David Carey

David Carey In His Own Words

David's...

...Three Favorite Philosophers:
"Plato, Aristotle, [and] Aquinas"

...Strengths:
"Ancient Greek Philosophy, Medieval Latin Philosophy, [and] Ethics"

...Reason for Studying Philosophy:
"I like maps and big pictures. Philosophy asks the biggest questions and has the widest scope of all the sciences commensurate with human reason. Evidence for this is the fact that the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) is the highest degree in nearly all fields."

Mitch Clearfield

E-Mail, Website

Classes

PHIL 117 - Problems in Philosophy

PHIL 177A - ST: Punishment and Responsibility

PHIL 218 - Language and Meaning

PHIL 338B - ST: Wittgenstein

Mitch Clearfield In His Own Words

Mitch's...

...Three Favorite Philosophers:
"Two people I could read over and over again and always find fascinating and enjoyable are Wittgenstein and Richard Rorty. Others that I find to be fascinating, but not quite as profound (and not quite as enjoyable), are Quine, Davidson, and Dummett. On the other hand, someone that I find to be extremely profound and influential, but not as fascinating to pore over (and certainly not 'enjoyable' in the same way!), is Kant. To come closer to answering your question: Kant, Wittgenstein, Rorty, and Davidson. If I absolutely had to drop one, I'm honestly not sure if it would be Kant or Davidson."

...Strengths:
"Early analytic philosophy, especially Wittgenstein; contemporary philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics"

...Reason for Studying Philosophy:
"I was originally a political science major (primarily because it had the fewest requirements, and so basically let me take whatever I wanted to), and took a modern philosophy class to fulfill a distribution requirement. I was most intrigued by the little bit of Kant that we covered at the end, and in particular with the idea that we contribute something essential to the underlying nature or structure of reality—i.e. reality-as-we-exerience-it. Anyway, that prompted me to dive into a seminar the following semester on Kant's first Critique, which gripped me to the point that I ditched political science and crammed almost an entire philosophy major into my last 3 semesters. In graduate school my focus shifted onto more recent and contemporary philosophers, but still largely in relation to that insight from Kant which originally drew me to philosophy."

Julia Ireland

E-Mail

Classes

PHIL 201 - Readings in the Western Philosophical Tradition: Ancient

PHIL 318 - Hannah Arendt as Political Thinker

Tom Davis

E-Mail

Classes

PHIL 177B - Special Topics: Evil and Non-violence

PHIL 201 - Readings in the Western Philosophical Tradition: Ancient

PHIL 207 - Foundations of American Romanticism

PHIL 209 - Contemporary American Romanticism

PHIL 410A - ST: Nietzsche and Heidegger

Tom Davis in His Own Words

Tom's...

... Favorite Philosophers:

"Emerson, Heidegger, Plato, Thoreau, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and, most especially, Stanley Cavell"

...Strengths:

"The relation between philosophy and literature in the Greeks, Shakespeare, and in American Romanticism"

... Reasons for Studying Philosophy:

"To learn how to read and write in such ways as will promote the possibility of your life becoming thoughtfully your own"

Patrick Frierson

E-Mail, Website

Classes

PHIL 109 - Symbolic Logic

PHIL 127 - Ethics

PHIL 202 - Readings in the Western Philosophical Tradition: Modern

PHIL 338A - ST: Hegel's Moral and Political Philosophy

PHIL 340A - ST: Philosophical Problems: What is the Human Being?

Patrick Frierson In His Own Words

Patrick's...

...Two Favorite Philosophers:
"Plato and Kant"

...Strengths:
"Main areas of expertise: Philosophy from Descartes to Hegel, especially Kant; Ethics (both history of ethics and recent ethical theory). Other areas of interest: History and Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Law, 19th and 20th century Continental Philosophy, Philosophy and the Environment, Logic."

...Reason for Studying Philosophy:
"In college, I majored in philosophy and physics. I was young, and I wanted to know everything. I figured that physics could teach me everything about the physical world, and philosophy could teach me everything else. (Plus, they were hard. I liked taking challenging courses in College.) When I graduated, I wasn't sure whether to go to graduate school in science or philosophy. Eventually (i.e. when the deadlines for accepting offers of admission were immanent) I just had to choose, and I chose philosophy. (The only concrete reason I can remember is that studying science felt to me like a totally awesome job, and studying philosophy felt like a totally awesome vacation. I guess I just decided to take a vacation with the rest of my life.) I've never regretted the choice. Since then, I've gotten more interested in the philosophy of science, and that gives me a chance to combine my college interests. And philosophy continues to sustain my passion for figuring stuff out. The great thing about philosophy is that I can study pretty much whatever I want, and it counts as philosophy. Even more, every development of myself as a person also makes me a better philosopher, and (I hope) my development as a philosopher in turn contributes to making me a better person."