In my first year at Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada), I had originally planned to study psychology in the hopes of becoming a therapist. I quickly realized during that year that I was not an adequate psychology student by any means. In the back of my mind, I remembered the book that my favorite high school teacher lent me. It was a brief account of selected topics in metaphysics. In my conversations with my teacher, Dr. Jeremy Young, I realized how little I knew about conceptions like time, being, and will. Through a series of doubts and conversations with fellow undergraduate students and friends alike, I decided to begin a pursuit of formal education in philosophy; enamored by my previous encounters with it in high school.
Reflecting on this decision, and the subsequent years that were to follow, I realize now that a lot of the factors that played a role in me changing my major and continuing in the field have a lot to do with dialogue and conversation. Of course, psychology was fascinating, but pure scientific and rigorous study did not engage my mind. What did, on the other hand, were the conversations held in and out of my philosophy classes. I remember taking my first philosophy class, “What is philosophy?”, which was taught by Dr. Sergio Sismondo (and still is). In this class, which had about a hundred to two hundred students, we held conversations regarding the existence, knowledge, ethics, being, meaning, and reality; we talked about philosophers of antiquity, medieval philosophy, and some contemporary. This cursory glance at philosophy illuminated a gateway to knowledge that I previously did not know existed. Of course, at this point in my undergraduate experience, and into my second year, a lot of the classes were still held at a large capacity, so the richness of conversation was not perfect. But still, just these little glimpses into profundity kept me looking for more.
In my third year of study, classes shrank significantly. And, at this time, I also began attending the philosophy colloquiums which were hosted (and still are) by Dr. Elliot Samuel Paul—who is an electrifying speaker. Student capacity for classes was now around twenty to thirty which gave lots of room for open discussion. One of the most memorable classes I took during my third year was a course in 1900-1960 continental philosophy. The focus of this class was on Heidegger (among a couple of others: Edith Stein and Gabriel Marcel). Our professor, Dr. Paul Fairfield, frequently encouraged class participation. I remember in one of the first classes, we were all gathered around our seats looking at a table that was at the focal point of the classroom. We were all describing its character and the discussion was lively! Furthermore, one of the assessments for the course was to hold a few debates regarding different philosophical topics related to Heidegger. I remember how exciting it was to engage in conversation with my classmates.
Moving past my third year and swiftly into my fourth, which, as of now, I am nearly done with the first semester. In my experience thus far, the classes have shrunk again, although not as greatly as in previous years. The conversations are much more in-depth and we often lose track of time. One of my favorite professors, Dr. Lisa Guenther, who teaches a class in Critical Phenomenology, is an engaging speaker and leads our class into passionate discussions surrounding various topics such as gender, sexuality, and power structures, among other fascinating topics. Getting back to the philosophy colloquiums, one of my favorites so far has been Dr. M. Ram Murty’s “The Meaning of Yoga.” I am currently taking his class, “An Introduction to Indian Philosophy” which has been a thoroughly captivating gateway into thinkers like Vivekananda, early Indian stories like the Baghavadgītā, and classic schools of thought like yoga philosophy. Another class in which discussions can go past the three-hour mark and are still invigorating.
The undergraduate philosophy experience at Queen’s University is one that I do not take for granted. It is one which I know I will miss immediately upon graduating. The department fosters a sense of community and gives students many chances to engage in thoughtful discussions regarding almost any topic one could think of.
Ike Morton
Ike Morton is an undergraduate student at Queen's University, Canada. He is majoring in philosophy and minoring in sociology. He is particularly interested in ancient Greek philosophy as well as 1700-1900 German and French philosophy.
