Introduction to Philosophy – Erhan Demircioğlu

Philosophical thinking is the sort of thinking that is directed towards understanding the most fundamental features of the universe and our place in it. It is not taken to be lightly, but not to be taken too seriously (or “professionally”) either. Philosophical thinking does not come from “nowhere,” it is not destined to be “abstract”, “isolated”, and “obscure”, something that “loses all contact with practical reality”. On the contrary, it arises from ordinary ways of thinking, and most thinking beings encounter the problems that motivate philosophical thinking at some points in their lifetimes. Philosophical thinking can be seen as a systematic and rational development of ordinary thinking. Think about an issue (suppose you make a judgment/claim, for example, “This is just”), encounter a problem (Someone challenges your claim, then the question is “What is justice?”), try to solve the problem rationally (“Here is a hypothesis: Justice is what is good for my well-being. Let us examine whether this is true”), and then here you are, standing at the gates of philosophical thinking. The course is designed for students to appreciate that philosophical thinking is continuous with ordinary thinking.