Philosophy questions and studies very common ideas that we all use in daily life but don't think very much about. We use language but never ask ourselves: How come word means something? Is meaning simply a matter of convention or do words refer to objects in reality? This is a kind of question philosophers would ask. We live our unique lives as others have lived in the past and will live in the future.

Philosophers wonder what the identity of persons consists of (where do we find the 'I' ?) and Philosophers ask what we mean when we speak about past, present and future: what exactly is 'time'? Humans are normative creatures: they let themselves in their thought and action be guided by a plethora of norms, values and ideas. Where does the authority of these norms and ideas derive from? It is all subjective or is there some objective purport? People sometimes give their life for an idea, sacrificing everything to uphold some value. Is that silliness or does it reveal something important about our deeply normative nature.

Philosophy is different from science because it does not rely on experiment and observation. It is done just by asking questions, by arguing for and against possible answers, trying out novel ideas, see out concepts work in everyday life and meticulously analysing the purported meaning of those concepts. Philosophy is just hard thinking! Hard thinking aided by the ideas of great philosophers of the past and present. Is philosophy of any use? Yes and no! Philosophical reflection does not get the worlds world's business done. It does not make card drive, aircos work or the economy strong. Still philosophical reflection matters. Our understanding of basic ideas concerning of what we are doing will effect how we do things and what we deem important. It matters practically whether you believe that norms and values are just expressions of subjective taste or have objective standing. It matters to social and economic theory whether it takes man to be self-interested creature, constantly struggling with other egoists, or whether it reflects this idea of homo economics.

Or think about the Dutch astronomer Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) who not only studied the movements of the stars but also reflected on how we know about motion. Copernicus came to realise that our perception of motion is deeply perspectival: the way we see things moving is dependent on where we as observers are places and in particular whether we are moving ourselves. The apparent motions of the stars and planets might be due to the way we as observers move with the earth. By thinking with about the nature of our knowledge Copernics discovered that our observations of the movements of the stars and planets can be fully explained if we postulate that the earth itself is moving around the sun. And this is, of course, how it turned out to be! (It is the British philosopher Simon Blackburn who gives the example about the importance of philosophical reflection). Philosophy can have a deep influence our scientific world-view, as it can influence our daily lives.

Philosophy in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands there is a strong philosophical tradition that began with great scientists and humanists thinkers like Copernicus and Erasmus (1469-1536) and came to flourish in the 17th Century. René Descartes (1596-1650), was a French philosopher, but he worked most of his life in the Netherlands. His work was famously reacted to and elaborated by the Dutch philosopher Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677), whose influence is still felt. Philosophy in the Netherlands always had a strong international orientation. To this day, great philosophical thinkers like to work in Holland. There is a regular exchange with most of the best philosophical centres and department in the world.

There is also a strong tendency in Dutch philosophy to relate philosophical theory to practical issues. Research and teaching in moral philosophy is closely related to topical questions in the field of medical-ethics, environmental ethics or business ethics.

The Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam provides for a plainly international environment of study and research. There are strong research and teaching programs in moral philosophy (including medical ethics), philosophy of science (including philosophy of economics) and in philosophical anthropology and cultural studies (including the philosophical study of ICT, art and non-Western traditions of thinking).

At the masters degree level and beyond the international classroom is the standard. The one-year MA in Philosophy and the one-year M.Phil in Philosophy prepare for Ph.D. research. The MA in particular is geared to integrate students with a BA in Humanities/Social Sciences into the graduate philosophy trajectory.

Living in Holland is often regarded as pleasant and relaxed. The venue of the Erasmus Faculty of Philosophy harbours the same pleasant atmosphere but is also characterised by its mood of hard working and high standards.

Author:
Prof. Dr T Van Willigenburg
Dean Faculty of Philosophy
Erasmus University of Rotterdam