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Philosophy
(an overview): from Socrates to Dennett
by Phil Power
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| Paul
Gauguin: 'Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?'
(1897) |
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In
this lecture we are going to explore the muddy
waters of philosophy.
Philosophy, as a practice, is not something obscure or remote
- we practice it everyday. Whether we realise it or not, our
thoughts, ideas, approaches and beliefs are influenced by
thousands of years of philosophic investigation.
Philosophy, as an area of study, however, can be complex and
demanding but it can also be exciting, liberating and help
shape the course of our lives.
Philosophy, when applied to thinking about Art in general
or specific art works or practices, can be very useful in
helping to question, contextualise and understand our subject.
Some artists are very aware of the influence of philosophy
on their work; others are content to let it arise from their
pracitice in an unselfconscious way.
The
purpose of this lecture is to provide an overview of a huge
area, with the idea that you yourselves will explore some
of the territory uncovered. Please don't be intimidated by
the amount of material on this webpage - we are trying to
provide a resource for you to use throughout the three years
or your study (and beyond).
Paul R
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From Phil Power - a short description
of some of the philosophers discussed:
* Plato and the the subject of philosophy, as it is often conceived
‹ a rigorous and systematic examination of ethical, political,
metaphysical, and epistemological issues, armed with a distinctive
method ‹ can be called Plato's invention. Few other authors
in the history of philosophy can approximate him in depth and
range.
* Rene Descartes: 'I think therefore I am'
-thought cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist
* The most important philosopher ever to write in English, is
how David Hume (1711-1776) is often described. Today, philosophers
recognize Hume as a precursor of contemporary cognitive science,
as well as one of the most thoroughgoing exponents of philosophical
naturalism.
* Jean Paul Sartre believed that man has no eternal nature to
fall back on. It is therefore useless to search for the meaning
of life in general. We are condemned to improvise.
* Philosopher and scientist Dan Dennett argues that human consciousness
and free will are the result of physical processes and are not
what we traditionally think they are. His 2003 book 'Freedom
Evolves' explores the way our brains have evolved to give us
-- and only us -- the kind of freedom that matters.
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Here
are some philosophers (and topics) you may wish to explore
further:
Pre-Socratic philosophers such as Heraclitus
and Pythagoras
(Russell 1993 is useful here - see Books below)
Socrates (c. 469 BC–399 BC) - and the
idea of the socratic method or dialogue
'I know that I know nothing'
Plato (428/427 BC– 348/347 BC)
(Ideal Forms; 'Plato's Cave')
Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)
(Metaphysics; Praxis)
Descartes (1596 – 1650)
(Rationalism; 'I think therefore I am')
Spinoza (1632 – 1677)
(Challenge to Descartes' 'mind–body dualism')
Hume (1711 – 1776)
(Empiricism and the Enlightenment)
Nietsche (1844 – 1900)
('God is dead'; '... if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss
gazes also into you')
Heidegger (1889 – 1976)
(Return to the Pre-Socratics; Existentialism; Phenomenology)
Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951)
(Language Games; Family Resemblances)
Sartre (1905 – 1980)
(also Camus and others; Existentialism)
de Beauvoir, Simon (1908 – 1986)
(Feminism; Existentialism)
Camus (1913 – 1960)
("No, I am not an existentialist. Sartre
and I are always surprised to see our names linked...")
Derrida (1930 – 2004)
(Postmodernism; Deconstruction)
Rorty (1931 – 2007)
(Pragmatism)
Irigaray (1932 - still alive!)
(Gender; 'This Sex Which Is Not One')
Dennett (1942 - still alive!)
(The Nature of Consciousness)
Here are some further philosophical topics
you may also wish to explore:
Aesthetics
Religious Philosophy
Reason
Chance
Truth
Nature
Irony
and, of
course,
Art
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| References: |
Books:
Please refer to the Thinking
Practices Reading List page
A useful 'way in' to difficult subjects is provided by the 'Introducing'
series published by Icon
Books and the 'For Beginners' series published by Steerforth
Press (previously published by Writers
and Readers publishing inc.)
These provide an excellent overview of their subjects in a lively
and intelligent way. They use a comic book format which is effective
and yet does not trivialise or over-simplify the subject matter.
It must be stressed however that they should be used to provide
the basis for further reading and research and not be the only
source you use.
The following also provide a good place to start:
Blackburn, Simon, (2001), 'Think: A Compelling Introduction
to Philosophy', Oxford Paperbacks
Craig, Edward, (2002), 'Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction',
Oxford Paperbacks
Lacey, A. R., (1980), 'A Dictionary of Philosophy', Routledge
and Kegan Paul
Russell, Bertrand, (1993), 'History of Western Philosophy',
Routledge
Here are some key works - please note that they can be very
complex:
Derrida, Jacques, (1976), Of Grammatology, John Hopkins University
Press
Plato (1987), The Republic, trans., Desmond Lee, Penguin Classics
Sartre, Jean Paul, (1986), Being and Nothingness, Methuen and
Co. Ltd
Steiner, George, (1992), Heidegger, Fontana Press |
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Links:
http://www.plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_on_our_consciousness.html
At the moment I recognise that women are underrepresented
on this page but I will be updating it soon.
In the meantime I have provided the following links. As always
with Wikipedia,
please use it as a starting point but do further research
to verify facts and expand on your understanding:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_philosophers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_philosophy
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/pre-socratic.html
http://www.socraticmethod.net/
to
be continued... |
Phil
Power/Paul Ramsay 2010/11
Please send further links/references for inclusion to: p1ramsay@plymouth.ac.uk
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