So far in this class, the direction Mr. McCarthy has taken in teaching it has been spot on. It's not a class where you listen to lectures, take notes, and have a quiz on something you tried to memorize right before you walked into the classroom. It's an engaging and open discussion that doesn't involve busy work (i.e. answering questions out of a book that are obvious). It allows you to think for yourself.
I'm glad I didn't get World Lit as my English this year now because I'm sure it would not be engaging. After experiencing Scotese's Brit Lit class last year, I don't think I would've been able to deal with a class he teaches that's tougher. I'm not saying that I'm glad that Philosophy is easy because it's not. Instead of looking for answers in a book, I'm looking for answers within myself. Sounds easy, but sometimes I just can't seem to form an opinion. Everyone makes such great points that I honestly don't know how to add to a discussion sometimes. I would feel like I'm saying something obvious that doesn't make people think. Then again, the purpose of the class is to not try to one-up somebody else. But I at least want my comment to mean something.
Almost everything said in class makes me think. A prodding question, a legitimate argument, a different point of view, etc. It's so different from any other class I've had. Philosophy is not a place where different answers or opinions are trivialized. Everyone is on equal ground, no matter what. No one is completely wrong and no one is completely right. In this class, there are no bad or wrong answers. There are only opinions.
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