In less than three weeks, I begin my first class at Holy Apostles College & Seminary (HACS). Since I was a freshman in college, back in 1997, I began to set my eyes on graduate work in philosophy. I would never have imagined twenty years would stand between those dreams, that I would be taking classes online, that I would be working other jobs while doing so, or that I would have two children at the time.
I hear the words of David Byrne’s and the Talking Heads:
These are not my beautiful plans…And the days go by
HACS offers a Master of Arts in Philosophy with a concentration in Christian Wisdom. I have enrolled in this program for the following reasons:
- To delight in the study of philosophy
- To continue my own education
- To evaluate and improve upon my work as an educator
- To study the great tradition, Thomas, John Paul II, etc.
- To prepare for doctoral studies (for which HACS serves as preparation)
These studies will put some new pressures on my time and I am not sure what being a student will be like. I anticipate that much of my upcoming posts will reflect what I am studying.
Before classes begin, I think I will discuss the meaning of studies in philosophy, by looking over a few questions about faith and philosophy:
- Does Philosophy presuppose skepticism?
- Is Faith exclusive to religion?
- Is Philosophy a kind of knowledge, wisdom, or something else?
- Is Philosophy practical or theoretical?
These questions have been answered before, many times. I will just give a short take on them in order to frame how I have thoughy about and approached Philosophy.
Same & Other 