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Delight Springs

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Introductions

 Welcome to Intro to Philosophy, which I prefer to call CoPhi. (I'll explain later.)

I'm Dr. Oliver, I've been at MTSU for decades now teaching this course and others on Atheism, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, Enlightenment, Evolution, Happiness, Rationality,... 

My twitter profile identifies me as a peripatetic, a dog person, a baseball fan, and an author. I'm also a dad and a meliorist, among other things. I'll elaborate when we meet.

My initial questions for you: who are you, and why are you here? What's your current understanding of what philosophy is? Do you have a favorite philosopher? Click on "comments" below and introduce yourself. See you soon.

Dr. Oliver

jpo

47 comments:

  1. Hello everyone! My name is Becky Vorabouth. I am here at MTSU to improve my art, design and problem solving skills as a graphic design major. Outside of my major, my main interests include fitness, food and travel.

    My current understanding of philosophy is that it is a way of thinking. Philosophy can cause you to think critically about a topic or a question. Right now, I would define philosophy as the study and understanding of beings, values and principles.

    I do not have a favorite philosopher at the moment. But, I hope to have one by the end of the semester.

    Section 6.

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  2. Hello everyone! My name is Bayleigh Elliott. Here at MTSU I am working towards a Political Science degree, then to further my education at law school! Outside of school I love cooking/baking, traveling, and painting!

    Currently, I understand philosophy as a fundamental way of thinking. Such as asking questions, or having complex discussions on how anything and everything works. I have also heard the term "love of wisdom" around the idea of philosophy. I do not have a favorite philosopher at this time, however I do hope to have one by the end of this class!

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    1. Yes indeed, questions and discussions... and I encourage baking too, especially around V's Day (which happens to be my b'day).

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  3. Hello, my name is Samuel Ruiz-Ballard. I am here at MTSU to pursue a degree in aerospace. In a more existential sense, I believe I am here find self-actualization by seeking truth and doing good deeds.

    I would say that philosophy at its core seeks to make sense of the human experience. Philosophy is basically synonymous with the question "why?"
    My favorite philosopher would have to be the French writer Marcel Proust. His ideas that memory and art as essential elements to the meaning of life really make him my favorite, despite not typically being considered a philosopher in the traditional sense.

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    1. I have a philosopher friend who is a big Proust fan. Not sure he considers Proust a philosopher in the narrow academic sense, but in my book he definitely was a philosopher in the broad and original sense: someone in pursuit of wisdom via reflection.

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  4. Hi, my name is Kloey and I am a psych major here at MTSU. I'm here taking philosophy truly just so I can fulfill my credit requirements, however it does seem like one of the more interesting classes to achieve that with. I don't know much about philosophy especially not enough to have a favorite philosopher. I do look forwards to this class and cant wait to met my peers :)

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    1. Well, William James--my favorite philosopher (look for his picture in the sidebar)--wrote the book on psychology, The Principles of Psychology (1890). So maybe you do know a bit more about philosophy than you think.

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  5. Hello. My name is Cheryl Watts. My major is business, goal to continue and complete M.A. in Finance. I view Philosophy as a study of humanity; questions, observation, and more questions why we as humans do, think, act and feel the way we do. I do not have a favorite Philosopher, although in one of my recent read books, Aspasia was referenced. I was intrigued to learn more of her. Looking forward to our class discussions and studies.

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    1. I confess I'm not familiar with Aspasia, I think you and your book will have to be our authorities on her.

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  6. Hi! My name is Katie Farrell and I am a psychology major. I am taking this class to finish up some credit requirements so I don't know a whole lot about philosophy. However I have talked with a couple friends who had taken this course and am super excited to learn more!

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    1. Interesting that psych majors so often say they don't know much philosophy, considering that it was indistinguishable from philosophy not much more than a century ago. That might reflect the institutional segregation imposed by academic disciplines, kind of an artificial division between fields of study that really have a lot in common.

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  7. My name is Jessie Gardner and I am majoring in Child Development and Family Studies. I am here to fulfill a credit requirement but I specifically chose this class because it looked the most fascinating to me. I do not have a strong understanding of philosophy but I believe it has a lot to do with theories. I do not have a favorite philosopher as of yet.

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    1. My preferred approach to philosophy has less to do with theories than with experience. Theorizing at its best helps us clarify experience, but does not replace it.

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  8. Hi, my name is Allison LeCroy and I'm a Psychology major. I came to MTSU to get my Masters. My current understanding of philosophy is that it's the study of asking questions and wisdom. At the moment I don't have a favorite philosopher, however by the end of this course I hope to.

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  9. Hi, my name is Aviyonna Stafford, but I go by Avi and I'm a biology major. I'm here to complete a credit requirement and I honestly don't know that much about philosophy. However, I thought it would be an interesting class to take. I do not have a favorite philosopher, but I hope I will by the end of the semester.

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  10. Hello everyone! My name is Mia Freeman. I am accounting major and I simply trying to fulfill my degree requirements and professor Oliver had amazing reviews on "Rate my professor". I also have very little understanding of philosophy so hopefully I will have a greater understanding after taking this class. Like I said in class, I don't exactly have a favorite philosopher, but I do like C.S.Lewis just off of his other works of literature. I would say my own personal philosophy would be, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

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    1. sorry, forgot to put in that I am in class 09.

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    2. I'm not generally a C.S. Lewis fan but I did really love "Shadowlands"... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRg3j3Tqu1M

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    3. Thank you for sending the link. I'll try and find the time to watch it as soon as I can.

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  11. Section 09:
    Hello, my name is Austin Lowrance. Why am I here? Specifically, I am here at MTSU in hopes to further my education and create a more stable and sustainable life for myself and my family. But in a philosophical sense. Why am I here? It is the million-dollar question that I believe we all have at some point in our lives, and one of my greatest fears is that I will one day grow old and die and I will have never found the answer to that question. So currently I do not have a satisfying enough answer to said question. My current understanding of philosophy? I have no great understanding of philosophy if any at all, but I can only imagine that it is thought and reflection on the deeper possibilities of what life is, what it could be, and why it is the way we currently perceive it to be. My favorite philosopher? I do not have anyone in particular to offer as a response, but I hope when I complete this course I will

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    1. I've come to think that the answer to that big "Why?" question is not somewhere out there waiting to be discovered, but rather is a matter of personal decision: each of us is tasked to decide what form of purpose-driven life we're going to pursue. I think philosophy can help in that decision.

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  12. My name is Kayla and I am studying Business Administration at MTSU. I believe philosophy is all about perspective and experience, making it different for everyone. I do not have a favorite philosopher at the moment but I hope to have one by the end of the semester. I believe that we are all here simply for each other. I feel like everyone is connected and without the connection we would not exist.

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    1. Section 009

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    2. Perspective and experience are two of my favorite words. A wider perspective and a deeper and experience are among philosophy's most promising gifts, if we're willing to do the work of critical reflection.

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  13. Hi, my name is Sameria Bohanon and I am majoring in Pre-Law, specifically Political Science. I want to become a Medical Lawyer one day. My understanding at first about Philosophy that it's different view points of thinking, but I see there are more details about it. I don't have a favorite philosopher, but I hope to have one in the future!

    P.S... I'm the ceo of an organic, handmade, and cruelty free skin and body care products business!
    Website: Sjbsglowcollection.com

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    1. If you're going to practice medical law, I hope you'll take my Bioethics course.

      Good luck with your business enterprise too.

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    2. I will write this down for fall semester classes! Thank you!

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  14. Hi, My name is Riley Paxson and i am majoring in business management. Business runs in my family and i would love to own my own business one day. I would love to own a business that is dedicated to the car community.

    I chose this class because it peaked my interest. I pretty much know nothing about philosophy. since i know nothing about philosophy i don't have a favorite philosopher but i hope to have one by the end of this semester. I love learning new things and cant wait to expand my knowledge throughout this semester.

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  15. Hello my name is Luke Schroder, I'm still figuring out what that means, but I am here because I love to learn, and there's nothing more important to learn about than yourself, in my opinion. I've only read two classically philosophy books so far as much as I can remember (Candide and Fear and Trembling) so I don't think I have solid grounds to declare a favorite philosopher, but if i had to take a kind of shot-in-the-dark, I'd say Nietzsche interests me a lot. Philosophy books can be hard to read, so I've put off Beyond Good and Evil, but I hope to get to it soon.

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  16. Hello, My name is Nicholas Miller. I am a Business Admin major and a person that enjoys learning. For that reason, I have decided to sign up for this class, as Philosophy quite literally means 'love of wisdom'. At this point, I do not have a favorite philosopher and am not very familiar with what being a philosopher means, but I hope to have one by the end of this semester.

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  17. Hello, my name is Gerges Basta. I am a Supply Chain Management major here at MTSU. My current understanding of Philosophy is that it is the study of wisdom and thought; however, I do not have a favorite philosopher at this point in time.

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  18. My name is Kaylee Hofmann, my original post is not showing up for me for some reason, so I am just making another one just in case. I am currently in between majors right now, but I am leaning towards English, with a focus in Secondary Education. Why am I here? A loaded question. When I relate it to MTSU, I am here to get a piece of paper in something I love, not quite sure what that is yet. But in general, I am not quite sure how to answer it. My current understanding of Philosophy, besides what was talked about in class, would be the study of reality and the search for understanding everything around us. With that, I do not have a favorite philosopher, or my own philosophy. I can only assume that both of those will change by the end of the semester.
    Section 9.

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  19. Section 009
    Hello! My name is Rieley Mitchell. I'm an accounting major here at MTSU and I'm in this philosophy class because I didn't do too well in my last one. I enjoy learning this though and I guess I'm glad to learn it again from a new mind. Aside from the dictionary definition, I believe philosophy is simply pondering existence among other things. I don't have a favorite philosopher yet, but I'm sure I'll be able to choose one by the end of this course.

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    1. Section 009
      Hi, Rieley!
      I am an accounting major too! Hopefully you do well in this philosophy class this semester, although this is my first class, it definitely sounds interesting and incredibly informative.

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  20. Hello! My name is Andrew Burton, but I've always went by my middle name Quinn. I decided to take philosophy because seeking further wisdom has always been something that's interested me. Ever since I was younger I seem to always be in my own head, pondering about the deep and important questions of life. I've never taken a philosophy class so my current understanding of philosophy is pretty surface level however the best, most general way I can describe it is the ongoing search and exploration of knowledge. I don't know much about the many philosophers, however my mom put me on a few books that are either written or heavily influenced by the philosopher Marcus Aurelius which both caught my attention and partly influenced my decision to take this course.

    Section 09

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  21. Good evening, I'm Aric Gilmack and I took CoPhi, because it seemed to be one of the most interesting GenEds. I feel like philosophy is a collection of human knowledge and wisdom, something to contemplate and live by. It is passed on and evolves as time goes by. I don't really have a favorite philosopher, but I enjoyed the Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers from ERB.

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  22. Hello! My name is Karmina Ghobrial and I am a freshman biology major with a concentration in physiology. I decided to take philosophy because it's always been something that has interested me. I just never got myself to really dig into it, and I think this class is the perfect opportunity to do just that. I personally don't know, well anything, about philosophy, but I like to think that it is whatever you make it out to be. I also don't have a favorite philosopher... yet. I'm excited to leave this class knowing a lot more than I do now.
    (section 9)

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  23. sec. 09

    Hi, I'm Taylor Patterson. I decided to take CoPhi because I wanted to take a course that could widen my thought process and perspectives. I have absolutely no idea what philosophy is or who my favorite philosopher will be, but I hope to discover it in this course. I am very interested in ethics, more specifically its relation to religion because it is so fascinating to me how much religion plays a part in our lifestyle choices and how we view others.

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  24. Hello, I'm Shella (pronounced as Sheila) Dorani, section 6. I'm a 2nd year and undecided. I took this course for the credits, but I figured it would be fun and interesting class to take since philosophy is pretty applicable to real life. I don't have any favorite philosophers. My understanding of philosophy is just finding the meaning in all aspects of life, whether it's about how to live happily or what happens when we die.

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  25. Hi my name is Dale Tilley and I am here at MTSU to major in audio production. To be honest I don't really have a current understanding of philosophy. I don't have a favorite philosopher because I never really looked into it.

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  26. Hey there! My name is Eden Tucker and I am at MTSU to attain a degree in Spanish. I would love to be fluent in the language and apply this skill to my ultimate career goal of becoming a pilot. I'm doing flight school separately during the summer and I absolutely love it. But when it comes to my classes at MTSU, I really wanted to focus on Spanish and Psychology - two fascinating interests I have. In taking Psychology it also poses the interest of Philosophy, which is a branch that I tend to create conversations for frequently. My current understanding of Philosophy is that it is closely related to Psychology, and that is something I cherish in conversations with my loved ones. I always love to talk about things that are difficult to answer, and from a more psychological standpoint, why we feel/do the way that we do. I do not have a favorite Philosopher, but I have a favorite tv show that relates to a lot of philosophical thinking. It's called "The Good Place" and I think it is worth a watch for anyone interested in asking questions of why we are here.

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  27. Hello, My name is K'Shawnn Andrews. I am a Aerospace maintenance major and I am taking this class to satisfy degree requirements. I don't have a favorite philosipher.

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  28. Hey my name is Dustin Roberson and I major in construction management and I am interested in the way people think.

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  29. Hello im Weston Williams im a fermentation science major with a passion for brewing, I have a love for everything fantasy wise, and I am here mostly for the credits but Philosophy is good for the soul and that's why im here to improve my soul. My favorite philosopher is Diogenes the cynic,due to Diogenes harboring qualities that makes him seem like an anti-philosopher but nonetheless this homeless barrel man is very wise.

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  30. Hello class, I'm currently in my last semester of class. I have yet to attend in person due to getting over covid. I'm also a senator on campus as well as a president of the Student Veterans of America MTSU Chapter. I look forward to meeting you all soon. Honestly, I do not have a favorite philosopher. I do have a favorite quote. " Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure in Leadership." - Colin Powell

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