The Nature of Philosophy

The problems of philosophy include some of the deepest, most interesting, and most challenging questions that the human mind can raise. What is the difference between appearance and reality? What are the sources, forms, and limits of human knowledge? Does God exist? What is the origin of evil? Should the traditional religious beliefs be upheld, modified, or rejected? Are there grounds for the view that a human being has a soul? Can computers think? Can they have feelings? Do we have freedom of the will? Which of the various possible standards of right and wrong are most worthy of our acceptance? How is morality related to law? What is the proper scope of governmental authority? Which economic systems are most compatible with rights and justice? What are the forms and limits of scientific explanation? What are the correct principles of inductive reasoning? What do we mean when we say that an event or an hypothesis is probable? How does science differ from art? Are aesthetic judgments largely subjective, or can they be justified? What is truth? What is the meaning of a word? What is the difference between good deductive reasoning and bad deductive reasoning, and how can one tell whether a given deductive argument is good or bad?

Philosophy cannot claim to have discovered fully adequate answers either to these questions or to the other questions that fall within its scope. But it has developed fruitful ways of addressing its questions, and it has found a number of partial answers that are both useful and exciting.

The Value of Studying Philosophy

Everyone should take some courses in philosophy. In the first place, they are enjoyable. It's fun to grapple with important and challenging problems. Second, because philosophical ideals have influenced our values and have shaped many of our institutions, exposure to philosophy increases one's grasp of the nature and meaning of our culture. Third, philosophy students learn analytical skills, linguistic skills, problem-solving techniques, and methods of critical evaluation that are useful in all professions.

Some students will want to major or minor in philosophy; and since a number of the branches of philosophy are closely related to other fields of endeavor, many students will find that problems in other disciplines are enhanced and complemented by courses in philosophy. Business and pre-law students can benefit from courses in ethics, from courses in social and political philosophy, and from courses in logic. Students in literature and the arts can profit from courses in aesthetics. Courses in the history of philosophy provide information that is valuable to students from all disciplines, courses in philosophy of religion are especially useful to pretheological students, and courses in logic and philosophy of science serve important needs of students of engineering and the special sciences.

Author: Chris Hill