1.1: What is Philosophy? Learning objectives: · Understand the point of Plato’s Myth of the Cave · Be able to explain the importance of the philosophical perspectives of women and non-Western cultures Philosophy begins with wonder; we wonder about why we are here, and whether God exists, among other things. This wondering begins early in our lives. The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek roots, philein, “to love”, andsophia, meaning wisdom. Philosophy is the love of wisdom. Philosophy does not end with wonder; it begins there. Its aim is to enable us to seek our our own answers to the questions we asked in wonder. Philosophy encourages us to examine our beliefs, to see if there are good reasons to hold them. The goal of philosophy is thus autonomy; the freedom to decide for yourself what to believe using your own reasoning abilities. Reading: a simplified version of Plato’s Myth of the Cave Plato’s parable of the Myth of the Cave is important because it explains much about the nature of philosophy. It explains that, unlike a lot of academic subjects, philosophy is an activity; philosophical theories are the products of this activity. It is important to “do” philosophy. It also explains, second, that philosophy is hard work. The philosophical journey sometimes leads in directions that society does not support. It is also hard because it requires that we think critically, and to examine critically views that we have always accepted. This parable also shows that the aim of philosophy is freedom, freeing us from our uncritical acceptance of the beliefs that we share with those around us. Philosophy also examines our most basic assumptions—something that is suggested by its name of “love of wisdom”. This view of philosophy was endorsed by Perictione, a woman philosopher who we think lived around the time of Plato, and who thought that philosophy was the search for the understanding of why we and the universe are here. Philosophy can be defined as “the activity of critically and carefully examining the reasons behind the most fundamental assumptions of our human lives”. The Diversity of Philosophy The search for wisdom is of concern to people of both sexes and all races, so it is a mistake to believe that it is the province of western males. This volume will include both feminist and multicultural approaches to philosophy.