The American philosopher, Wilfrid Sellars, wrote, "The aim of philosophy, abstractly formulated, is to understand how things in the broadest possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term."

In my core curriculum course, Introduction to Philosophy, I help students unearth and examine the various bits and pieces of philosophical positions they have accumulated during their lives. We explore BIG questions in a way that avoids technical jargon and that is accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds: What is the 'good life'? Is there evidence for (or against) the existence of God? What is it possible to know? How does knowledge differ from a lucky guess? Do persons have 'souls' or are we wonderfully complex biological machines? Is death the end of me?

The goals of the course can be summarized in three words: Discover, Evaluate, and Connect. Students discover what they believe on these issues carefully distinguishing their positions from others on the philosophical landscape. Next students are encouraged to evaluate the positions they hold, to see whether or not the views they bring with them to class are worthy of their continued belief. Finally, students connect their ideas weaving them into a systematic view and learning, in the process, that some of their beliefs "hang together" more easily than others.

Come join us on a challenging journey of self-discovery!