Study Resources:
 Theory of Knowledge Philosophy of Religion Descartes's Meditations
Philosophy of Mind Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil

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Why Study Philosophy?
 

I honestly don't know. Why do anything?

On the one hand, I could trot out the familiar arguments:

  • It is a good grounding in logic and argument.
  • It is relevant to the deep study of almost every other subject.
  • It encourages clarity of thought.
  • It gives us an insight into the true nature of reality - and ourselves.
  • It shows us the limits of our own knowledge, and helps us to understand how we may be certain about things - or not...

However, none of these were really reasons that influenced me in choosing to study the subject. I just got hooked on the type of questions that philosophers like to ask. They seemed almost like puzzles, but without the annoying tendency that puzzles have of being solved by other, brighter people! Even after centuries, it seemed, many philosophical questions still remained open - my life was not a dismal waste after all! ;)

I could attempt to define philosophy more precisely, but I may simply end up confusing you. After all, the question, 'What is philosophy?' is itself a philosophical question! So, the best thing to do is simply to start philosophising. Take your pick from the following traditional puzzles. If they interest you, maybe you could be a philosopher?

  • Can everything be doubted, or are there certain things that we can be absolutely sure of?
  • Is your mind separate from your body, or just a product of biological processes (e.g. the brain)?
  • Where does the concept of goodness come from? Can we agree on what it is? However, even if we can know what 'good' is, do we have to behave morally?
  • Is the existence of God a matter of faith, or can it be proven? Are there any conclusive arguments against God's existence?

Finally, to end with, here's a puzzle:

In an episode of the recent TV series Heroes, the Japanese character Hiro Nakamura travels back in time into his own past. Whilst there, he makes a 'phone call to himself. Imagine you were in this situation, what could the future 'you' say to the past 'you' to convince 'you' that you were in fact the same person? Would you be convinced? What possible problems could there be in proving this? Hmmm...

A free, signed copy of my Descartes book to the best answer!

Best wishes,

Gareth Southwell.

October 2007.