BJ asked:

What is philosophy? What types of questions does it ask? Why are those questions important? I am
trying to decide if a philosophy class is something I would like to take.

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Of course take a philosophy class. You will be introduced to a new world of thinking about things. It
will be unfamiliar, but if you have any intellectual curiosity you will find it fascinating.

Philosophy is the study of the key concepts we all use in thinking about the world and human beings
in the world. For instance, all of us sometimes say that we know some things and believe other
things. But what is knowledge, and how does it differ from mere belief? We are always making moral
judgments about whether actions are right or wrong, or whether people are good or bad. But what is
right and wrong and what is good and bad? What are we saying when we employ these concepts.
And what is a moral judgement anyway? How does it differ from (say) a scientific judgement? And,
can moral judgement be shown to be correct or incorrect, or is it all just a "matter of opinion?" And,
what about God? Is there a God? How can we know there is one. What good reasons are there for
thinking there is a God? How can there be a God when so many bad things happen. Does an
all-powerful God permit evil? Why?

These are just some of the questions philosophers have asked and to which some of the greatest
minds that have ever existed have sought the answers. Men like Plato and Aristotle, Spinoza,
Descartes, David Hume, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant. You may not have heard of many of these
people, but believe me, they were amazing, and fascinating to read and to think about and even to
argue with and against.

Philosophy is an important part of your college education. And, who knows? After you take one
course, you may want to take another. With me it was like peanuts; I could not stop with just one.

Kenneth Stern