Introduction to Philosophy PHIL 1000 Instructor: John Bengson Office: Hoyt Hall, Room 332 Office Hours: MW, 4:30-5:30pm; and by appointment.
Email:
[email protected] Phone: 766-3226 (office)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course offers an introduction to philosophy. We will be discussing and evaluating arguments for and against various answers to such philosophical questions as: Are the rich morally obligated to give money to the poor? What is the moral status of abortion? Is morality objective? What am I? What can I know? What is knowledge? Does God exist? Along the way, we will touch on the following five topics: • • • • •
Logic Ethics Metaphysics Epistemology Philosophy of Religion
COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. To become familiar with philosophical debates on a wide range of topics. 2. To practice expressing one’s thoughts/opinions in an environment conducive to the open expression of diverse views. 3. To develop and practice critical, independent thinking skills. 4. To develop and practice the ability to clearly formulate and express ideas and arguments in written form, via the medium of the argumentative essay. TEXT: Louis P. Pojman, Quest for Truth. [P] Additional required readings are on e-reserve. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Logic Quiz 15 In-class Assignments Exams Attendance/Participation
25 150 (10 pts each) 200 (100 pts each) 25
Attendance & Participation: Attendance is required. It is important that you attend every class, since lectures and discussions will sometimes lead beyond what is read. As for participation, I hope that you will be involved in discussions, ask questions during lectures, and so on. I strongly encourage you to ask in class about anything you don’t follow and to challenge me on anything I say that you think is wrong. Participation will only help you in the end. And remember, philosophy is not a spectator sport! In-class Assignments: There will be some sort of graded in-class quiz or group activity each week. Often the activities will take the form of applications of the ideas we’re learning in class. For instance, I might ask your group to analyze an argument from an article in Newsweek magazine. Or I might ask you to draw from your own experience in order to come up with a counterexample to a theory we’re discussing in class.
John Bengson
Introduction to Philosophy, page 2
Exams: There will be logic quiz on 5/18. In addition, there will be two exams: a mid-term and a final. Each will consist of anywhere from two to eight essay questions. The first exam will be over material covered before the exam. The final exam may be cumulative. Academic Dishonesty: Cheating or plagiarism on any exam or written material will result in a zero and the filing of a report on the incident with the Dean of Students. See the University Bulletin for more on the University’s policy regarding Academic Dishonesty. SCHEDULE: Logic (1 week) a.
Powerpoint slides
Applied Ethics (2 weeks) a.
Singer, “Famine, affluence and morality” Hardin, “Living on a Lifeboat”
b.
Noonan, “Abortion is not Morally Permissible” [P] Thomson, “A Defense of Abortion”
Ethical Theory (5 weeks) a.
Benedict, “Morality is Relative” [P] Rachels, “Morality is not Relative” [P]
b.
Plato, “Why Should I Be Moral? Gyges’ Ring and Socrates’ Dilemma” [P]
c.
Murphy, “Divine Command Theory” Rachels, “Must God’s Commands Conform to Moral Standards?”
d.
Mill, “Utilitarianism” [P] Kant, “The Moral Law” [P]
e.
Aristotle, “The Ethics of Virtue” [P] Sartre, “Existentialist Ethics” [P]
The Metaphysics of the Self (2 weeks) a.
Reid, “Of Identity” Locke, “Our Psychological Properties Define the Self” [P]
b.
Hume, “We Have No Substantial Self with which We are Identical” [P] Parfit and Vesey, “Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue” [P]
Epistemology (2 weeks) a.
Descartes, “Cartesian Doubt and the Search for Foundational Knowledge” [P] Locke, “The Empiricist Theory of Knowledge” [P]
b.
Plato, Meno Gettier, “Is Knowledge Justified True Belief? 2
John Bengson
Introduction to Philosophy, page 3
Philosophy of Religion (3 weeks) a.
Aquinas, “The Five Ways” [P] Hume, “Problems with the Cosmological Argument” [P] Anselm and Gaunilo, “The Ontological Argument” [P]
b.
Dostoevsky, “Why is there Evil?” [P] Johnson, “Why Doesn't God Intervene to Prevent Evil?” [P] Mackie, “Evil and Omnipotence” Hick, “There is a Reason Why God Allows Evil” [P]
c.
Kaufmann, “Pascal’s Wager” Clifford, “The Ethics of Belief” [P] James, “The Will to Believe” [P] Nietzsche, miscellaneous selections from The Gay Science
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