Summer project

 In an effort to be a better instructor and to model some writing, I am going to embark on a summer writing project. 

 In my Intro Philosophy course, I use a text called The Big Questions by Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins. 

The book focuses on Philosophy by topic, and the opening chapter is a list of 16 questions (based on famous Philosophical thought experiments). The rest of the chapters have opening and closing questions. My goal is to actually answer all of the questions. I have never done this, and I think by doing so, I will be showing my students how to write about Philosophy. Besides, I think it might be a bit fun. 

I'll post my answers here and share them out; I might as well use this blog for something useful. 

So Let's get started. The first question the text asks is:

Is there anything you would willingly die for? If so, what?

This question sounds deceptively easy. It's about the things we value in life and give meaning to our lives. As most of my students do, my answer is instinctive that I would die for the people I care about most, family. That seems too easy, and in many ways, it is. The answer itself raises the question of what is family? 

"Family" has never been a simple concept. The nuclear family of mom, dad, and children is after all a fairly recent concept, and extended and blended families have been around, well, since fairy tale days. These days, we often talk about the families we create for ourselves--our friends. Are these then also the people we would die for? I am afraid that is a question we may each have to answer for ourselves--but hopefully, none of us have to test our answers. 

Returning to myself, for most of my life if I said family, I mostly meant my mom and me. Yes, I have a larger family of cousins, whom I love, but for most of my life my family was centered on my mom, then it became my mom and my husband, and his mom and sister. Now, it's my husband and his sister and her fiance. Now, this core little group, these are the people for which I might unquestioningly sacrifice myself. 

For my extended and blended family, it's much more complicated. I love my cousins, in-laws, friends, and even students (college students). I would certainly try to help them if they were in danger, but I don't know if I would throw myself in front of a deadly gunshot for them. It's a question I have had to think about given the more dangerous side of our culture. And I don't know what I would do in that situation. I also hope never to be tested. 

Indeed, I hope never to have to be tested on this issue with my family. I want them all to be as safe and healthy as possible--but then, don't we all want that? 

So that's question 1-- it's a bit rough and perhaps, a lot less than perfect, but that is okay. 

We'll see what the next question brings another time.