I’ve become very interested in philosophy lately with the help of iTunes U. There are two great classes that I’d like to recommend:
- Political Philosophy – Yale – Steven B. Smith – This is a straight-forward lecture series starting with Plato and moving chronologically through to Tocqueville. This is a great introduction for someone who’s somewhat serious about the topic, but it’s dense and somewhat dry. I’ll admit that I took some breaks from it, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
- Justice – Harvard – Michael Sandel – I’m less than halfway through this series but am really loving it. This course is a perfect introduction for anyone as it is accessible, funny, and very thought-provoking. The course is very well produced, and I would pay to go see this professor in person.
As I’ve been listening to these, a lot of thoughts have been roiling around in my head. I’ve been wanting to write down my thoughts and responses to the questions these courses pose but have been intimidated by how much writing that would be and how it could open me to the critism of my readers. But then I realized that no one reads this so I have nothing to worry about!
So, my goal is to get some of these thoughts and ideas down on this blog as I continue this journey of learning. Feel free to comment or argue but please keep it friendly.