First Impressions

Well, I wasn't sure what to expect in the first philosophy lecture and I was a little nervous. Having previously studied counselling and psychology I had come across the names of philosophers, especially in existential counselling, but had no real experience of philosophy. My family informed me, as I headed cheerily off to uni, that it was the study of thinking! Now, as I approached the lecture theatre, their words echoing in my ears, I was starting to question what I was doing.

I needn't have worried. It was a lot of fun. The first lecture introduced the idea of what it meant to "be bad"; what things constituted being bad and how did our opinions differ? Common themes were stealing, lying, adultery, cruelty, gossip, violence, bullying etc.

There wasn't anything too serious in there, and they were things we'd probably all done-or at least considered-at some point in our lives. It was reassuring to see we were all fairly normal (although some confessions were a little strange). I guess the different reactions from people are based largely on differing experiences, cultural upbringing and morals.

We were also asked to consider somewhere for a field trip. One thought was to visit The Holocaust Centre in Nottingham; that place certainly gives you an insight in to what it means to "be bad". Another idea was visiting The Circus of Horrors in Wolverhampton (not sure i'd have the stomach though!). Can't think of anywhere else...unless getting drunk in the local pub counts??