an Introduction to the Philosophies of Earth

Professor Dr. James K. Powell II

This course may prove to be the most relevant course you will take in your career.  Philosophy is literally: “the love (philos) of wisdom (sophia).  While your education is principally practical, you will find that practicality without wisdom is deficient.  It should be said that the reverse is also true:  Wisdom without practical application is mere intellectual play.  It is not truly philosophy.  This course will enable your critical thinking capacity.  It will help you to read the newspaper or listen to the news critically and know much more about the world’s people and their ways of thinking.  It will enable you to develop your own arguments for the views you may have and importantly, to face life and death more meaningfully.

The love of wisdom will enable you to grow intellectually and this will directly affect your ability to innovate in the workplace, on the job.  The ability to discover new ways of doing things and to question old methods will result in raises and promotions in your future work-world.  Philosophy will enable you to engage in thoughtful and reasoned analysis rather than persist in mindlessly applying conventional worldly standards and opinions in your life.  You will be better able to take charge of your mind.

You will learn to argue for your own view with others, with friends and family.  You will learn to analyze an argument, to understand and reasonably criticize any argument.  You will learn to synthesize the best points of an argument into your own worldview.   You will learn to evaluate arguments and your own position to enable the continued evolution of your own worldview, in fact, your life.  This will lead to tolerance of the views of others; it will lead to confidence in your own view as you come increasingly to realize the value of reason and logic as means to truth.   

This course may prove to be the most valuable of your career because it should inculcate the idea that you are an independent being, a being with valid opinions, views and options.  The international flavor of our approach here should equip you with the variety of the world’s opinions about basic life issues.  As you assume new job opportunities, you may find it valuable to know something of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, etc. ways of thinking as you meet people from diverse cultures during the course of your work life.  The ability to think “multidimensionally” and see the world as others see it will create the flexibility within you to engage the world of difference with courage, to see opportunities rather than threats and even have fun doing it.

This course introduces various fields of philosophy, philosophical methodology and the comparative history of philosophy.  We will examine some philosophical issues in depth and aim to develop the ability to think, speak and write critically about these problems that have concerned human beings for centuries.  We will learn about the many philosophical approaches found in the world and examine the thought of individual philosophers.  This course will enable students to make critical inquiry into the modes of thinking among different global cultures and introduce students to living representatives of those traditions in the community. 

Along the way, this course will enhance public speaking skills.  Students will also acquire new computer skills in order to edit a finished, digital documentary project on a philosophical theme.  The student is introduced to the persistent problems and important ideas of philosophy and to philosophic methods of critical thinking.  Some issues included are:  problems of space and time, personal identity, free will and determinism, knowledge, God, metaphysics, ethics.  Memorizing this material will be far less effective than it might be in some other courses; instead, it will be essential that you exercise your ability to do philosophy by exercising your ability to think for yourself.