Introduction to Philosophy

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.title[
# Introduction to Philosophy
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## Love of Wisdom
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.date[
### MSA 2025 - Major
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# Agenda

1. Introductions
2. What is philosophy?
3. Guidelines, class mechanics, and expectations.
4. Reading: _Some Thought Experiments_
5. Activity: Classroom Decor

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## About me

- Name: Fernando Alvear, Ph.D.
- This is my third year teaching at MSA.
  - Major: Love of Wisdom
  - Minor: "What's the Argument?"
- I earned my Ph.D. here at the University of Missouri, specializing in Epistemology and Moral Psychology. I’ve taught several philosophy courses here.
- I’m originally from Chile and currently live in St. Louis with my wife, Emily, and our son, Nico.
- I am currently a Math and STEM teacher at St. Louis University High School.

]

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# _Love of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy_

Description: Do numbers exist? Would you kill one to save five? How do you know you don’t live in a computer simulation? Is it wrong to have kids? Would you abandon your life to plug into a machine that can give you unlimited happiness? Should we be afraid of AI?

Discuss these and other profound questions through readings, lively discussions, hands-on activities, and thought-provoking experiments.

This course introduces you to various branches of philosophy, including Ethics, Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Logic, and Philosophy of Religion, with an emphasis on their contemporary relevance.

By exploring these topics, you’ll engage with some of humanity’s most fascinating and controversial questions while learning how to think critically and view the world with greater depth and complexity.

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# Introductions - Discuss in groups!

Discuss the following:
- Share your name, preferred name, pronouns, high school, and city.
- Why are you here? What made you want to be in this major? Elaborate as much as possible!
- Based only on what you know, __what is philosophy__? Please elaborate a definition in a sentence or two (_Philosophy is ..._)

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# What is Philosophy?

- Definition
- Etymology of the word
- What Philosophy has been historically

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# _φιλοσοφία_

- Philosophy is the systematic study of fundamental questions, such as those concerning existence, reason, morality, and values.
- The word comes from the Greek _φιλο_ (love) and σοφία (wisdom): "love of wisdom"
- Historically, philosophy encompassed **all** bodies of knowledge.
    - Early biologists, physicists, matematicians, doctors, etc., were called _philosophers_, and considered themselves as such.
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Title page of _The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy_ by Newton (1687)
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# Areas of study

- As areas of knowlede have matured and become fields of their own, philosophy today focuses on the following areas:
    - Metaphysics: fundamental nature of reality and existence.
    - Epistemology: nature of knowledge and belief.
    - Ethics: morality and theory of value.
    - Logic: rules of proper reasoning.
- These other notable subfields cross over several of these basic areas:
    - Philosophy of Religion
    - Philosophy of Science
    - Political Philosophy
    - Philosophy of Language
    - Philosophy of Mind
    - ...

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# Our sessions

- A usual class day will have these moments:
    - Reading (research) time
    - Lecture & discussion
    - Hands-on activities

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# Ideal attitudes for doing Philosophy

- Actively participate in class activities, even when it feels challenging or overwhelming.
- Engage thoughtfully in high-quality discussions.
- Take notes on questions, ideas, and key concepts discussed in class.
- Be patient and open to discovering what is valuable in every topic.

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"**Meaningful success and growth** often comes from working through **discomfort**."

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# Guidelines for high-quality discussions

- Embrace a curious (scout) mindset, rather than a defensive or combative (soldier) mindset.
- Respect the person behind the ideas:
    - When sharing, be mindful of how your words might affect others. Critique the argument, not the person.
    - When listening, give others space to express themselves and focus on understanding their perspective.
- Ensure everyone has a chance to speak.
- Avoid making assumptions about classmates or generalizations about social groups.
- Keep any personal information shared in class discussions confidential.
- Be forgiving, and give others the benefit of the doubt.
- Speak up if the classroom environment feels unsafe or needs attention.

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# Some Philosophical Questions - Work in Groups!

Look at these questions. Individually, share two questions you think are most interesting or intriguing to you and explain why. As a group, choose (and then explain): an interesting question, an important question, and an intriguing/confusing question.

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- What makes actions morally right or wrong?
- Can we ever be certain of anything?
- What is the self? Am I the same person over time?
- Is morality relative to culture or universal?
- What is beauty? Is it objective or "in the eye of the beholder"?
- How do we reason? How should we reason?
- Can scientific knowledge ever be certain?
- Does God exist?
- Why is there evil and suffering in the world if God is good?

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- How should a just society be structured?
- Are we obligated to obey the law?
- Why do our bodies and brains give rise to conscious experiences?
- What is the meaning of life? What makes a life meaningful?
- Is it ever morally permissible for a person to end their life to relieve suffering (euthanasia)?
- Can animals have rights or moral standing?
- Is the mind separate from the body (dualism vs. physicalism)?
- What responsibilities do we have toward future generations?
- Do we have free will?

]

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# Some thought experiments

For each thought experiment, answer these questions:

1.	Which area of philosophy does the thought experiment belong to?
2.	What is the intended purpose of the thought experiment? What is it attempting to demonstrate or argue for?
3.	How effective is the thought experiment?
4.	Do you see any issues or problems with how the thought experiment is designed to shape thinking?

Thought experiments:

- The Trolley Problem
- The Original Position
- The Experience Machine
- The Simulation Hypothesis
- The Fine-Tuning Argument

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# Classroom setup

Tasks:

- Create a banner
  - Word "Love of wisdom"
- Write/draw on the banner
  - What is philosophy for you
  - Interesting philosophical topics or areas
  - Philosophical beliefs you hold or are curious about.
- Create another poster with the ideal attitudes to do philosophy.
- Create another poster with guidelines for high-quality discussions.