As a teacher of philosophy, the worst reaction I ever had to one of my lessons made me think twice about whether I wanted to deliver any more philosophy lessons. Basically, we were trying to convince clever pupils from state schools to apply to Cambridge. My role was to present some introductory seminars on philosophy to visiting pupils who had expressed an interest in the subject. On the day in question, I was assigned a group of sixteen-year-olds from Sunderland. They were a good-natured bunch, bright and enthusiastic; it was a privilege to have their attention.
Alas, however, I think I may have conveyed to them the fundamentals of philosophy rather too successfully. My strategy in the lesson was to try to demonstrate to the pupils that there is a problematic relationship between the human mind and the universe.
They are too different to belong together, I insisted; they oppose each other. On the one hand, consider how the human mind opposes the universe. From the perspective of the mind, the very existence of the universe is doubtful.
This point was famously made by Rene Descartes. He taught us that every single one of our beliefs might be false. Even our own bodies might not exist. On the other hand, consider how the universe opposes the human mind.
As far as the universe goes, the mind is an inexplicable anomaly β so inexplicable, indeed, that the very existence of the mind is questionable. A mind comprises a perspective β a private, unique viewpoint that only one individual can ever access; in contrast, other objects in the universe can be viewed by anyone. A mind is free β it is governed, at least partly, by the decisions of its owner; in contrast, other objects in the universe are governed by the impersonal laws of physics.
