Outlines

Thesis Statement # 1

Context of Apology: Athens has just lost its prestige,
identity, and values. Values: wisdom and war. Doing
everything they can to get them back.
Philosophizing reveals the extent of our ignorance, how our
beliefs about reality are given to us by our context.
Philosophy, the love of wisdom, reveals the nature of human
wisdom as humility and as a continuing task. Thus Socrates
claims that the unexamined life is no kind of human life.
1. Goal of philosophy: to reveal the extent of our
ignorance and how we perceive/believe reality with our own
context as basis
Discuss briefly how prejudice for Socrates started:
Chaerephon and the oracle
o Chaerephon went to Delphi and asked the oracle if
there was anyone wiser than Socrates
o Need to understand that Chaerephon was impetuous
o Oracle known in not giving out literal answers
(never taken at face value)so Soc wanted to prove
it
o Was not even about Socrates alone, but most likely
directed to all
o Soc ended up questioning and refuting a lot of
people; irritated a lot so he was accused of being
a criminal and a busybody
o Reveals the context of Socrates: defines his
current situation and how he is put in a bad
position vis a vis reality
Input Socrates's realization after hearing what the
oracle had to say
o Soc was aware that he did not know everything; he
admits it
o Politicians: not as knowledgeable in politics
o poets: not by wisdom but by talent; misunderstood
the source of talents; no personal wisdom:
appearance and vanity
o Relate prejudice and ignorance (can give death as
an example)
o Soc wanted to get rid of his prejudices since he
wanted to have a fair trial: // philosophy: is the
capacity to stand open without prejudice before
the world's unexpectedness
o craftsmen: technical expertise in their crafts;
believe to be wise in everything but are not aware
of the limitations of their wisdom
Explain how ignorance is directly related to the
context being lived by the person
o there is a constant need for people to be aware of
their perception of themselves: that we set
ourselves based on our situation
o One needs to constantly act on that ignorance, to
admit to oneself that one's own perception of the
world and of the self is not enough to be
considered knowledgeable and all-knowing and wise
Define the concept of philosophizing (to defend
Socrates's lifestyle in his own context) 21
o Philosophizing involves constant examination of
the self and of others. Not seen as a solitary
pursuit.
o Takes a lot of courage to practice since examining
oneself is tantamount to opening oneself to the
world; making oneself vulnerable to one's own and
others' critique
o Seen as a lifestyle; something that you wake up
doing everyday it's your own way of living and
defending yourself from those who think they are
better than you but in reality are just full of
ignorance.
o Philosophizing is the device or the way for us to
know to what extent are we (others) are ignorant
and how we can act on it.
2. Philosophy, as the love of wisdom and knowledge [truth] :
revelation of the human wisdom as humility and as a
continuing task
philosophizing: pursuit of wisdom and understanding -->
relate how Socrates dealt with his own pursuit (How did
the people take it?)
o Insert Soc's context: philosophizing in pursuit of
excellence: But in terms of what? the things we
stood up for even in the face of death
o Etymology: philo + sophia = love of wisdom (and
knowledge): reveals the main objective of
philosophizing
How is Socrates wise?
o He is well aware of his ignorance and limitations
as a person
discuss human relationship between truth and wisdom:
with limitations and uncertainty; can true wisdom be
attained? (entirely) How is philosophizing a humbling
experience? and in what way is it a continuing task?
always a failure
o "in truth he is worth nothing in relation to
wisdom": philosophy attempts to reveal the
limitedness/finitude of the examiner; in that his
wisdom is very much negligible in comparison to
what wisdom actually is: wisdom will always be far
greater than individual wisdom
o Humans need to accept the fact that they cannot/do
not have the ability to understand/grasp something
in its totality
- This is how philosophy is considered to be a
continuing task: constant need of searching for answers
and questioning to find the right answers:

3. Socrates: "The unexamined life is no kind of human
life." or "The unexamined life is not worth living
"Why don't you shut up and be still, Socrates?"Shutting
up = not philosophizing = not living at all = giving up
on humanity itself
o Socrates is talking about the human life
specifically and he says that having a life which
is unexamined is not being human at all
philosophy is not just a pool of knowledge: simply knowing
a lot does not equate to having a proper understanding of
these things. Instead, philosophy needs to be lived, to be
constantly practiced in order for it to manifest itself in
the lives of those who use it.***** insert this somewhere


Thesis statement # 4
Outline
The Concept of a Person

Context: Taylor in a multicultural setting

The 17th Century natural sciences inspired a view of the person as
representational consciousness and strategic agency, an objective definition of a
person, which remains a powerful (gives people a sense of certainty and security
since measurements are exact) influence in modern culture. However, an
alternative view also emerges in modernity, that of the person as a subject of
significance and a personal agent, in reaction to the first views limitations.

Questions addressed by the text: What is a person? Talks about the 2 modern conceptions
of a person and how they are applied in the major sciences. Also, their implications.

Introduction: Definition of a person
o human being with a status
o in a more legal sense, seen as a bearer of rights (intrinsic)
o has a sense of self
o can make choices
o can hold values
o adopt life plans
o has a notion of time
o All these are the conditions to the 'status'
o lies the difference between an agent (being able to act on all these
conditions) and a respondent

Why do we need to make assumptions on the human condition?
o basically, we need to be aware of them in order to address the question at
hand effectively

Model 1: representational consciousness and strategic agency
being with consciousness and the capacity to frame representation of things
can act on the basis of our consciousness
having a mental image and being able to act on that mental image of something
capacity to have mental models of the world and how these models tend to have
different outcomes
rep con only talks about the consciousness of objects
thus, it can only be manipulated to a certain degree
objects exist independently to the observations of the observer

Model 1: Inadequacies when applied to natural sciences: Limitations
o the natural sciences and the link it forms with the social sciences:
developed because of the former
o ideal of knowledge in natural sciences: eschewing of anthropocentric
properties
o Primary characteristics: quantifiable or easily calculated through
measurements, etc.
o Secondary characteristics: relative to the experience of the observer
o model of knowledge in the natural sciences: concerned with absolute laws
o talks about the goals that people pursue in significance free accounts [to be
explained later

Model 2: subject of significance and a personal agents
o a being with a sense of of how things matter ( has a concept of concern)
o to have a consciousness means having the capacity in recognizing an
o subject of significance: only to the people
o relationship between the subject and the object
o object: act on it; separate from the subject
o subject: I; ability to distinguish myself from things that are not myself:
concept of othering; actor
o concerned with original purpose or original significance
o humans are not only aware of the[external] objects around them but also a
whole host of concerns which are subjective and universal in nature
o Universal? issues which are linked to you but you can also talk to other
about it
o start talking about thing which aren't objects per se any more
o internal and external life cannot be separated
o internal life: emotions/values:subjective
Model 2 and the social sciences: how model 2 addresses the limitations of the first view
exist outside from us: ability to form relationships
peculiarly humanistic experiences: cannot abstract them human life and
relationships
basically, it's using stuff we know in order to interact with the world: mostly by
experience
Question: does that mean to each his own? NO! being objective does not mean
make it less real or less universally recognizable vis a vis the object that exists
outside of us
social sciences developed because of the natural sciences
social sciences: aims to understand the different facets of the human life and
humans
interpretations of something to our own understanding and context: humans will
always be implicated in their own experiences
perception dependent: motivations behind our actions
analogous to the secondary properties: relative to the experiences of the observer
culture is very variable
Transposing both models
biases cannot be ridden of since it's part of our culture
no matter how we think we're being objective
everything is formed between us and our culture
the promise of something universal across culture is an attractive point since we
think that we can finally arrive at understanding the world in our terms finally
neutral standpoint
Implications of both models: on views about moral deliberation

1. Autonomous and free defining subject
2. Deliberative subject

** both models operate with inconsistent ideals:
- pervasive across cultures


Outline: Thesis Statement #2

"The Allegory of the Cave"

Context: Part of Plato's republic; polis or city (What makes a good city?); Who are
supposed to rule/govern a city?; Education as part of Plato's vision in creating a Utopian
society; Creating a community of people all living a good life.

Plato claims that the story of the cave is an allegory for the human situation. The
freed prisoners journey to the world outside of the cave is analogous to the
movement from ignorance towards knowledge. Philosophizing is the art that helps the
prisoners eyes adjust to the light of the sun.

A. Plato claims that the cave is an allegory for the human situation.
Define an allegory: function
o an extended metaphor: which describes something to a totally unrelated
subject
o has some symbolic or literal meaning
o carries moral and religious significance
o rhetorical device often used in fable and parables which have a one to one
correlation to certain concepts
Describe the human situation depicted in the story: reality vs perception
o all humans are born into a cave: up to them to make sense of the things
around them: context as basis
o unaware of the things outside; were not knowledgeable with the things
happening inside the cave as well
In what ways does this pertain to the human situation
o humans become too engrossed in the world that they were raised in
o they take it as it is without further questioning the things around them
B. The prisoner's journey to the world outside is // to the movement from ignorance to
knowledge
Stages of freedom
o stage 1: when prisoner is unshackled and able to walk around to see his
first glimpse of light
o stage 2: compelled to look towards the light itself
o stage 3: dragged into the light
Adjustments needed
o the light was blinding: from something that he has grown accustomed to,
to something entirely different:struggle and pain and discomfort
actual transition from darkness to light// ignorance to knowledge
o darkness inside the cave supports the situation of the prisoners: it was a
time wherein they stuck with their own versions of their reality
o the actual movement from darkness to light was gradual, it more of a
struggle since it brought pain and discomfort to the prisoner
o the movement towards light (knowledge) serves as the process of letting
go or freeing oneself from the ignorance below the cave
o leaving one's own ignorance for the pursuit of knowledge
o gaining knowledge is an unending pursuit: it is a process, not simply steps
that need to be followed
C. Philosophizing is the art that helps the prisoner's eyes adjust to the light of the sun.
concept of the light of the sun
o the sun represents the idea of the good
o sun produces the light: it is said to be the source of illumination
o light is generally associated to the good since it enables us to see things
clearly
o it sheds lights on knowledge so we can see true reality
how does it help in the adjusting of the prisoner's eyes + what happens after
adjustment
o education aims to stop people from shifting back and forth towards light
and darkness, towards ignorance and knowledge/wisdom
o changing orientation of a person confuses the concept and purpose of
education itself
o when the context of the Cave is considered, becomes some sort of art:
primary aim is to reorient people fro darkness to light
o geared towards wisdom and the truth
o provides the people guidance
o creating a context/ constructing an educational system which will convince
people to move out of the cave and into the light (always with the thought
of the greater good)
in the context of philosophizing
o both involve the constant concept of self-inquiry, of the examination of
the self
o both want to remove ignorance with truth, understanding, wisdom, and
knowledge as replacements
o geared towards the betterment of society: with a moral weight
o aim is not to absorb all the light coming from the sun but to actually get as
much from it and learn while remaining to be self aware of our own
ignorance and limitations
o learning learning leaning
Thesis Statement #3
Outline

Context: ~nothing~

The radical shift to the world-view of modernity is best exemplified by the transformation in
modern science, showing how the very possibility of knowledge rests on mans ability. This
anthropocentric view, as opposed to the pre-modern view, makes the question of What is
man? the central question for modern philosophy.

Question of the text?
- What is modernity?
- Have we exhausted modernity?

What is it to be modern?

o to be hip, contemporary, not traditional, liberal
o a culmination of past advancements
modernity is not a well-defined set of concepts
How was the shift exemplified in modern science?

o Scientific knowledge only becomes possible through man's active
intervention
o Realizes that simple observation does not work anymore
o Everything adjust to fit man's needs and circumstances
Possibility of knowledge "rests in man's ability"

o Since man is now in control, the world reveals itself in reference to man
o Removes the practical application of scientific knowledge, since this leaves
the essence of science distinct from man's projects
o But as shown by the shift of the sciences, the modern world is said to be
highly anthropocentric
Anthropocentric view

o Hobbes and Locke: we can only explain something that which has its origin
in us
o Human experience is the measure of things
o Hume: all sciences have are related to human nature; human nature being
man's ability to create knowledge
o To question/locate man's place in the world no longer becomes the
primary concern of man, instead
o Man now looks at everything to be in reference to him
o Man wants to know how things are constructed to be in reference to him,
more exactly, how they are in reference to man's own experiences and
reflections
Pre-modern view

o concerned mostly with the nature of things
o reality of things is so constituted that it ends up making cognitive and
moral demands on man
o In order to know, it is necessary to remove all impediments so nature can
communicate itself to man
o Usually these impediments find their source in humans themselves
o So, we remove detach ourselves from nature in order to to know (we
make ourselves adequate to nature; so we can know its secrets)
o To do philosophy in this context is to be mostly concerned with truth alone;
to do justice on based on their own terms; man is outside
Modern view

o concern for reality with us as point of reference
o man makes the cognitive and moral demands on nature
o man is now introducing conditions to nature for it to conform with what
man intends to happen in order to engage reality in a way that the past
present and future experiences of man are still coherent
o it now becomes: introduce conditions for it to do what it does but still in
reference to man
o To do philosophy in this context is to be concerned with meaning, since
man is mostly concerned with coherence of past present and future
o Everything is interrelated: there exists something deeper : meaningWhere
is philosophy in the modern world-view?
Philosophy's aim is to answer: What is man?

Parallel to philosophy's aim to make sense of different fields of knowledge and
since these fields were all created by man, it sis only logical that man we put
man in the center of everything