Welcome to Philosophy

Maureen Cohen, Philosophy Editor of Voices

The word “Philosophy” means the love of wisdom. But the love of wisdom requires commitment and discipline to decide what it is that constitutes knowledge. Is knowledge the ability to answer correctly on midterms and finals, or is knowledge the pursuit of the un-asked questions.

One of the purposes of philosophy is to remind us to look beyond the limits of our empirical senses and find objective truth. How do we examine what we have not experienced or even begun to contemplate. Is reality only that which we have experienced; or is true reality elusive to us. A philosophy course at SMC is your best chance at discovering these answers.

Academic institutions provide the lover of knowledge with the ideal home. However we should remember never to get too comfortable in this home and allow others to ask the all the questions for us. Higher education is not just about obtaining the answers to known phenomena, but to inspire us to become leaders in the search for questions we would have never thought to have asked in the past.

Philosophy provides us with the foundation to seek the questions, and question the answers. No matter what field of study you pursue, I strongly recommend that you enroll in a philosophy course while you are here at SMC. It will act as a key to unlock further knowledge in nearly every academic pursuit.

Whether you enroll in Philosophy 1 (Star-Trek), Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Early Moral Philosophers, Moral Conflicts, Logic, Bio-Ethics, Asian Philosophy, Philosophy in Literature, Political Philosophy, Modern Political Thought, or any of the other philosophy courses offered… I’ll bet it won’t be your last. Philosophy enriches yours thoughts, inspires your learning, and provides you with a place in which all knowledge comes together and illuminates our .