Introduction
For many people who are new to philosophy, it can be a challenging challenge. Some of the knowledge available can be daunting due to its nuanced nuances and contemporary settings. Steven Cahn, on the other hand, has taken it closer to our level with his book Exploring Philosophy. He does an excellent job of this by integrating the works of contemporary thinkers with historical texts from forerunners in the discipline. Furthermore, the material has been condensed to emphasize the most critical aspects. The first two books, Plato's Dialogues and Descartes' Meditations, are described as they are. Some of the fields explored include; knowledge and skepticism, abortion, the existence of God, mind, and body, the problem of evil, capital punishment, euthanasia, cultural relativism and the meaning of life.
Morality and Philosophy
Cahn explores Socrates approach to moral issues. He opines that one should use reasoning and not let their emotions be the basis of their decision making (Cahn 249). Additionally, he further analyses our processes of thinking and concludes we should always think for ourselves (Cahn 171). Also, he is against immorality. Ethics is explored here in three types of reflection; descriptive, normative and Meta- ethical.
Socrates' Debacle
The book also delves into the consequences of self-preservation. Cahn seeks to look into the thinking of Socrates on fleeing from the death sentence that awaited him (Cahn 13). According to Crito issues like how the repercussions of his actions to his family and people's opinions are troubling his mind (Cahn 383). The lesson learnt is that what matters at the end of the day is not what people think but instead what is right.
Moral Questions
How do we answers the moral questions that we face in our lives? He looks into some of the ways not to do so, they are; by making personal preferences known, giving out our personal opinions, counting how many people agree with our view and using God as backing for our views (Cahn 262). He argues that by using God, we ignore the fact that he may not exist or we do not really understand his authority. Therefore, it makes our thinking unreliable. However, God's existence does not interfere with morality. Using Plato's Euthyphro he argues whether right or wrong is determined by God (Cahn 218). Also, religious belief does not fully answer all the questions on morality. One can understand this argument as scripture and moral intuitions have some fundamental conflicts in them.
Cultural Relativism
People all over the world practice different cultures. These cultures have different moral codes and practices. Also, there is no superiority between the cultures. Therefore, what is ethical in one culture might not be so in another (Cahn 271). This shows that ethics is not universal. Additionally, James Rachels' arguments against cultural relativism are put into perspective. He opines that arguing that cultural differences are not that big and there are some universal truths in all cultures (Cahn 266). This is true as there are issues like murder that have a global consensus to be immoral. Also, he argues that the cultural differences are not as deep as imagined and one should be as open minded as possible. This is evidenced by the rise of globalization in the current world.
Right and Wrong
Thomas Nagel views are used to exploit the logic behind doing what is right or wrong. Questions are asked about whether self-preservation is better than putting the interests of others before yours. The main question being how would it be if someone did this to you? Therefore, it is important to do what is right at all times regardless of the consequences.
Conclusion
By combining the works of several distinguished philosophers, Cahn has been able to come up with several arguments with points to back them up. However, religion and morality remain to be a hot topic (Cahn, "Teaching About the Existence of God"), in that one cannot completely separate the role of God in morality while at the same time fully use God as a basis for morality (Cahn 181). Additionally, self-preservation is usually part of people's natural instinct and it remains to be seen if the philosophical reasoning behind Cahn's points does have grounds in the real world.
Work Cited
Cahn, Steven. Exploring Philosophy. Oxford University Press. 2015. Print.
Cahn, Steven. Teaching About the Existence of God. 2017. Web.
