A Brief Introduction to History and Context of Journalism

Today, Chris Horrie provided an overview of what we can expect to explore as we begin reading 'History of Western Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell and exploring Philosophy as a whole throughout the semester.

The main focus of the talk was the continuial differences between what is believed, and what is fact. This is of course a key point for Journalists to always remember when reporting any sort of information as mistakes in the past have lead to huge losses financially as well as leading people into a lot of trouble. I know for a facthati don't want to be one of those people, so i'll certainly be making sure I get my facts straight (I suppose getting them right on this blog will be a good start).

One famous phrase mentioned was 'I think therefore i am' said by Rene Descartes. The statement is intended to suggest that if a person can question their existence, that in itself proves that they do. It's a difficult theory to absorb and really think about, but i do see the point he is trying to make. The idea of being able to think (we presume) whatever you want without influence must be a sign that we truly exist.

It was made clear that the invention of the printing press in the 16th century lead to the world evolving at a much faster pace as well as essentially creating Journalism with the likes of Damien Defoe in the 16/17 hundreds. He clearly didn't have an easy time whilst writing all his work, however he continued to pursue it and for that he should be respected.
While our technology and knowledge has grown at a quicker and quicker pace in recent years, we can be sure that many of the philsophical points and suggestions that have been made will continue to create much debate for years to come.

And with a number of quotes thrown around during our first sample of a lecture, i would like to end this blog on an inspirational quote told by Chris Horrie himself. 'I don't care what you think, but i do care that you think.'

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