Summary Of Why Philosophers Use Example, By Tamar Gendler

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In the podcast “Why philosophers use examples,” Tamar Gendler talks about the use of metaphor/example as an important way for people to understand patterns in philosophy. She first discusses the two main components of human soul: reason/rationality and spirit/appetite. These two components give human the capacity to engage in the world in different ways. If put the two on a spectrum, subjects like Mathematics and logics that involve notions of abstract logical relation fall on the pure rationality side, whereas interaction like rhythm in music and dance movement with the soul that appeals to the non-rational part is on the other end. Gendler suggests that metaphor/example falls in the middle of the spectrum and allows two sides engage in each

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