Philosophy means "the love of wisdom," and the questions philosophers ask are some of the most fundamental questions of life.  Studying philosophy helps students expand their worldviews, form their own moral codes, and develop their critical thinking skills.  One great way for students to delve in to these ideas and concepts is through the lens of a favorite work of literature.  (See also my class on "Harry Potter and Philosophy!")    

This will be a discussion-based class looking at a different topic in philosophy each class session.  We will first discuss a question or idea in general, and then apply what we've discussed to the world of "The Hobbit."  We will focus on "The Hobbit" itself, and not the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.  Students should have read the book before taking this class.    

We will discuss the following topics:

We will start with an introduction to philosophy, noting that Ethics is a branch of philosophy.  We will then discuss various actions in "The Hobbit" and whether they were ethical or unethical, with a focus on the episode of the Arkenstone.

One branch of philosophy involves figuring out how we interpret what something means, especially if the words spoken or written are vague or ambiguous.  We will use the riddle game played by Bilbo and Gollum as a way of thinking about how we interpret language.  

Philosophers have thought long and hard about the question whether war can ever be justified, and if so, in what circumstances.  We will talk about "Just War Theory" and apply it to the Battle of Five Armies.

"The Hobbit" has a lot to say about possessiveness and the pursuit of material goods.  How can greed hurt the people around you?  And how can it hurt the greedy person themselves?  We will discuss Gollum and Thorin, among others.

We will discuss Aristotle's concept of Virtue Ethics, and specifically the virtue of courage.  Was Bilbo courageous?  Did he always make good decisions?  And how could Virtue Ethics apply to our own lives?