Dawna J. Shin is a graduate student at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Her research interests include: Philosophy of Psychology, Philosophy of Language, Phenomenology, Existentialism, Ethics, American Pragmatism, and the later writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
“Philosophy is at once the most sublime and the most trivial of human pursuits. It works in the minutest crannies and it opens out the widest vistas. It ‘bakes no bread’, as has been said, but it can inspire our souls with courage; and as repugnant as its manners, its doubting and challenging, its quibbling and dialectics, often are to common people, no one of us can get along without the far-flashing beams of light it sends over the world’s perspectives.” -William James (1842-1910) American Psychologist and Philosopher
LINKS FOR STUDENTS:
The American Philosophical Association (APA) offers a wonderful page full of information for those of you who are just becoming familiar with philosophy. Check it out by clicking here!
Fall 2009: INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY
OTHER FUN STUFF:
♦Philosophical Humor (a site by philosopher David Chalmers with lots of fun links)
Simone de Beauvoir Hannah Arendt Philippa Foot G.E.M. Anscombe
These materials are not endorsed, approved, sponsored, or provided by or on behalf of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
The word philosophy derives from the Greek φιλοσοφία [philo-sophia], which means "love of wisdom". Philosophers seek to better understand nearly every aspect of human existence, including: religion, science, mathematics, history, language, ethics, law, art, and music. Some philosophers might characterize their field as being concerned with the clarification of concepts while others might claim to be involved in a pursuit of necessary or fundamental truths about the world. Regardless of their individual interests and methods, all philosophers are driven by an urge to answer a question or solve a problem.
“A philosophical problem has the form: I do not know my way about.”
-Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Austrian Philosopher of Mathematics and Psychology
