To PageLinks Philosophy is the discipline which develops a master set of concepts, principles and techniques which function as
guidelines and standards for the development of accurate concepts,
principles and practical techniques in other disciplines and the
sciences.
The master set of philosophical concepts, principles and techniques
include (A) operational definitions of terms or phrases used in a
discipline or a science, (B) standards of proof, (C) inductive thinking
and deductive thinking, (D) making
decisions, and (E) solving problems (how to achieve a desire and/or
avoid a
fear) for achieving desires and avoiding fears and
experiencing good feelings including the emotion of happiness and not
experiencing bad feelings especially the emotion of unhappiness.
A philosophy is a set of concepts and principles and techniques
for using the concepts and principles.
A concept is a mental representation of an object, a unity
which retains its identity for a longer time period than a related
event.
An object is a configuration
of atoms and molecules (a configuration of matter/energy), e.g., a thing or an entity comprised of m/e which
retains its identity for a longer period of time than a relevant event.
Examples: A woman named Jane, a ball, and a man named Dick.
An event is a causal or
coincidental relationship between or among objects.
A causal relationship
between/among objects is a relationship wherein people/objects
who/which as causes cause as effects changes in pre-existing
people/objects or new people/objects.
A coincidental relationship
between/among people/objects is a non-causal relationship wherein
people/objects are in proximity to each other by occupying different
spacetial coordinates at the same timepoint without being causally
linked to each other, without one being the cause of the other.
A true concept is a concept which accurately describes a
person/object/event; a false concept is a concept which
inaccurately describes a person/object/event.
A principle is a mental representation of an event, a
relationship between or among objects.
Example: Jane throws the ball to Dick. Jane is the cause of the effect
of the ball traveling through the air (space and time) to Dick.
A true principle is a principle which accurately describes the
relationship of a person/object/event to other persons/objects/events;
a false principle is a principle which inaccurately describes
the relationship of a person/object/event to other
persons/objects/events.
A technique is an application of a concept or/and a principle.
Example: To get the ball to Dick, Jane uses the technique of throwing
the ball to Dick. She could have used the technique of giving the ball
to her dog, Spot, and commanding him to carry the ball to Dick, but
because Spot is unreliable, if Jane wants to get the ball to Dick
quickly and over a space of several yards, she can use the technique of
throwing the ball to Dick.
A practical technique (true technique) is a useful
application of a concept/principle; an impractical technique (false
technique) is a useless application of a concept/principle.
A fact is a true concept/true principle/practical technique
derived directly from practical experience or from proof derived by the
application of the code of science; an opinion or belief
is an expectation derived indirectly from practical experience or from
proof derived by the application of the code of science that a concept
or principle is true, or that a technique is practical--an opinion is
an hypothesis requiring proof.
True knowledge consists of a set of true concepts, true
principles, and practical techniques (true techniques); false
knowledge consists of a set of false concepts, false principles,
and impractical techniques (false techniques).
In the discipline of philosophy, concepts/principles/techniques are
created (A) for creating operational definitions of terms or phrases
used in a discipline or a science, (B) for developing standards of
proof, (C) for inductive thinking
and for deductive thinking, (E) for making decisions, and (F) for
solving problems (how to achieve a
desire and/or avoid a fear) for achieving desires and
avoiding fears. To PageLinks
What
Is
The Value Of Philosophy?
To PageLinks
The value of philosophy to an individual or an organization is
the development of the master set of philosophical
concepts/principles/techniques individuals in other disciplines and the
sciences can use for the development of accurate concepts/principles
including techniques for inductive and deductive thinking within their
discipline or science. When people are engaged in business, politics,
economics,
and the sciences, they need guidelines for the inductive and deductive
thinking they must use for the development of the operational
definitions
of the terms and phrases they will use within their discipline. They
need
to learn how to think, and philosophy provides tools for the inductive
and deductive thinking needed to develop the operational definitions
they
will use within their discipline and for communicating with people who
wish to learn those operational definitions and the premises and
conclusions
of their discipline. To PageLinks
What
Is The Philosophy Of Philosophy?
To PageLinks
The philosophy of philosophy is the master set of philosophical
concepts/principles/techniques useful for developing
concepts/principles/techniques in other disciplines including the
sciences. To PageLinks
What Are Operational
Definitions?
Operational definitions are definitions which provide
descriptions of the observations and measurements of the objects/events
relevant to the term being defined.
Operational definitions can be created using structured sentences
such as the following:
1. _____ [Term being defined operationally] IS _____
[Description of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined].
Example: The mind [Term being defined operationally] ISan individual’s personal system of desires/fears/priorities as
evidenced by his observable actions and reactions, in particular,
as evidenced by his approach behavior to people/objects/events he
desires and his avoidance behavior from people/objects/events he fears
[Descriptions of the observable/measurable people/objects/events--in
this
case the events of approach/avoidance--relevant to the term being
defined].
2. _____ [Term being defined operationally] IS WHEN _____
[Description of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined].
Example: Love [Term being defined operationally] IS
WHENsomeone says they like you and they do nice things for
you and with you [Description of the objects/events relevant to
the term being defined].
3. IF _____ [Description of the objects/events relevant to the
term being defined], THEN _____ [Term being defined operationally].
Example: IFsomeone says they like you and does nice
things for you and with you [Description of the objects/events
relevant to the term being defined], THENthat islove [Term being defined operationally].
4. WHEN _____ [Description of the objects/events relevant
to the term being defined], THEN _____ [Term being defined
operationally].
Example: WHENsomeone says they like you and does nice
things for you and with you [Description of the objects/events
relevant to the term being defined], THENthat islove
[Term being defined operationally].
Most Famous Example of an Operational Definition: Happiness is a
warm puppy. [Charles Schultz, Peanuts]
By operational definitions, abstract concepts/principles can be defined
by the descriptions of real-world objects/events/techniques; thus, by
operational definitions, abstract concepts/principles/techniques can be
made concrete/made into concrete concepts/principles/techniques.
If a person cannot provide a description by means of the
observation(s)/measurement(s) of the people/objects/events related to a
term he wishes to define/use in a discussion, then there is an
excellent chance that (A) the people/objects/events he is trying to
define/discuss do not exist or (B) he does not know what he is talking
about.
Quite often the requirement that a term be defined by real-world
observations of people/objects/events will eliminate the use of
confusing
terms by either (A) clarifying their definitions or by (B) showing that
the terms are useless because they do not/cannot describe reality.
Here is an operational definition of the ‘I’:
The ‘I’ [Term being defined] ISa person’s
mind, which is his personal system of desires/fears/priorities which
causes his behavior as his actions/reactions including his feelings as
his reactions to his realizations of his desires/fears/priorities, his
personality
as his mind-in -action, as his behavior as caused by his
desires/fears/priorities, his mental problems as his unrealistic
[unachievable or/and inappropriate] desires, and his mental health as
his realistic [achievable and appropriate] desires [Description
of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined]. To PageLinks
A. Physical evidence consists of people/objects/events who/which
are comprised of matter/energy and who/which are observable by the
perceptual senses of sight/hearing/touch/smell/taste directly or
indirectly by their observable effects upon people/objects/events
who/which can be observed directly.
B. Eyewitness reports consist of verbal or written descriptions of
physical evidence.
Eyewitness reports must be given by individuals who are
reliable/credible, who have no records of lying or of criminal
activity, the reports must describe the physical evidence, and the
reports must be corroborated by individuals who are also
reliable/credible.
C. Valid logical arguments consist of premises which are
verifiable/falsifiable/verified descriptions of physical evidence and
which lead to relevant conclusions which are true if the premises are
true; a logical argument is valid if the premises lead to relevant
conclusions.
For any logical argument to be both valid and true, the premises
must be verifiable/falsifiable/verified true and lead to a relevant
conclusion. To PageLinks
Personal
Philosophy v Organizational Philosophy
An individual may develop his personal philosophy as his own
set of concepts/principles/techniques which he uses for dealing with
the people/objects/events in his personal life and for achieving his
desires/goals and thereby making decisions among alternative solutions
and solving his problems and avoiding his fears; a group of people may
develop an organizational philosophy which outlines the
concepts/principles/techniques the organization's members will use to
define/specify/achieve the organization's desires/goals and thereby
make decisions among alternative solutions to solve its problems and
avoid its fears. To PageLinks
What Do
People Do When They Philosophize?
To philosophize is to use the master set of concepts,
principles and techniques of philosophy (A) to develop a set of
accurate concepts
and principles which describe the people, objects and events of reality
and (B) to develop a set of practical techniques for applying the
concepts and principleswhich describe the people, objects and events of
reality to make decisions and to solve problems and to
achieve desires and avoid fears and to experience good feelings of
happiness and to avoid experiencing bad feelings of unhappiness.
When people philosophize, they use philosophy's master set of concepts,
principles and techniques (A) to develop a set of accurate concepts
and principles which describe the people, objects and events of reality
and (B) to develop a set of practical techniques for applying the
concepts
and principles to make decisions and to solve their problems and to
achieve their desires and avoid their fears and to experience good
feelings of happiness and to avoid experiencing bad feelings of
unhappiness. To PageLinks
Summary
Philosophy is a discipline which develops and studies a master set of
concepts, principles and tehniques which function as guidelines for
developing accurate concepts and principles and practical techniques
for
making decisions, solving problems, achieving desires, and avoiding
fears in other disciplines and the sciences.
A philosophy is a set of concepts, principles and techniques; an
individual has his personal philosophy—his own set of
accurate concepts and principles and practical techniques he uses to
solve problems, achieve his
desires, and avoid his fears,
an organization has its organizational philosophy—its set of
concepts, principles and practical techniques its members use for
solving
organizational problems, achieving organizational desires/goals, and
avoiding organizational fears.
The value of philosophy to an individual or an organization is the
development of the concepts/principles/techniques which are useful in
developing specific concepts/principles/techniques for the individual
and the organization as well as the
disciplines and the sciences.
The philosophy of philosophy is the set of
concepts/principles/techniques useful for developing
concepts/principles/techniques in other disciplines and the sciences.
To philosophize is (A) to develop a set of accurate concepts and
principles which describe the people, objects and events of reality and
(B) to develop a set of practical techniques for applying the concepts
and principles to make decisions and to solve problems and to achieve
desires and avoid fears.