A. Crash Course™ Introduction

1. Begin with this video

(Consider watching this twice. Considering taking notes. In watching it and taking notes ask these questions: What is Hank saying philosophy is? What is the relevance of the study of philosophy to your life?)

2. Having a philosophy versus doing philosophy

In the video, Hank makes the claim that while many find philosophy “hard, enlightening, frustrating” it is also something you already do. This is because, whether or not you are aware of it, you base your life on the philosophical opinions you hold and, in many cases, take for granted. You have basic beliefs about what is real, what you know, what is the right way to live your life, and what is valuable and not valuable. Your beliefs about these things are philosophical beliefs.

Some of you might say, “Okay, Koch, I have philosophical beliefs, but these are just my opinions. I have a right to my opinions.”

My response to this is, “Yes, I agree you have a right to your opinions.^[1] However, the fact that a belief is your opinion does not make it true. Others hold opinions that contradict yours and consequences of genuine importance depend on whether your opinion is correct.”

Let’s briefly consider an example. Throughout this book we will be looking at cases such as this to bring into focus the real-world significance of philosophy.

I have a friend S. S, his wife and family are devout Roman Catholics. They belief that core Catholic beliefs such as god exists, the doctrine of the Trinity^[2], and the miracle of transubstantiation^[3]. These beliefs have genuine consequences for how they live their lives. This includes how they raise their children.

Another friend, A, is an atheist. So is her husband. They do not believe there is a god. They believe that much of what S believes is nonsense.

Yet another friend, H, believes that both S and A do not know what they are talking about. That it is silly to believe or not believe in god. All one should do is live a stress free and happy life and not worry about such things.

If S is right, A and H are going to suffer eternal damnation. If H and A are right S is wasting much of his life and filling his children with nonsense.

Both S and A believe they know the truth and there are good reasons for them having such knowledge. H believes both S and A are deluding themselves. One cannot know what they claim to know.

S, A and H have different philosophical beliefs and these philosophical beliefs make a significant difference for how they live their lives. They cannot all be right. Their beliefs contradict each other. And this does not just apply to religious beliefs. This applies to beliefs about science, about, society, about the self and identity, and, in fact, the full spectrum of believes upon which we build our lives. We disagree, we come into conflict with, sometimes we battle with people who have beliefs different from us but rarely do we take the time to examine these foundational beliefs. Philosophy is the examination of these foundational beliefs. It gives us the tools to look carefully at what we take for granted as true and see whether we do genuinely have good reason to believe that such things are true.

What are some of your foundational beliefs? Do you have good reasons to believe them? If you do, what are those good reasons? If you do not have good reasons, why do you have those beliefs?