Different philosophers have different ideas and theories. This has always been true. In this course, we looked at a number of different philosophers, including Russell, Christian, and Wittgenstein. Each has a unique perspective. Russell looks at philosophy as a very broad field, while others don’t. His definition places philosophy as ideas which fall between science and religion, which he says means it gets attacked from all sides. He also believes that religion has given answers which are too definite without any proof, and science tells people only what is actually true, while philosophy examines questions, to determine what might be true.
Christian agrees in some areas. He, too, looks at philosophy as a way to examine questions, to figure out what is possibly true. He extends on this to say that one must also look at the relationships between ideas. He does not mention philosophy as having anything at all to do with religion and science, at least not in the way that Russell does. Wittgenstein believe something much more simple than either Russell or Christian. He looks at philosophy as “untying the knots” in one’s thinking.
He looks at philosophy as answering questions, much like the others, but he doesn’t describe it in terms of religion and science like Russell, nor does he outline several different points as does Christian. Instead, he looks at philosophy as simply a way of thinking in order to understand what is going on (which he is careful to explain does not mean it is simple).
The Essay on Philosophy of Religion and Science
Essay Question: What, in general, is a Naturalistic Explanation of Religion? NER explains religious phenomena exclusively by reference to natural phenomena. If we can satisfyingly explain religion without recourse to belief in the supernatural, then there is little left to recommend belief in the supernatural. Why would a successful NER provide evidence for atheism? A successful NER would provide ...
In general, all these philosophers agree that philosophy is a way of thinking and of answering questions. However, they each disagree exactly where it came from and how it relates to the rest of the world. That is where philosophy is open to continued discussion.
