INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Introducing philosoph y to neophytes could be a very interesting affair as well as challenging task. My starting poi nt over the years has been to use the Socratic approach of starting from the position that most people actually have an idea of the discipline than they would agree to. It is simply putting the question bluntly to every student wh at they thought philosophy to be . To this I have been given various answers: Philosophy is thinking about everything. Or philosophy is a critical reflection on life and reality as a whole. Or philosophy is ma n’s attempt to understand himself and his place in the world . Or philosophy is engaged in by mad people. All of these have something to say about philosophy one way or the other. Clearly implied in these definitions is the fact that philosophy is a critical and reflective activity, one that is not meant for simple minds but minds that are ready to interrogate reality. It is not an...