Philosophy


Question, Analyze, and Think Critically

Explore the fundamental questions of existence, knowledge, ethics, and reality through rigorous philosophical inquiry and critical thinking.


Who Is This For?

  • Students Overwhelmed by Abstract Concepts: Feeling lost in your philosophy class? We can break down complex ideas from Plato's Forms to Kant's Transcendental Idealism into clear, understandable concepts.
  • The Incurably Curious: Want to explore life's big questions? We can have guided discussions on everything from free will to the nature of consciousness, no prior experience required.

Philosophical Areas

Click on each philosophical area below to discover the fundamental questions we'll explore:


What We'll Explore

  • Critical Thinking: We'll develop skills to analyze arguments. For example, we'll examine op-eds or political speeches to identify logical fallacies and persuasive techniques.
  • Philosophical Texts: We will read and interpret foundational works. We might start with Plato's Apology to see how Socrates defended his philosophical life, a defense that resonates to this day.
  • Ethical Dilemmas: We'll use thought experiments like the 'Trolley Problem' to examine moral questions and test the limits of different ethical frameworks.
  • Logic & Argumentation: Understanding formal and informal logic, syllogisms, and sound reasoning
  • Thought Experiments: Engaging with philosophical puzzles and hypothetical scenarios
  • Philosophical Writing: Crafting clear, rigorous philosophical arguments and analyses

Key Thinkers We'll Discuss

Pre-Socratic Foundations

🌊

Heraclitus

535-475 BCE

No man ever steps in the same river twice

Key Idea

Logos - the underlying order in constant change and flux

Why Important

Recognized change as fundamental reality; influenced Hegel's dialectic

Influenced By

⚫

Parmenides

515-450 BCE

What is, is; and what is not, cannot be

Key Idea

Being as eternal, unchanging, and indivisible reality

Why Important

Challenged sensory experience; laid groundwork for metaphysics

Influenced By

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Democritus

460-370 BCE

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space

Key Idea

Atomism - reality composed of indivisible particles in void

Why Important

Anticipated modern atomic theory; influenced materialist philosophy

Influenced By

Leucippus

πŸ”₯

Empedocles

494-434 BCE

Love and Strife govern the cosmic cycle

Key Idea

Four elements (earth, air, fire, water) driven by Love and Strife

Why Important

Unified physics and cosmology; influenced later natural philosophy

Influenced By

Pythagoras
Classical Philosophy

πŸ—£οΈ

Socrates

470-399 BCE

The unexamined life is not worth living

Key Idea

The Socratic method - learning through questioning and acknowledging ignorance

Why Important

Founded the practice of philosophical inquiry and critical examination of beliefs

Influenced By

πŸ›οΈ

Plato

428-348 BCE

Reality exists in the world of Forms

Key Idea

Theory of Forms - perfect ideals beyond the physical world

Why Important

Bridged abstract thinking with political theory, founded the Academy

Influenced By

Socrates

🎯

Aristotle

384-322 BCE

Virtue is a habit of character

Key Idea

Virtue ethics - character over rules, empirical observation

Why Important

Systematic approach to ethics, logic, and science; tutor to Alexander the Great

Influenced By

Plato
Modern Philosophy

πŸ€”

RenΓ© Descartes

1596-1650

I think, therefore I am

Key Idea

Methodical doubt - question everything to find certainty

Why Important

Father of modern philosophy and the mind-body problem

Influenced By

PlatoAugustine

βš–οΈ

Immanuel Kant

1724-1804

Act only according to universal moral laws

Key Idea

Categorical imperative - universal moral principles

Why Important

Revolutionized ethics, knowledge, and aesthetics

Influenced By

AristotleHume

πŸ”„

G.W.F. Hegel

1770-1831

History is the progress of consciousness

Key Idea

Dialectical process - thesis, antithesis, synthesis

Why Important

Influenced Marx, existentialism, and social theory

Influenced By

KantFichte
19th Century Philosophy

🌊

Arthur Schopenhauer

1788-1860

Life swings between want and boredom

Key Idea

The world as will - life driven by blind, irrational force

Why Important

Influenced Nietzsche, Freud, and existentialism

Influenced By

KantEastern philosophy

⚑

Friedrich Nietzsche

1844-1900

The pre-Socratics were the true philosophers

Key Idea

Will to power - create your own values; return to pre-Socratic wisdom

Why Important

Challenged Christianity, morality, and truth itself; championed pre-Socratic thinking

Influenced By

SchopenhauerHeraclitusEmpedocles
20th Century Philosophy

🌲

Martin Heidegger

1889-1976

Being is the most universal concept

Key Idea

Dasein - authentic existence and being-in-the-world

Why Important

Revolutionized existentialism and phenomenology

Influenced By

NietzscheHusserl

πŸ”

Michel Foucault

1926-1984

Knowledge is power

Key Idea

Power structures shape knowledge and identity

Why Important

Analyzed how institutions control through knowledge

Influenced By

NietzscheMarx
Decolonial Philosophy

✊

Frantz Fanon

1925-1961

The colonized must reject colonial mentality

Key Idea

Psychological effects of colonization and racism

Why Important

Foundational to postcolonial and critical race theory

Influenced By

HegelMarx

🌎

Enrique Dussel

1934-2023

Philosophy must be decolonized

Key Idea

Philosophy of liberation from Latin American perspective

Why Important

Challenges Eurocentric philosophical assumptions

Influenced By

LevinasMarx

πŸͺΆ

Linda Tuhiwai Smith

1950-

Research is not innocent

Key Idea

Indigenous methodologies and decolonizing research

Why Important

Reclaims Indigenous ways of knowing

Influenced By

Indigenous traditions

Nietzsche's Perspective on Philosophy: "Gradually it has become clear to me what every great philosophy so far has been: namely, the personal confession of its author and a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir." This reminds us that philosophy isn't just abstract reasoningβ€”it's deeply personal.

Web of Philosophical Influence

Explore how ideas have traveled through time, connecting great minds across centuries

Connection Types:

Teacher-Student

Influence

Opposition

Critique

Dialogue

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Pre-SocraticClassicalModern19th Century20th CenturyDecolonialHHeraclitusPParmenidesDDemocritusSSocratesPPlatoAAristotleDDescartesKKantHHegelSSchopenhauerNNietzscheHHeideggerFFoucaultFFanonDDussel
Pre-SocraticClassical PhilosophyModern Philosophy19th Century20th CenturyDecolonial

Philosophy is a conversation across time. Each thinker builds upon, challenges, or transforms the ideas of those who came before. Follow the connections to see how ancient questions continue to evolve and find new expressions.


Learning Approach

Philosophy is fundamentally about learning to think clearly and question assumptions. I guide students through the process of philosophical inquiry, helping them develop the skills to examine ideas rigorously and articulate their thoughts precisely.

We'll engage with philosophical problems through dialogue, careful reading, and structured argumentation, fostering both critical thinking skills and intellectual curiosity that extends to all areas of life.


Ready to Explore Philosophy?

Schedule a Session

"as you start to walk, the path will appear"