DAY 4 - Dive into Metaphysics & Socrates!

Part 1: An Example of How History Has Helped to Shape Philosophical Trends

Welcome to the Philosophy: Questions and Theories (HZT4U).

As an introductory activity you are asked to complete an interactive quiz dealing with your knowledge of modern civilization prior to 1500. There are six multiple choice questions included, and based upon the number of correct answers you accumulate a virtual history prize will be awarded at the conclusion. Following each question you will be shown the correct answer. Pay particularly close attention to the accompanying explanation that follows each answer. It will help to describe how and why aspects of life have changed from the Middle Ages to the modern era, and how this has helped to shape philosophical trends in the modern world.

Part 2: What is Metaphysics?

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

Socrates (469 - 399 BCE)

Rodin's "The Thinker"

Each day you are inundated with information - conversations, signs, television shows, Internet blogs, dreams and more. How often do you actually contemplate this information with the intensity of Rodin's famous statue? Probably not all that often. But then, with all of the day-to-day demands, who has the time? Indeed, all of this information is sort of like eating nothing but fast food; you may feel full but are you really satisfied? Philosophy (which translates to "love of wisdom") is about taking time to consider, critique and reflect on the big questions. These answers do not come easily, nor are there many absolute answers. However, for many philosophers, the journey is more important than the destination. So grab a comfy chair and let's take that first step!

Metaphysics

So what is Metaphysics? Well, imagine you and your friends are driving in a car for a good old-fashioned road trip. One of your friends might ask, "Where are we going?", while another wonders, "When will we get there?", while yet another cries out, "Who are we meeting later?" These are important questions, especially for the driver. But imagine your friends' reactions when you suddenly state, "Is this a dream?"

Assuming they didn't turn the car around, your friends' answers would be metaphysical. That is because Metaphysics asks the really  Big Questions:

• What is real?
• What is the meaning of life?
• What is our place in the universe (if, indeed, there is one)?
• Does the world exist?
• What are things really made of?
• Do we have free will?
• Does God exist?

and, importantly,

• Does any of this matter, and if so, how so?

As you can see, Metaphysics seeks answer to the same question satirical novelist Douglas Adams answered: what is the answer to life, the universe and everything? However, unlike Adams' tongue-in-cheek answer of

42: the answer to life, the universe and everything, according to novelist Douglas Adams, few philosophers would agree that the answer is so easy.

I distributed a short history of Socrates and you all made a "top 10 list" of things everyone should know about Socrates.