PHIL 001D. Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and the World

"Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth-more than ruin, more than even death." Bertrand Russell believed that education's primary goal should be to instill in students not only the ability to seek knowledge, but also the desire for it, the joy of it, and the appreciation of its power. For Russell, this was also an essential component of philosophy. In this course, we will investigate the quest for knowledge itself: what are we looking for and how should we be looking for it? We will read some of the canonical answers to these questions as well as some answers that are not so canonical. We will ask what knowledge is, what kinds of knowledge we can have, and what it is exactly that we can know.
Humanities.
Writing course.
1 credit.
Fall 2022. Thomason.
Catalog chapter: Philosophy
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy

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