Robert Flores

Professor

“Philosophy allows you to soul-search, which improves your performance in whatever profession you choose.”

“SMC is a great place to teach,” says Robert Flores. “It’s a very free and open environment where we’re encouraged to investigate all the exciting new ideas in physics, chemistry and math. It’s a place where people are encouraged to take chances.”

Nothing less than the nature of thinking motivates the investigations in Robert’s classroom at SMC. “We are, by nature, philosophical,” he says. “Then we are taught how to behave and what to believe. Then we take our first class in philosophy where we’re told, ‘Forget all the rules. Question everything!’” Robert concentrates many of his discussions on “the philosophy of mind. What is thinking in general? What is free will?” He incorporates cognitive science, computers and the occasional cartoon from the New Yorker to illustrate his lectures.

In these ultimately pragmatic times, Robert finds that philosophical questioning is an absolutely essential tool. “If we don’t ask the deeper questions,” he says, “then the older we get, the more watered down we will become.” Being aware of the problems in the world, he feels, is everyone’s responsibility. “There is indeed injustice in the world and sometimes it feels as though the only ones willing to tackle it are the philosophers.”

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