This course introduces students to the methods of rigorous philosophical reasoning; introduces students to the philosophical questions, methods, and figures that have played key roles in shaping the Jesuit approach to education and scholarship; and teaches students to critically examine assumptions about reality (especially assumptions about our natures as human beings). Each section explores two or more of the following fundamental philosophical questions: the problem of human knowing, the mind/body problem, the problem of personal identity, the problem of freedom and determinism, and the problem of other persons. This course also aims to develop critical reflective skills to prepare students for more in-depth study in ethics (in the subsequent Ethical Reasoning course), improve critical thinking and writing skills, and enhance students' appreciation for complexity and ambiguity.
This course investigates fundamental questions regarding the nature, value, and capacities of the human person and serves also as an introduction to the discipline and subject matter of philosophy. Specifically, we will discuss the idea of what it is to be human, what it is to be an individual, and what it is to be the same individual over time; the phenomenon of human knowing and the nature of mind; the possibility of immortality and the relationship between soul or mind and body; the opposition between freedom and determinism; and the significance of the social dimension of human existence. Throughout the course, students will cultivate their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, and they will establish a basis for discerning the ethical significance of these foundational questions concerning knowledge, existence, and human nature.
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The guiding questions for this class are: what is the philosophical life and why should I lead one? In readings and activities designed to respond to these questions, we will open the door to further inquiry into some of the classical problems of the Jesuit philosophical tradition, as well as more contemporary problems surrounding the role of nature and technology in the contemplative life.
This course helps students understand the role of philosophical reasoning as a central practice/method of inquiry in the Jesuit tradition, important thinkers and texts in that tradition, and some of the questions about the human person that have shaped that tradition and ground that tradition's study of ethics.
By teaching rigorous philosophical methods of reasoning, this course helps students develop skills in logical analysis and reasoned dialogue, the ability to understand and assess the soundness of arguments, and improved skills in constructing well-reasoned arguments (including the ability to formulate objections to their own and others' arguments).
An introduction to philosophical thinking through the question: What does it mean to be human? As a first course in philosophy, it is an introduction to what philosophy is and to works of major philosophers. As a treatment of the meaning of human nature, the course considers the human person as physical being, as knower, as responsible agent, as a person in relation to other persons, to society, to God, and to the end, or purpose, of human life.
Short Description: This course examines the way philosophy looks for fundamental characteristics that identify life as a properly human life, asks about its ultimate meaning or purpose, and raises questions about what counts as a good life.
Outcome Statement: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the various approaches of the philosophical question of what it means to be human.
I believe in class-by-class graded assignments that give evidence of the work you do between classes (you should work daily on this course). I use everything: quizzes, essays, discussions, presentations, groups, debates, dramatizations, and so on. My medium of choice, however, is the written one. I use an electronic classroom and rely heavily on the web, email, and other technological marvels to conduct class.
Typical Readings:
Christopher Biffle, A Guided Tour of Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy
Joan Frances Crowley and Dan Vaillancourt, Lenin to Gorbachev
Sigmund Freud, The Ego and the Id
Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions
Zachary Seech, Writing Philosophy Papers
Viktor Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning
"Whether you are choosing to pursue philosophy as supplementary study or philosophy for its own sake, the discipline will help you develop skills for success." Read an interview about majoring in philosophy and getting into graduate school with alumni MaryKate Brueck, now at Georgetown University.
The MAP Mentorship Program pairs undergraduates from underrepresented groups with philosophy graduate student mentors. MAP members participate in philosophy talks, film screenings, social events, and more! Learn more and apply for the program by clicking below.
The Human Person presents a brief introduction to the human mind, the soul, immortality, and free will. While delving into the thought of Thomas Aquinas, it addresses contemporary topics, such as skepticism, mechanism, animal language research, and determinism. Steven J. Jensen probes the primal questions of human nature. Are human beings free or determined? Is the capacity to reason distinctive to human beings or do animals also have some share of reason? Have animals really been taught to use language?
The Human Person touches on topics that bear upon the very fabric of the universe. Are human beings merely well-ordered collections of chemicals or do they have a soul that gives them life and understanding? Is there any element in human beings that survives death? Can human minds get in touch with the objective world or just forever dwell in the domain of their subjective experiences? The book closes by considering the most fundamental question of all: are human beings merely cosmic accidents with no purpose or is there some meaning to human life?
Steven J. Jensen is the author of Sin: A Thomistic Psychology; Knowing the Natural Law: From Precepts and Inclinations to Deriving Oughts; Living the Good Life: A Beginner's Thomistic Ethics and Good and Evil Actions: A Journey Through Saint Thomas Aquinas (all CUA Press).
"This is an important book because it examines an important but complex topic and because it examines that topic in a manner accessible to any reader wishing to have a better understanding of what it is to be a human being. Steven Jensen is unafraid to tackle difficult topics, and his guidance through them is superb. As he recognizes, if we don't know the kind of being we are, we will almost certainly go desperately wrong in numerous ways. The Human Person provides a firm foundation and a protection against many of these errors."
"Steven Jensen has given us philosophy just as it ought to be: reflection grounded in a rich soil of everyday experience, which is expressed in ordinary language used with nuance and precision and which ascends by accurate reasoning to the noblest truths. The Human Person is a trustworthy trail guide for the path to self-knowledge."
Perhaps the scenario I have seen that most resembles a context of extreme poverty that Freire wrote about is rural Haiti. As part of my book Faith Makes Us Living: Surviving and Thriving in the Haitian Diaspora, I visited some of the most economically deprived regions in all of Western Hemisphere. I assisted in literacy training among Haitians both in Haiti and the Haitian refugee community of Miami, where I directly witnessing the kind of fatalism, passivity, and dehumanization that Freire talks about. Freire provides a colorful vocabulary to think about oppression, using words such as: alienation, domination, dependency, dehumanization, and cultural invasion. The praxis of liberation is described in equally colorful words: problem-posing, authenticity, humanization, critical thinking, consciousness raising, revolution, change, comrade, solidarity, and power.
If the end of education is to pose problems, raise our consciousness, and act towards political liberation, how do we educate people to think about perennial human questions such as: Is anything right or wrong, true or false, good or evil according to which our actions and experiences must be judged? Is all action morally equivalent?
If truth for Freire is equated with action that leads to a political revolution in this world, I would have no way to dialogue with the young Latino man who wants to explore his faith in God. I might, in fact, be obliged to find a way to show him that his questions about God are an impediment to fighting the revolution.
It is bitter to hear that this disorientation is intentionally provoked on purely methodological grounds, and even considered to be a crucial rite of passage, because people do not realize (or do not want to recognize) that simply being tossed into the fray inevitably produces skepticism in a young person . . . skepticism is absolutely not a rite of passage (Risk of Education, 38).
The end of education in Guissani and Maritain is coming to know ourselves in personal relation to God who created us for eternal communion with him. Knowing God is central to knowing how to live and act in this world, but knowing how to act in this world is not the only thing we need to know because humans have a soul that transcends this world.
To ignore the fact that educational programs which ignore the transcendent dimension of the human person have gone horribly wrong is irresponsible. We need to judge, learn, and propose a new way for education, something for which Maritain and Giussani both provide guideposts that help us see the flaws in many contemporary approaches to education. Their writings have helped me as an educator, whether that be in the classroom of the Ivy League or a bar stool in Chicago, to remember that I have authority as a teacher. Accepting that authority means I accept my responsibility for the soul of the person in front of me who is asking questions about truth and goodness and wants to enter into not only dialogue but also communion with another human being and God. 152ee80cbc
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