Steve Naragon

Professor of Philosophy
Dept. of Religion and Philosophy
Manchester University

Phone: 260.982.5041
ssnaragon@manchester.edu

[HOME]

[SCHOOLING]

[RESEARCH]

COURSES

Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 201)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: S16 J08][course website]

An introduction to the philosophical tasks of (a) reflective thinking about life and the universe as a totality; (b) critical examination of presuppositions, words, and concepts; (c) examination of ways in which we gain knowledge; (d) the quest for criteria that determine our value judgments of the good and the beautiful. Fall. Spring. C-4PH.

Logic (PHIL 230)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: F11]

A study of various deductive logics (categorical, propositional, and predicate), inductive logics and common informal fallacies. The aim of this course is to improve abilities: 1) to identify arguments from other kinds of discourse and separate what is relevant to an argument from what is not, 2) to evaluate arguments in a reasoned and constructive way, and 3) to construct your own arguments, such that they are clearly stated and free of fallacies. 

Bioethics (PHIL 235)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: S16][course website]

A study of ethical principles and theories in the context of current controversies in health care such as: genetic engineering, abortion, euthanasia, reproductive technology, and access to health care. C-4PH.

Ancient and Medieval Western Philosophy (PHIL 316)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: F15][course website]

A study of Western philosophy from the Presocratics to William of Ockham. Prerequisite: ENG 110; PHIL 201. Fall, odd years. [cp]

17th and 18th Century Western Philosophy (PHIL 318)  3 hrs.[syllabus: S10][course website]

A study of Western philosophy from Hobbes and Descartes to Kant. Prerequisite: PHIL 201. Spring, even years.

19th Century Western Philosophy (PHIL 320)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: F10] [course website]

A study of Western philosophy from the German Idealists to Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: PHIL 201. Fall, even years.

Philosophy of Religion (PHIL 330)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: S17] [course website]

A philosophic approach to the problems of religion with emphasis on ways of knowing, religious language, the theistic hypotheses, basic conceptions of God, the nature and destiny of humanity, and the problems of freedom and evil.

20th Century Western Philosophy (PHIL 423)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: S09]

A study of Western philosophy from C.S. Peirce to Sartre and Quine. Prerequisite: PHIL 201. Spring, odd years.

The Making of the Modern Mind (IDIV 240)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: course website]

This course investigates the wide-spread shift in Europe from a pre-modern (pre-16th century) to a modern world view (as it matured up through the 19th century), with a special focus on the rise of modern science as a way of understanding nature, and on the radical shift in how modern humans understood themselves and their relationship to this nature. Course readings will draw from the sciences, philosophy, history, and literature; the class will take place in European cities such as London and Paris. January Session. C-3GC.

Environmental Philosophy (INTD 425)  3 hrs.  [syllabus: S16][course website]

A study of: 1) competing theories of distributive justice and their implications for various environmental issues (land use, famine relief, population control, pollution abatement, etc.), 2) animal liberation and animal rights, 3) the possibility of a land ethic, and 4) the relation between one’s religious beliefs and one’s attitudes towards nature. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or consent of instructor. Spring. C-5CC.