I have show all of my 120+ students this semester this video. Luckily for those who don’t have the textbook yet (but better be getting it soon), this video covers most of the same vital information!
Category Archives: Epistemology
Philosophers as Meta-Scholars
The philosopher is a meta-scholar.
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What is a meta-scholar? A meta-scholar is one who understands, at a bare minimum, the fundamentals of a particular field of study or discipline (or historical enterprise or, most broadly, anything capable of being described, articulated, and/or analyzed — (e.g. any event, person, process, or object)).
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The ‘fundamentals’ of a field of study or discipline refer to the sprawling mosaic of methodological rules, axiomatic and auxiliary operating assumptions, and normative and demarcating practices inherent to that field of study/discipline and its actively practicing members. Think of Lakatos’s ‘hard core’ or Kuhn’s ‘[dominant] paradigm.’
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An Introduction to Akrasia
Akrasia has traditionally been defined as “incontinence” or “weakness of will” and occurs when an agent, endowed with certain rational and volitional faculties (deliberation and free will), chooses a poorer course of action. Akrasia has wide-reaching implications for topics such as motivation (what causes akratic actions?), impulsiveness (how does one prevent akratic actions?), moral accountability (is akrasia similar enough to addiction or compulsion to warrant lesser moral culpability?), and the like. As scholar George Ainslie points out, the practical application of akrasia has been, and is currently being, studied by scholars coming from numerous disciplines including philosophy of mind, sociobiology, economics, neurophysiology, and cognitive psychology (Ainslie 7). The importance of understanding the concept and what it means for human beings should not be understated.
Sentential Logic Practice: Assessing Some Proofs
1.) A&B, B > (D&E), derive B > E
(A&B)
B
(D&E)
E
B > E
2.) S > (Q&R), S, derive R
S
(Q&R)
R
Sentential Logic Practice: Symbolizing Natural Sentences
1.) Natural sentence: Either Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders will get the Democratic Presidential Nomination.
Library: B = Biden will get the Democratic Presidential Nomination
S = Sanders will get the Democratic Presidential Nomination
Symbolization: B∥S
2.) Natural sentence: If you take proper precautions, then you can help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Library: T = you take proper precautions
S = you can help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus
Symbolization: T→S
3.) Natural sentence: Eat your vegetables and your meat before you have dessert.
Library: V = eat your vegetables
M = eat your meat
D = you have dessert
Symbolization: (V&M)→D; (V&M)≡D*
*material bi-conditional/material equivalence, stronger logical symbolization of the statement
