Howdy. My name is Gabe Bradley. I'm planning to
transfer to the UO as a junior next year where I will
most likely double major in philosophy and English.

One philosophical question that particularly intrigues
me is the nature of human inquiry. I was very curious
what Professor Borrowdale meant at the orientation
when he said something to the effect that he believed
definite answers could be found to philosophical
questions.

This, in my experience, is not a commonly held view
among philosophers. An excellent example would be
the quote from Bertrand Russell Chapter 1 of our text in
which he says the value in questions lies in the
questions themselves rather than the answer.

I disagree, however. I think a question without an
answer is just as worthless as an answer without a
question. Not that we need to know the answers -- just
that they exist. The value in a question and the value
in an answer lie in the dynamic, exciting, and
enriching process in which we search for the answers.
Whether we find them or not, we should be striving for
answers.

If we are not truly after answers, then philosophy
would seem to be merely a challenging pastime for
people who can afford to sit and think all day -- a
byproduct of the enormous wealth of Western culture.