THE VALUE OF PHILOSOPHY

Assignment 1

Please read:

1. Cohen, “What Philosophy Is,” pp. 1-9.
2. Degeorge, “The Origins of Applied Philosophy,” pp. 9-14.
3. Russell, “The Value of Philosophy” (see attached PDF under the link for Assignment 1)

Please answer the following questions about these readings. Put your answers under the questions, and submit this whole file, including the instructions, the questions, and your answers. Please be as complete as you can. Please use your own sentences.

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Question 1: Explain what Cohen means when he says that philosophy is a thinking activity and explain what it all involves. (Use Cohen’s example of Locke or the examples on page 6 and 7.)

Answer 1:

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Question 2: What do you think of Cohen’s analysis of what philosophical thinking involves? Can you understand it? Do you agree? Would you add anything?

Answer 2:

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Question 3: Reading Cohen, please explain the traditional areas of philosophy. Explain what they involve.

Answer 3:

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Question 4: What does Cohen say about philosophical systems and theories? What are they?

Answer 4:

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Question 5: According to Cohen, philosophy can be directed towards two kinds of problems. What are the two kinds of problems? Explain what each are about.

Answer 5:

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Question 6: Explain Cohen’s view of the interdependence of pure and applied philosophy.

Answer 6:

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Question 7: What is Degeorge’s historical explanation for how philosophy produces established disciplines (like psychology, political science, physics) but are still connected to philosophy.

Answer 7:

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Question 8: Following Degeorge, explain the three trends that converged to produce the contemporary idea of “applied philosophy.”

Answer 8:

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Question 9: Following Russell, explain the things that give philosophy its value. Ultimately, for Russell, what is the value of philosophy?

Answer 9: