The Value and Relevance of Philosophy

The Value and Relevance of Philosophy

Unlike many other disciplines, philosophy is one that students are often unclear about. They aren’t sure what to expect, what they will learn, or what the benefits will be (in contrast to courses in math, history, and government, for example). By now you should have completed the reading by Bertrand Russell called “The Value of Philosophy.” His text could be described as a very ‘philosophical’ response to the question ‘why study philosophy?’. Read Why Study Philosophy? ‘To Challenge Your Own Point of View’ by philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, which deals rather differently with the same question, and then respond to this thread with 1 point (feel free to quote it directly) from each reading that resonates with you about the value of ‘doing philosophy.’ Make sure to explain WHY the points you discuss stood out to you.

Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not receive full credit.

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