Contemporary philosophers are still struggling with just what exactly 'philosophy' really is. This is at least one characteristic that makes this subject different from other disciplines, say psychology or engineering. For the latter subjects seem to occupy a definite niche in the curriculum, whereas philosophy--while treated as a separate college discipline--actually "cuts across" just about all of them. And that's because it is mostly a method of reasoning-- concentrating on process, specifically on thinking process and not on facts, per se. So, since all of the other areas of study use thinking (in perhaps a different, commonsense or even technical, sense), philosophy spends a lot of time thinking about thinking, asking questions constantly to penetrate into the background presuppositions, biases, conceptual schemes, paradigms, and assumptions that we make and/or hold whenever we reason or make argumentative judgments. Thus philosophy, more than any other intellectual discipline or pursuit is constantly turning upon itself in a reflective and curious way, almost at every juncture. And, the philosopher, in keeping with his/her chosen field of activity, continually expresses human curiosity, always seeking to ask meaningful questions in pursuit of insight, clarification, and understanding. This is why "philosophy" literally means "the love of wisdom."
With respect to PHILOSOPHY 100 our aim will be to cover and discuss the fundamental concepts and orientations involved in logical/philosophical thinking and investigation. We shall begin by examining not only the concept of philosophy but also the kind(s) of thinking useful in analysis and problem solving, such as critical, creative and logical, and metacognitive thinking. To help you do this within the framework of this course, let me offer some suggestions about how to read and study our textbooks in preparation for discussions and paper writing.

A) Read the assigned pages once over, taking notes on main themes and concepts. To help you pick out the main issues, first IDENTIFY ANY HEADINGS AND SUB-HEADINGS (often BOLDFACE) in each chapter and glance through these in order to get a feel for the "essentials" of the chapter. This will help guide your reading and will help you prepare for a deeper understanding of the issues discussed and explored.

B) Go back and re-read for detail. Ask questions of yourself as you read the views expressed by different authors or philosophical orientations--why does the speaker think the way he/she does about the concerns and issues brought up. This is "doing philosophy as you read and observe." Make note of your questions, as this will undoubtedly help you during review and class discussion. To help you further, you have been required to answer selected homework questions to be used as a focal point for discussion and to be turned in for feedback and further investigation.