Review:
Professor Smith is quite possibly the smartest man I've ever had a conversation with. He is a practicing mechanical engineer specializing in failure work and has a PhD in philosophy from MIT. He is part historian, part philosopher, part engineer. He has an extensive knowledge of physics and chemistry, as well as a surprisingly impressive knowledge of biology. This is a perfect class for him to teach. I am an engineer who has taken a few courses in philosophy, but he has made me look at science in a different way. The class is quite an interesting mix of people: graduate students in philosophy and undergraduates in engineering. My only regret it not having known him earlier in my career.

Workload:
There are five papers throughout the semester. The questions are thought-provoking and motivating. He grades them somewhat harshly, but types 2-3 pages of comments and suggestions for EACH paper. Do the math. You are allowed to fix three of the five and resubmit them, which comprises your final grade. The reading is pretty intense, especially considering I am an engineer, but you can get by reading most of the regular material and literally none of the supplementary material (but believe me, he doesn't assign it because he wants to keep you busy).

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