Class Notes: Session 1, Introduction to Philosophy

What is Science?

In class, the question “What is science?” was not treated as a fact to memorize but a mystery to
unravel. The instructor challenged students to think beyond textbook definitions:

“Just because something is a fact, like black holes exist, doesn’t mean it’s science. How did we come to know it?
That process, that method, is science.”

The conversation explored how science is not just a body of knowledge but a systematic
method of inquiry involving observation, hypothesis, testing, and repeated verification. For
example, dropping an object isn’t science. Observing it fall again and again, asking why, and
formulating a theory like gravity, that's science.

Students were prompted to differentiate between everyday facts and scientific knowledge,
emphasizing that science is about how we know, not just what we know.

Philosophy as Inquiry

Philosophy was framed not as an abstract, boring discipline but as an invitation to be

“This class may disturb you. That’s a good thing. Philosophy is not about answers, it’s about unsettling
assumptions.”

Discussions moved away from passive learning to active questioning. Students were asked to
think about what truth means, how we define objects, and how language shapes thought. The
process was likened to peeling layers off an onion, each question reveals another underneath.

Example: Instead of accepting “water falls to the ground,” students were asked, “Why does it fall?
What assumptions are we making?”

Thinking About Thinking

Metacognition, awareness of one’s own thought processes, was presented as a core skill for
learning anything meaningfully.

“You understand what thinking is? Metacognition means you become aware that you’re thinking. You reflect on
how you’re arriving at what you believe.”

The class explored how students often assume they “know” something because they’ve heard it
before. But thinking about how that knowledge came to be, the structures, the experiences,
the language used, is a deeper and more important activity.

An example discussed: knowing what “anger” is. Most students could identify the emotion but
struggled to explain how they know what it is, what it feels like, and how it’s formed.
How Concepts Are Formulated

Many students realized for the first time that ideas like “emotion,” “mind,” or “life” didn’t come
out of nowhere, they were built, slowly, over centuries.

“Do you know how many years it took for someone to even define ‘life’ properly? How many languages, how many
symbols, how much struggle?”

Students were guided to understand that concepts are historical constructions, not universal
truths. Whether it's "love," "mind," or "gravity," these ideas emerged through dedicated
processes of observation, discussion, symbol-making, and refinement.

Example: The concept of "love" differs dramatically between cultures. In some languages, there
are multiple words for love, each with different meanings, unlike English, which uses a single
word.

Role of Language in Thought

Language was shown not just as a tool to communicate, but the very framework through
which thought is possible.

“Can a child without language think the same way you do? Language is the structure that lets you organize
thoughts.”

In class, the instructor prompted students to realize that even thinking about something as
simple as a "black object on the table" requires symbolic structures. You need categories like
“object,” “color,” and “location”, all of which are mediated through language.

Example: Without the word “anger,” how do you recognize or express it? Language doesn’t just
label emotions; it helps construct them.

Difference Between Facts and Science

This topic pushed students to question the difference between what we know and how we know
it.

“Just because something is true doesn’t make it science. A fact is just something that exists. Science is the process
through which we make sense of it.”

The class compared “knowing that fire is hot” versus understanding the chemical and physical
principles that make it so. Facts are everywhere: the sun rises, people feel pain, things fall. But
science is about turning those patterns into knowledge through repeatability, logic, and
experimentation.

Example: “Water boils” is a fact. But discovering boiling point variation with pressure and
altitude, that’s science.
The Scientific Method

This wasn’t taught like a 5-step checklist. Instead, the class was walked through how a scientist
actually thinks: noticing a pattern, questioning it, forming a hypothesis, testing it, failing, testing
again, and maybe arriving at a working theory.

“You don’t just say ‘this is true’ and move on. You test it again. Hundred times. Thousand times. And then
maybe, you say ‘this seems to hold.’”

Example discussed: How did we come to understand the concept of gravity? Not in a day. It
involved centuries of trial, error, and revision.

The emphasis was on science as a human process, messy, persistent, and grounded in doubt.

Structure of Thought

Thought was described not as a free-flowing cloud but as something that requires structure,
much like a sentence requires grammar.

“Can you have a thought without language? Can you make sense of anything without structure?”

The instructor used a phrase like “black object on the table” to illustrate how even basic thinking
involves categorizing, placing, and naming. You need concepts like color, object, and space, all of
which are structured forms learned over time.

Example: A child without language might still point or cry, but cannot articulate the difference
between "wanting" and "needing." The precision of thought grows with symbolic capacity.

Inquiry and Curiosity

The class was framed as a space to question, not to find final answers, but to sharpen the
questions themselves.

“This class is not here to give you facts. It is here to trouble you. To make you ask better questions.”

Students were asked to recall moments when they were truly curious, not just scrolling or
consuming, but actively wondering. One discussion revolved around how few of us ask why
things fall, despite witnessing it daily.

Example: “Why do we fall in love?” wasn’t asked to get a biological or romantic answer, it was a
way of provoking philosophical thought about human connection, memory, and social
expectations.

Origins of Disciplines from Philosophy

The class reflected on a time before subjects like biology or physics existed. People didn’t have
academic divisions — they just had questions.

What is life? Why do things fall? What happens after death?

Insight: “Biology began when someone asked, ‘What keeps this body alive?’ That’s a
philosophical question.” Philosophy births other disciplines. It is their root system.

Core Takeaways from the Class

Thinking is not automatic, it is structured.

We often believe that thinking just “happens” in our heads. But in class, we learned that
thinking requires structure; it depends on language, symbols, and frameworks. For example, to
even think "the black object is on the table," your mind has to arrange color, space, and object
concepts into a meaningful structure. Thinking, then, is like building with invisible blocks.

Knowledge is constructed, not inherited.

You weren’t born knowing what “love,” “life,” or “freedom” mean. These are concepts built
over centuries through language, culture, and debate. In class, we explored how knowledge is
never neutral; it is shaped by those who came before us, and we are part of its ongoing
construction.

Science is a method, not a collection of facts.

Science isn’t just about memorizing that “gravity exists” or “water boils at 100°C.” It’s a process
of observing patterns, asking why, forming hypotheses, and testing them. The class stressed
that science is messy, uncertain, and beautiful; it’s about the journey toward understanding,
not just the answers.

Language shapes reality.

This was a powerful theme. You can only think what your language allows you to think. Some
emotions or ideas may not even exist for you if your language doesn’t name them. The instructor
showed how even a simple sentence like “I’m angry” is not just a report, it’s a construct,
shaped by words and social norms.

Philosophy begins where certainty ends.

Every time something seems obvious, like “truth is good” or “science is neutral”, that’s where
philosophy starts. The class created space to question the taken-for-granted. Asking “What do
you mean by truth?” or “Why do we trust science?” may feel uncomfortable, but that’s exactly
where thinking begins.

Doubt is a tool, not a weakness.

You were encouraged to stay with confusion, to pause when things didn’t make sense. Rather
than rush to answer, the class taught that not knowing is often the best place to start. Doubt was
reframed as a strength, as something that pushes you toward clarity, not away from it.
Curiosity is a responsibility.

This class didn’t just invite curiosity, it demanded it. You were expected to wonder, to
question, to stay unsettled. Passive consumption was replaced with active investigation. “Why
does this matter?” or “What assumptions are built into this idea?” were questions you were
trained to ask every day.

You are part of a long lineage of thinkers.

Every idea you use, from gravity to democracy to heartbreak, was shaped by people before you.
Your learning is part of a historical and philosophical conversation. The class reminded you
that you’re not alone. You inherit a tradition of inquiry, and you are now responsible for carrying
it forward.

Rote learning limits your imagination.

The class was designed to move away from “remember and repeat.” You were pushed to
explain, question, and analyze rather than just recall. One exercise involved asking students to
explain what “anger” meant, and many struggled, even though it was a familiar emotion. That
struggle was a doorway into real thinking.

Truth is a process, not a destination.

You don’t “arrive” at truth. You work toward it, testing ideas, revising assumptions, and
sometimes abandoning what you thought was true. In both science and philosophy, truth is
emergent, built through collaboration, critique, and creativity. This was a humbling and
empowering realization for many students.

Systems of knowledge are interconnected.

Science doesn’t exist alone. It’s tied to philosophy, culture, emotion, history, and power. The
class encouraged you to see connections across disciplines and break down artificial
boundaries. Love can be studied biologically, emotionally, socially, and philosophically, and each
lens reveals something different.

You are not just a student, you are a thinker.

You weren’t treated like a passive receiver of knowledge. You were seen as a co-creator of
meaning, capable of shaping ideas, critiquing systems, and asking real questions. The classroom
became a space of intellectual agency, where your thoughts, doubts, and insights were taken
seriously.