Philosophy begins in perplexity: perplexity about what one is doing and why one is doing it in just that way. The aim of the philosophy instructor is twofold: first, to induce such perplexity where students had been complacent and, second, to give students the resources to address such perplexity where it arises in their own lives.
As a teacher, I design my courses so as to emphasize the development of broadly applicable philosophical skills, skills that will persist even as students leave the particular subject matter behind (as most will). These skills include: charitably interpreting texts, recognizing and extracting arguments from these texts, and evaluating arguments for both form and content. More broadly, I encourage my students to engage respectfully with ideas with which they disagree, and to questions ideas they are inclined to accept.
Philosophy is a collective, not a solitary endeavor. Both in and out of class, I encourage my students to work together to discover truth (or at least avoid error).
I have teaching competence in philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, ancient philosophy, history of biology, classical Chinese philosophy, and basic logic.
Courses taught as an independent instructor:
Courses taught as a teaching assistant
As a teacher, I design my courses so as to emphasize the development of broadly applicable philosophical skills, skills that will persist even as students leave the particular subject matter behind (as most will). These skills include: charitably interpreting texts, recognizing and extracting arguments from these texts, and evaluating arguments for both form and content. More broadly, I encourage my students to engage respectfully with ideas with which they disagree, and to questions ideas they are inclined to accept.
Philosophy is a collective, not a solitary endeavor. Both in and out of class, I encourage my students to work together to discover truth (or at least avoid error).
I have teaching competence in philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, ancient philosophy, history of biology, classical Chinese philosophy, and basic logic.
Courses taught as an independent instructor:
- Science and Pseudoscience (Spring 2018) (Syllabus + Reading Schedule)
- Darwinism and its Critics (Spring 2016) (Syllabus + Reading Schedule)
- Myth and Science (Fall 2015; Fall 2017) (Syllabus) (Reading Schedule)
Courses taught as a teaching assistant
- Magic, Medicine, and Science (Spring 2014) (for Paolo Palmieri)
- Explanations of Humans and Society (Fall 2013) (for Clark Glymour)