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A NOTE TO THE STUDENT
Insight is the foundation stone of all philosophical ideas. Without
insights people would be devoid of creativity, always remaining more or
less the same, in a relatively thoughtless world not unlike that of the
animals. Where animals have instinct, human beings have the potential for
insight. Hence one of the most important lessons to learn in any study of
philosophy is what an insight is and how to develop the ability to have
insights for oneself.
The former issue will be addressed at several points throughout this
course. But the latter can arise only through practice.
For this reason, the students' responsibility in this course centers
primarily on the task of writing a series of "insight papers". Whether
you are reading this book as part of a class assignment or simply for your
own interest, I hope each reader will take seriously the importance of
responding to what you read by writing something for yourself. This will
give you the opportunity to practice doing philosophy by recording the
results of your own reflection on a given philosophical question or issue.
The "Guidelines" on the following page are intended to assist you in
choosing an appropriate topic and writing a good paper. At the end of
each lecture recorded in this book, I have also suggested four "Questions
for Further Thought", with some space after each question in case you want
to jot down some notes as you think about each question. If you wish, you
may use these as the basis for your topic, though any topic is acceptable,
provided you treat it in a philosophical way. In either case you should
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not search through this book for some magical "set" solution to the
problem you choose to reflect and write about. The insight papers are to
record your own insights, not mine--though of course, you might find it
helpful to use the contents of each lecture as a springboard for
developing your own unique way of thinking. Some additional comments
about what makes a good insight paper are given at several points in this
book; the most important of these comes on pages 162-164, which ought be
be read before you begin writing your first paper.
Insight papers are by far the most important aspect of this course,
because they complement the lectures and readings with a real, personal
expe ri ence of philosophizing. When I teach Introduction to Philosophy,
I therefore use students' insight papers as the basis for class
discussions. The task of discussing the implications of the issues raised
in various papers is often interesting enough to occupy most of any given
class hour. The remaining time is devoted to a discussion of questions
arising out of the portion of this book assigned for that day. This means
that from the second class session onwards every student is expected to
read the relevant lecture in this book before the class hour to which it
corresponds. It would also be helpful for each student to read at least
some of the four texts listed in the "Recommended Readings" section at the
end of each lecture. These are usually arranged in order, starting with
shorter texts mentioned in the lecture itself, and ending with more
lengthy texts which will assist you in exploring more deeply the
implications of the topics discussed in the lecture.
Philosophy must be learned freely and with a minimum of external
compulsion, so this course does not absolutely require extensive reading
in the classical texts. However, the lectures below often refer to many
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of these texts, so it is assumed that anyone who is, or comes to be,
motivated from within to do philosophy will make an effort to become
familiar with as many of these additional readings as possible.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING INSIGHT PAPERS
What? Preparing and writing insight papers is the most important aspect
of this class. An insight paper is a short record of your own thoughts,
ideas, and reasoning on any topic, provided you can treat it in a
philosophical way. It should be written after one or more periods of at
least fifteen minutes of concentrated thinking or meditating (pondering)
on something philosophical. In addition to the questions listed at the
end of each lecture, here are a few examples of the kinds of subject you
might choose to ponder: any question or issue raised in these lectures or
discussed in class; a question about the meaning or nature of something; a
theory or argument put forward by some philosopher you have read about; an
object or idea which you think is beautiful or unusual; an experience you
regard as philosophically profound; etc.
How? Be concise! Don't think that longer papers will always get better
results. This is not true. Sometimes several sentences might be enough
to demonstrate that you have a significant philosophical insight.
Anything which is not directly related to the insight itself should be
summarized or omitted. Your paper should devote as little space as
possible to describing background information, or other people's ideas.
Most of the space should be devoted to your own reflections, criticisms,
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analysis, ideas for possible answers, etc. As a general rule, you should
think in terms of one side of a standard sheet of paper as being long
enough. If you need to use two pages, please help to preserve trees by
writing on both sides (front and back) of one sheet of paper.
How many? Write as many insight papers as you can! If you are using this
book as a textbook for a class, consult the syllabus for details on the
number of required insight papers, their due dates, and other more
specific guidelines.
Why? The purpose of the insight papers is for you to practice the skill
of doing philosophy, by allowing you to explore your own philosophical
ideas in depth. So you should write them with this in mind. Ask
questions which drive your thinking below the surface, such as "why?",
"what does it mean?", "how do I know?", "what is it?", etc. Do not simply
repeat someone else's ideas. You can mention other people's ideas (e.g.
theories of some philosopher you have studied), but try to do this as
briefly as possible. Most of the paper should be devoted to an
explanation and analysis of your own ideas. Both creativity and careful
argumentation will be highly valued, as well as clarity and orderliness.
The mere statement of your own opinion, with no reasons given for support,
is not satisfactory. Opinions can be mentioned as a starting point for
further inquiry, but genuine insights are more important than mere
opinions.
What next? The insight papers should be used as the basis for
discussions, both inside and outside of class. The former will require
some papers to be read (anonymously) in front of the whole class. (If you
ever write something which you would not want to be read in class, you
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should write somewhere on your paper "Please do not read this in class,
because...".) Normally, the papers will be returned at the end of the
next class session; the key points will be underlined, and some relevant
questions or comments will be written on your paper. These do not
necessarily reflect the lecturer's own point of view, but are intended to
help you think more deeply about the issues raised.