Truth By Thinking

Instructor: Harvey Hix
Delivery Method: Traditional In Person
Meeting Times: MWF 11:00a - 11:50a

In one of his notebooks, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote, “How can one learn the truth by thinking?  As one learns to see a face better if one draws it.”  Without assuming Wittgenstein’s answer is right, in this course we will ask ourselves his question.  We will identify and practice some philosophical methodologies (dialogue, induction, deduction…), open an acquaintance with the philosophical tradition (Plato, Aristotle, Descartes…), and ask how philosophy might relate to other “ways of knowing” (science, religion, “big data”…).  Our primary aim will be to enrich our capacity for self-determination, by enlarging the portion of our understanding (of self and world) that is deliberately chosen rather than unwittingly accepted.

Link to the Printable Course Flyer (PDF)