what are Philosophy courses? are they difficult?

Answer 1

2500 years ago, philosophy encompassed the study of all subjects -- science, mathematics, language, ethics, and political science. One by one, the subfields of philosophy became their own disciplines. Today, philosophy is a shell of its former self. However, it includes many interesting areas. Here are some of the topics:

1. Ethics -- the study of what is right and wrong -- and why.

2. The philosophy of science. This area looks at how we do science, what constitutes a theory, etc.

3. Epistemology -- the study of knowledge and how we learn.

4. Metaphysics. This is what a lot of people think Philosophy is -- the search to those big questions -- what is real? Why are we here? Is there a god? What is the nature of man?

5. Logic and the Philosophy of Language. To think critically about things means we have to use logic -- so it is part of philosophy (as well as part of mathematics and computer science). In the philosophy of language, we look at what we mean when we say something.

The common thread in philosophy is that we look critically at various topics and try to find out what things mean and how they are done. Scientists ask "What rules govern this physical property?" Philosophers of Science ask "How do we do science?"

Theologians ask "What rules should we follow when choosing our actions?" Philosophers of ethics ask "Why are these rules the right ones to follow?"

Linguists ask "How do we say this?" Philosophers of language ask "What do we mean when we say this?"

Is the study of philosophy difficult? Some introductory courses are not -- most advanced courses are. But they are very rewarding.

Answer 2

Philosophy courses examine attempts by great human thinkers to explain the world we live in and uncover the reasons why we do things. Introductory courses in philosophy often focus on exposing students to lots of diverse ideas and organizing those ideas and beliefs into categories so they are easier to make sense of.

Although some of the texts you read in a philosphy class might be difficult to understand, chances are your professor will be working hard to make those texts accessible and interesting to you. If your professor does a good job of showing you how meaningful philosophy is, I don't think the class will be too hard, because you will find that you already have lots of opinions, and you can put those opinions to work as you approach your discussions and assignments.

The trick is realizing that the opinions you already have are usually highly relevant to whatever you are studying. Good luck!

Answer 3

Philosophy is about thought and thinking. Most of these courses are historical in nature where you read writings and then analyze them for their meaning and application to society. I have always loved philosophy courses as they allow a lot of latitude for personal thoughts and opinions as long as you are sticking to the idea of the readings. They can be difficult depending on the topic of the class and the professor.

Answer 4

Philos = knowlege. Sophos = study. So philosophy is the study of knowledge. In philosophy classes you will study the thoughts of others (mainly prominent philosophers). You will be asked to explain what they wrote and probably compare it to other ideas explore in the course. Is it hard? I majored in philosophy so I found it easy but it probably depends on how your mind works. Try an intro class and see how it goes.