INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY – PHIL 1301
This course will serve as an introduction to Western philosophy, from its fertile roots in Ancient Greece, to its current bloom throughout the world. Although contemporary philosophy is a technical academic discipline composed of distinct subfields, we can capture its historical spirit by broadly defining it as the activity of rationally questioning and criticizing the fundamental beliefs and actions that guide the course of our everyday lives. As a result, philosophers are in a unique position to explore the most basic, and arguably the most important, questions facing human existence. Let’s take a glance at the major subfields in contemporary academic philosophy: i) Epistemology is the study of knowledge: What is knowledge? What are its limits? Is knowledge even possible? And if so, what makes it possible? What kinds of things can we know? What is the difference between believing something and knowing it? How can we justify our beliefs? ii) Philosophy of Mind is the study of the fundamental nature of the mind: What is the mind? How is it related to the brain? Can nonhuman animals think? Can computers think? What is consciousness? What is self-‐consciousness? What is intentionality? iii) Metaphysics is the study of the fundamental nature of reality and its constituents: What kinds of things exist? What are those kinds of things like? What is the relationship between an object (e.g. a flower) and its properties (e.g. its color)? What is time? What is space? What does it mean to say that some event A caused some other event B? Does God exist? What is an individual? What makes an individual the same individual over time? iv) Value Theory is the general study of value. Subfields within value theory include: Ethics: How should one behave towards others? Is it ever morally justifiable to torture or kill another person? Do humans have moral obligations to nonhuman animals? Are moral rules relative to a culture or are they absolute? Political Philosophy: What is justice? What is the best way to organize society? What is the relationship between the individual and her society? Is civil disobedience ever justified? What does “freedom” mean? What is the relationship between individual liberty and the law? Aesthetics: What is beauty? What kinds of things are beautiful? Is beauty relative (“in the eye of the beholder”) or is it absolute? What is art? What makes something a good work of art? By the end of this course, we should 1) have a working understanding of the major figures in the history of philosophy, including Plato, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume and Mill, 2) understand the main
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problems and methods that define epistemology, the philosophy of mind, metaphysics and value theory, and 3) have learned to think philosophically about our own lives. Course Requirements: 1) Two Surprise In-‐Class Quizzes (10%): Each quiz will consist of several multiple-‐choice questions. Each quiz will be on the reading material that is due on the day the quiz is given. In order to prepare for these quizzes, you must get in the habit of reading and re-‐reading the assigned texts carefully before you come to class. Each quiz is worth 5% of your final grade. Students who miss a surprise quiz will not be permitted to take a make-‐up quiz except in the case of a medical emergency and proof of said emergency. No other reasons will be accepted. 2) Six Scheduled Blackboard Quizzes (15%): Each quiz will consist of several multiple choice questions. In order to prepare for these quizzes, you must get in the habit of reading and re-‐reading the assigned texts carefully before you come to class. Each quiz will be given on Blackboard and will have a time limit. The schedule for the quizzes is as follows: Quiz #1: Available 9 pm Sept. 9th. Due by 9pm Sept. 11th. On material from weeks 1-‐2. Quiz #2: Available 9pm Sept. 23th. Due by 9pm Sept. 25th. On material from weeks 3-‐4. Quiz #3: Available 9pm Oct. 7th . Due by 9pm Oct. 9th. On material from weeks 5-‐6. Quiz #4: Available 9pm Oct. 21st. Due by 9pm Oct. 23rd. On material from weeks 7-‐8. Quiz #5: Available 9pm Nov. 11th. Due by 9pm Nov. 13th. On material from weeks 10-‐11. Quiz #6: Available 9pm Dec. 2nd. Due by 9pm Dec 4th. On material from weeks 12-‐14. Each quiz is worth 2.5% of your final grade. Students who miss a Blackboard quiz will not be permitted to take a make-‐up quiz except in the case of a medical emergency and proof of said emergency. No other reasons will be accepted. 2
3) Three Short Essay Exams: Each exam will consist of three questions. You will write a short essay response for each question. Each essay response will be 500-‐600 words in length (for a total of 1500-‐1800 words for the entire exam). Here is the exam schedule: Essay Exam #1 (15%): In response to three questions on material from weeks 1-‐4. a) Exam questions and instructions posted on Blackboard Sept. 20th at 9pm. b) You will have one week to write the exam on Blackboard. c) Exam due Sept. 28th by 9pm. Essay Exam #2 (20%): In response to three questions on material from weeks 5-‐10. a) Exam questions and instructions posted on Blackboard Nov. 1st at 9pm. b) You will have one week to write the exam on Blackboard. c) Exam due Nov. 8th by 9pm. Essay Exam #3 (25%): In response to three questions on material from throughout the semester. a) Essay questions posted on Blackboard Nov. 29th at 9pm. b) You will have one week to write the exam on Blackboard. c) Exam due Dec. 6th by 9pm. Late exams will be penalized 10% per calendar day late. 4) Final Exam (15%): The exam will consist of multiple choice questions covering the entire semester. It will be posted on Blackboard Dec. 6th at 9pm and due by Dec. 13th at 9pm. 3
Course Policies: No Extra-‐Credit Assignments: There are no extra-‐credit assignments in this course, so do not ask the instructor or the TAs if you can do any extra-‐credit assignments. Classroom Conduct Code: The use of electronic devices, including laptops, cell phones and audio recorders, is strictly forbidden. Multitasking, as recent studies have found, will make you stupid. Beyond that, the use of electronic devices can distract your fellow classmates, thereby diminishing the quality of their education. Also please make sure to come to class on time. Please be sure to treat your fellow classmates with due respect at all times. In part, this means that you will refrain from chatting with your neighbor(s) during class discussions. If you violate the Classroom Conduct Code, you will be asked to leave the class. Teaching Assistants: The teaching assistants for this course will be available during scheduled office hours to discuss the course material with you. They are also available via email. Although the TA’s role is to help you understand the material by fielding your specific questions, the TA will NOT repeat the lectures for you. (If you miss a lecture, you can try asking a fellow student, preferably someone who likes you, for the notes.) Also, due to legal reasons, the TA will not email you your assignment grades. All assignment grades will be posted on Blackboard. Academic Honesty/Plagiarism: Students who engage in scholastic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action as stated in the UTEP policy: “Scholastic dishonesty (which includes the attempt of any student to present the work of another as his or her own, or any work which s(he) has not honestly performed, or attempting to pass any examination by improper means) is a serious offense and will subject the student to disciplinary action. The aiding and abetting of a student in any dishonesty is held to be an equally serious offense. All alleged acts of scholastic dishonesty should be reported to the Dean of Students for disposition. It is the Dean of Students’ responsibility to investigate each allegation, dismiss the allegation, or proceed with disciplinary action in a manner which provides the accused student his or her rights of due process.” See the Dean of Students office for further information at http://www.utep.edu/dos/acadintg.htm . In addition, if you plagiarize or cheat in any way, you will receive an “F” for the assignment. 4
Email: All class email correspondences will be conducted exclusively through our UTEP email addresses. Blackboard: We will be using the Blackboard shell for our class throughout the semester. If you have not done so already, you should familiarize yourself with accessing Blackboard. I will be using Blackboard to post course materials, including the syllabus and quizzes. Disability Accommodation: UTEP seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with disabilities, including learning disabilities. This university will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required affording equal educational opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with The Center for Accommodations and Support Services within the first two weeks of classes, and inform the faculty member to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) Union East Building Room 106 Phone: (915) 747-‐5148 Voice Fax: (915) 747-‐8712 Email:
[email protected] Schedule: Week 1: Introduction Aug. 27: Syllabus; What is philosophy? Aug. 29: Introduction: On the Study of Philosophy Week 2: Why Philosophy? Sept. 3: Apology by Plato Sept. 5: The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell Week 3: Epistemology: Descartes’s Nightmare of a Dream Sept. 10: Meditations on First Philosophy I by René Descartes Sept. 12: Meditations on First Philosophy II by René Descartes
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Week 4: Epistemology: Descartes Battles the Evil Demon and Wins (well, sort of) Sept. 17: Meditations on First Philosophy III & IV by René Descartes Sept. 19: Meditations on First Philosophy V & VI by René Descartes Week 5: Epistemology: The JTB Theory and Its Problems Sept. 24: Theaetetus by Plato Sept. 26: Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? by Edmund L. Gettier Week 6: Epistemology: The Problem of Induction Oct. 1: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume Oct. 3: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume Week 7: Philosophy of Mind: Substance Dualism, Behaviorism and Materialism Oct. 8: Reread Meditation VI by Descartes; Descartes’s Myth by Gilbert Ryle Oct. 10: The Nature of Mind by David M. Armstrong Week 8: Philosophy of Mind: Functionalism and Artificial Intelligence Oct. 15: Intentional Systems by Daniel Dennett Oct. 17: Minds, Brains, and Programs by John Searle Week 9: Philosophy of Mind: Property Dualism and Qualia Oct. 22: What Is It Like to Be a Bat? by Thomas Nagel [Reading posted on Blackboard] Oct. 24: What Mary Didn’t Know by Frank Jackson Week 10: Metaphysics: The Existence of God Oct. 29: The Ontological Argument by Saint Anselm Oct. 31: The Wager by Blaise Pascal 6
Week 11: Metaphysics: The Existence of God Nov. 5: Natural Theology by William Paley Nov. 7: TBA Week 12: Metaphysics: God and the Problem of Evil Nov. 12: God, Evil and the Best of All Possible Worlds by Gottfried Leibniz Nov. 14: Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell Week 13: Metaphysics: Personal Identity Nov. 19: The Self and the Future by Bernard Williams Nov. 21: Personal Identity by Derek Parfit Week 14: Metaphysics: Free Will Nov. 26: The Powers of Rational Beings: Freedom of the Will by Peter van Inwagen Nov. 28: TBA Week 15: Value Theory: The Meaning of Life Dec. 3: The Meaning of Human Existence by Richard Taylor Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill Dec. 5: The Meanings of Lives by Susan Wolf Famine, Affluence, and Morality by Peter Singer Week 16: Final Exam
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