Free Custom «The Nature Of Philosophy» Essay Paper

Philosophy was at the core at the very beginning of all sciences due to the reasons that lie in its nature. Philosophical knowledge grounds on inquiry and constant questioning the truth. Up to now, no research can take place in any science without philosophical analysis and methodology since every hypothesis, and every worldview has to be debated and proved. Specifically, philosophy proposes means for logical analysis of the concepts and principles discussed in a certain science. There is no domain of human knowledge and social life, in which it would not be useful, from morality up to politics and mathematical analysis.

Socrates along with Plato and Aristotle are the most outstanding geniuses who made a considerable contribution to the development of the philosophical worldview. In particular, Socrates is the embodiment of the questioning nature of philosophy itself. He named himself a gadfly because it was his mission in life, assigned to him by gods, to make people and the state alive and awake. Socrates forced everyone, the rich and the poor, poets and politicians, to examine their lives and deeds, as well as their knowledge. The very task of philosophy was formulated by Socrates through this metaphor since it had the purpose “to stir into life” (Plato n.d.). Without the gadfly, both people and science will sleep and eventually die. The inquiry is necessary to continue active living and developing. As Socrates asserted, the gadfly will not let anyone sleep by “arousing and persuading and reproaching you” (Plato n.d.). In fact, the whole methodology of philosophical thought is expressed by these words. In the search for truth, every alternative worldview has to undergo careful scrutiny, and all its implications must be deliberately worked out. Like that gadfly, which “all day long and in all places [is] always fastening upon you” (Plato n.d.), philosophy makes constant inquiries into theoretical viewpoints and thus allows scientists not to be stuck with the existing, possibly false worldviews. In other words, philosophical debate and research stimulate constructing a consistent and well-developed set of true statements.

 

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Socrates would never refuse to serve the mission of searching for truth. He was loyal to his god’s command that made him examine himself and others in the pursuit of virtue, and the greatest philosopher of all times claimed that “the life that is unexamined is not worth living” (Plato n.d.). More than money, fame, material goods, or even the opportunity to escape death, Socrates valued open inquiry and one-to-one conversation in the attempt to discover the true nature of human beings, their vices and virtues. Similarly, he strived for the understanding of the essence of his own soul and the improvement of his personality, as well as the citizens of his native city and the whole state. He considered hypocrisy for the sake of enrichment and thriving life unworthy and senseless. Moreover, he preferred to “die having spoken after my manner, than speak in your manner and live” (Plato n.d.). “Your manner” in this statement refers to such liars and indecent, unwise men as Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon, who slandered Socrates and brought him to court. The principal concern of such ignorant people was “the greatest amount of money and honor and reputation” (Plato n.d.). They did not care about “wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul” (Plato n.d.), and that was the priority for Socrates. Just as Socrates could not bear ignorance, “the pretense of wisdom, and not real wisdom . . . the appearance of knowing the unknown”, (Plato n. d.) philosophy has its priority in finding and proving truth with consistent arguments. That is why the critical task of philosophy is to question everything and reflect on particular sets of beliefs, not to take any views for granted but to penetrate, discover and search for genuine truth. The best instrument for verifying truth is reasonable argument and critical analysis, which are valuable for any science or discipline. As a matter of fact, the importance of philosophical inquiry for the sciences is obvious. Moreover, since it improves general thinking habits, philosophy is useful both in scientific research and in the lives of individuals in society. For instance, numerous ethical issues of the modern society are almost impossible to solve because of their ambiguity, complexity, and different perspectives. These perspectives often depend on social norms, cultural peculiarities, and individual perceptions and appreciations. In such a way, ethical pluralism appears when everything comes to be allowed, and conflicting views continue existing. It is only sound philosophical reasoning that could help in solving such dilemmas as its arguments are straightforward, logical, and intolerant of inconsistencies. By and large, knowledge was the most precious virtue for Socrates, as it is for philosophy, the virtue that combined all human good – justice, courage, and other absolute eternal values.

An important property of the philosophical thought is the ability to be honest about one’s views and endeavor to discover whether they are true or full of fallacies. Socrates, as an embodiment of philosophy, devoted his life to questioning people’s nature and their beliefs about their own soul, its good and bad qualities. His strongest power was in the ability to acknowledge his own ignorance and attempt to find where he was wrong. Most of the people, and that is their weakness, are not able to admit that their knowledge is not absolute, and hence, they prefer to pretend to be wise and knowledgeable and hate when their ignorance comes to light. Thus, the major idea created by Socrates is that the worst man is “he [who] knows nothing, and thinks that he knows” (Plato n.d.). Without doubt and hypocrisy, Socrates asserted that the God and Oracle considered him to be wiser than others because, as he put it, “I neither know nor think that I know” (Plato n.d.). Overall, the wisdom belongs to God, but people can try hard to discover at least a small part of it through questioning, doubt, debate, and research. In this regard, Montaigne said, “Philosophy is doubt”, as it is itself the constant yearning for wisdom.

1. First of all, it should be noted that the root of the difference between deductive and inductive arguments lies in the strength of their inferences. While deductive arguments are straightforward, iron-clad, and unsurprising, inductive ones accept degrees in assuming conclusions from certain premises. Therefore, a deductive argument can be either valid or invalid since it has nothing to do with the content of the included statements. The only thing that matters here is the logical relationship between the premise and the conclusion, and if the statement taken as a premise is assumed to be true, the statement of the correspondingly inferred conclusion is also true. In contrast, an inductive argument centers on the notion of probability in relations between the premises and conclusions. Therefore, it can be either strong or weak, but not valid or invalid. A good argument, in contrast to “fallacy” or bad argument, has to meet the basic three requirements. Its premises must be relevant to the conclusions, sufficient to warrant accepting the conclusion, and acceptable in their own right.
2. The form of the given argument: All A are B. Some C are A. Therefore, some B are not C. This argument is invalid since it contains true premises and a false conclusion because the structure of it, or logical relationship, is invalid, which means that conclusion should not include the information not included in the premises. Counterexample: All cats (A) are animals (B). Some living creatures (C) are cats (A). Therefore, some animals (B) are not living creatures (C). (This argument is invalid; so, all the other arguments that fit this structure are also invalid).
3. The U. S. Constitution is the foundation of American democracy, and its laws are aimed at defending the major value that is the human life. Handguns are items whose usage can threaten the human life. Therefore, the possession, ownership, and sale of handguns should be outlawed.