Philosophy is the development and exercise of right love for all that is of value.
It involves hard work, but also, and even more importantly, active receptivity and a humble waiting. Two Platonic texts may help us glimpse what philosophy is. Acquaintance with the subject must come rather after a long period of attendance on instruction in the subject itself and of close companionship, when, suddenly like a blaze kindled by a leaping spark, it is generated in the soul and at once becomes self-sustaining. A good philosophy course nourishes students on the best that has been thought and said and opens the eyes of their minds to well-confirmed ideas concerning reality, truth, and value. A good lecture gives helpful commentary on excellent texts and prepares students for intelligent reflection, inquiry and disputation.