syllabus_introsss

8/19/2019 syllabus_introsss

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Introduction to philosophy

Helen De CruzUndergraduate course

Course description

Philosophy addresses some of the deepest and most fascinating questions that humans have askedthemselves. What is happiness, and how do we attain it? Is everything around us real, or anillusion? What is the best way to organize society? Does God exist? Philosophers attempt tofigure out answers to these questions by using arguments and reasoning. This course will provideyou with an introduction to philosophy. You will learn how to do philosophy, and you will beintroduced to the ideas of major western philosophers. In addition, you will get a sense of thewider impact of philosophy today, in domains such as politics, the media, science and religion.

Course goals

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• Discover, identify and reflect on philosophical problems.

• Analyze and reflect critically on philosophical texts.

• Use philosophical skills to make a reasoned argument.

• Understand the importance of philosophy for societies and individuals today, in domains such

as public policy and medical ethics.

• Understand and describe the ideas of major philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Descartes,Wittgenstein and be introduced to some contemporary authors.

• Use philosophical skills in a wider context, such as in debates with others, or in your evalu-ation of opinion pieces and debates in the media.

Required reading

We will be using Philosophy: Traditional & Experimental Readings , edited by Fritz Allhoff, RonMallon and Shaun Nichols (Oxford: Oxford University Press). It will contain most of the readingsas well as some optional material. Additional required readings will be available online.

Evaluation

I will use the + grading system (A, A−, B+, B, B-, etc.). You will be evaluated on your under-standing of the required readings, the knowledge about central philosophical issues you acquireduring the lectures, and your ability to formulate philosophical arguments in written assignments.


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Written assignments will include 4 unannounced quizzes, and 3 take-home short paper assign-ments. At the end of the course, you will also be tested by means of a written exam. Thewritten exam will consist of open questions that probe your understanding of the philosophicalideas discussed during the classes.

• 15% in-class participation (attendance and active participation)

• 20% combined score of four pop quizzes

• 35% written exam.

• 30% take-home paper assignments. You have three take-home assignments of papers of about 1000–2500 words each.

Preparation

You are required to carefully read the assigned readings in advance of every class and carry outthe home assignments by their expected deadlines.

Class participation

Attending the lectures is absolutely essential if you want to achieve the goals set out for thiscourse. I take attendance in class. Systematic non-attendance will lower your grade. You will notget the opportunity to make up missed classroom exercises. However, if you have a legitimatereason such as illness or religious holidays, the points from those exercises will not be includedin your final points. Either notify me by e-mail before, or within 3 working days after the missed

class to have me consider whether your absence will be marked as excused or unexcused.

Conduct in class

You are required to arrive in time. If you do happen to be late, enter the room discreetly, and sitsomewhere in the back. Let me know on beforehand if you have to leave class early. Do not leavea class in progress for non-urgent matters. Systematic interruption or disruption of classes can besubject to disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct.I expect class discussions to be courteous and friendly. Do not interrupt others. Do not attackothers personally. Racist, sexist and other forms of personal attack will not be tolerated. Youcan criticize the points made by others, but only in a respectful manner. Also, before doing so,

always think about how you can phrase your points in a constructive way. Friendly, constructiveconversations provide a more welcoming learning environment and are to the benefit of everyone.Given the temptations that the use of laptops and other electronic devices pose, I have a strictpolicy of no laptops, tablets, phones, etc. Turn your cell phone off before entering the classroom.If you think your circumstances exceptionally allow for the use of computer or other electronicequipment (e.g., a disability that requires use of computer), please contact me by e-mail to set upan appointment.


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Reading assignments : Jennifer Lackey, Knowing from testimony (will be made elec-tronically available), Paul Harris and Melissa Koenig, Trust in testimony: How childrenlearn about science and religion (electronically available).

• Skepticism and its responses. We examine the radical claim that there is very littlethat we do know, and look at some responses to this.

Reading assignment : Excerpts from René Descartes, First meditation, and from G.E.Moore, Proof of an external world (Allhoff et al.)

Take-home paper assignment 1

Weeks 6–8 What is religious belief, and why believe?In this series of classes, we will be looking at the philosophy of religion, including topics likebelief in God and the nature of religious faith.

• Arguments for the existence of God. We will look at some of the classic argumentsfor the existence of God, such as the design and cosmological argumentq, as well asarguments against the existence of God, such as the argument from evil.Reading assignments : Excerpts from Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae and WilliamPaley Natural Theology (Allhoff et al.). Excerpt from David Hume Dialogues concern-ing natural religion (electronically available)

• Science and religion, and the the scientific study of religion. Are science and religioncompatible? In these lectures we will look at the relationship between science and reli-gion, with a focus on implications of the scientific study of religion for religious belief.Reading assignments : Deborah Kelemen, Are children intuitive theists (required); Ex-cerpt from Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell (optional) (both in Allhoff et al.)

• The nature of religious faith. In this series of lectures and exercises, we will examine

practical reasons for why people may engage in religious practice, even if they don’tbelieve in God. Our focus will be on work by authors like Ludwig Wittgenstein, BlaisePascal, Howard Wettstein and William James.

Reading assignments : Excerpt from Blaise Pascal Pensées (Allhoff et al.), HowardWettstein, Awe and the religious life (electronically available).

Take-home paper assignment 2

Weeks 9–11 What is the right or good thing to do?This series of classes introduces central topic in ethics, such as what constitutes a good andworthwhile life, and how we should behave toward others.

• Normative ethics: We will discuss different ethical theories on how to guide our behav-ior, in particular virtue ethics, deontological ethics and utilitarianism.

Reading assignments , Excerpts from Aristotle, Nichomachean ethics , Immanuel Kant,Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals , John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (Allhoff etal.)

• Metaethics: We will consider how our beliefs about ethics are grounded, the relationshipbetween morality and religion, and the neural and evolutionary origins of our moralbeliefs.


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Reading assignments , Joshua Greene, From neural is to moral ought; Mackie, Errortheory (Allhoff et al.)

• Ethics and its applications today: We will look at topics in applied ethics, such asmedical ethics and vegetarianism (readings to be announced, will be available online).

Weeks 12–14 What is a good society and what does it do?Humans are social animals, and need to find ways to live together harmoniously. The classeswill introduce you to the topic of political philosophy, a topic of tremendous importancefor our society today, with large impact on everyone’s lives. We will be discussing politicalphilosophy by authors like Plato, Thomas Hobbes, Robert Nozick and John Rawls.

• Human nature and politics: We will consider the ring of Gyges thought experimentand contemporary studies in cognitive science to examine how humans behave in groupcontext.

Required reading : Excerpt from Plato Republic (Allhoff et al.), Melissa Bateson et al.,

Cues of being watched enhance cooperation in a real-world setting (will be suppliedelectronically).

• How can we organize society? These lectures will discuss principles like fairness andfreedom as principles to organize society, using excepts from John Rawls Theory of

justice , and from Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (will be made availableelectronically).

Take-home assignment 3

Week 15 Review: last week of class. Group discussion.

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