Introduction to Philosophy
The world we live in seems suffused with bullshit, but what does that mean and how do we differentiate bullshit from truth and lies. My intro course begins with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and The Sophist before reading Harry Frankfurt’s “On Bullshit”. I use this initial module to teach basic philosophical methodology and conceptual analysis. We then move on to examine the concept of truth using Harry Frankfurt’s follow-up book “On Truth”. This sets us up to then talk about the nature of reality and we move to metaphysics and epistemology using Bertrand Russell’s book “The Problems of Philosophy”. We then end the course discussing the ethics of belief and Albert Camus’ book “Myth of Sysiphus” to examine questions about meaning and value.
The goal of doing the intro course this way is to focus on the method rather than the content. In a sense to DO philosophy with the students. I run this course as a 150-student lecture/discussion and find the mix of the two perfect for focusing on method rather than content.
Fall 2022 Course Evaluations (anonymous)
“I loved this class. The professor encouraged us to share our ideas and think outside the box. He was very open to what students had to say, helped us understand concepts, and communicated expectations clearly. The expectations were reasonable and he gave us lots of opportunities for comprehension of difficult material”
Fall 2022 Course Evaluations (anonymous)
“Overall, I think you are a great professor with immense passion for your classes. I really enjoyed your casual nature, and you were very approachable! I like how you allowed students to really explain their viewpoints, and were open to exploring viewpoints that you or the class hadn't considered! Keep up the awesome work and I hope you enjoy your time at FAU! Thank you for a radical semester and take care :)!!”
“I liked how there was a lot of discussion during lecture, it was nice hearing from other students. It also made lecture feel more laid back and it was a good environment to share ideas because even if someone disagreed, we were taught how to politely share contrasting views.”
Fall 2022 Course Evaluations (anonymous)
“Honestly this course was very disappointing. I was excited going into it thinking we would have discussions about world breaking crazy theories and concepts, but instead we spent over a week discussing what a table is.”
Fall 2022 Course Evaluations (anonymous)
“I enjoyed this course a lot. Professor Mindt helped me truly appreciate the field of Philosophy by encouraging everyone to develop a greater insight into how the world around us works…”
Fall 2022 Course Evaluations (anonymous)