Philosophy Society Journal [Autumn 2023]

Philosophy Society

Church of Dante Alighieri Santa Margherita de’ Cherchi Unknown Author

Seasonal Issue Autumn 2023

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Message from the Honorary Chairman of the Philosophy Society Molly Domenjoz Atkinson Honorary Chairman of the Philosophy Society

“Philosophy – an examined life”

Dear readers,

Philosophy isn’t only for dreamers. Whether you know it or not, you philosophize whenever you wonder about what you know, what’s important to you, or what is your place in the world. You engage with these weighty things every day, but reading and debating about them formally can enrich your understanding of life, the universe and everything. And even, according to Socrates, make life worth living!

How to join?

We are in search for new and interested in thinking members. Be part of discussing your thoughts.

They are invaluable.

Send an e-mail to: o_ibragimov@cdl.ch

The major divisions of philosophy are things that concern everybody.

Epistemology is the study of knowledge – what we know and how we know it. Ever wonder about fake news? Ever question what you’re taught in class?

Ethics is the study of right and wrong. Have you ever noticed someone do something you thought was wrong? Wondered whether your favorite video game character or historical figure is a hero or a villain? Asked yourself what to do in a sticky situation?

Who am I? What’s my place in the universe? Where did everything come from? What is reality? These may sound like idle late-night musings, but they’re essential questions that determine our attitudes toward life.

Metaphysics is the domain of philosophy that explores them.

And there are many more: aesthetics, politics, theology…

Welcome to the quarterly Philosophy Society publication. I hope you find our little forays into the metaphysical labyrinths both entertaining and enriching!

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Introducing Philosophy History behind it Greek Philosophers

by Matt Neale

P

hilosophy is one of the oldest fields of knowledge and spiritual culture. Originated in the

VII-VI centuries BC in India, China, Ancient Greece, it became a stable form of consciousness that interested people for all subsequent centuries. The vocation of philosophers has become the search for answers to questions, and the very formulation of questions related to the worldview. Understanding such issues is vital for people.

This is especially noticeable in epochs of change with their complex interweaving of problems - after all, it is then that the worldview itself is actively checked and transformed. This has always been the case in history. But, perhaps, time has never set such acute tasks of philosophical understanding of everything that is happening, as in the period of history that we are experiencing now, at the very beginning of the third millennium.

There are plenty of problems one bumps up against in the course of any life; problems of relationships with other people, problems of honesty with money, problems of conflicting duties and conflicting priorities. Some of them can be talked out and made clearer. There are also ethical problems on a societal level; these vary from one society to another.

We have to admit – they change with time. Japan was once very interested in complex ethical problems relating to honour. Mid 19th century America was torn apart by disagreements about slavery. Medieval Europe’s ethical debates often revolved around interpretations of Christian theology. And today the public is excited by a whole range of moral problems which seem particular to our present century – though the taste for denouncing heretics seems as strong as ever.

Each of our discussions and explorations apply some critical thinking and insights from the long history of philosophy.

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“What is Philosophy?”

Took me a while to think about this question. This would be the mission of this first issue.

There are many interpretations and beliefs of what philosophy is. So why not make my own? I claim that philosophy is some sort of activity. It is an activity that all of us often engage with. It is an activity of determining the correct way of thinking about things.

Before I start explaining my point, bear in mind that I regard philosophy as an ‘activity’. In fact, I think it is one of the most important things in this issue.

Philosophy Shorts

Pop songs are usually about different themes linked to love. However, there are exceptions to the rule. We can find certain releases about ‘Cakes by the Ocean’, ‘American Pies’, and ‘Sugar’. These are mostly things that singers do not include in their songs. In philosophy, it is likewise. Having a narrow focus on epistemology and metaphysics and trifles like the meaning of life. But occasionally great minds astray from their principles and write about other matters, for example, buildings (Martin Heidegger), food (Hobbes), tomato juice (Robert Nozick), and the weather (Lucretius and Aristotle).

This isn’t much of Theory of Knowledge (valid among IB students). It is applicable anywhere!

Since it is an activity, to understand it, you better stuck in, and do it. Simple as that. I am sure in order to learn how to play tennis, for instance, you would have to be consistent in training yourself to learn the right method.

Approaching philosophical problems as other ‘thinkers’ have approached them will introduce us to a variety of ways to do such an important activity. In this release, we will focus on one of the most famous thinkers and their approach to this activity in the field of education.

Learning philosophy would allow you to get a better grasp of tools, and techniques in order to reason, argue, and express yourself. Discussions lead to working through problems of any kind!

Author: Zoya Kiknaidze (IB2) 4 Philosophy Society | Autumn Edition

In the name of

education Author: Otabek I. (IB2)

Portrait of René Descartes

by Frans Hals

1 Education

René Descartes René Descartes is a mathematician, philosopher, physiologist, mechanic, and physicist whose ideas and discoveries have played a major role in the development of several scientific branches at once. He developed algebraic symbolism, which we use to this day, became the “father” of analytical geometry, laid the foundations for the formation of reflexology, and created mechanics in physics – and these are not all achievements.

René Descartes (1596-1650) respected his sleep schedule well. No wonder the sleepy Frenchman often reminisced about dreaming in his philosophy. For example, in his Discourse on Method, he wrote that “asleep we can, in the same way, imagine ourselves possessed of another body and that we see other stars and another earth when there is nothing of the kind.” Alas, his employer Queen Christina of Sweden was an early bird and demanded philosophy lessons at five in the morning. The horror of sleep schedule killed the French rationalist after he caught pneumonia from venturing out in snowy Sweden.

Viewing a human being as a unique combination of a material body and an immaterial mind or soul. He argued that because animals lack reason they must lack an intellect (having only sensations), and so they lack a soul.

Discourse on the Method “I think, therefore I am” This statement was put forward by René Descartes as a primary certainty, a truth that cannot be doubted — and with which, therefore, one can begin to rebuild the building of reliable knowledge. The argument should not be understood as a conclusion (“the one who thinks exists; I think; therefore, I am”); on the contrary, its essence lies in the evidence, self-sufficiency of my existence as a thinking subject (res cogitans — “thinking things”): every act of thinking (and more broadly, every representation, experience of consciousness, for the cogito is not limited to thinking) reveals — with a reflexive look at it — me, thinking, carrying out this act.

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1 Education It is considered a watershed work that marked the transition from Renaissance philosophy and began the era of Modern philosophy and modern scientific knowledge. In the same volume with this work, "Dioptrics", "Meteors" and "Geometry" were published as appendices to it, which were designed to demonstrate the idea of the method by the example of specific sciences.

2023 happens to be one of the years that is rich in various experiences and emotions.

These feelings serve as a vivid navigation to understanding one’s well-being. In order to deduce one‘s state of mind, one should look into the method of own thinking.

Descartes made it evident that the process of reaching our personal ideas is a complex and thoughtful process that requires time. In his discourse, he even mentions his longterm work on creating a method of reaching certainty in truth. Even with expertise in written work in various spheres of knowledge, Descartes emphasizes the importance of universal doubt.

Such complex process may be visualized in a pathway:

Theory either verified, modified or another created

Theory

Observation

Prediction is tested accordingly

Using a theory to make a prudent prediction

Prediction Testing

Experiment designed to test the prediction

Looking at this, we can see that an argument, in philosophy, is just a sequence of evidence and reasoning designed to support a particular conclusion. A very important part of doing philosophy is thinking about whether particular arguments do a good job of establishing their conclusions. How might we methodically question an argument?

One way is to question whether the truth of the conclusion follows from the truth of its premises. That is, if the premises are true, does the conclusion have to be true? If it does, then we say that the argument is valid.

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Suggesting some good pieces of work that are linked to philosophical thought.

Examining our lives has never been damaging… Thank you for reading.

Otabek M. Ibragimov

Chairman of the Philosophy Society

Recommended Literature Find in the CDL Library

Kant In 90 Minutes Paul Strathern

The Dumbest Idea Ever!

Jimmy Gownley

Like the Flowing River Paulo Coelho

The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli

Sophie’s World Jostein Gaarder

Not available in the library

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Translated by Benjamin Martinez

Philosophy Society Autumn 2023 Issue – 1

Other Worlds

by Nikas Safronov

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