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Syllabus
Greg Moses
Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 1301
Section: 18847Fall 2004
MW 4:15pm- 5:30pm
Riverside Campus
Room: RVSA 2265
Contact Information
Deleted
from web syllabus.
Course Description
Students
will be introduced to various significant philosophical issues and thinkers and
to the practice of philosophical analysis.
There
are no course prerequisites for Introduction to Philosophy. A passing score or
the equivalent on the reading and writing portions of the TASP is required.
Daily
writing assignments require computer printing.
Course Materials
Steven M. Cahn, Ed. Classics of Western Philosophy
6th Edition (
Instructional Methodology
The
instructor uses a Socratic or “discovery” method of instruction, designed to
assist the student in drawing her or his own lessons from materials through a daily
process of reading, writing, and small group discussions.
Following
these preparatory exercises, the instructor will facilitate class discussions
in order to further develop student understanding. The reading and writing assignments have been
carefully selected with a view to providing manageable challenges that slowly
increase a student’s ability as an active participant in a philosophical
process of inquiry.
The
instructor will seek to ensure that all students participate in class
discussions.
Course Rationale
Philosophy
is one of the principal forces that have shaped Western civilization and
history, so a basic understanding of the methods and subject matter of
philosophy affords a deeper understanding of ourselves and an informed grasp of
the present. In addition, critical thinking skills are so central to the
methods of philosophy that the study of philosophy provides an excellent
opportunity to learn and practice those skills in a focused way.
Course Objectives
Departmental
Objectives/Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate improved critical reading,
thinking, and writing skills.
Students will be able to reason philosophically about
issues of both personal and universal significance.
Students
will be able to identify major divisions and concepts in philosophy.
Professor
Objectives/Outcomes:
Students will learn how to approach philosophical
materials with increased confidence in their own ability to make the experience
meaningful.
Course Evaluation/Grading
System:
Final
grade will be based on a portfolio of the semester’s work
A =
all materials are complete (only two pages missing or “late”); and the student
has produced work that is frequently noted as beyond the call of the regular
assignments (further reading, detailed argumentation, interesting applications,
etc.)
B =
all materials are complete (up to three pages missing or “late”); and the
student has produced work that meets the call for regular assignments (assigned
readings, thorough citations, some argumentation, some application, etc.)
C =
materials are nearly complete (more than three pages missing or “late”), and
the student has produced work that often includes comments from the instructor
indicating that hints toward improvement are not being followed, etc.)
D =
materials are incomplete (six pages missing or “late”)
F =
more than six pages missing
A
page is defined as two paragraphs
(some assignments call for more and will be weighted more heavily as a result)
In order
to count for full credit in the portfolio, students must bring the work to
class on the day it is due and return it to the instructor in the final
portfolio. A missed class usually
equals a missed page. Pages turned in
late will be marked as “late.” Excused
absences can be made up, if they are properly documented within one week.
The
instructor does not aim to achieve a grade distribution curve. All students who do the work will get the
grade.
Course Policies
Attendance: It is essential that students come to class
prepared. Failing to attend or prepare
will result in loss of grade points as explained above in the grading
system. Excused absences must be
documented within one week.
Withdrawal: The instructor has no stipulations other than what is
allowable by the college
Incompletes: The instructor discourages resort to “Incomplete”
grades.
Scholastic
Dishonesty: "Acts prohibited by
the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic
dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz,
plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside
work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought,
research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to
tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either
individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework." (Student
Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32)
Cases of scholastic
dishonesty will be pursued according to the procedure set forth in the Student
Handbook, “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” Section J, “Academic
Dishonesty."
Academic
Freedom: Students have the right to
believe whatever they happen to believe and, within the appropriate constraints
that follow from the organization of a course and its class meetings, to
express those beliefs. Grades will never be based on the beliefs that a student
maintains, but only on the quality of the philosophical work performed by a
student in conjunction with the course.
Student
Discipline: Students at the College
have the rights accorded to all persons under the Constitution to Freedom of
speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with
them the responsibility for each individual to accord the same rights to others
in the College community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational
process. As willing partners in learning, it is expected that students will
comply with College rules and procedures. ACC students are recognized as
responsible persons who neither lose the rights nor escape the responsibilities
of citizenship. Enrollment in the College indicates acceptance of the rules set
forth in this policy, administered through the office of the Campus Dean of
Student Services. Due process, through an investigation and appeal process, is
assured to any student involved in disciplinary action. (See the "Student
Discipline Policy" in the Student Handbook, http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/policies4.htm
for details.)
Office
of Students with Disabilities: "Each
ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or
psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable
accommodations through the Office for Students with
Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of
their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start
of the semester." (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 14)
Course Outline/Calendar
Aug, 23 (Monday)
FIRST DAY
Aug. 25 (Wednesday)
INTRODUCTION: TO COURSE
METHODS, EACH OTHER, AND PHILOSOPHY
Review Syllabus
Brief in-class writing:
Who
we are, why we’re here
What
problems most concern us in this life
Initial workshops
Aug. 30 (Monday)
PART ONE: EMPIRICISM VS
IDEALISM
Locke’s empiricism v.
READ
John Locke (pp. 602-605)
Book II - “Of Ideas”:
Chapter I - “Of Ideas in
General, and their Original”
And Chapter II - “Of Simple
Ideas”
WRITE (always typed, double
spaced, 12 point font)
Two paragraphs (about one
page)
First: Summarizing key
claims (with careful page references)
Second: Responding (with
careful attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep. 1 (Wednesday)
READ
George Berkeley (pp.
679-680)
Part I, paragraphs 1-8
WRITE (as above)
Two paragraphs
First: Summarizing key
claims (with careful page references)
Second: Responding (with
careful attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep. 8 (Wednesday)
RE-READ
Berkeley & Locke
WRITE
Three paragraphs
First: Name a crucial
problem in this life and explain why we should care about it
Second: Briefly state the thesis of Locke’s
empiricism and evaluate its relevance to addressing the crucial problem, using
at least one vivid example of a possible consequence. (Have some fun with this.)
Third: Also with
Sep. 13 (Monday)
PART TWO: SENSE VS REASON IN
THE HUMAN ORDER
Hume’s sense of order. In this section of the course we will focus
on key claims made by David Hume concerning the order of nature and
morality. We will want to answer the
following questions: What are Hume’s key claims regarding necessary relations
in nature? What are his key claims
regarding human liberty? How does he
understand the human connection to moral life?
How do we understand the human connection to moral life? What reasons would we give in support of our
own claims?
READ
David Hume
An Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing key claims in A
(with careful page references)
-Summarizing key claims in B
(with careful page references)
-Responding to the
significance of Hume’s claims (with careful attention to reasons that would
support your own claims)
Sep. 15 (Wednesday)
READ
David Hume (pp. 821-829)
A Treatise of Human Nature
Book III “Of Morals”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing key claims
(with careful page references)
-Responding (with careful
attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep. 20 (Monday)
Kant’s sense of order. In this section of the course we will focus on
key claims made by Immanuel Kant concerning the order of nature and
morality. We will want to answer the
following questions: What are Kant’s key claims regarding our ability to make
sense of the universe? How does he
understand the human connection to moral life?
How do we understand these questions for ourselves?
READ
Immanuel Kant
A. (pp. 891-892)
Critique of Pure Reason
“Introduction [Second
Edition],” Parts I & II.
B. (pp. 894-896)
Critique of Pure Reason
“Introduction [Second
Edition],” Parts IV & V.
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing key claims in A
(with careful page references)
-Summarizing key claims in B
(with careful page references)
-Responding (with careful
attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep. 22 (Wednesday)
READ
Immanuel Kant (pp. 903-906)
Critique of Pure Reason
“Transcendental Aesthetic”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing key claims
(with careful page references)
-Responding (with careful
attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep 27 (Monday)
READ
Immanuel Kant (pp. 957-964)
Grounding for the
Metaphysics of Morals
“First Section”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing key claims
(with careful page references)
-Responding (with careful
attention to reasons that would support your own claims)
Sep. 29 (Wednesday)
RE-READ
Kant & Hume
WRITE
Three paragraphs (two pages)
-First: whom do you favor,
Kant or Hume, when it comes to giving an account of human order, and what would
be your own best reasons?
-Second: what passage from
the readings do you find most supportive to your conclusion (with careful
attention to page numbers) and why do you agree?
-Third: what passage from
the reading is most challenging to your conclusion (with careful attention to
page numbers) and why do you disagree?
WORKSHOP
Read verbatim, select paper
for class reading
Oct. 4 (Monday)
NOTE: although the following
listings will not repeat reminders about careful page references or the need to
support claims with reasons, from now on, the requirements for careful scholarship
and supporting arguments “go without saying.”
PART THREE: FAITH AND REASON
Plato, Socrates, &
Euthyphro: In Plato’s dialogue, The Euthyphro, we find Socrates talking to a
young man who is very busy “doing God’s work.”
As Socrates questions Euthyphro, we will want to ask, what does it mean
to be faithful or pious? How can faith
or piety serve as a guide to action?
READ
Plato (pp. 20-25)
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-What is the situation?
-What approach is Socrates
taking?
-How do you respond to the
situation and the approach that Socrates is taking?
Oct. 6 (Wednesday)
READ
Plato (pp. 23-28)
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing a key logical
issue that Socrates is trying to pursue
-Responding to the logical
issues that Socrates is trying to pursue
Oct. 11 (Monday)
Kierkegaard: In this
reading, Kierkegaard argues that faith is properly “subjective” rather than
“objective.” So we will want to ask:
what does Kierkegaard mean by “objective” and “subjective”? And why does he value the “subjective” approach
to faith?
READ
Kierkegaard (pp. 1009-1011)
Concluding Unscientific
Postscript
“The Subjective Truth,
Inwardness, Truth is Subjectivity”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing Kierkegaard’s
view
-Responding to Kierkegaard’s
view
Oct. 13 (Wednesday)
READ
Kierkegaard (pp. 1012-1014)
Concluding Unscientific
Postscript
“The Subjective Truth,
Inwardness, Truth is Subjectivity”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing Kierkegaard’s
view
-Responding to Kierkegaard’s
view
Oct 18 (Monday)
RE-READ
Plato & Kierkegaard
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Your own answer to the
question: what is the role of faith in guiding human action?
-What passage from the
reading is most supportive of your own answer; why do you agree with it?
-What passage from the
reading is most challenging to your own answer; why do you disagree with it?
Oct. 20 (Wednesday)
PART FOUR: PHILOSOPHY IN
EVERYDAY LIFE
Philosophy in everyday life:
important philosophical opinions are being asserted all the time in the world
around us: in music, film, news reports, etc.
In this section of the course, we will harvest examples of everyday
philosophical assertions, share our samples with each other, and see if we can
formulate a few hypotheses about the everyday life of philosophy in our world.
COLLECT
One example of a
philosophical opinion from everyday life (CD, video, clip, web page, etc.)
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Where do you find your
example (complete citation) and what is the philosophical opinion?
-How do you assess the value
of the philosophical opinion?
SHARING
Small groups will share,
discuss interesting claims or patterns, and select something to share with
class. Each group will select a
presenter to announce the material and a discussant to prompt some discussion. Also select a backup.
Oct. 25 (Monday)
SHARING & DISCUSSIONS
Each group will take some
time to share samples & lead discussion (10 min each).
INVITATION
Proposals will be considered
for an alternative exercise of this kind in December (ie sharing extended
examples Dec. 1 & 3, with discussions & writings the last week of
class). Proposals should identify a CD,
film, artist, etc., that we can sample at length and propose a suitable
philosophical discussion for a final paper DEADLINE: Nov. 15.
Oct. 27 (Wednesday)
PART SIX: LOVE IN PLATO’S
SYMPOSIUM
Plato’s Symposium: In this
section of the course we will explore Plato’s review of love in the dialogue of
The Symposium, asking ourselves how Plato finds meaning in love and how we each
would assert our own philosophical position on this eternal theme.
READ
Plato (pp. 82-89)
Symposium
Introductory passages and
the speech of Phaedrus & Pausanias
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-What is the situation, how
does Phaedrus begin?
-What does Pausanias say?
-What is your favorite
passage, and how would extend its philosophical interest?
Nov. 1 (Monday)
READ
Plato (pp. 89-96)
Symposium
Speeches of Eryximachus, Aristophanes,
and Agathon
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing two of the speeches
-Taking a favorite passage
to extend
Nov. 3 (Wednesday)
READ
Plato (pp. 97-104)
Symposium
Speech of Socrates
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing the part of
Socrates’ speech that you find most interesting
-Responding to Socrates from
your own point of view
Nov. 8 (Monday)
RE-READ
Plato’s Symposium
WRITE (two pages)
Your own speech
-Beginning with reference to
a speech from the Symposium that you will develop, refute, or modify in your
own speech.
SHARE
Group readings &
nominations (nominate a person to read their speech.
Nov. 10 (Wednesday)
PART VII: PHILOSOPHY AND
SOCIAL ORDER
Plato, Aquinas, Hobbes,
& Mill: In this section of the
course, we will review four significant contributions to philosophy of social
order, asking the question: What principles or criteria should guide social order? How do our own answers to this question
relate to each of the four philosophers studied?
READ
Plato (pp. 113-130)
Republic
Book I
Socrates gets started
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing the part of the
opening dialogue that you find most interesting
-Responding to Socrates from
your own point of view
Nov. 15 (Monday)
READ
Plato (pp. 130-140)
Republic
Book II
Socrates begins constructing
his republic
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing the part of the
discussion that you find most interesting
-Responding to the discussion
from your own point of view
DEADLINE: Proposals for
final weeks of study.
Nov. 17 (Wednesday)
READ
Plato (pp. 141-154)
Republic
Books III & IV
Of rulers & virtues
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing the part of the
discussion that you find most interesting
-Responding to the
discussion from your own point of view
Nov. 22 (Monday)
READ
Plato (pp. 154-163)
Republic
Books V-VII
“The Cave”
WRITE
Two paragraphs
-Summarizing the allegory of
the cave
-Responding to the meaning
of the allegory today
ANNOUNCEMENT: Schedule for
remaining part of semester
Nov. 29 (Monday)
WRITE
Two pages
-One page describing a
desirable social order
-One half page discussing
the values and principles that organize this social order
-One half page discussing
how Plato might respond
SHARE First page verbatim
with group. Nominate a reader from each
group.
Dec. 1 (Wednesday)
READ
Aquinas (pp. 425-428)
Summa Theologiae
Question XXII “On the
Hint: find the part in each
article that begins “I answer that…” and read what follows, then go back to the
beginning of the article. Portions that
precede the “answer” are usually the best arguments against it.
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing Thomas’
position on the providence of God.
-How would Thomas respond to
your proposal for social order?
-How would you revise your
proposal after reading Thomas?
Dec. 6 (Monday)
READ
Hobbes (pp. 503-508)
Leviathan, “Chapter XIV”
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing Hobbes’
position on natural laws and contracts
-How would Hobbes respond to
your proposal for social order?
-How would you revise your
proposal after reading Hobbes?
Dec. 8 (Wednesday)
READ
Mill (pp. 1020-1025)
Utilitarianism, Chapter II,
“What Utilitarianism Is”
WRITE
Three paragraphs
-Summarizing Mill’s position
on the principle of utility
-How would Mill respond to
your proposal for social order?
-How would you revise your
proposal after reading Mill?
SHARING
One nominee from each group
shares their revised social order (oral presentation)
PORTFOLIO OF CLASS WORK
DUE
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!