“Have faith in yourself!”

Giving people courage

As a student in his first semester, Marc Friedli found the subject of philosophy somewhat daunting. So his main aim as a tutor was to provide encouragement: “Have faith in yourself! You can understand the work of Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes and David Miller if only you engage with it.” That was his main message. Marc’s job as a tutor was to lead preliminary discussions of the philosophical texts covered in Professor Francis Cheneval’s lectures. He used carefully chosen questions to help the students take in and structure important aspects of the works. He also prepared short presentations to embed the texts in their historical context.

“While you have to see Aristotle in terms of the times he lived in, it’s also fascinating to think about the present-day relevance of his philosophy.” In his tutorials, Marc gave people room for discussion and reflection – and in the process had many new insights of his own. “It’s only when you have to explain something to other people that you realize what you haven’t understood yourself.” While he was teaching, he videoed himself with his smartphone. “I used to gesticulate pretty wildly, but since then I’ve toned it down a bit.” (mf)