An Introduction to Philosophy | Page 3

The "Modern" Logic. 68. Logic and Philosophy.





CHAPTER XVII
PSYCHOLOGY
69. Psychology and Philosophy. 70. The Double Affiliation of
Psychology.





CHAPTER XVIII
ETHICS AND AESTHETICS
71. Common Sense Ethics. 72. Ethics and Philosophy. 73. Aesthetics.

CHAPTER XIX
METAPHYSICS
74. What is Metaphysics? 75. Epistemology.





CHAPTER XX
THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
76. Religion and Reflection. 77. The Philosophy of Religion.

CHAPTER XXI
PHILOSOPHY AND THE OTHER SCIENCES
78. The Philosophical and the Non-philosophical Sciences. 79. The
study of Scientific Principles and Methods.






PART VI
ON THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY






CHAPTER XXII

THE VALUE OF THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY
80. The Question of Practical Utility. 81. Why Philosophical Studies
are Useful. 82. Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Religion.





CHAPTER XXIII
WHY WE SHOULD STUDY THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
83. The Prominence given to the Subject. 84. The Especial Importance
of Historical Studies to Reflective Thought. 85. The Value of Different
Points of View. 86. Philosophy as Poetry and Philosophy as Science.
87. How to read the History of Philosophy.





CHAPTER XXIV
SOME PRACTICAL ADMONITIONS
88. Be prepared to enter upon a New Way of Looking at Things. 89. Be

willing to consider Possibilities which at first strike one as Absurd. 90.
Do not have too much Respect for Authority. 91. Remember that
Ordinary Rules of Evidence Apply. 92. Aim at Clearness and
Simplicity. 93. Do not hastily accept a Doctrine.
NOTES

AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
I. INTRODUCTORY





CHAPTER I
THE MEANING OF THE WORD "PHILOSOPHY" IN THE PAST
AND IN THE PRESENT
I must warn the reader at the outset that the title of this chapter seems
to promise a great deal more than he will find carried out in the chapter
itself. To tell all that philosophy has meant in the past, and all that it
means to various classes of men in the present, would be a task of no
small magnitude, and one quite beyond the scope of such a volume as
this. But it is not impossible to give within small compass a brief
indication, at least, of what the word once signified, to show how its
signification has undergone changes, and to point out to what sort of a
discipline or group of disciplines educated men are apt to apply the
word, notwithstanding their differences of opinion as to the truth or
falsity of this or that particular doctrine. Why certain subjects of

investigation have come to be grouped together and to be regarded as
falling within the province of the philosopher, rather than certain other
subjects, will, I hope, be made clear in the body of the work. Only an
indication can be given in this chapter.
1. THE BEGINNINGS OF PHILOSOPHY.--The Greek historian
Herodotus (484-424 B.C.) appears to have been the first to use the verb
"to philosophize." He makes Croesus tell Solon how he has heard that
he "from a desire of knowledge has, philosophizing, journeyed through
many lands." The word "philosophizing" seems to indicate that Solon
pursued knowledge for its own sake, and was what we call an
investigator. As for the word "philosopher" (etymologically, a lover of
wisdom), a certain somewhat unreliable tradition traces it back to
Pythagoras (about 582-500 B.C.). As told by Cicero, the story is that, in
a conversation with Leon, the ruler of Phlius, in the Peloponnesus, he
described himself as a philosopher, and said that his business was an
investigation into the nature of things.
At any rate, both the words "philosopher" and "philosophy" are freely
used in the writings of the disciples of Socrates (470-399 B.C.), and it
is possible that he was the first to make use of them. The seeming
modesty of the title philosopher--for etymologically it is a modest one,
though it has managed to gather a very different signification with the
lapse of time--the modesty of the title would naturally appeal to a man
who claimed so much ignorance, as Socrates; and Plato represents him
as distinguishing between the lover of wisdom and the wise, on the
ground that God alone may be called wise. From that date to this the
word "philosopher" has remained with us, and it has meant many things
to many men. But for centuries the philosopher has not been simply the
investigator, nor has he been simply the lover of wisdom.
An investigation into the origin of words, however interesting in itself,
can tell us little of the uses to which words are put after they have come
into being. If we turn from etymology to history, and review the labors
of the men whom the world has agreed