INTRODUCTION   TO   PHILOSOPHY (PHIL 201)

Manchester College, Fall 2011    Instructor: Steve Naragon



Reading and Assignment Schedule


Required Texts

• Naragon, “A Book is a Machine to Help One Think”: An Introduction to Philosophy (Fall 2011)

• Plato, Five Dialogues, 2nd ed. (Hackett)

• René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (Hackett)


Most of the assigned readings are found in the latter half of the textbook (Naragon, “A Book is a Machine” ...), and are indicated by author and title.  Readings marked as “Naragon, §§” refer to sections in the first half of the textbook.  Additional readings, videos, audio files, and films listed under “Other Resources” are for interested students wanting to explore a topic further and/or who would like to write an “Extra Credit Journal” (see “Writing”). 

The films listed under “Other Resources” usually include a link to a trailer, so that you can acquire some sense of the film before watching it (the extra credit journal is to be over the film, of course, and not the trailer).

Homer does Munch
Please note: These reading materials are not like the Sunday cartoons or some easy-reading blogsite.  You will need to read and re-read this material, taking notes to help you follow the line of thought.  There will be a quiz on the readings nearly every day.  To prepare for these, you should look at the items under "What you need to know how to do" for that day, read the materials closely, then re-examine that list of what you are supposed to know how to do, and re-read the material, if necessary.  Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to understand the material!


Philosophy Study Table

7:00-9:00 PM, Sunday/Tuesday, at the Success Center
Sam Ott, tutor [email]



Assignments

Due dates for the Discussion Forum postings and comments are listed below.

You may submit these materials as early as you like; the deadline for Discussion Forum postings and comments is always midnight of the day for which they are listed.  Any extra credit journals are always due seven days after the day for which they are listed (under “Other Resources”) — except for the last week of the semester: all work needs to be submitted by Thursday, December 8.  All of these are to be submitted through the appropriate drop box in ANGEL.  Late work can still be submitted, but it will be penalized.  I encourage you to submit work early, when you can.


Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives (or learning competencies) are listed with the materials given for each class day (click on [show] links).  These objectives are normally prefaced with some verb: identify, describe, distinguish, diagram, define, use, construct, explain, evaluate, compare, discuss.  You may click on these terms for a brief description and example of what I have in mind.

Thu, Sep 1

(1) What is Philosophy? [show]

* Discussion Forum #1 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]



Logic and Belief



Tue, Sep 6

(2) Analyzing Arguments [show]

Comments on DF #1 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Sep 8

(3) Deductive Logic [show]


Tue, Sep 13

(4) Inductive Logic [show]


Thu, Sep 15

(5) On Belief [show]

* Discussion Forum #2 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]



Socrates and Plato



Tue, Sep 20

(6) Plato’s Apology: The Role of the Philosopher [show]

Comments on DF #2 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Sep 22

(7) Plato’s Meno: The Benefits of Philosophy [show]


Tue, Sep 27

(8) Plato’s Euthyphro: The Nature of Definitions [show]

* Discussion Forum #3 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Sep 29

(9) The Citizen and the State [show]

Comments on DF #3 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Tue, Oct 4

— Exam #1 —



Ethics



Thu, Oct 6

(10) Why Be Moral? [show]

* Discussion Forum #4 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Tue, Oct 11

(11) From Moral Intuition to Moral Theory [show]

Comments on DF #4 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Oct 13

(12) Ethical Subjectivism [show]



—— Tue, Oct 18: Fall Break ——



Thu, Oct 20

(13) Aristotle’s Virtue Ethic [show]

* Discussion Forum #5 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]

Tue, Oct 25

(14) Mill’s Utilitarianism [show]

Comments on DF #5 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Oct 27

(15) Kant’s Deontologism [show]



Philosophy of Religion



Tue, Nov 1

(16) Believing and Disbelieving in God [show]


Thu, Nov 3

(17) Faith and Reason [show]

* Discussion Forum #6 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Tue, Nov 8

(18) The Argument from Design [show]

Comments on DF #6 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Nov 10

(19) The Problem of Evil [show]


Tue, Nov 15

— Exam #2 —



Epistemology



Thu, Nov 17

(20) What Can I Know? [show]


Tue, Nov 22

(21) Cartesian Dualism [show]



—— Thanksgiving Break ——



Tue, Nov 29

(22) Locke’s Empiricism [show]



—— No Class Dec 1 ——



The Metaphysics of Being Human



Tue, Dec 6

(23) Minds, Brains, and Selves [show]

* Discussion Forum #7 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Thu, Dec 8

(24) Minds and Machines [show]

Comments on DF #7 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Finals Week

— Exam #3 —

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