Introduction to Philosophy
This is the home page for my Introduction to Philosophy students.
Philosophy is a somewhat neglected subject. There are no TV shows about it, rarely do Philosophy books make it onto the NY Times Bestsellers list and it gets almost no mention in K-12 education. In short, Philosophy has a PR problem. The responsibility for Philosophy's poor to non-existent reputation can be laid squarley on the shoulders of Philosophers. The problem is that they don't care about popularity, accesability, or convincing people that what they are doing is worthwhile. It doesn't register with them. They have much more important things on they're minds (as they see it).
It is, of course, debatable as to whether or not philosophers have been wise to ignore their social standing. Americans in general are less conscious of philosophy (even uniquely American Philosophy) than are most other peoples of the world. And this is a disadvantage for Americans. Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, which means that it teaches us how to think for ourselves. It teaches us to question not only other people's assumptions, but our own (which is an altogether a more intimidating project). It trains us to investigate the most difficult issues any of us will ever confront with reason and passion, objectivity and individuality, and a clarity that does not hide the complications of reality.
This class will throw you into the deep end of every question human beings have ever been confused about. This class will not give you THE ANSWERS to these questions but will instead give you an appreciation for why these questions are important. This class will introduce you to the idea that the best answers are works-in-progress and that nothing befits a human being more than humility in the face of her own ignorance.
My hope is that you find this project appealing. I'll do my best to transfer my enthusiam for philosophy to you. All I require from you is hard work, your full participation and a willingness to be perplexed.