Q. Why do philosophy?

Philosophy is the critical examination of fundamental concepts and beliefs. It is good to understand why we believe what we believe (and to understand whether we should believe it). And fundamental beliefs are beliefs which our foundational to our entire belief structure, so it is especially important to get those right. It is good also to have clear concepts, so that our thinking will be clearer.

Q. Are all philosophical theories incorrect?

Maybe not. Theories attempt to give an account of how things are. Philosophical theories attempt to provide an account of some fundamental aspects of reality. Surely some philosophical theories are false. Maybe most are false. It is hard to get these things right. But some of those theories might be true -- the accounts they give might actually be how things are -- and it would be a shame to miss out on that truth.

Q. If there are objections to a philosophical theory, is it worth learning about the theory?

Yes, it can be. Just because there are objections to a theory does not entail that the theory is false. Maybe the objections can be answered.

Q. If a philosophical theory is false, is it worth learning about the theory?

Yes, it can be. Even if a theory is false, parts may be true. And even if a theory is false, we may come to have further insight about the issue, especially if we understand why it is false.

Q. Are there any answers in philosophy?

Yes.

Q. Why don´t you tell us the answers?

The point of the course is to get you to think deeply about fundamental concepts and beliefs. Philosophers have done this, and reading what they have written can help us in our critical examination. I am not a preacher. I am generally not trying to convince you of certain truths. (I am trying to teach you how to fish, so to speak, by showing you how others have fished well; I am not serving you fish on a platter.)

Q. If you don´t tell us the answers to philosophical questions, what do you expect from us on tests?

I expect that you´ll be able to explain to me what various philosophical theories claim and what reasons (arguments) there are to accept or reject them, not whether, ultimately, they are true or not. I also expect you to show me that you can reason well about these matters. So I may ask you to defend an answer (positive or negative) to the question of whether a particular philosophical theory is correct.

Q. Isn´t any answer to a philosophical question just as good as any other?

No. Some are confused, and it can be shown what the confusion is. Some are such that there are clear objections to them. So many proposed answers we have good reason to reject.

Q. How do we know the teacher is right?

You don´t. You should question. Your teacher is human. He may be mistaken.

Q. If our teacher may be mistaken, doesn´t it follow that our opinion is as good as his?

No, it does not follow. Experts may be mistaken, but usually their views are based on more experience and more thorough reasoning than the opinions of those who are new to the field.

Q. Isn´t all truth subjective?

No. I´m not sure what this means, but surely whether the moon really is made of cheese is not simply a matter of whether we believe it to be true. Whether God (as traditionally conceived) exists is independent of whether we think she does. Whether mental states are exactly the same things as brain states isn´t just a matter of whether someone believes them to be the same or believes them to be different.

Q. This reading is confusing. It is hard to understand.

A lot of philosophy is difficult and confusing. I'll take the implicit question here to be "what should I do about that?" Much that is worth understanding (including art and other languages and sciences) takes effort. Where you have a philosophy teacher talking about texts, I advise reading the text, then actively listening to what the instructor says, then re-reading the text (not necessarily the whole book or article all at once). Sometimes things become clearer after a second (or third) reading or after you hear some explanation by a teacher.

Q. I am confused. What am I doing wrong?

Maybe nothing. Philosophy is confusing. Anyone who doesn´t find it confusing to think about philosophical questions is probably not thinking hard enough. Some confusions can, with suitable thought, be cleared up. But typically (in philosophy, not in most other disciplines) they are just then replaced by further confusions. (Compare: Once a philosophical question is answered, it yields further (unanswered) questions.) This is not to say that you should not try to clear up your confusions.