Students wandering into a philosophy class are usually hoping to gain some perspectives on, say, the meaning of it all, but then some rumpled guy in mismatched tweeds ambles up to the podium and starts lecturing on the meaning of "meaning."
First things first, he says. Before we answer any questions, big or small, we need to understand what the question itself signifies. Listening reluctantly, we soon discover that what this guy has to say is wicked interesting.
That's just the way philosophy and philosophers are. Questions beget questions, and those questions beget another whole generation of questions. It's questions all the way down.
We may start with basic ones like, "What is the meaning of it all? and, "Does God exist?" and, "How can I be true to myself?" and, "Am I in the wrong classroom?" but very quickly we discover we need to ask other questions in order to answer our orignal questions. This process has given rise to an array of philosophical displines, each delving into particular Big Questions by asking and attempting to answer the questions that underlie them. Any questions?
So it follows that, "What is the meaning of life?" is dealt with in the discipline known as Metaphysics, and "Does God exist?" in the one called Philosophy of Religion. "How can I be true to myself?" falls to the school of Existentialism; "Am I in the wrong classroom?" to the new sector of philosophy called Meta - philosophy, which poses the question, "What is philosophy?" And on it goes, with each sphere of philosophy undertaking different kinds of questions and concepts.
And so, when two students wandered out of the classroom, they were so baffled and bewildered, they were convinced that they would never get their minds around this heady stuff.
What is your experience with a philosophy class?
Blueblades