By Megan LaBar
“We need a revolution every now and then.”
For RVCC humanities teacher, Paul Burdett Jr. that means reinstating a course that hasn’t been offered here for many years: Philosophy of Science. According to Burdett, it’s a course that is vital for students’ intellectual development.
The class would teach intellectual self-discipline, “how to think your way through a problem,” he says. It would focus on the teachings of Socrates and Plato, whose work is “essential for the discipline.” Studying their ideas helps you appreciate why you know what you know, he says.
“Many students lack the essential brain training because they never received it in secondary school,” says Burdett. The class would help students “train their brains to think outside the box,” and make them self consciously aware of what they are doing when researching. He wants students to “create their own ideas and ‘box’ … to be able to understand the differences in thoughts.” Burdett hopes students will question what knowledge means and what scientific knowledge presumes: “is it just your perceptions of phenomena or what you think you know?”
Burdett says we should question everything, especially what we think we know. “We are nowhere near as smart as we think,” he says, “nor do we know as much as we think.”
He says we should be skeptical of everything; “but know why and approach the subject matter with that perspective.”
According to Burdett, Philosophy of Science is already in the catalogue, but hasn’t been offered recently because there hasn’t been anyone qualified to teach it.
He says he is. Burdett has been teaching World Civilization, Philosophy, and Religious Critical Thinking at RVCC for four years. He’s been teaching at City University of New York for 30 years, he says, chiefly philosophy and history courses.
Burdett says he’s already developed the Philosophy of Science curriculum and would use “three or four of the great texts of the philosophy field” to teach it, along with his own collection of “pithy” articles. It would be an introductory course that would fit with other technical fields offered at RVCC, he says, including those at the Police Academy. He’s submitted the course and is hopeful it will pass administrative review.
“There have been many changes at RVCC,” he says, “a new president, new dean and new outlook.”
But the strongest voice on RVCC still belongs to the students, Burdett says. Student interest would help justify the expense of the class. “The Administration is very responsive to students” says Burdett. The class serves a purpose, “it’s just the purpose has not been served in awhile.”
If you are interested, contact pburdett@raritanval.edu.
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