INTRODUCTION   TO   PHILOSOPHY

Manchester College, Spring 2010 (PHIL 201, MWF 9:00-9:50 AM)    Instructor: Steve Naragon



Reading and Assignment Schedule


Required Texts

• Naragon, “A Book is a Machine to Help One Think”: An Introduction to Philosophy (Fall 2009)

• 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 would like to write an “Extra Credit Journal” (see “Writing”).

These reading materials are not like the Sunday cartoons or some easy-reading blogsite.  You will need to read and re-read this material, making notes in the margins to help you follow the line of thought.  Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to understand the material!


Philosophy Study Table

Monday (6:30-8:30 PM) and Wednesday (10 AM-noon), at the Success Center
Ben Harvey, 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 at midnight on the day noted.  Any extra credit journals are always due seven days after the topic was listed (under “Other Resources”).  All of these are to be submitted through a 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.

Wed, Feb 3

(1) What is Philosophy? [show]

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


Fri, Feb 5

(2) Leaving the Cave [show]

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



Logic and Belief



Mon, Feb 8

(3) Analyzing Arguments [show]


Wed, Feb 10

(4) Extended Arguments [show]


Fri, Feb 12

(5) Deductive Logic [show]


Mon, Feb 15

(6) Inductive Logic [show]


Wed, Feb 17

(7) On Belief [show]

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


Fri, Feb 19

(8) On the Ethics of Belief [show]



Socrates and Plato



Mon, Feb 22

(9) The Earliest Philosophers [show]

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


Wed, Feb 24

(10) The Role of the Philosopher [show]


Fri, Feb 26

(11) The Benefits of Philosophy [show]


Mon, Mar 1

(12) Knowledge vs. True Belief [show]


Wed, Mar 3

(13) The Nature of Definitions [show]

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


Fri, Mar 5

(14) The Citizen and the State [show]

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


Mon, Mar 8

— Exam #1 —



Ethics



Wed, Mar 10

(15) Why Be Moral? [show]

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


Fri, Mar 12

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


Mon, Mar 15

(17) Ethical Subjectivism [show]

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


Wed, Mar 17

(18) Ethical Relativism [show]


Fri, Mar 19

(19) Aristotle’s Virtue Ethic [show]


Mon, Mar 22

(20) Aristotle’s Virtue Ethic [show]

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

Wed, Mar 24

(21) Mill’s Utilitarianism [show]

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

Fri, Mar 26

(22) Applying Utilitarianism [show]



—— Spring Break ——



Mon, Apr 5

(23) Kant’s Deontologism [show]



Philosophy of Religion



Wed, Apr 7

(24) Believing and Disbelieving in God [show]


Fri, Apr 9

(25) Faith and Reason [show]

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


Mon, Apr 12

(26) Rousseau on Revealed Religion [show]


Wed, Apr 14

(27) The Argument from Design [show]

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


Fri, Apr 16

(28) The Problem of Evil [show]


Mon, Apr 19

(29) Pascal’s Wager [show]


Wed, Apr 21

— Exam #2 —



Epistemology



Fri, Apr 23

(30) The Modern World [show]


Mon, Apr 26

(31) Knowledge and Belief [show]

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


Wed, Apr 28

(32) What Can I Know? [show]


Fri, Apr 30

(33) Cartesian Dualism [show]

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


Mon, May 3

(34) Locke’s Empiricism [show]



The Metaphysics of Being Human



Wed, May 5

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


Fri, May 7

(36) Minds and Machines [show]


Mon, May 10

(37) Searle’s Chinese Room [show]

* Discussion Forum #8 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Wed, May 12

(38) Free Will and Fatalism [show]

Comments on DF #8 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]


Fri, May 14

(39) Free Will and Determinism [show]


Finals Week

— Exam #3 —

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