In at the deep end...

So having survived my first few days at Winchester University, I am finding the overall experience both exciting and challenging in some areas. 'Thrown in at the deep end' would be a phrase, myself and no doubt others would certainly agree with.

My first lecture, I found very interesting and  it left me feeling very pleased about my course choice. Although Philosophy is a subject area, I have never studied before, it's something I find really ticks your mind over and gets you to ask questions you might of actually been ignorant too beforehand. Concepts I found particularly interesting included 'Epistemology' which is essentially the 'theory of knowledge'.

Whilst sat in my lecture, I began to learn how philosophy can link to the work of Journalism and how Journalists as a whole can fit into the mind set of some philosophers. 'Empiricists' are individuals who base their beliefs and opinions on factual information, therefore Journalists fall into this category.

The Renaissance also meaning 're-birth' was an era in which science and technology grew gaining rivalry with the Church. Discoveries such as Caxton and the Printing Press along with Alexander Fleming and the accidental discovery of Penicillin made great advancements in science for this particular period of time. Ultimately though, what made these discoveries life-changing for millions of people was the fact that history could now be recorded, which prior to then, thousands of years worth of history had been forgotten.

As mentioned in 'The History of Western Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell, the publication of the 'Copernican Theory' in which it was believed that the sun was in the centre of the universe triggered scientific debate and some believe (as this work was first published in 1543) that this led to the beginnings of the Scientific Revolution.

The first newspaper, known as 'The Daily Kurrant' became the starting point for Journalism.
Daniel Defoe, became the first Journalist to make money from writing stories and using the media as a source of income. This then offered the general public of the time a more advanced understanding of what was happening in society which prior to this, was difficult to achieve.

Learning about philosophy in relation to Journalism is something that definitely interests me, and I am keen to both learn and write more.

For now, watch this space.