PHIL 001C. Introduction to Philosophy: Truth and Desire

How can or should we distinguish what is true about life from what we want from life? How can or should the pursuit of truth relate to our passions, our self-interests, the machinations of social power, and our highest aspirations as human beings? How do unquestioned assumptions inform what we perceive, believe, and desire, and how might investigating these assumptions shift or affirm our perspectives and instigate new approaches, or give fresh impetus to current approaches, to the problems we face? In this course we will take a chronological look at the distinct world-views of philosophers like Plato, Descartes, and Nietzsche, and then look at the perspectives of some contemporary theorists, in order to ask ourselves questions about when and how we know something to be true, what it is that we desire and why, and how revealing the assumptions we take for granted might affect our perceptions of both.
Humanities.
Writing course.
1 credit.
Spring 2025. Lorraine.
Spring 2026. Lorraine.
Catalog chapter: Philosophy
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy

Access the class schedule to search for sections.