PHILOSOPHY
What is Philosophy?
The conventional definition of “philosophy” is the love of wisdom. However, “wisdom” is a difficult term to define because one may not know what constitutes wisdom and whose wisdom we are talking about. Wisdom is found in every culture and no single culture can claim to possess the ultimate answer and knowledge. In the past, philosophers were considered to be the know it all people. In the West, at one time, philosophy was even considered as the grand syntheses of all knowledge.
However, philosophy is not a stagnant body of knowledge. Rather, philosophical knowledge is a continuous, on going reflective process. Philosophy should be best understood as an intellectual and mental activity. It allows one to activate and stimulate one’s mind to reflect, critically assess and evaluate all human experiences and interests. As such, philosophy can provide one with no definitive answer on any one aspect of human knowledge. What is deemed to be an accepted truth at one time may help one to understand the world by whatever its merits at that particular historical juncture. But one must refrain from blindly accepting that as an absolute truth and end of all human inquiry. This paradoxical nature of philosophy, however, can emancipate one from tyrannical beliefs and dogmas and enable one to continue questioning the fundamental assumptions in all human knowledge. The study of philosophy, therefore, is twofold. On the one hand, it helps one to know and understand the remarkable accumulation of philosophical reflections of all civilizations. On the other hand, philosophy expands our perspectives, influences conduct, and explore, various theories concerning knowledge, values and the nature of reality. It provides fresh approaches to evaluate and critique diverse established theories. It facilitates and nurtures the desire for a continuous intellectual curiosity and enables the pursuit and entertains whatever other possible alternatives there yet may be.
If I major in Philosophy, what kind of job can I get?
Philosophy courses not only serve as a core of a liberal arts education, but also can transfer as part of the liberal arts requirements for majoring in other disciplines. Philosophy serves as good preparation for careers in law, management, medicine, government administration, educational research and other social science disciplines in any four-year institution and graduate school. Because we offer a wide selection of philosophy courses at Canada, a student can receive an AA degree with a major in philosophy and can transfer to most major four-year institutions to receive a BA in philosophy. Though a philosophy major may not prepare you for any specific area of employment, nevertheless, it will provide you with a solid foundation for other areas of academic pursuit. Above all, it will help you develop a critical and philosophical outlook that will endure throughout your academic advancement.
If I receive an AA degree in Philosophy, can I transfer to a four-year college?
Yes, you definitely can. We offer most of the courses that you need to finish your AA degree in philosophy and to transfer to a four-year institute.
Courses
Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy
This is an introductory course in the examination of some of the classical philosophical problems in the areas of ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, and social and political philosophy. Selected worldwide philosophers of the respective areas will be examined, analyzed, compared, and contrasted.
Philosophy 103 – Critical Thinking
A general overview of the principles and methods of reasoning skills will be examined. Students will develop the skill to analyze and identify the structure of an argument, types of argument. Some formal logic will be introduced to facilitate the understanding of logical reasoning.
Philosophy 160 – History of Philosophy *
This is an introduction to the historical development of Western philosophy from the early pre-Socratic to Renaissance. Selections of writings from various philosophers are studied. Analysis and examination of their attempts to resolve fundamental metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical issues are included.
Philosophy 190 – Contemporary Philosophy *
This course is a historical survey of the philosophical development in the 19th and 20th centuries. Selections of writings from different philosophers are studied. An analysis of their cultural ramifications on social, political, moral, and religious movements during this period will be critically examined.
Philosophy 200 – Introduction to Logic *
This course is an introduction to the study of logic, which includes knowledge to analyze argument and the ability to apply syllogistic and modern prepositional and predicate logical techniques to determine the validity of deductive arguments. The analysis and examination of inductive logical skill will also be included.
Philosophy 240 – Introduction to Ethics
This course will examine the selected major ethical principles and theories in the Eastern and Western traditions. How these principles apply to one’s ethical decision making and moral responsibility will be examined. Selected contemporary moral issues will also be studied.
Philosophy 300 – Introduction to World Religions
This course is an introduction to the study of great world religions; their fundamental religious and spiritual teachings; their rituals and literatures; their impact on the respective worldviews, society and culture; and finally their contributions to the understanding of meaning of human existence in relation to the Transcendent.
* Courses offer once a year
Major Requirements
Students wishing an AA Degree in Philosophy must complete 60 units of lower division college work with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.0. The major in Philosophy consists of a minimum of 18 semester units in the specified field of study. For students planning to transfer to four-year institutions, fulfillment of lower -division requirements for the institution of their choice will be considered a major.
The Philosophy Club
In 1970, Frank Young introduced the Philosophy Club with the support and collaboration of his colleague, Professor Jim Upton, now retired. This club was conceived as an organization in which students and faculty members at Cañada as well as other interested individuals from the community come together for an informal Friday evening monthly meeting during the academic year. Guests from colleges in the Bay Area and other professionals are invited to speak on diverse topics at the meetings. This organization has become the longest continuing student/faculty organization in the entire district. More recently, the philosophy departments of both CSM and Skyline have joined us and it has now expanded to become a district faculty/student organization. Faculty members, students, and individuals from the community are actively involved in making this monthly meeting a place to generate and nurture intellectual curiosity and interest in a broad range of subjects. For more information contact Frank Young at (650) 306-3260 or email youngf@smccd.edu.
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