Introduction to Philosophy http://introphilosophy.umwblogs.org Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:54:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Welcome to Introduction to Philosophy http://introphilosophy.umwblogs.org/2010/08/01/hello-world/ http://introphilosophy.umwblogs.org/2010/08/01/hello-world/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:09:42 +0000 nmik http://introphilosophy.umwblogs.org/?p=1 Continue reading →]]> Welcome to Intro to Philosophy, Spring 2011 at the University of Mary Washington. The questions we ask in this course define many of the core areas of philosophical study: What is the nature of human life, of our own life, of other kinds of life? Is there a God and/or a purpose to life? (metaphysics) What is it to know something? How do we determine what is true? How do things acquire “meaning”? (epistemology and language). How do we decide what is right or wrong to do? How should we evaluate our own actions and the actions of others? (ethics). What are communities and political entities, and what is our relationship to a community or the state? What is justice? (political theory). Our readings draw from some of the foundational texts in the European and American traditions as well as challenges to these from philosophers raising questions about race, gender, and the politics of identity and culture. In the last sessions of the course we will consider several examples of how some contemporary theorists tackle current problems of social justice, animal rights, and the environment.

Throughout the term, we will keep in mind that the study of philosophy encourages us to raise questions about our ideas and experiences, and to think about the nature, value, and purpose of self-awareness and self-knowledge.

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