Across every subject, philosophy bubbles under the surface. The way you think, the way you see the world, and the way you approach every class, campus event, and waking moment, it’s all bubbling in your conscious whether you choose to look at it or not.
My name is Selisity, and I encourage everyone to take at least one philosophy class while in college. It’s a way to find a new way of thinking and gain insight into how you want to live within the world. There’s no right answer for everyone, but there’s a right answer for you.
Check out this selection of eight philosophy courses offered by UM’s Philosophy Department:
As a basis for the realm of philosophy, this course evaluates the foundational thought of the great philosophers, as well as the basic arguments for the nature of human knowledge, the existence of God, and the limits of human freedom.
A background in anything is essential for further understanding, and this class will leave you feeling secure. You will come out with a greater expertise in all your other studied subjects.
This class delves into the different waves of ethics through the eyes of the three main moral theories: Utilitarianism, Rationalism, and Virtue (with a side of environmentalism.) As each realm of thought builds off one another, you leave the class with a newfound sense of self-love and care for others.
This course will answer the questions you knew were inside, but never felt brave enough to ask out loud.
Being two sides of the same coin, both of these courses delve into the history of philosophy itself. HOAP focuses on the theories of Plato and Aristotle, and even some pre-socratic thought. HOMP takes a more rationalistic approach through the eyes of Descartes and Locke.
Both courses are essential to the understanding of philosophy as a whole, forming a basis of thinking that will not quite be found elsewhere.
This subset of philosophy is where UM thrives most. Using various philosophical approaches to explore the relationships between humans, animals, and the physical environment, this course allows students to develop a clear understanding of our impact on the climate.
Can we do more? is the underlying question. How do we do more? is the underlying answer. No bouts of nature will be seen the same way again. You will become an environmental activist without even trying.
Death: the easiest topic to bring up at dinner parties. This class takes the anxiety out of existential feeling through the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Camus.
You will develop a clarity of your own authenticity and religious beliefs, plus an unexpected wholeness of your own soul. Death is something that plagues us all, though it needn’t be seen that way. It is also the core at which we make meaning of everything we do.
The good life is a pendulum for most of us. Aristotle loves the concept of a pendulum, seeing virtue as the space between two vices, and human morality as the truth of balance. His Nicomachean Ethics discusses topics of responsibility, pleasure, friendship, reflection, and ultimately, your own personal and moral growth.
To become a better person, you must first know what it really means. There is no better place than this course to find out.
This course is your philosophy teacher’s favorite course. The emphasis lies solely on the deconstruction of arguments to enhance understanding. More often than not, critique arises in favor of the discrepancies of what one is saying rather than the actual point they are trying to make: this course attempts to mend that. It is a necessity for any university student who wants to develop concrete analytical and deductive skills.
What is happiness? What is living? How should you live? What is love? What is hate? What is death? How do you become your best self? All those questions get answered here. It is expected you analyze the materials themselves but that you actually attribute them to your life.
You will leave the classroom each day no longer thinking of it as a classroom, but a playground of thought. A playground that changed you from the inside out.
With these 8 classes under your belt, you’ll verge toward an all-knowing being. But to become the best version of yourself, you have to spend many hard hours in thought. In critical analysis. And then, someday, when you reach the threshold, you will sit and think: I did not know then what I know now. But now I know…the truth only comes to us when we are ready for it.