she cherished. 12. Scientists-Steven Hawking 24
In the sciences, think of the enormous public impact of some of our greatest scientists - the physicist Steven Hawking, the astronomer Carl Sagan. They ventured out of the academy to show all of us how their theoretical work enrich all of us. It is fashionable, it seems, to scoff at so-called public scholars - the scholars who are interviewed on CNN or who write editorial columns or write books that real people can understand. This is a shortsighted death knell for the disciplines we love and care about. 13. Philosophers are the only ones who can return to its rightful place So this is a plea to all of us in philosophy and in the humanities generally. If we believe in the importance of what we are doing - and (every student of philosophy should believe that) - then let us not sit back and complain that people don't appreciate us. Let us take responsibility ourselves. Let us reach out to the university and the community and show them just how much we have to offer them. The basic points of relevance of philosophy , a modern business professional in a corporation could gain from those points in his profession today. •
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Because every discipline whether economic, commerce, Law, technology, information technology must have elements of argumentation, logical order and clarity, meaning and application which philosophy studies should embrace philosophy in its courses. Philosophy can provide and enhance these disciplines with its method of systematic search and articulation of ideas. When a student is well grounded in philosophy he/she will get the skills of articulating issues in a coherent and a systematic manner. This is needed especially by students of commerce/business, administration, marketing and medicine because specialists need to articulate in a coherent way how their area of study has value to society and the individual in contemporary work. Counselling is another subject which has great value in our times and should gain from philosophy. Philosophy will help scientists and cause them to present their research findings to the ordinary person using a language which is well systematized and logical in such a way that an ordinary person can appreciate their knowledge and benefit from it.
Discussion Questions 1. In your considered view explain the role that philosophy and critical thinking can assist the realization and sustainability of Kenya’s vision 2030 and Millennium Development Goals.
2. a) Discuss the positive and negative aspects of logic and fallacies in the following professions: i) Lawyers iii) iii) Scie Scient ntis ists ts ii) ii) Poli Politi tici cian ans s iv) Corporat Corporate e leader/ leader/busi busines nessmen smen v) Lecture Lecturers/p rs/profe rofessor ssors s in Universit University y teaching teaching b) Show how logic can be useful in social interactions of students and the general public in every day life. 3. Explain the following ethical concepts i) Ethics and morals etymologically ii) Virtues (giving examples) 25
iii) Vices (giving examples) 4. Compare and contrast any of the four branches of philosophy showing their relevance in the modern world which is denominated by Information and Computer Technology.
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CHAPTER 4: HISTORICAL CRITICAL INTRODUCTION OF PHILOSOPHY; FROM MYTHICAL CONSCIOUS OF ANCIENT GREEKS TO CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY; IMPACT OF DISCIPLINE ON GEMEINDESCHAFT (COMMUNITY) AND GESSELLSCHAFT (SOCIETY) A. HISTOR HISTORY Y OF PHIL PHILOSO OSOPHY PHY:: 1. THE FOUR PERIODS/EPOCHS The history of philosophy is divided into four periods/epochs as follows;
A. B. C. D.
Ancient Philoso Philosophy-from phy-from 600 BC to 600 600 AD th Middle Ages- from 700 AD- 16 Ct BC Modern philosophy from 17 th Ct to 19th Century Contemporary Contemporary philosophyphilosophy- from from 19th Century up to date date
2. 1ST PERIOD: ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY FROM MYTHICAL CONSCIOUSNESS TO FORMAL PHILOSOPHY A. PRELIMINARY REMARKS 1. When we look at the earliest writings from around the globe, we find that various regions had their own speculative traditions- such as those East Asia, the Indian sub content, the Middle East, and Africa. 2. The story of Western Philosophy begins in a series of Greek islands and colonies during the Century BC. The Ancient thinkers, called Sages/or wise men were concerned with such many questions in their desire to know and explain the world before them. Examples of such questions are: • How was the world formed? • What are things really like? • How can we explain the process of change in things? • Is there a world beyond the earthly, one surrounding them? • Is man unique among the animals? • What is the ultimate cause of all things? • What is common in everything? Etc 3. The solutions they gave to these puzzles were shortly thereafter dubbed “philosophy”, the love of wisdom. Appearance often differs from reality. There are brute facts of birth, death, growth and decay coming into being and passing away. These events puzzled the Greek and they sought explanations. B. MYTHICAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN HOMER HESOID’S TIMES Earlier, lonia had produced Homer, 700BC, Author of the Iliad and odyssey. He was a great poet. In these poetic times, Homer describes the scene of mount Olympus, where the gods pursued lives quite similar to that of their human counterparts on earth.
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This poetic view of the world also depicted ways in which the gods intruded into people; affairs. In particular the Homeric gods would punish the people for their lack of moderation and especially for their pride or insubordination.
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It is not that homer gods were exceptionally moral beings. Instead, they were merely stranger than homers and demanded obedience. They were immoral as human were but humans were worse according to the Greek mythical consciousness. Homer suggests that there is a power called f to which the gods are subject; and to which everything else must be subordinate. It was Hesiod (living the same time with Homer), who altered this concept of the gods and fate. He thus removed from gods, all capriciousness and inscribes in them a moral consistency. The moral order is still the product of a Zews. He commands the universe a moral order without any reference to the gods.
Hellas (Greece) As it has has been proven, proven, the earliest earliest thinkers of of Hellas among among the Greeks Greeks were were poets, poets, the interpreters of traditional Religions Myth Makers: like Homer and Hesiod and sometimes prophets like Epi-menides of Cnossos who purified Athens from pestilence by erecting alters to unnamed divinities, were renown wise men. Greek philosophy, as Aristotle later showed started with Thales of Miletes. •
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C. THE SEVEN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS AND THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE CAUSE 1. THALES FROM MILETUS (624-54 6 BC)-WA TER a) Nature of things Thales asked questions: - - What is everything made of? - Or what kind of stuff goes into the composition of things? By things, he referred to the earth, clouds, oceans etc from time to time, some of these things change into something else, and yet they still resemble each other in certain ways. b) One and the Many Thales unique contribution to thought was his notion that, inspite of the differences between things, there is nevertheless a basic similarity between them all. The many are related to each other by one. He assumed that some single element, some stuff’, a stuff which contained its own principle of action or change lay the foundation of all physical reality is in all things. To him, the one, the stuff water. That is to say for Thales, water is the cause of all things. c) His conclusion Influenced by the traditional myths which derived all things from the primordial waters and arguing from the fact that germ of animal life is moist he concluded that water is the sole substance, preserving its identity through the transformation of bodies. Water is the origin of the nature of moist things.
d) Thales greatness is raising the question of the nature of the world universe This question acts the stage for a new kind and inquiry. With that starting point, others were to
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follow with alternative solutions, but always with Thales problem before them (for Heraclitus 540575 BC) this substance was FIRE. 2. ANAXIMANDER OF MILETUS (610-547 BC)-BOUNDLESS/INFINITE a) He was the pupil of Thales. He agreed with Thales that there is some single stuff out of which everybody comes.
b) Unlike him however, Anaximander said that this basic stuff is neither water nor any other specific element. Water is only one specific thing among many other elements. i) Indefinite or boundless Realm According According to Anaximander, Anaximander, the primary (sit which which all specific specific things come, is an an indefinite indefinite or boundless realm. This is indefinite boundless. The source of things is indeterminate. ii) Where as actual things are specific, their source is indeterminate, and whereas things are finite, their original stuff is infinite or boundless. iii) Origin of things and human Life Turning to the origin of human life, Anaximander said that life comes from the sea and that in the course of time; living things come out of the sea to dry land. He suggested that people evolved from creature of a different kind (fishes). He argued followed from the fact that other creatures are quickly self supporting, where humans alone need prolonged nursing and that therefore we would not have survived if this had been our original form. Man was formed within the bodies of fishes where he developed being ejected as soon as he became sufficiently large to provide for himself. 3. ANAXIMENES (585-528 BC) -AIR i) The third and last of the Milesian philosophers was Anaximenes who was a young associate of Anaximander Anaximander in answer answer to question question concernin concerning g the composition composition of natural natural things things but was dissatisfied with it. ii) For him, the boundless and infinite had not specific meaning. He chose to focus upon a defmite substance as Thales did (not something vague) iii) Attempting to meditate between Thales and Anaximander, he designed air as the primary substance from which things come. It is the root of all things. We live only as we can breath, air holds us together. Air is spread everywhere although unlike the boundless, it is specific and tangible material substance that can be identified. iv) Quality and Quantity He introduced the import new idea that differences in quality are caused by differences in quantity. v) The expansion and contraction of air represent quantities changes, and these changes accruing in a single substance account for the variety of different things that we see in the world around us. Expansion of air causes warming, while condensation cooling and transformation of air into solids by the way of gradual transients. The greatest time greeted condensation is to be found in stones. NB: the greatness of the Milesian school of thought is that they raised the question about the ultimate nature of things.
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4. PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS (5 72-509) (OF THE ITALIAN SCHOOL)-NUMBERS • He was the founder of philosophic society of a religious and political character which held the rein of government to several cities of magna Graecie (Southern Italy).
• This school understood that there existed realities of a higher order than those perceived by the senses. But it was the study of numbers that he had arrives at the knowledge of these invisible realities, whose immutable order dominated and determined the process of becoming and hence forward, he had understanding only in numbers. • He taught that numbers by which harmony is related in our senses- are the soul true reality, and regarded them as the very existence of things. He was conversant with oriental astromonary. •
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And by his his fundamental fundamental discovery discovery of of the relationship relationship between between pitch pitch of sounds sounds and the length length of vibrating strings, he reduced to the rigidly of numerical a phenomenon like sound. He passed from the sign to the cause and made symbol the principle of reality. Every essence is a number. The number 4 is not only the essence of Justice but constitutes the essence of justice. Number three constitute Holiness 7, times 8, harmony 5, the union of the sexes- 10 perfection. Pythagoras was however not able to arrive at the formal cause-whose full dedication was reserved to Aristotle alone.
• It is to Pythagoras, as we have noted that we awe the “philosophy” love of wisdom He said; “Human life can be compared to the public games, which attract all sorts of men. Some came to complete for honor and crown of victory, other to trade, others, the noble sort, solely for the enjoyment of the spectable. Similarly in life, some work for honor, others for profit, a few for the truth alone, they are the philosophers” • He was the first to call the universe cosmos (KO’ 5MOS), which like Latin mundus, convey the idea of beauty and harmony. 5. HERACLITUS OF EPHESUS 540 — 475 BC. - CHANGE He was a lonely and proud genius who despised the multitude and popular region. He advanced from Jonian philosophers and came out with reality of change or becoming. His vision was so fixed on the change which things undergo that he declares that change alone is real.
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All things things are in a flux and men men are fools fools to trust in the stability stability of their their false happiness happiness when when they are born, they wish to live and to meet their doom- or rather to rest- and they leave children behind them to meet their doom in turn”. We do not touch the same thing twice nor the twice in the same river.
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The very moment we touch an object it has already ceased to be what it was before. What exists changes from the very fact of its existence? We step, but not step in the same river; we are and not. Moreover, contraries must be pronouns identical. The sea is the purest and impure water good and evil are one.
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Heraclites said that you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find truth for it is hard to be sought out and difficult.
Heraclites is therefore the philosopher of evolution and becoming. 6. PERMENIDES 510 BC-BEING Born at Elea, the Great Permenides, as Plato called him, was the real founder of the Eleatic School.
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Transcending the world of sensible phenomena and even that of mathematical forms or essences and numbers, he attained to what are things which are kindly and strictly the object of the intellect that things exist, their being.
The notion of being thus abstracted impressed Parmenides so powerfully that it fascinated him. As his contempora contemporary, ry, Heraclites Heraclites was a slave of change, change, Parmenides Parmenides was was a slave slave being. He He had eyes for one thing alone; what is, and cannot be.
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Being is, non being is not, Permenides was thus the first philosopher who obstructed and formulated the principle of identity or non-contradiction, the first principle of all thought. And as he contemplated contemplated pure pure being, being, he perceived perceived that that this being being is completely completely one, one, absolute immutable eternal without becoming, incorruptible indivisible, whole and entire in its unity, in everything equal to itself, infinite and containing in itself every perfection.
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He therefore discovered the attribute of him who is. He however denied the existence in the universe of change and multiplicity. Change becoming, as also the diversity of things, are but an allusory appearance There existed only being, the One. It was in defense of Parmenides doctrine of the impossibility of change that his disciple Zeno of Elea (487) composed his famous argument, by which he claimed to prove that the very concept of movement is itself— contradictory.
Thus, Permenides, reaching the opposite pole to Heraclitus fixed as he did, once and for all one of the extreme limits of speculation and error proved that every philosophy of pure being, for the very reason that it denies that kind of non being, which Aristotle termed potentially, and which necessarily belongs to everything created, is obliged to abstract all being and leads therefore to monism or pantheism no less inevitably than philosophy of becoming.
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7. DEMOCRITUS OF ABDERA (470-361 BC)-Flux He attempted to discover the flux of sensible phenomena, a permanent and unchangeable o element. But in his search, he made use of his imagination.
Therefore, the only reality he would recognize was something which though it is inaccessible to the senses, can nevertheless be apprehended by imagination, namely PURE GEOMETRICAL QUANTITY as such which is stripped of all qualities (colourless scentless, tasteless etc). It possessed solely of extension in three dimensions of space.
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Democritus found the explanation of everything in the PLANUM, which he identified with BEING and the VOID, identified with non entity.
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The Plenum was divided into indivisible parts of extensions (ATOMS), which were separated one from another, by the void and in a state of everlasting motion, and differed only in shape, order and position. He attributed the order of the universe and the structure of individual beings, to the blind o necessity of chance. o
Democritus introduced into Greek philosophy the doctrine of ATOMISM and more generally termed mechanical, which raises geometry to the position of metaphysics, and reduces everything to extension and motion.
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This doctrine professes to explain the organization of the universe by a host of fortuitous coincidences. In this sense the Parthenon could be explained as a result of throwing stones one on o another during an indefinite term of years. Question: How did Atomistic idea influence later thinkers, especially scientists? o
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: THE FOUR PERIODS/EPOCHS P ERIODS/EPOCHS The history of philosophy is divided into four periods/epochs as follows; A. Ancient Philosophy-from 600 BC to 600 AD Main Philosopher-Aristotle-(384-322BC) His contribution - He synthesized the efforts of all the pre-Socratic, Socratics, and platonic philosophers in looking for the ultimate causes of reality (4 causes) Doctrine of cause Aristotle went further further and elaborate elaborates s his doctrine doctrine of CAUSE CAUSE in for for ways. •
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In his physics and more in his metaphysics, Aristotle has elaborated his doctrine of causality. According According to Aristotle, Aristotle, everything everything that that happens happens has a cause cause that that explains explains its origin, origin, and its end and the manner of its coming to be. Everything that comes to be is due to a cause.
Four Causes • Aristotle distinguishes four types of causes. Each cause can briefly be defined as follows: a) Material cause : it is that matter out of which something is made; it is the intrinsic constitutive element of something (e.g., the wood of the statue) b) Formal Cause: it is the form or shape of something; its essence to be what it is (the shape of the statue) Material cause (Wood) Thales in act who brings about the change (the sculptor who makes the c) Efficient Cause : it is the being Anaximenes statue) Formal Cause Final Cause d) Final Cause : it is that fur the sake of which the change takes place. It is what constitutes the shape Purpose (Most important cause perfection of the being (in the case of the statue, this is the purpose for which the statue was -Hieraclitus -Permenindes made) - Pythagoras - Plato 32 Efficient Cause NB: What is written here in relation to the wood The Sculptor - Anaximandes
Aristotle regards regards the the final cause cause as the the most important important of of all cause cause as all the the other cause cause are ultimately founded on the final cause.
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The notion of the ultimate causes is the concern of the human beings in all cultures. Even today’s science and technologies is concerned with the concern of worth which every scholar should ingrain in areas of specialization.
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B. Middle Ages- from 700 AD- 16 th Ct BC One Main Philosopher- Thomas Aquinas Bringing/incorporating the Aristotelian thought into the West to serve his theological purposes o (faith and/religion) Faith needs real reason in order to be well articulated. o He also presented five proofs of the existence of God. o Grace does not destroy nature. o o Thomas also maintained that the grace of God does not destroy nature in the salvation of man rather, Grace builds on nature of the human being,, elevating it so that man is able to move towards his final end that is heaven. Here Thomas is utilizing Aristotelian philosophy of the being and its final end. Aristotle had o maintained that every being has an end and it moves toward the end in order to fulfill itself. Thomas Aquinas made the church in the West to include philosophy while doing theology. Infact philosophy was referred to as Achilla Theologia, branch of theology in the Latin Catholic church. C. Modern philosophy from 17” Ct to 19 th Century Main Philosopher Immanuel Kant-(1724-1804) • A German idealist (in the 18 th century) who revolutionalised the notion of knowledge or epistemology by saying that the human mind is the one that determines knowledge and not the knowing subject itself.
• To the questions; how do we know about the world? What is the nature of the world? Kant said that we must first give a critique of our faculties. • He asks, what it is possible for any mind like human mind to know? Hence his philosophy is often called the critique philosophy or Critique of Pure reason. • Kant also tried to derive morality from reason alone, and to elaborate a notion of the self compatible with our position of free will. D. Contemporary philosophy- from 19th Century up to date Main philosopher: Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
This period had many schools of thought and founders. We shall explain the process thought. Whitehead was was an Englishman, Englishman, born born in Kent, Kent, England England in 1861 1861 and died died on 30th 30th Dec o A.N. Whitehead 1947. o
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His process thought was basically influenced by the collapse of Newtonian physics and secondly by the Heraclitus, a Greek Ancient philosopher who argued that things are a flux, and that change is the basic constituent in all things. One cannot cross the same river twice because the second time him and the river will have changed according to Heraclitus. The genesis of Whitehead’s process philosophy may be attributed to his having witnessed the shocking collapse of Newtonian physics, due mainly to Albert Einstein’s work.
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Indebted as he was to Henri Bergson’s philosophy of change, Whitehead was also a Platonist who “saw the definite character of events as due to the “ingression” of timeless entities.” •
His article; Process and Reality is famous for its defense of theism, although Whitehead’s God differs essentially from the revealed God of Abrahamic religions who is a changeless infinite substance. •
Whitehead believed the starting point of his philosophy was the fl of Heraclitus modified and supplemented by the thought of Aristotle’s notion of being moving towards its own end.
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According to Aristotle Aristotle and his followers, followers, every being being has an an end and and moving towards towards that that end. •
Whitehead did not see himself as a process philosopher but believed he was updating Heraclitus in the light of the mathematics and mathematical philosophers of his time. The key lecture is reproduced in Process and Reality.
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Using the concept that “all things flow” as the starting point for a “metaphysics of ’flux”, which he sees as implicit to various degrees in the philosophies of John Locke, David Hume and Immanuel Kant (but not Hegel), Whitehead does not present it as a mutually exclusive alternative to the “metaphysics of ‘substance’” but as complementary.
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Process of transforming “alien” entities into “data” for a new concrescence is termed a “feeling.” •
The community of actual things is an organism but it is not a static organism. It is an incompletion in process of production.
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Unlike the perennial substance philosophers, Whitehead took a stand against the changelessness of things. Things change and even the infinite God changes in the process of being and becoming. •
The process thought as explained by Whitehead was antiquity requested by many perennial substance philosophers.
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SUMMARY AND RELEVANCE OF PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS a) Summary
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The genesis or origin of Western philosophical thinking, the issues raised at the time and their relevance. • Western Philosophical thinking originated from Greek mythical consciousness (Homeric Literature and Greek Mythological tales of Hesiod) to philosophical explanation of reality. • The first philosophers were from Miletus (Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes- 6th C+BCE and Pythagoras from Somos who later migrated to Greek colony in southern Italy) • Their main issue was the ultimate constituent of realities. The four pointed material reality as the final constituents of things thus; i) Thales- Water ii) Anaximander- indefinite or boundless realm iii) Anaxemenes- Air iv) Pythagoras —Numbers. The main philosophical issues raised here by these early sages were: • What is the common element in all things? And what differentiates them? This is the future question of one and many differentiated realities (the problem of One and Many philosophy) • There is also being and beings. • The other question raised is that of causes which Aristotle will later raise in his doctrine of this four causes namely: • Another issue raised was that of being and Change, and multiplicity of things. This was raise during the debate between Permenendes (being) and Hieraclitus (change) Diagrammatic illustration of the four Causes Material cause Thales Anaximenes
Formal Cause -Hieraclitus
Final Cause -Permenindes - Pythagoras - Plato
NB: Matter Matter and form Being, Being, and concept concept of being Efficient Cause b) Relevance - Anaximandes - How the answers to the ultimate causes of things by Pre.-Socratic Philosophers is relevant to the contemporary society
philosophical attempt attempt as seen seen with the the Pre-Socratic Pre-Socratic philosophe philosophers rs give us, rational rational beings - A philosophical the tendency and attitude to always question and look for the foundation of the ultimate cause of realities.
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- This include the articulation of foundation of policies in Government, development and economic, vision, e.g. like vision 2030, millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We have here actual articulation foundation. - The same question also leads us to search for meaning in our various discoveries or import issues. These issues include allowing G.M.O or embryonic, cloning etc in our lifestyle while we actually do not evaluate even what would mean to us and our future generation/posterity. - Philosophical disclosure would articulate the ultimate meaning of such important life issues which come as a result of scientific development and research. - The question here is: can man do what he is able to do (in science...)? This reasoning would be similar to the preoccupation of the Milesan, lonion and Eliatic philosophers at the beginning of Greek Philosophical thought.
SOPHISM/ SOPHISTS 1. Sophism: Gk., Sophisma, “skillful act”, “a clever device”, “a sly trick”, “a captious argument,” a Quibble” ,”“a FALLACY” A specious specious and subtle subtle argument, argument, usually usually presented presented as a formal argument, argument, that that is intended intended to deceive and/or mislead. 2. Sophistes: Gk ., “a master of one’s craft or art,” one adept at doing (or teaching) something”. Used synonymously with the Greek word phronimos, “one who is clever in matters of life,” and with sophos, “a wise man” In Athens, “sophists” were used specifically to refer to a Sophist (a professor, a teacher) who taught grammar, Rhetoric, Political affairs, logic, law, mathematics literary and linguistic analysis. At first the Sophists were held in high respect. For a variety of reasons they fell into ill repute and the word Sophists came to mean “a cheat” or “a quibbler” (or both) 3. Sophistic a) Used to refer to an argument that is fallaciously subtle and clever and that is intended to deceive and/or mislead. b) Sometimes used synonymously with Eristic. Aristotle distinguished between sophistic and eristic arguments on the basis that sophistic arguments are engaged in for a fee and eristic arguments merely for this victory
4. Sophistry a) Showy in and intentionally fallacious reasoning in order to deceive, to mislead, to persuade, or to defend a point regardless of its value or truth. b) Disputation for the sake of disputation c) The techniques, teachings, and practices of the Sophists, especially as they engage in (a) and (b) 5. Sophists: Itinerant professors (teachers, philosophers) of ancient Greece who lived during the fourth and fifth centuries BC. Among the most important names: Protagoras of Abdera (c 481 to c 411 BC), Gorgias of Leontini (c 485 to c 380 BC), Prodicus of Ceos (probably born before 460 BC, death 36
date unknown but probably after 399 BC), Hippias of Elis (probably born before 460 BC, death date unknown),, Antiphon of Athens (c. 480-411 BC), Thrasymachus of Chalcedon (dates unknown but alive during the time of Socrates. The Sophists are said to have taught for a fee (which in the opinion of Socrates was an evil thing to do, since if anyone had something good and true to teach people he should feel it his duty to communicate it without pay). They taught a variety of subjects: grammar, rhetoric, the art of persuasion, the art of defending oneself in court, political affairs, moral conduct, logic, legal principles, mathematics, natural sciences, literary criticism, and linguistic analysis. They taught whatever one wanted to learn. They generally seemed to be interested in teaching the art of how to improve oneself and succeed in life. The Sophists fell into ill repute in the eyes of other philosophers. They were regarded as eloquent but captious and fallacious reasoners, as adroit at specious reasoning, as logic choppers, as appealing to and taking advantage of popular trends and wishes for their own monetary gain, as telling people what they wanted to hear, as teachers of persuasion and verbal manipulation of others, as being interested not in the attainment of truth but in how to defend any argument whatever, as teaching that victory in argumentation at whatever cost, outwitting opponents, is the sole aim of disputation no matter how bad the argument, as being able to make the worse appear the better and the better appears worse. Some of the main ideas of the Sophists; a) The relatively of sense perception : The individual is the measure of all things. Things are as one says they are and see them as being. b) The relatively of knowledge; Knowledge and truth are relative to the social , cultural and unique personal predispositions of the individual. There is no absolute truth. c) The denial of knowledge of any ultimate reality behind our sensations ; the natural world can only be known in terms of those sensations that appear to our consciousness. There is no reality such as a WORLD SOUL or universal mind behind the phenomena as they appear to and are interpreted by our sensations and perceptions.
d) Empiricism; all knowledge is ultimately based on our direct and immediate experiences as they occur to us in consciousness. SOCRATES Birth •
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Socrates (469-399 BC) was an Athenian citizen who spent his time in arguments and taught philosophy to the youths, without. In reality Socrates waged war against Sophists and opposed them at every point. The Sophists had claimed to know everything and did not pursue the truth for its own sake. Socrates professed Ignorance and taught his hears to seek nothing but the truth. He thus reformed philosophical reasoning and directed it to the truth which was the goal of ancient thinker before the sophists. 37
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Socrates composed himself as a gadfly sent to sting the Athenian awake and lead them to use their reason to examine their conscience. The businesses of Socrates were to make the Athenian think; Sapere aude, clear to think for yourself and don’t accept things or believes simply because they are held by others or as a result of a tradition.
2. Starting point of philosophy Socrates is considered by many thinkers as the starting point in the study of philosophical o thought. o
This is a cause he raised philosophy from exclusive occupation with physical matter (Thales and anaxamander etc) like (water, air and fir) to the study of human nature and human activities which contain a spiritual element or a higher order altogether than the stars or the entire universe of matter ( see Jack Martian —Introduction to philosophy)
3. Socratic philosophical Method Socrates regarded himself as a midwife (Maieutria) using this method to assist in the birth of ideas already formed and carried (impregnated) in the mind the nature of human beings Main features Some of the main in features in Socrates distinctive use of this method are the following:
and analytic analytic discussion discussion leading leading to an intense intense self-examina self-examination tion on the the meanings meanings 1. A highly critical and and implications of one’s ideas and on the other person who is part of a group (members of the group ask and answer questions and may occasionally take the leading part) 2. It is wrong to accept beliefs, merely on the ground that are accepted by one’s group, are handed down by tradition, or are part of a body of knowledge. The only foundation of knowledge is that which can withstand the scrutiny of rational inquiry. 3. The leader (Socrates) serves as the gadfly. With Socrates’ probing examination of another person’s beliefs it becomes evident; a) that the meanings of the concepts being discussed (such as piety, justice, virtue, good, or courage) are unclear, confused and untrue b) that these meanings have no rational justification or consistency c) That the beliefs and conduct based on they lead to irrational thought and to irrational behaviour. 4. The main person in the conversation (discussion, dialogue) claims expert knowledge of the subject matter to be discussed.
Socrates asks questions, initially short and simple, to which he prefers short and simple answers. These answers present a series of interrelated statements from which Socrates draws absurdities inconsistencies, and conclusions that are in opposition to the original confident assertions and that serve to indicate the conceit of the person who has dogmatically asserted knowledge of the topic being discussed. (it appears that the result, if not the aim, of Socratic dialetic is not only to show that the person cannot rationally just in his knowledge claims, but that he really does not know what he is talking about, he does not know truth, that he is, if that he will only stop to admit it,
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intellectually conceited and overly confident about something he thinks he knows but really does not) 5. Once the embarrassment is resolved about not having a real grasp of the concepts being discussed-once humility is established-then the serious task is undertaken of beginning to philosophically construct an adequate and acceptable rational foundation for the concept by means of asking and answering a series of question, and by means of denying and assenting to ideas as they are presented, until better knowledge is reached. 6. the principal controlling pattern of this process of question/answer, denial/acceptance to points as they are brought up is that, the knowledge obtained must conform to the general categories (forms, values) of good, s beauty and truth-none of which for Socrates could ever exist alone. 7. Thus Socratic Method or dialectic is a continuing quest for truth by constant critical analysis, interrogation, self-examination and further analysis, questioning, and self-examination.
The concern is to uncover truth no matter how hurtful it might appear to us in the beginning. Socratic Method is the persistent tendency to follow aratiQn1 argument thought to its conclusion regardless of what that conclusion is Of course; the Socratic assumption is that if that conclusion were completely rational it would conform to the good, beautiful, and true, since the good, beautiful, and true are truly rational. 4. His Trial Socrates was tried, condemned to death an d executed in 399 BC by his fellow country men o and political leaders o Because the Athenian government accused him of impiety and of corrupting the youth of his day. Accusation • Bertrand Russell, a German modern philosopher gives the account of the Athenian charges against Socrates ‘Socrates is an evil-doer and a curious person, searching for things under the earth and above the heavens, and making the worse appear the better cause, and teaching this to others” –especially the youth of Athens) (See B. Russell- A history of Western Philosophy pg 84) • Certainly Socrates in that apology is depicted as: A self-confident self-confident man man who is also different different to world world success, success, and with with a strong strong conviction conviction that clear thinking is the most important requisite of right living. •
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He believed that knowledge is virtue and virtue is happiness.
Socrates argued that the man who knows nothing is wiser than he who thinks he knows something or everything. The former will seek knowledge, while the later will be content, as a result of the will be ignorant since he did not bother to gain knowledge.
5. Socrates Defence The concept of corruption has been understood to mean “warping people’s lives, especially the young by leading them into evil ways”
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Socrates fell out with the powers of Athens charged with corrupting the youth. He eloquently defended himself in these bold words; “Men of Athens, this reputation of mine has resulted from nothing but a certain wisdom I possess ……Also young men of the richer classes, who have not much to do, follow me around of their own accord; they like to hear people cross-examined, and they often imitate me, proceeding to some cross-examining of their own, there are plenty of people, as they soon discover who think that they know something but really know little or nothing and those examined by them, instead of being angry with themselves, are angry with me “this damned Socrates ,“they say, villainous misleader of the youth” and should someone ask them, “why, how does he misleads them?” what evil does he practice or teach? ‘they do not know and cannot tell, but so as not to appear to be at a loss, they are ready to make charges against all philosophers, about how they teach think in the clouds and under the earth, and have no gods and make the worse argument appear the better. People who do not like to admit the truth are opposed as pretending to possess knowledge while knowing nothing infact”
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Today, progressive thinkers no longer accept that anyone can corrupt by empowering others (even the youth) with critical thinking and logic (See Plato, Apology; Selected Dialogue No 23) •
Socrates left no writings of his philosophical works. His philosophy was preserved by his left pupils, Plato. Socrates lived a life which revealed his integrity of character, his passion for truth and his nobility of mind. Like a midwife, Socrates gave birth to pursuit for true ideas or knowledge of the eternal principles of right conduct, virtues, society, government and the life of the spirit. He was always concerned with the question: •
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Question: What does it mean for man to be virtuous?” Ans: “To be virtuous virtuous is to know know what what is good good through critical critical and and philosophical philosophical reflection. reflection. •
NB: it is important that a student of Socrates be able to: - explain Socrates philosophical thought - demonstrate the difficulty of distinguishing; Socrates philosophy from Plato - show how the Socratic method of posing questions can be relevant to today both the classroom and developing projects of other people PLATO (427-347 BC) 1. Birth Plato, the pupil and intellectual heir of Socrates was born in Athens, Greece in 427 BC. • After his extensive extensive tour tour of the Greek empire empire (he was was far as Egypt and and learned learned greatly greatly from • the Egyptians civilization) he returned to his home town in Athens. Plato purchased the estate of a certain man called Academus. This where he built his school • which he named Academia-Academy-(after Academus) His father was of royal descent. HE was expected by his family to take up a political post but • he refused. HE had already come to know how the mighty can be corrupt, to the extent of executing his teacher and mentor Socrates Plato wanted to reign in intellectual domain of philosophy. •
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He was highly educated by his noble family He intern was the teacher of Aristotle. Plato spent his rime as a philosopher reconstructing Socrates doctrines and also going beyond it.
2. His His Phi Philo losop sophi hic c Task Task The philosophic tasks of Plato were to think though and complete the work begun his master Socrates, Plato therefore offered: i) A theory of Knowledge (Epistemolo (Epistemology gy i i) Theory of Conduct (Ethics) iii) iii) A the theor ory y of of Sta State te (po (poli liti tica cal) l) sci scien ence ce (in (in his his REP REPUB UBLI LIC) C) iv) iv) A the theo ory of Un Unive iverse (Co (Cosmolo mology gy))
Let us explain them one by one a) Plato’s Plato’s Theory Theory of Knowle Knowledge dge (Epis (Epistemo temolog logy) y) o He sought to comprehend knowledge in all its phases-physical, mental and moral-which must come from a complete understanding of the nature of world. o He argued that “if knowledge is derived from sense-perception, then the Sophists are right that there can be genuine knowledge” o He concluded that sense-perception does not reveal the true reality of things. o Genuine knowledge, he argued, is based on reason, not sense-perception or opinion o For Plato, if the idea is to have any value as knowledge, something real must correspond to it. o This is known as the correspondence theory of truth According to his theory, theory, if the the objects objects of our ideas were were real our our knowledge knowledge would would not be genuine o According knowledge. o The perceived by our senses is not the true world, its appearance or illusion o The true world is changeless and eternal b) Plato’s Theory of the State (Political Science) o Plato’s Republic (his book) is based on his ethics and provides for virtues, the highest good realized in human society. o The virtue of wisdom ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC) 1. Preamble (Aristotle-Philosopher per Excellence) a) His Starting Point Many writers on philosophy are in agreement that Aristotle, the philosopher’s radically different from his predecessors we have thus discussed namely; Socrates and Plato. Why? Because Aristotle distinguished himself in his scholarly achievement as being the first to write like a professional philosopher. How? All his writings are systematic, and unlike Socrates and Plato, Aristotle has indeed contributed enormously to physical science, literary criticism, metaphysics, physics and logic. And finally, finally, Aristotle Aristotle attempted attempted to overcome overcome the so called deficiencies deficiencies of his teacher, teacher, Plato.
b) His Background-His Birth 41
Aristotle Aristotle was born born in Meletus Meletus (no Athens), Athens), Fourteen Fourteen years years after after the death death of Socrates: Socrates: Plato’s Plato’s teacher. His father was a court physician to the king of Macedon. Aristotle Aristotle entered entered Plato’s academy academy in Athens at at the age of 18. Plato himself was 60 years old at that time. Aristotle Aristotle remained in the Academy Academy until until Plato’s Plato’s death.
c) As Tutor Tutor Of Alexander Alexander the Great Later on Aristotle became the tutor of the son of king of Macedon, a boy aged 13 who later became Alexander the Great. About 335BC, 335BC, Aristotle Aristotle returned returned to Athens and and founded founded his school. school. Twelve years later, he was threatened with persecution, so he went into exile. He died in 322 BC
2. His Contribution of in Philosophy a) Aristotle Theory of Ethics/Moral Ethics/Morality ity According According to Aristotle, Aristotle, the chief good good is Happiness. Happiness. What What is Happiness? Happiness? For Aristotle, Aristotle, happiness happiness is complete self-realization. It consists of contemplation of Truth. In his moral theory, Aristotle contends that the great good is not please but virtue which must be made a habit. A virtuous virtuous soul is a well-ordered well-ordered soul. soul. It is the the right relation relation which which exists exists between between reason and and desire. A rational attitude should be assumed towards bodily desires or appetites. Aristotle Aristotle maintained maintained that the virtuous must must obey obey or observe observe the PRINCIPL PRINCIPLE E OF THE GOLDEN GOLDEN RULE in conduct. This principle is a law of moderation, keeping the mean between two extremes. Aristotle, Aristotle, virtue is in the middle middle of the two extremes. extremes. Example Courage is the mean of: - Fool hardness (extreme of excess) and - Cowardice (extreme of deficiency) To face a fierce lion with a stake is foolhardiness (an extreme) and face a rat with several spears, knives etc is coward ness (the other extreme) According According to Aristotle Aristotle the intellect intellectual ual virtues aim at the attainment attainment of truth. The means for the attainment of truth are:
- Art - Science - Prudence - Wisdom - Initiative, and - Reason
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Onyango’s critique of Aristotle’s ethics His question: Aristotle doctrine of the mean provide an accurate analysis of the concepts of virtues? This is because; one could conceptualize virtue which do not lie between extremes eg: i) Is the there re any any midd middle le cou cours rse e betw betwee een n keep keeping ing a promi promise se and and not not kee keepin ping? g? Either one keeps a promise or one does not. ii) What What is the middle middle course course betwee between n talkin talking g the the truth truth and talking talking a lie? lie? Again either either on talks talks the truth truth when asked asked about about something something or one does not. not. According to Onyango, Onyango, the two two examples examples illustrate illustrate virtues which obey obey the Law Law of Excluded middle which is a variance with Aristotle, principle of the golden rule. If this criticism is correct, argues Onyango, Aristotle’s Principle of Golden mean is too narrow to do justice to the many different kinds of virtues man recognizes 1. But atleast Onyango accepts the principle in general. Even with Aristotle’s contribution the issues of human happiness remains a problem; it had also to be tackled by Hedomists and others in later years.
b) Aristotle Aristotle political political Philosoph Philosophy y According to Aristotle, Aristotle, social social life is the goal of the the human existence existence The state should produce virtue thereby producing good citizens. The constitution of the state must be adapted to the character and requirements of the people. Since individuals differ in ability, Aristotle contends, justice demands that they be treated according to these differences. In other words, for Aristotle, people of equal ability must be treated equally whereas people of unequal ability must be treated differently.
c) Aristotle’s Aristotle’s Science Science i) Logic Science in the strict sense of word is demonstrated knowledge of the casual reactions of things. The science now knows as logic called analytic by Aristotle, is fundamental to settings out condition to be observed in critical thinking in search of truth. The thrust of Aristotle’s logic is the syllogism. He was the first to formulate the logical theory of syllogism and deduction. Apart from from deductive deductive reasoning, reasoning, Aristotle Aristotle recognizes recognizes inductive inductive reasoning reasoning which involves reasoning from particular sense experience (things known to us) to the universal and necessary principles involved in sense experience (only to themselves)
ii) Physics According to Aristotle, Aristotle, physics physics is the science science of of what the the Greeks Greeks called Phusics Phusics or physics, a term translated to mean NATURE. In this physics, Aristotle discusses the principle of motion in several senses.
Biological Senses: The corn is potentially an oak. The corn by nature changes qualitatively and qualitatively into an oak tree. - Locomotive Sense: Motion in this sense fulfils what exists potentially when A moves relatively to B, B moves relatively to A and therefore, both A and B are in motion with respect to one another. For Aristotle, there is no sense in saying either A or B is in motion while the other is at rest. Therefore Aristotle argues motion in this sense is RELATIVE. Unmoved First Mover Aristotle’s Aristotle’s physics ends with with the discussion discussion on on unmoved unmoved first mover mover (God) in in connection with the Metaphysics which we shall now turn to for discussion. -
iii) Aristotle’s Aristotle’s Metaphysics Metaphysics The significance of Aristotle’s contribution to knowledge is registered most when it is understood that Aristotle came at the end of the creation period in the Greek thought. And after after his death, death, it took Two thousand years before the world produced any scholar who could be regarded as his equal in science as well as in philosophy. Betrand Russell has observed; “Aristotle, metaphysics, roughly speaking, may be described a Plato diluted by common sense. He is difficult because Plato and common sense do not mix easily” For Russell, Aristotle is setting forth platonism with a new understanding
iv) Aristotle Contributions Aristotle has has contributed contributed to the theory theory of universal universal which which in simple simple terms states states that: - there are proper names and there are also adjectives - there are proper names apply to things or persons each of which is the only thing or person to which the name refers eg: Oniango and Kenya are proper names which are unique to particular individual entities. For Aristotle, Universal are concerns with meanings of words, such as well as adjectives such as white, soft, sweet etc. The term universal means that which is of such a nature as to be predicated of many subjects. By particular, or individual, he means that which is not thus predicated.
v) Aristotle View of Form and Matter For Aristotle metaphysics attempts to distinguish between form and Matter. Here we must understand matter in the sense in which it is opposed to mind eg; Let us take a marble. The marble is the matter while the round shape (ball shape) is the form vi) Doctrine of the four Causes Using the notion of causality brought about by the ancient philosophers before Socrates, Aristotle in his metaphysics, formulates his doctrine of four causes
Four Causes Aristotle distinguis distinguishes hes four types of causes. causes. Each Each cause can briefly briefly be defined defined as follows: a) Material cause: it is that matter out of which something is made; it is the intrinsic constitutive element of something (e.g., the wood of the statue) b) Formal Cause: it is the form or shape of something; its essence to be what it is (the shape of the statue) c) Efficient Cause: it is the being in act who brings about the change (the sculptor who makes the statue) d) Final Cause: it is that for the sake of which the change takes place. It is what constitutes the perfection of the being (in the case of the statue, this is the purpose for which the statue was made) Aristotle regards the final cause cause as the the most important important of of all cause cause as all the the other other cause are ultimately founded on the final cause. •
Diagrammatic Representation of the four causes-(with the Examples of the Statue) Material Cause (Wood) Thales and Anaximenes Final Cause Purpose (most important cause) - Permenindes - Pythagoras - Plato
Formal Cause Shape The notionHieraclitus of the ultimate causes is the concern of the human beings in all Efficient Cause (The Sculptor) cultures. Even today’s science and technologies is concerned with the concern of Anaximender
worth which every scholar should ingrain in areas of specialization. What is a cause?
vii) Aristotle views on Theology teaches that there there are three three kinds of of substance substance - Aristotle teaches a) Those Those that that are sensib sensible le and peris perishabl hable e b) Those Those that that are sensib sensible le but not not perish perishable able c) Those Those that that are neithe neitherr perishabl perishable e nor sensib sensible le - The first kind includes plants and animals - The second includes the celestial bodies (stars) - The third includes the rational soul in man and God. According to Aristotle’s Aristotle’s metaphysics, metaphysics, God God is the first cause, cause, that is, is, the origin origin of motion God in this respect is the Unmover which is eternal
Influence: this doctrine of Aristotle influenced and shaped the philosophy and Theology of St Thomas Aquinas in the 12th century (many years after Aristotle’s death)
Viii) Summary of Aristotle’s Philosophy Its Influence and Relevance
Aristotle Aristotle has enormously enormously contributed contributed to specific specific methodology, methodology, logic, logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, natural science, physics theology and critical thinking. All these these set the grand for for later scholarly scholarly thinking. thinking. For instance, circular motion which Aristotle thought of as “natural for the heavenly bodies” involves continued change in the direction of motion and therefore requires a force directed towards the centre, as Isaac Newton (of England-very far from Greece and after many years) shows later in his law of gravitation. In his metaphysics, Aristotle taught that; what is a being; ratness; manness, goatness etc Every being has an end Every being moves towards its own end. Whatever moves, does so according to its mode of being. I.e. o a rat moves according to its ratness o A goat moves moves according according to its goatness goatness
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A man according according to its manness manness Human being according to its ….. o every being has a cause whatever is caused cannot cause itself; it has to be caused by something else superior to it. In the totality of beings there must be a being which is the cause of all other being; that is called infinite being-God. Being are divided into two finite and infinite o
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Further readings on Aristotle 1. Aristotle of Miletus Miletus Nicomachean Nicomachean Ethics, Bxx, Penguin, Penguin, Harmands Harmands worth or or other edition 2. Betrand Russell ; A history history of Western Western Philosophy Philosophy (simon (simon and Schuster Schuster N.Y, N.Y, 1945 pg 157-207 3. Fredrick copleston copleston S.J; A History History of Philosop Philosophy; hy; Greece Greece and Rome, Rome, Doubleday, Doubleday, N.Y 1966, pg 1-20
4. Other Other Recent Recent Book Books s on or about about Aristo Aristotle. tle. ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD (15 Feb 1861- 30 Dec 1947) Introduction A.N. Whitehead Whitehead was an Englishman, Englishman, born in Kent, England England in 1861. His process thought was basically influenced by the collapse of Newtonian physics and secondly secondly by the Heraclitus, Heraclitus, a Greek Greek Ancient Ancient philosoph philosopher er who argued that things are a flux, and that change is the basic constituent in all things. Process philosophy o The genesis of Whitehead's process philosophy may be attributed to his having witnessed the shocking collapse of Newtonian physics, physics , due mainly to Albert Einstein' Einstein's s work. o
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His metaphysical views emerged in his 1920 The Concept of Nature and expanded in his 1925 ''' Science and the Modern World''' , also an important study in the history of ideas, ideas , and the role of science and mathematics in the rise of Western of Western civilization. civilization . Indebted as he was to Henri Bergson's Bergson' s philosophy of change, Whitehead was also a Platonist who "saw the definite character of events as due to the "ingression" of timeless entities." In 1927, Whitehead was asked to give the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh . These were published in 1929 as Process and Reality , the book that founded process philosophy, philosophy , a major contribution to Western metaphysics. metaphysics . of theism,, In his article on Process and Reality is famous for its defense of theism although Whitehead's God differs essentially from the revealed God of Abrahamic religions. religions. Whitehead's Philosophy of Organism gave rise to process theology, theology , thanks to Hartshorne, John B. Cobb, Jr , Jr , and David Ray Griffin. Some Christians and Jews find process theology a fruitful way of understanding God and the universe. universe . Just as the entire universe is in constant flow and change, God, as source of the universe, is viewed as growing and changing. Whitehead's rejection of mind-body of mind-body dualism is similar to elements in traditions such as Buddhism. Buddhism .
On the other hand, many Whitehead scholars read his work as providing a philosophical foundation for the social liberalism of the New Liberal movement that was prominent throughout Whitehead's adult life. Morris wrote that "...there is good reason for claiming that Whitehead shared the social and political ideals of the new liberals." Whitehead and Heraclitus o Whitehead believed the starting point of his philosophy was the flux of Heraclitus modified and supplemented by the thought of Aristotle of Aristotle.. o
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Whitehead did not see himself as a process philosopher but believed he was updating Heraclitus in the light of the mathematics and mathematical philosophers of his time. The key lecture is reproduced in Process and Reality . Using "all things flow" as the starting point for a "metaphysics of 'flux'", which he sees as implicit to various degrees in the philosophies of John Locke, Locke , David Hume and Immanuel Kant (but not Hegel), Hegel), Whitehead does not present it as a mutually exclusive alternative to the "metaphysics of 'substance'" but as complementary. The latter "spatializes the universe" (according to Henri Bergson) Bergson ) but this is "the shortest route to a clear-cut philosophy" such as the Analytic Geomet Geometry ry of Descartes.. The substance metaphysics is of less interest to Whitehead. Descartes Proclaiming that Newton "brusquely ordered fluency back into the world" with his Theory of Fluxions (the derivatives of differential of differential calculus) calculus ) Whitehead launches into an innovative elaboration of Heraclitus' upward-downward way, relying especially on Aristotle's theory of act and potency . The way becomes the simultaneous occurrence of two processes: "concrescence" (in place of the upward) and transition (in place of the downward). The former is the unification of "particular existents" into new particular existents also termed "actual occasions" or "actual entities." In this process the final cause of the new unity is predominant. Transition is the "perishing of the process" (concrescence) in such a way as to leave the new existent as an "original element" of future new unities. This latter process is the "vehicle of the efficient causes" causes " and expresses the "immortal past."
As in Heraclitus, Heraclitus, a concrescence concrescence never never reaches reaches the unity unity of its final cause; cause; hence Whitehead uses the term "presupposed actual occasions", which are "falsifications." An object therefore is identified with its concrescence; there is no other.
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The process of transforming "alien" entities into "data" for a new concrescence is termed a "feeling." Whitehead thus builds up statements that are scarcely less obscure, if at all, than those of Heraclitus: "... an actual occasion is a concrescence affected by a process of feelings." In contrast to the becoming of Aristotle, a concrescence never results in the static act toward which it tends, but it does reach a "culmination" in which "all indetermination as to the realization of possibilities has been eliminated." This "evaporation of all indetermination" is the "satisfaction" of the feeling. To explain the passage of the actual moment through time (the upwarddownward way) Whitehead thus resorts to a unique blend of Heraclitus' flow and Aristotle's act and potency. The potency of Aristotle is the substrate in which all possibility resides, from which comes the actual or determinate and specifically empowered beings by a process called "to become." Whitehead refers to the potency under the aegis of the future, or yet to come, as "reality." The reduction of the potential to the actual occurs in two processes: macroscopic, "the transition from attained actuality to actuality in attainment" and microscopic (concrescence), the "conversion of conditions which are merely real into determinate actualities." The past is "a nexus of actuality", which grows into what is currently the future. In summary: The community of actual things is an organism; but it is not a static organism. It is an incompletion in process of production. Unlike the perennial substance philosophers, Whitehead took a stand against the changeless of things. Things change even the infinite God change in the process of being and becoming.
B. IMPACT OF PHILOSOPHY IN; GEMEINDESCRAFT (COMMUNITY) AND GESSELLSCHAFT (SOCIETY)
The contemporary German sociologist, Georg Tonnies divided people into two categories; a) Gemeindeschaft (Community) These are treats: The word Gemeinde is a German word for community. Schaft refers to a way of life, Gemeindesehaft then refers to the way of life in a community.
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According According to Tonnies Tonnies the Gemeindes Gemeindeschaft chaft community community has the the following following characteristics. The members are in the same geographical location, similar climatic and a common diet, some business or community transactions The members share a common history and tradition ethical and cultural values. They may have a common historical parental figures explained in a mythical language e.g. the Gikuyu people of Central Kenya explain their origin from Gikuyu-father figure and Mumbi-Mother figure etc. Relevance can be made of other tribes. The members share common religious belief system and way of worship, even shunnes which are connected to the “sacred”/the holy. They have similar core values (like, honesty, hospitality, leadership, sacredness of life, institution of marriage, wedding, courage, prayer, responsibility, confidentiality, following similar rites of passage from birth, adulthood to death. They also have disvalues like, theft, disobedience, dishonest to God, lack of religious consciousness and expressions in worship, disrespect to elders, lack of ancestral worship, pouring libations to the elders and the living dead. Knit relationship of their siblings, families, houses, clan and the entire community. The relationship is that of; a) Consanguinity- of blood b) Secondly that of affinity-by marriage They uphold and impose similar sanctions to transgressors of traditional values and mores which are engrained the entire Ethics of the community Usually their values are not written. They are passed from one generation to the other. Common wisdom persons or sages, personalities who tapped spiritual power e.g., sorcerers, witches, medicine men etc. They have a common philosophy of explaining and doing things e.g. according to John S. Mbiti, African Philosophy is summarized in these words; ‘I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am” That means an individual justifies his existence because the community in which he is a member is there with him. The individual is defined by the people around who share the common history, values and disvalues lithe community rejects him, he is actually dead-and many such condemned cases start seeking a God in valleys, forests, mountains or he may just be killed like an animal by the clan. •
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APPLICATION i) Most of traditional people, in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and even in Europe, (before the scientific and professional philosophical idea of individualism}-were basically Gemeindeschaft communities. ii) Even today, some grouping of people have Gemeindeschaft qualities e.g. Church Associations, Parishes,
iii) Guilds, clubs clandestine and occult secret communities etc. iv) In Gemeindeschaft communities (especially traditional ones), there are some values which have outlived, their usefulness, like FGM practices, Moranism for the sake of stealing cattle in order to get wealth for marriage etc. Theft is evil whether found in Gemeindeschaft or (Gessellschaft modem societies. QUALITIES IN GESSELLSCHAFT (SOCIETY) These are treats; The members come together in order to achieve a common objectives, goals and targets in order to achieve these targets they have to follow certain laid down guidelines, policies etc. The entry point is recruitment for employment followed by a letter of appointment stipulating the Terms Of References(TORs) Members have an organizational structure which has a chain of command and job groups. Obedience and respect is from top to bottom and not necessarily the other way round. The members report in the morning to do the stipulated duty until 5Pm when they leave unless these are an emergency. All pull together together to attain the set goals. goals. There is a clear system of emulation per month per year (salaries, emollients) Promotion is the way to climb the ladder. It is based on certificate and efficient service delivery to the cliental There is one who hires and fires. There could also be boards or council for appeal There is a code of Ethics and serious measures are taken when one infringes it. There is supervision and coordination of work. There are set deadlines or timelessness to complete a certain job assignment Members are refers to by societal titles, e.g. Sir, Boss, officer, Supervisor, Secretary, Director, Chairman, CEO etc. Once a member leaves the office/or premises of that grouping, most of the regulations and titles no longer apply e.g. The managers Secretary could be outside world as Mrs. so and so and relationship become very different. But inside the workplace, the Boss is always the boss, even if it is, younger or older etc. If the grouping or organization collapses those Gemeindeschaft/societal policies, respect, titles no longer apply. •
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NB: example of Gemeindeschaft societies are several today-All the employing bodies are Gemeindeschaft societies, including government; the chain continues to parastatals, corporations, banks, institutions like schools and universities etc.
- In a bank foe example, the goals is to get profit which helps the institution in this market In a University, the goal is to ensure that the students get quality degrees which are relevant to job market both in the public and private sector - In these organizations they will go the best, one who is able to deliver. - Age is another factor; if one is young and deliver he/she will get promotion. It is not like the Gemeindeschaft community where excellence and wisdom are associated with age and eldership. Diagrammatic presentation of Gemeindeschaft and Gessellschaft (see next page) SIX SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS INSTITUTION-COMMON TO ALL Both Gemeindeschaft community and Gessellschaft society have SOCIETAL CONSTANTS! or Institutions which make life and working together possible These six constants are more pronounced in a society structure of modem societies although they are still engrained in traditional communities; These are;
1. Political life-way of governing the members; The leading role 2. Religion- A belief system, way of worship, or prayer sessions by a certain Religion, denominations etc. giving informal or formal instructions or education/handling over values or empowering people by ay of curriculum & cocurriculum activities. (Schools, institutions- universities) 3. Education- way of giving formal instructions/educations to new members of community or society. 4. Family-way of birthing people in the community through marriage and family in recruiting for employment through Human resource office or public commission. 5. Economic-way of sharing goods or resources within the community or society. This involves trade through money-money is defined as double coincidence of wants. This leads to economic development and alleviation of the standard of life. The law of supply and demand, role of Banks, Business etc. 6. Re-creation - way of spending leisure time-through dances, songs. In modem societies there are specialized ways of recreation including games rallies, Athletics etc. which have become become great great sources sources of employment. employment. Mariga Mariga of inter inter milan is a case in point. Mariganism may change the fortunes of many Kenyan youth who may consider him an icon in the society world. SUMMARY These six societal constraints can be summarized by one word; PREFER Politics
Religion Education Family Economic life Recreation/leisure CONCLUDING REMARK There is no grouping between the two which is totally exclusive of the other. One will find some Gessellschaft qualities communities like, church associations. Some traditional communities demands of voting etc. they also use information technologies What can be concluded is that both these models have values and disvalues in communities and peoples respect and sense of belonging is needed in both. But of course, when one cluster of values is more pronounced in one people, then they qualify to be called Gessellschaft or Gemeindeschaft.
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End of chapter 4 Questions 1. History of philosophy philosophy is is divided divided into four periods/Ep periods/Epochs. ochs. Name Name these these periods indicating the main philosophers in each period and his philosophical contribution
2. Explain the ultimate ultimate cause of of all things things (or the basic constituen constituentt of things according to each pre-Socratic thinker. 3. Compare and contrast contrast the the philosophica philosophicall initiatives initiatives within the Greek Greek mythical consciousness with the African sages or wise men and wise women and how each “philosophy” influenced and informed its own people and beyond their time and context. 4. Compare and contras contrastt the Gemeindeschaft Gemeindeschaft (community) (community) and and Gessellschaft (society) in the light of present day Kenyan context and the influence of western, modem way of life, technological development and information technology. Indicate whether globalization is the best way forward for the Kenyan society. 5. There is a saying saying among among some historians historians that when African African culture culture meets meets another (superior) culture, the African culture always concedes. “This is the starting point of aping. Discuss this comment.
