philosophy opening questions by Jessie Cheney https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82 opening questions en-us 2020-08-31 16:08:57 UTC 2025-11-24 15:46:45 UTC hello@padlet.com What Is Philosophy? jcheney7 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/709255199
As philosophy is likely to be a new activity for many of you, it’s worth taking some time to discuss what it means/looks like to “do philosophy” and to examine some perspectives on what the purpose of this activity might be.



  • What IS philosophy, anyway - that is, what do you associate with the term? What type of activity is it?
  • What do you picture when you think of a philosopher? Does a philosopher look/act a certain way?
  • What is the PURPOSE of philosophy? What are the responsibilities (if any) of the philosopher?


You must answer AT LEAST one prompt - you MAY answer more.  If you wish, you may work in pairs.

I encourage you to use images as well as words in your responses!


]]> 2020-08-31 16:08:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/709255199 When I hear the term philosophy, I think of the practice of analizing concepts and abstract ideas. Looking into things that cant really be studied scientifically. Like, what does it mean to be human or what is the purpose of being alive? https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704724833 2021-08-30 15:08:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704724833 abunge2 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704727126
  • What IS philosophy, anyway - that is, what do you associate with the term? What type of activity is it?
    • I have limited knowledge of what philosophy is but from what I've heard, I associate philosophy with the study of life and human beings in a non science way. I associate questions like who am I? What is the meaning of life? And questions of morality with philosophy. I also associate people like Plato and Aristotle with philosophy. 


    ]]>     2021-08-30 15:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704727126     aspeer9 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704729939 When I think of philosophy I tend to think of debating. I have had some minor philosophy experience especially with the trolly problem and when I discussed that in a class we did a lot of debating over what was  "right".
    I think when it comes to philosophy I think of debating because there is no right answer so it leaves a lot open to debate about.


    When I picture a philosopher I almost always think of Chidi from the Good Place because that is the first exposure I had to it. But as I look more in to it I associate it with people who are long since dead so it is hard to think about how they would act.]]>     2021-08-30 15:09:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704729939     What IS philosophy, anyway - that is, what do you associate with the term? What type of activity is it? ctyson8 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730041 Philosophy is the study of fundamentalism particularly through complex questions with unknown and/or unproven answers. Examples of the topics of these questions may be related to life, meanings, nature, thought, humanism, and more.]]> 2021-08-30 15:09:51 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730041 What is the purpose of a philosopher? mkelly196 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730081 I think the main purpose of a philosopher is to contemplate open ended questions. Specifically ones that pertain to life as a whole. Questions like “why are we here?” “what does life mean?” and “does anything we do matter?”. I think some responsibilities of a philosopher would be to ponder similar questions and discuss their ideas and theories with other philosophers. ]]> 2021-08-30 15:09:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730081 What I picture when I think of a philosopher zf9trvsnzk https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730162 When I think of a philosopher the first thing that jumps to mind are the Ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and others. I tend to think of them dressed in only a toga, reading different texts, or making speeches to the public to spread their words to others.]]> 2021-08-30 15:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730162 Question 3 osiskel https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730167 I think that the purpose of philosophy is to question everything, and to then consider how a person should act in accordance with the answers to these questions. A philosopher's responsibility would not only be to do philosophy, but to also to understand the ideas of other philosophers, and respond to them. ]]> 2021-08-30 15:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730167 What do you picture when you think of a philosopher? jaske https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730938 When I think of a philosopher I think of greek statues and famous philosophers such as Socrates or Plato. I imagine someone who spends their time thinking about life in the Mediterranean drinking wine and eating olive oil and bread. I think of someone who is trying to make sense of life and how our brains see the world.

    What is the purpose of philosophy?

    The purpose of philosophy is to understand how we as humans are. To understand our lives and how we interact with the world and each other.

    ]]>     2021-08-30 15:10:16 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730938     https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730941 Philosophy is a subject that can mean a variety of different things. It can be a meaning, it could be an idea, or it could be a concept. To many people, the word or the idea of philosophy could mean vastly different ideas. The association I put with the term philosophy is not the ideal description. I could describe philosophy in tens of different ways, but the one that stands out me is exploring the world in a different perspective. To see the world from a perspective of that no answers are right, that any answer could mean something different, could mean something that nessesarily wouldn't be said, but with philosophy could always be correct. When I picture a philosopher, I picture some who is teaching, someone who knows the meaning behind the word philosophy. Someone who knows what it is like to be in those shoes of teaching philosophy. While philosophy is a big question, a big thing to answer in the world, the people who study this can provide a deeper answer to that question. They can say what it means, or at least what they think it means because philosophy can mean a range of different things to many different people in the world.]]> 2021-08-30 15:10:16 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704730941 question 1 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704732743 when i think of philosophy i think of humans trying to figure out our purpose in life. why we're here, whats the point of life, are we meant to have a purpose, whats the point of our lives in the greater scheme of the universe, do we really matter, etc. societies were build to give us material and structural purpose, and to me philosophy is just like that but a purpose within our minds and the limits of our own knowledge. ]]> 2021-08-30 15:11:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704732743 1.) I think philosophy is the evaluation and understanding of the human species and the things that revolve around us. Philosophy is the act of trying to have answers for what we don't understand. I associate philosophy with sociology and Marxism. It is a sit-down type of activity and somewhat of a debate. dsilverberg2 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704733163

    ]]>     2021-08-30 15:11:15 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704733163     Question 2 ocostabile https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704735017 To be honest, when I think of a philosopher I picture an old bearded man that kinda looks like the man above (Plato). However, I believe that anyone can be a philosopher. I think philosophers have discipline, courage, strength, justice, and wisdom. All of those things can be achieved by any average human being. In my opinion, philosophers never let their emotions get the best of them. That does not mean that they suppress their emotions, they just don't allow their actions to be controlled by their emotions. I also believe that philosophers do not curse their own fortune. Meaning that they do not get angry or upset over anything that is outside of their control. I know that is incredibly hard to do, but I think it is something we should strive for. Lastly, I think philosophers are kind and just to everyone no matter what. This is a brief summary of how I perceive philosophers. They do many more great things that I am sure we will go over in the rest of the year.]]> 2021-08-30 15:12:01 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704735017 What do you picture when you think of a philosopher? Does a philosopher look/act a certain way? ctyson8 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737518 I picture someone deep in thought, like the philosopher Aristotle is here. Philosophers tend to act calm and collected even in times of physical crisis.]]> 2021-08-30 15:12:58 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737518 Philosophy is the examination of past historical events. I think that a big part of philosophy is discussing how the world works. I associate philosophy with examining, thinking, and sharing what you've found. One of my favorite parts of philosophy is that you can go in any direction and examine anything that interests you. https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737883 2021-08-30 15:13:07 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737883 What do you picture when you think of a philosopher? Does a philosopher look/act a certain way? esalgado14 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737953 Whenever I think of a philosopher, I often envision a college professor or a person who has a seemingly put together life. At the same time, I tend to think of existentialism and its beliefs. While not 100% sure, I correlate a philosopher as someone who questions the moral, ethical, and integrity aspects of worldly scenarios. ]]> 2021-08-30 15:13:09 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704737953 Philosophy is the study of our existence and knowledge. Philosophy is questions we discuss that are beyond us. When I think of the word philosophy I think of our reality, and what we value. Or questions about our existence or the reasons we do what we do, or why we believe in certain concepts in our lives. https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704740860 2021-08-30 15:14:28 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704740860 What is the PURPOSE of philosophy? What are the responsibilities (if any) of the philosopher? rmathews22 https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704741103 I think the purpose of philosophy is understanding humanity and what it means to be human. It can help us become better people by analyzing our instincts as humans. A philosophers job is to look in on humans and see what lies beneath people's own personalities.]]> 2021-08-30 15:14:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jcheney7/xzuytdf27jlvpx82/wish/1704741103