3.00 Credits
This is a general introductory course designed to familiarize the student with the basics of philosophical inquiry. In this course we will discuss the big questions of life while looking at some of the answers the great philosophers of the Western tradition have devised. These discussions will take place in two formats, the Cohort and the General Discussion. Cohort Discussions are small group discussions that take place with minimal teacher interaction: it is here where students can interact with one another in a more informal way just as they might discuss important ideas in a coffeeshop or a dormitory or in the hallway between classes. General Discussions are more formal full-class discussions in which the teacher actively interacts with the students' arguments as would occur in a formal land-based classroom setting. Examples of the kinds of questions we will discuss are the following: What gives life meaning? How should one live a good life? How do we know what we think we know? Can we know anything? Is it possible to logically prove God's existence? Why should we obey authority? What is the most just way to distribute goods in a society? Is there a separation between the body and mind? In other words, we will be investigating the fundamental questions pertaining to reality, truth, freedom, the nature of humankind, the existence of God and social/political theory.