2011 Fall Proseminar End of Semester Statements

For our last class, I'd like to invite each of you to make put one or two ideas from the semester in front of the group for discussion. Please respond in a screenfull or two of text to one of the following prompts:

1. Something new in philosophy that I found this semester and thought interesting (and why).

2. Something new about philosophy that I found this semester and thought interesting (and why).

3. A particular philosophical argument that you found especially good or bad or just challenging.

(You can suggest a prompt to add if you'd like. Also, feel free to use the email utility on the Course Website if you prefer not to post this to a wiki page.)

Casey Collins

First, I felt that the most interesting subject we discussed this semester was the section we covered on theoretical hypotheses. Giere proposed that science uses models as a way of investigating reality, and models are, in a way, an investigation of data rather than what is really at work. To me, Giere abstracted science more than we typically do in modern day. Scientists can have an attitude that they are investigating what is real while philosophers investigate the abstract. I think it is important for modern day scientists to realize that they are interpreting the world as it is presented to us, just as philosophers are.

Second, I thought this seminar class was most beneficial to me because I learned about diverse aspects of philosophy, and how our skills as philosophers can be applied to many aspects of our lives. For instance, we have learned that philosophy has contributed to the development of culture, and how philosophy can contribute to understanding how our culture might still be developing. We can use philosophical tools in our ethical decision making, in understanding evolution and psychology, and in our general interpretation of the world as it is presented to us. These aspects of philosophy are important to me because I am not planning on pursuing a career in philosophy, but will rather attempt to integrate it into my career and life pursuits.