1.1 Basic Philosophical Concepts

Question 1

What is Philosophy?

Answer 1

Philosophy discusses background assumptions of scientific research including: 
Conceptual issues (defining truth, knowledge, consciousness)
Methodological issues (defining an explanation, reduction, argument)
Normative issues (ethics)

Question 2

Basic questions of Philosophy & Neuroscience

Answer 2

What is consciousness & freedom? What is the relationship between mind and brain? How are the different methods related (psychology v neuroscience)? What are the consequences of neuroscience of self-understanding?

Question 3

Knowledge a priori

Answer 3

“in advance,” meaning that the knowledge can be deduced from previously held ideas or concepts (i.e. a square has 4 sides)

Question 4

Knowledge a posteriori

Answer 4

“afterwards,” meaning that the knowledge must be derived from experience. (i.e. diameter of the earth is 12.742km)

Question 5

Analytic claims

Answer 5

derived from concepts and do not provide additional knowledge. depend on linguistic conventions

Question 6

Synthetic claims

Answer 6

provide new knowledge

Question 7

Correspondence Theory of Truth

Answer 7

proposition is true if it corresponds to a fact.

problems arise if “correspondence unclear” or “no direct access to facts”

Question 8

Coherence Theory of Truth

Answer 8

proposition is true if it coheres with other accepted propositions.
problems arise if false propositions become true or vice versa. this theory also confounds method and meaning.

Question 9

Necessary condition

Answer 9

a condition is necessary if the state cannot be reached without condition being met.

Question 10

Sufficient condition

Answer 10

a condition is sufficient if the state must be reached when the condition is met. *keeping in mind that more than one sufficient condition may exist.

Question 11

Necessary & sufficient

Answer 11

the state is reached if and ONLY if the condition is met.

Question 12

Types of Knowledge

Answer 12

knowing “how” (to ride a bicycle), knowing “that” (scientific knowledge), knowing “phenomenons” (tasting chocolate, feeling pain)

Question 13

Three basic requirements for (propositional) knowledge

Answer 13

justifiable true belief

Question 14

Knowledge?

Peter knew in advance “that he would win the lottery”

Answer 14

No. If lottery works the way expected, then he is not justified in his belief.

Question 15

Knowledge?

He continued to believe that he would prevail although he knew that he had lost.

Answer 15

????

Question 16

Knowledge?

Angela knew that she would have to expect nothing good from Markus

Answer 16

If we know that Markus’s previous behavior is bad and that she has justification to believe it, then yes.

Question 17

Summarize Gettier-Objection

Answer 17

When someone makes the correct conclusion but based on false reasoning. (Sees coworker’s documents about owning a car, makes conclusion that someone in the office owns a car, but in fact someone else owns that car)
Is her belief that someone owns that car knowledge? Intuition says no, but it meets the criteria for knowledge (“justified belief”)