Summary Of Why Philosophers Use Example, By Tamar Gendler

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

other. An example given by her is Plato’s allegory of the cave in Republic. The use of example in the article appeals to the rational part of the soul by pointing out to the various levels and relationships. In addition, it appeals to the spirit part of the soul by giving people vivid imagery that can hold onto at the moments when they are trying to understand the nature of the world. The role of example/metaphor is to make us attentive to the patterns of the world. It helps direct attention towards relations that hold between things that people might otherwise not recognize. Furthermore, Gendler talks about two different modes of processing information: generalization and particulars. The processing of generalization uses reason whereas particulars bring with additional features. There is also a distinction between coming to understanding through revelation and rhetoric. Revelation involves the change of heart not come through reason but through the sudden production of insight. Rhetoric involves the bringing about the change of attitude that ultimately isn’t grounded in what the person would reflective endorse. In philosophy, the argumentation needs to contain elements like example/metaphor that appeals to the non-rational part of the soul. Because sometimes people don’t know what to look for from the most abstract level and presenting examples helps them to see what the pattern is.