Intro to World Philosophy
Introduction to World Philosophy This course will offer a comparative introduction to a number of world philosophical traditions, including those of Europe and America, India, China, and Africa. We will consider central debates within these traditions, including: How should we live? What is the ultimate nature of reality, and how can we come to know it? What is the nature of the self, and how does it relate to society? We will also investigate the broader question of whether truth and morality are relative to culture. Central readings will include works by Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and contemporary African philosophers, as well as Hindu and Buddhist texts.
Introduction to World Philosophy This course will offer a comparative introduction to a number of world philosophical traditions, including those of Europe and America, India, China, and Africa. We will consider central debates within these traditions, including: How should we live? What is the ultimate nature of reality, and how can we come to know it? What is the nature of the self, and how does it relate to society? We will also investigate the broader question of whether truth and morality are relative to culture. Central readings will include works by Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, La …Read more
Spackman is super nice and gives clear explanations on complicated philosophical ideas. He uses slideshows each lecture and then posts them after class which is really helpful for understanding the ideas. Also I ended up not reading for class because the slideshows just summarized everything that was important (probably is better to read though...). Not too much work during the week, just need to grind for the midterm and final which consist of short essays and straightforward passage identifications (even w/ out reading I was fine). There's only one paper and it was in the 3rd week.
Spackman is super nice and gives clear explanations on complicated philosophical ideas. He uses slideshows each lecture and then posts them after class which is really helpful for understanding the ideas. Also I ended up not reading for class because the slideshows just summarized everything that was important (probably is better to …Read more
Great class overall for anyone wanted to learn more about philosophy. I have never learned philosophy but I've always wanted to. This class has a wide variety of topics which we can discuss about. I would say the deepness was a bit lacking because of the amount of different schools the professor is trying to cover. He is a very nice person in general and he is very logical (which will be shown in grading papers).
Great class overall for anyone wanted to learn more about philosophy. I have never learned philosophy but I've always wanted to. This class has a wide variety of topics which we can discuss about. I would say the deepness was a bit lacking because of the amount of different schools the professor is trying to cover. He is a very nice …Read more
I loved Spackman! So nice. The exams were take home. There was a lot of reading but all of it was not always necessary. He layed out the two sides for discussion pretty clearly and was open to any opinions.