First Day of School at the University of Oslo

Today I start my first day of classes at the University of Oslo (UiO for short). I only have one class today on the philosophy of action. I have never taken a philosophy class before, but in most of my English literature classes there are usually some sort of philosophical readings and discussions. However, in this upper division course, there are quite a few philosophy majors (though it is not a requirement). When the professor asks a question, the answer I come up with in my head is much more straightforward than what some of the philosophy majors put out to the class. For example, the professor asks, "If we are to define what makes a person capable of being responsible for their actions, what might we consider?" My answer includes the person's age, their mental health, and their state of mind at the time of the action. A philosophy major instead answers that we must first define what a human is, and then what an action is. I think for this course I will need to think more theoretically and less practically.

At points I zone out (as students are prone to do) and look out the window at the lawn roomba crawling across the grass of the house next door. It's the little differences that I notice in Norway.

We move on to punishment for actions. The professor says that to punish someone is to respect him or her, showing that the community thinks the criminal is worthy of being responsible for his or her actions. To not punish someone is to dehumanize him or her, as if to say that that person is not worthy of being a part of society. I smirk as I think of how celebrities are always being excused from their punishments.

The class ends after an hour and 45 minutes, and Kyle and I head to the library to see if we can find some of our textbooks there.

University library exterior

 Interior

A little about UiO: It was established in 1811 and is the oldest and largest university in Norway. It has several campuses spread out through the city, and my classes are at the Blindern Campus where the Humanities faculty is. All classes can be taught in English if there is even one student in the class who does not speak or understand Norwegian.

A pathway on the Blindern Campus