A Philosopher’s View

• Philosophy
  • Philosophy is the investigation of fundamental issues by rational argument.
  • Its subject matter is any fundamental issue:
    • Traditional branches are Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Political Philosophy, Logic, and the History of Philosophy
  • Its basic method is the analysis of arguments, more aptly described as critical thinking with a vengeance.
    • An argument is a piece of reasoning, from premises to conclusion.
      • 
      • View Arguments

• Constitutional Law
  • Originalism v. Living Constitutionalism

• Contemporary Issues
  • Analysis of the arguments

• Democracy
  • US is a Representative, Constitutional, Presidential, Federal, Liberal Democracy
  • But it is far from perfect:
    • Not every vote counts the same
    • It is subject to voter suppression and election subversion

• Epistemology
  • The investigation of knowledge and rational belief

• Philosophers’ Tools
  • Tools philosophers use in reasoning

• Probability and Statistics
  • Probability Theory
  • Statistical Inference
  • Bayesian versus Frequentistism

• Political Philosophy
  • The normative and conceptual inquiry into forms of government

• Reasoning Pitfalls
  • How reasoning goes wrong

• Scientific Theories
  • A scientific theory is
    • designed to explain certain kinds of phenomena,
    • defined by its postulates,
    • supported or disproved by its predictions.

• Skepticism
  • Attitude of mind that demands evidence before believing

• Current Classes
  • Behind the News
  • Philosophic Method, SAIL Course, Fall 2022