Monday, August 26, 2024

Introductions: who are you, why're you here"

My longer intro is in the sidebar here

My short answer to those two questions:

  • I'm the teacher, and have been doing this at MTSU for about a quarter century. 
  • I'm here because, like my favorite philosopher William James (1842-1910), I believe in philosophy devoutly and because I agree with him that "the really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life going to make of itself?" We don't know the answer, but we do know that any answer we'd ever want to hear will depend on our successfully sustaining a habitable world on this planet
Tell us who you are, and why you're here, in the comments space below. (Try to say something more interesting and original than that you're here because you need the credit.)

See you on the 27th.

Dr. Oliver

14 comments:

  1. Hello, my name is Chelsie Gordon. I am interested in building upon my scientific understanding of the world paired with the element of moral values within humanity. My major is environmental science and am eager to add any knowledge to help me one day leave this planet better than I have found it.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for leading, Chelsie. With that attitude you've already added value to the planet.

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  2. Hello Dr. Oliver! My name is Martin Stricklin. I'm trying this course out to hopefully do some self reflection, and to truly find out what my own views of our environment mean (sometimes it is hard to really understand my opinion of the environment since I am always being distracted by technology all the time, it loses a lot of meaning). As an environmental science major I hope this class will solidify my interest in environmental ethics through you and my classmates.

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  3. Hello, my name is Koda Widener and one of my majors is philosophy. I am taking this course as we only have one planet and we as its inhabitants need to learn more about how to care for it. I am interested in furthering my knowledge and developing my views about environmental ethics and how we can contribute to a brighter and sustainable future.

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  4. Hi, I'm Eli Kersey and I'm an environmental science major in my senior year. I'm taking this course in order to find out what is the best way morally to make a positive impact on the planet, so if I choose to pursue that in the future I know how to go about it ethically. I'm also hoping to use this knowledge to steer others in the right direction if they come to me for guidance.

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  5. My name is Jonathan Keith and i'm an environmental science major. I'm taking this class because it is important to understand how to make less of a negative impact on the Earth in everyday life and in future employment.

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  6. Hello! My name is Katherine Welch, and I am an environmental science major. I am taking this class because I want to learn more about the ethical, moral, and philosophical points when discussing the environment, not just the science based classes that are required for the major.

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  7. Hi, my name is Molly Carico, and I am a senior environmental science major. I am so excited to start this class because I love philosophy and environmental science. I love thinking about and discussing the difficult topics that accompany environmental ethics, so I signed up to take this course!

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  8. Hello! I'm Gray Fogo, a fourth year environmental science major. This course peaked my interest because I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore the ideology in which my field is based off of. I took introduction to philosophy and I found that I learned a lot from the literature and discussions and I am excited to do it again but within the realm of the environment.

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  9. My name is Nathan Ruppel, a 3rd year environmental science major. I've always been interested in not just how to save the environment, but the philosophical debates behind it. If we can lift 10,000 people out of poverty, but to do so we must destroy a forest, what is the ethical solution? Is there an ethical solution?

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  10. My name is Aidan Haines, as an environmental science major I am curious to see what ideas everyone in this class has about the climate and lessening the climate crisis. I wish to see both sides of an argument and be able to make valid points about what we must and must not do to help the environment. I think a lot about the political implications and barriers when it comes to issues such as this.

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  11. Hi! My name is Christina Guest. I transferred to MTSU this fall as a junior. My major is Environmental Science. I am most interested in learning about the environment, my impact on it, and gaining the most knowledge I can to put it towards my post-grad life/career.

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  12. My name is Eli Miller and I'm an environmental science major. I am here to gain more knowledge of environmental ethics as I'm eager to understand what the world can do to preserve and observe the many ecosystems the world supports.

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  13. Hello, I'm Alex Wiseman. I'm a history major with a philosophy minor. I am looking to learn more about the natural world around me and the impact humans have had on the environment over time.

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