A Philosopher’s View

• Philosophy
  • Philosophy is the investigation of fundamental issues by rational argument.
  • It’s defined by:
    • Its subject matter: Any Fundamental Issue.
    • Its method: The Analysis of Arguments
    • Its mindset: Skepticism.

• Applied Philosophy
  • Application of the philosophic method — the analysis of arguments — to matters of public concern

• Arguments
  • An argument is a piece of reasoning, from premises to a conclusion.

• Democracy
  • The U.S. is a Representative, Constitutional, Presidential, Federal, Liberal Democracy
  • Its vulnerabilities and flaws: Tyranny of the Majority, One Person, Not One Vote, Undemocratically Elected Presidents, Disparity in Party Makeup of Legislature and Electorate, Gerrymandering, Election Subversion, Voter Suppression, Voter Fraud

• Epistemic Pitfalls
  • How reasoning goes awry

• Epistemology
  • The investigation of knowledge and rational belief

• Ethics
  • The investigation of right and wrong, good and bad, and what should be

• History of Philosophy
  • The History of Philosophy is the history of philosophic arguments

• Logic
  • Tools for formulating and evaluating arguments

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

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

• Scientific Theories
  • A scientific theory is
    • designed to explain certain kinds of phenomena,
    • defined by its postulates,
    • supported or disproved by its predictions.
  • Big Bang, Electromagnetism, Energy, Evolution, General Relativity, Global Warming, Mendel’s Heredity, Newton’s Gravitation, Plate Tectonics, Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity

• Skepticism
  • The disposition to believe based only on rational argument

• Supreme Court Decision-Making
  • Philosophies of SC Decision-Making
  • Originalism v. Living Constitutionalism

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