Philosophy Courses at Dawson
What is philosophy?
- An Essential Part of Your Life
- A Valuable and Practical Skill
- A Broader Perspective
- A Great Conversation
An Essential Part of Your Life Whether You Know it or Not!
Philosophy is about questioning all aspects of human being and reality. You have probably already raised many philosophical questions.
- What is the origin of everything that exists?
- Was the universe designed by some intelligence, or is existence the result of a series of unplanned “accidental” circumstances?
- What is human freedom? How can it be defined and how it can be protected?
- Do we have the moral right to impose our way of life on others?
- Are your friends true friends? Should you trust them and love them?
These are all fundamental philosophical questions. Philosophy is an essential part of everyone’s life since we are all interested in figuring out how to live the best life possible and what it means to do so.
A Valuable and Practical Skill
You’ll improve your thinking skills. Good philosophers are famous for their ability to assess arguments, critically and clearly, and to propose solutions to problematic claims and positions. They are also very clear writers. In other words, they have great analytical and social skills. These are the sorts of skills that are prized by law schools and businesses. Your philosophy courses and a university philosophy degree can help get you into Law, Politics, Publishing, Journalism, Banking and Investment, Research positions and the Civil Service, to name just a few. No matter what path you choose in life, your philosophy course will equip you to think about the assumptions and values of your personal and public life, and will equip you to communicate with others in a rational, thoughtful and open minded way.
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A Broader Perspective on Different Fields of Study
You are a Dawson student taking many specialized courses in different fields of study. Your biology class teaches you about the human body. Your psychology class teaches you about the mind. Your English class teaches you writing skills and introduces you to great literature. Philosophers are interested in the assumptions of these fields of study. For example: How do the body you learned about in biology and the mind you learned about in psychology interact? Are psychological states nothing more than physical states? If so, then is freedom an illusion? Are you nothing more than a predetermined very complex machine? Philosophers carefully examine these questions and many more.
A Great Conversation
Philosophical questions and issues make for great discussions. The advantage of having these in a Philosophy class at Dawson is that you will have an experienced teacher along with your fellow students who can help you think about and explore these philosophical questions in greater depth. In the process, you will meet some of the greatest philosophers in the history of philosophy—Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hobbes, Spinoza, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Wittgenstein, to name just a few. When they get involved in the conversation things really get interesting!
There follows a list of all the Philosophy courses offered in the discipline of Philosophy. Some are offered as complementary courses, some are offered in programs. In addition to these courses, there are many courses with philosophical content in the Humanities/Philosophy Department.
For more information, contact the Humanities/Philosophy secretary Catherine Alleyne at calleyne@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
