EMILY COGBURN'S CLASSES

This is it. This site should give you most everything you need to know about your class. You might be thinking "what do these dead white men have to say to me?" Well, there's a reason why people still read Plato, Shakespeare, Aristotle, etc. They do have something to say to us here and now. People haven't changed very much. If you read Plato's dialogues, you'll recognize people you've met and arguments you've heard or maybe even made yourself. Why should we care about morality? Isn't the good life just getting what you want? (Gorgias in Plato's dialogue Gorgias). Start reading the stuff and you'll see what I mean. Plato's dialogues are available for free on the web at various places including http://classics.mit.edu/index.html. Who was this guy Plato? That's him on the left with the gray beard. A Greek, he lived from 429-347 B.C.E. and was probably the first really great philosopher (or at least one whose works have survived.) Most of his works were written in dialogue form (sort of like a play) and featured Socrates, his teacher, as the main character. In the majority of the dialogues, Socrates debates someone about philosophical concepts. Socrates was known for saying that wisdom begins with humility, realizing that you have something to learn. As a result, Socrates doesn't claim to know the answer to big philosophical questions; instead, he and his interlocutors search for the truth together. This is what we will try to do in all my classes. I don't have all the answers and neither do you. Philosophy is about getting closer to that elusive truth.

MY EMAIL When emailing me, please let me know the class and section you are taking. BRCC students please use: [email protected], LSU students [email protected] (that's a one, not an L).  MY QUALIFICATIONS Here is my cv.

 

 

CURRENT CLASSES BRCC Philosophy 201 (Introduction to Philosophy) sec. 2 MWF 3:00-3:50 Philosophy 205 sec. 5 (Introduction to Ethics) TTH 1:30-2:45 Philosophy 205 sec. 2 (Introduction to Ethics) TTH 4:30-5:45 LSU Philosophy 1000 (Introduction to Philosophy) sec. 4 MWF 10:40-11:30 Philosophy 2020 (Introduction to Ethics) sec. 2 TTH 9:40-10:30

USEFUL PHILOSOPHY STUFF How to write an essay   Sample essay Here are some good internet sources for writing papers or just if you're interested in philosophy. If you have a question about a concept or word used in class, don't just google it, try these sources first: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Plato Plato's dialogues on the Internet: http://classics.mit.edu/index.html

 

PAST CLASSES LSU classes Philosophy 2025 (Bioethics) section 1