Survey Courses Are Necessary

I was distressed to read "Surveys, A Dying Breed" (March 11, 1994). The professors' lack of interest in teaching introductory courses seems symptomatic of a society that has abandoned its young.

Our mentors indulge in selfish pleasures. Chafing obligations are cast off. Instead of, "How can we excite students' love for learning? How can we make them wise? How can we pass on the best from our past?", we have, "What do I want to teach today?"

There are many courses at Harvard that parachute you into an arcane debate, with little explanation of the historical context, the basic forces at work, or the import of the outcome.

Only recently, at age 26, have I been introduced in a systematic way to the works of Western philosophers. It has been thrilling, and I am sad I did not know ham earlier. We have been playing with pebbles on the beach, while all the while the great ocean of truth lies ignored before us. Adam Cohen '90