Copyright © Norman R. Schultz, Arvada CO

Home - Welcome

This site is for students and anyone interested in introductory-level philosophy. If you are a student, you’ll probably want to mouse over “courses” above and click on your course. I teach at both Metro State College of Denver and Red Rocks Community College, so be careful to choose the correct course - other course pages do not have the same content (especially important are syllabi, calendars, assignments, and exams).

Feel free to browse. Take a look at one of my course pages if you’re thinking about taking a class, or one of the “Topics” pages for reference material (please cite the original source, not this site). Have fun.

If you’re human, chances are good you’re a philosopher. After all, it’s really all about being curious to find answers even when the questions are hard. My general attitude about philosophy is focused on the skills necessary to develop and recognize clear thinking. Where these skills take you is up to you.

When it comes to philosophical literature I don’t claim to be an expert in classic texts of any kind. And while I of course value some important classic writings and am continually striving to understand certain ideas of past thinkers, I have no desire to be an expert in historical works. I’m not impressed with fame, tradition, or even eloquence. In my view some philosophers are famous for good reason (Hume and Kant, for example) - they added insight and clarity to some of the most profound and important concepts we have. Others, though, seem to have perpetuated delusions, errors, and intelligent-sounding nonsense (a problem certainly not limited to philosophy) in ways which only make matters worse (Plato and Hegel, for example). If I can play only a small role in helping others see their way through the fog of confusions and deceptions to what both matters and is rationally defensible then I’ve done my job.

Enjoy, and feedback is always welcome.

Cool Philosophy Sites

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

An authoritative philosophy encyclopedia authored by experts in various disciplines.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

An alternative to the SEP with slightly more accessible but less comprehensive entries.

EpistemeLinks

A huge though cluttered philosophy reference site with various lists and a search engine.

Philosophy Pages (Kemmerling)

Philosophy resources including a Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names.

The Window

A philosophy resource compiled by two students from Trinity College.

Squashed Philosophers

Key philosophy works condensed and abridged to retain substance.

Ask Philosophers

A clever site where people submit questions and panelists reply.