Monday 26 February 2024

Some Questions on Jaspers' "What is Philosophy?"

Do you agree with the answers from Bing to the following questions?

What is the Primal Source according to Karl Jaspers?

According to Karl Jaspers, the primal source is the innermost core of human existence, where one can find the ultimate meaning and truth of one's being. It is the source of philosophy, which is the decision to awaken, explore, and express this primal source. Jaspers writes: "Philosophy is the decision to awaken our primal source, to find our way back to ourselves, and to help ourselves by inner action."¹ The primal source is not a fixed or static essence, but a dynamic and creative potential that can be actualized in different ways. Jaspers calls these ways the modes of the primal source, which include the modes of being, of consciousness, of spirit, and of communication. The primal source is also the basis of transcendence, which is the experience of going beyond the limits of empirical reality and encountering the encompassing, the absolute, or the divine.²

¹: [Karl Jaspers : The Philosophical Life]
²: [2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic]

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) Karl Jaspers | German Existential Philosopher & Psychologist. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Jaspers.
(2) CHAPTER ONE - Columbia University. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/religion/f2001/docs/axial_age.html.
(3) Karl Jaspers : The Philosophical Life. https://www.anthologialitt.com/post/karljaspers-thephilosophicallife.
(4) 2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic. https://bing.com/search?q=Primal+source+according+to+Karl+Jaspers.
(5) 2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/13846/chapter/167531187.

What does Karl Jaspers mean when he said the aim of philosophy is to find reality in the primal source?

Karl Jaspers said that the aim of philosophy is to find reality in the primal source, which is the innermost core of human existence, where one can find the ultimate meaning and truth of one's being. He believes that personal experience is one's fundamental source of truth about reality, and that philosophy is the decision to awaken, explore, and express this primal source. He also thinks that the primal source is the basis of transcendence, which is the experience of going beyond the limits of empirical reality and encountering the encompassing, the absolute, or the divine. ¹²

¹: [2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic](^1^)
²: [Karl Jaspers' Philosophy of Existence (Chapter 2) - Death ...](^2^)

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) 2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/13846/chapter/167531187.
(2) Karl Jaspers' Philosophy of Existence (Chapter 2) - Death .... https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/death-deathlessness-and-existenz-in-karl-jaspers-philosophy/karl-jaspers-philosophy-of-existence/30BC8AFC81B132DA809BB24BC77FCE07.
(3) 2 Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy of Existence - Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/13846/chapter/167531187.
(4) Karl Jaspers' Philosophy of Existence (Chapter 2) - Death .... https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/death-deathlessness-and-existenz-in-karl-jaspers-philosophy/karl-jaspers-philosophy-of-existence/30BC8AFC81B132DA809BB24BC77FCE07.
(5) Karl Jaspers - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Jaspers.
(6) undefined. https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748625352.003.0003.

What is the Comprehensive and the Encompassing according to Karl Jaspers?

According to Karl Jaspers, the Comprehensive and the Encompassing are two key concepts in his philosophy of existence. The Comprehensive is the totality of all the objects and phenomena that we can experience and know through our senses and reason. It includes the natural world, the human world, and the cultural world. 

The Encompassing is the ultimate source and ground of all being and meaning, which transcends the Comprehensive and cannot be grasped by our ordinary cognition. It is the realm of the absolute, the divine, and the transcendent. Jaspers argues that we can only approach the Encompassing through indirect and symbolic ways, such as faith, love, communication, and philosophy. The Encompassing always announces itself in the Comprehensive, but it never becomes an object of knowledge. ¹²³

¹: [Karl Jaspers on The Encompassing (1949) - YouTube]
²: [Thinking from the Origin: Critical and Personal Remarks on Jaspers ...]
³: [On the Being of the Encompassing - Mortal Immortals]

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) Karl Jaspers on The Encompassing (1949) - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFOz2WrIKk.
(2) Thinking from the Origin: Critical and Personal Remarks on Jaspers .... https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-007-2223-1_14.pdf.
(3) On the Being of the Encompassing - Mortal Immortals. https://mortalimmortals.com/on-the-being-of-the-encompassing/.
(4) Karl Jaspers on The Encompassing (1949) - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFOz2WrIKk.
(5) Thinking from the Origin: Critical and Personal Remarks on Jaspers .... https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-007-2223-1_14.pdf.
(6) On the Being of the Encompassing - Mortal Immortals. https://mortalimmortals.com/on-the-being-of-the-encompassing/.
(7) Karl Jaspers - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Jaspers.

What is reality?

Reality is a complex and contested concept that has different meanings and implications in different fields and perspectives. In general, reality is the totality of all things, structures, events, and phenomena that exist independently of human minds¹. However, some philosophers and scientists argue that reality is also influenced by human perception, interpretation, and construction². Therefore, reality may not be the same for everyone, and it may not be fully knowable or objective. Reality is one of the most profound and enduring questions in philosophy and human inquiry. 

¹: [Reality - Wikipedia]
²: [“Reality” is constructed by your brain. Here’s what that means, and why it matters. | Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute]

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) Reality - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality.
(2) “Reality” is constructed by your brain. Here’s what that means, and why .... https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/reality-constructed-your-brain-here-s-what-means-and-why-it-matters.

What are facts in philosophy?

In philosophy, the concept of a fact is closely tied to questions of objectivity, truth, and reality. Let's explore a few perspectives on what a fact is:

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP): The SEP entry on Facts delves into various aspects of this topic. It discusses how facts relate to propositions and the totality of circumstances. You can find more detailed information there¹.

2. Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus: Ludwig Wittgenstein, in his work, begins with the statement: "The world is all that is the case." He defines a fact as a **real circumstance (or "Tatsache" in German) determined by the totality of facts. Essentially, a fact corresponds to a situation that exists¹.

3. General Definition: In a broader sense, a fact can be defined as something that is the case, representing the state of affairs reported by a true proposition².

Remember that the understanding of facts can vary across different philosophical schools, and this topic remains open to interpretation and debate.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 03/03/2024

(1) metaphysics - What is a fact? - Philosophy Stack Exchange. https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/29262/what-is-a-fact.

(2) Fact - New World Encyclopedia. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Fact.

(3) Fact (philosophy) - AcademiaLab. https://academia-lab.com/encyclopedia/fact-philosophy/.

(4) Fact - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact.

(5) The Fact/Opinion Distinction - The Philosophers' Magazine. https://www.philosophersmag.com/essays/26-the-fact-opinion-distinction.

(6) undefined. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/facts/.

What is Truth in philosophy?

Truth in philosophy is the property of statements, beliefs, or propositions that are said to agree with reality or to state what is the case. There are different theories and views of truth in philosophy, such as the correspondence theory, the coherence theory, the pragmatic theory, and the relativist theory. These theories try to answer questions such as: What are the criteria for truth? How can we know or discover truth? Are there different kinds or levels of truth? Is truth objective or subjective, absolute or relative, universal or particular? Truth is one of the most fundamental and important concepts in philosophy, as it is the basis of knowledge, logic, and rationality. ¹²

¹: [Truth | Definition, Importance, Theories, & Facts | Britannica]
²: [Truth - Wikipedia]

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) Truth | Definition, Importance, Theories, & Facts | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/truth-philosophy-and-logic.
(2) Truth - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth.

When philosophers talk about seeking the Truth, what do they mean?

Philosophers are interested in finding out what is true and how we can know it. They use different methods and criteria to justify their claims to truth, such as logic, evidence, coherence, and experience. They also explore different aspects and domains of truth, such as physical, mathematical, moral, and historical truth. Philosophers seek the truth because they want to understand reality, knowledge, and rationality. ¹²³

¹: [Philosophy and the Search for Truth | Philosophia - Springer]
²: [Seven Approaches to Finding the Truth | Psychology Today]
³: [5.1: Philosophical Methods for Discovering Truth]

Source: Conversation with Bing, 26/02/2024
(1) Philosophy and the Search for Truth | Philosophia - Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11406-013-9426-5.
(2) Seven Approaches to Finding the Truth | Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/202009/seven-approaches-finding-the-truth.
(3) 5.1: Philosophical Methods for Discovering Truth. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Philosophy/Introduction_to_Philosophy_%28OpenStax%29/05%3A_Logic_and_Reasoning/5.01%3A_Philosophical_Methods_for_Discovering_Truth.

What is free will?

  Photo by Khashayar Kouchpeydeh on Unsplash Philosophy Now Article Please find the following article: - What is Free Will? Some Questions f...