Reasoning and its Relation to Philosophy
A recurring theme in the duration of this course has been the significance of practical reasoning in philosophy. ... Contemporary philosophy and modern science reject old beliefs and focus on new philosophical problems, yet these problems in turn create more philosophical questions without answers. Nevertheless, philosophy always has, and will continue to ask questions of philosophical concern, which are derived from human reasoning. ... “If you teach a magpie to say good-day to its mistress when it sees her approach, this can only be by making the utterance of this word the expression of one of its passions. ... This supports that humans are capable of a higher level, of thinking, or “reasoning”. ... ” (Descartes 37) In contrast, it can be inferred from his writings that Gilbert Ryle attributes language as one potential barrier to philosophical reasoning. ... These so called category-mistakes are barriers to language, and hence a conflict to thought and reasoning. Reasoning is thinking in hindsight, analyzing trillions of bits of data into useful information and developing accurate conclusions. ... Human language according to Descartes proves reasoning in humans, in accordance with all other human language. ... While humans do possess a distinct language where as animals do not, it is intriguing that Descartes’ own thoughts are products of the reasoning to which he analyzing. ... From this, he is able to distinguish levels of reasoning for practical use, law, government, and ethical responsibility (Locke, “Second Treatise” 8). John Locke focuses on the discussion of reasoning and responsibility primarily for legal reasons. ... This is an indirect reference to reasoning. ... Ethical distinction has perplexed centuries of philosophers, most notably, Aristotle, one of the early fathers of philosophy. ... Aristotle reasoning is linked directly to moral virtue; thus moral virtue involves the application of practical reason to our inclinations, and thus our actions. However, to establish this point, it is critical that he defines this link between practical reasoning and moral virtue. The ultimate human good is one of moral virtue through embodied reasoning and mind (Aristotle 28). ... Whereas a morally virtuous person is one of society, and activity, one which carries out their reasoning, and therefore has fulfilled the greater human good. ... Yet when reasoning is involved, it is natural to reason and therefore be morally virtuous, despite the reality that the true meaning of moral virtue is self inherited and is just as natural as the reasoning of mankind.