INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Manchester College, Summer 2011 — ONLINE Instructor: Steve Naragon
Reading and Assignment Schedule
Required Texts
• Naragon, “A Book is a Machine to Help One Think”: An Introduction to Philosophy (Fall 2010)
• 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).
Assignments
Most of the days in the schedule below will show something due: a quiz, a discussion forum post, or comments on a post — that is the last possible day for submitting the work without penalty. These days end at midnight. Anything submitted after midnight is penalized one point, and an additional point for every additional 24 hours. I encourage you to submit your work early.
The course material is arranged into twenty-five modules. These modules include learning objectives, readings, and additional resources — click on the [show] buttons to open each module. On average, you will need to complete one module each day. Most Wednesdays (and all week-ends) are left free of assignments; this is for you to catch up, catch your breath, or work ahead.
For each module, do the following:
(1) Read or view the materials listed with each module,
(2) work through the practice quiz for that module,
(3) read some more until you are confident that you understand the material, and then
(4) take the graded quiz.
The practice quizzes and graded quizzes are available (and to be completed) on ANGEL. There are also “review quizzes” that group together several modules, and give you one more chance at demonstrating your understanding of the material. These review quizzes are scheduled after Tuesday and Thursday discussions, so that you can clear up any last minute confusions before you take the quiz. (You are graded only on your top 25 quiz scores, so these review quizzes gives you an opportunity to replace any low quiz grades that you might have received.)
About once each week you will need to write a Discussion Forum post, and comment on the posts of two other students (for a total of eight posts and sixteen comments). These are submitted into the numbered drop-box on ANGEL.
Finally, we will meet in Second Life every Tuesday and Thursday. That is a total of thirteen meetings, and you need to attend only ten of these meetings to receive a full score. This is in addition to the introductory meeting in Second Life on May 24 (Tuesday) to help everyone get oriented with Second Life and the class itself.
Any Extra Credit journals you might choose to write are due at midnight two days after they are posted.
Feel free to work ahead! The discussions in Second Life will follow the schedule below, but otherwise you are free to work as quickly as you can.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives (or learning competencies) are listed with the module 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.
Tue, May 24
(1) What is Philosophy? [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM only [no evening session]).
Discussion Topic: Orientation to Second Life. Come prepared to explore and get to know each other. For directions on getting started, see What You’ll Need.
Quiz #1 due (see ANGEL).
Wed, May 25
* Comments on DF #1 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Logic and Belief
Thu, May 26
(2) Analyzing Arguments [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: Let’s begin with your questions on The Mind is a Machine, §§4-5 (Argument Analysis and Extended Arguments); everyone should come prepared with a question or two. I’ll have a few informational slides and some practice exercises to make sure you understand this material.
Quiz #2 due (see ANGEL).
Fri, May 27
(3) Deductive Logic [show]
Quiz #3 due (see ANGEL).
Mon, May 30
(4) Inductive Logic [show]
Quiz #4 due (see ANGEL).
Tue, May 31
(5) On Belief [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: We’ll be going over basic terminology of deductive and inductive logic, as well as some practice exercises.
Quiz #5 due (see ANGEL).
Review Quiz on 1-3 (see ANGEL).
Wed, Jun 1
Review Quiz on 4-5 (see ANGEL).
* Discussion Forum #2 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Socrates and Plato
Thu, Jun 2
(6) Plato’s Apology: The Role of the Philosopher [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: Let’s first discuss Plato’s Apology. Why did a democracy like Athens execute a man like Socrates? What was Socrates wanting to do with his life? What was his conception of the good life? Do you see any connections between Plato’s dialogue and Sartre’s short story?
Quiz #6 due (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #2 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Fri, Jun 3
(7) Plato’s Meno: The Benefits of Philosophy [show]
Quiz #7 due (see ANGEL).
Mon, Jun 6
(8) Plato’s Euthyphro: The Nature of Definitions [show]
Quiz #8 due (see ANGEL).
* Discussion Forum #3 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Tue, Jun 7
(9) Plato’s Crito: The Citizen and the State [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: We will discuss the Euthyphro (What are we trying to capture with our definitions?), the Crito (Why did Socrates refuse to escape his execution?), and King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (Are we ever morally permitted to disobey the law? Are we ever morally required to do so?)
Quiz #9 due (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #3 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Ethics
Wed, Jun 8
(10) Why Be Moral? [show]
Quiz #10 due (see ANGEL).
Review Quiz on 6-9 (see ANGEL).
Thu, Jun 9
(11) From Moral Intuition to Moral Theory [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: Ethics! What is it, and where does it come from? Are humans selfish by nature? What does Singer’s discussion of the Prisoners’ Dilemma suggest to us here? Finally: Do our moral beliefs ever change? If so, why?
Quiz #11 due (see ANGEL).
* Discussion Forum #4 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Fri, Jun 10
(12) Ethical Subjectivism [show]
Quiz #12 due (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #4 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Mon, Jun 13
(13) Aristotle’s Virtue Ethic [show]
* Discussion Forum #5 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Tue, Jun 14
(14) Mill’s Utilitarianism [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: What is the good, for Aristotle, and how does he construct a science of morality? How does J. S. Mill decide how we ought to behave? What would he say to those who walk away from Omelas?
Quizzes #13 & #14 due (see ANGEL).
Wed, Jun 15
* Comments on DF #5 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Thu, Jun 16
(15) Kant’s Deontologism [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: How does Kant’s ethic differ from Mill’s? Am I ever morally allowed to use another person as a means to my own end or goal?
Quiz #15 due (see ANGEL).
Epistemology
Fri, Jun 17
(16) What Can I Know? [show]
Review Quiz on 10-15 due (see ANGEL).
Mon, Jun 20
(17) Cartesian Dualism [show]
Tue, Jun 21
(18) Locke’s Empiricism [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: Is there anything that can be known with absolute certainty? (Why was this so important for Descartes?) If our knowledge of the physical world depends upon our perception of that world, and if our perception (e.g., the visual image or tactile sensation of a chair) is different from the thing perceived (the chair itself), then how does the perceived object give us knowledge of the real object?
Quizzes #16-18 due (see ANGEL).
Wed, Jun 22
Review Quiz on 16-18 due (see ANGEL).
* Discussion Forum #6 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
The Metaphysics of Being Human
Thu, Jun 23
(19) Minds, Brains, and Selves [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: Are there compelling reasons to believe that the mind is an immaterial substance, as Descartes believed? Are there reasons to believe that the mind is reducible to matter? What is a mind, and how do we know when something has one?
Quiz #19 due (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #6 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Fri, Jun 24
Mon, Jun 27
(20) Minds and Machines [show]
* Discussion Forum #7 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Tue, Jun 28
(21) Are We Free? [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: What does it mean to be free (in the sense of having a free will)? What reasons, if any, do you have for believing that you are free in this sense?
Quizzes #20 & #21 due (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #7 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Wed, Jun 29
Review Quiz on 19-21 due (see ANGEL).
Philosophy of Religion
Thu, Jun 30
(22) Believing and Disbelieving in God [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Discussion Topic: The God of Modernity is a hidden God, and thus believing in the existence of God is not at all like believing in the existence of my left foot. There is considerable disagreement as to whether God exists at all. Is this “just a matter of opinion” or can reason help us here?
Quiz #22 due (see ANGEL).
Fri, Jul 1
(23) Faith and Reason [show]
Quiz #23 due (see ANGEL).
Mon, Jul 4
(24) The Argument from Design [show]
Quiz #24 due (see ANGEL).
* Discussion Forum #8 is due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Tue, Jul 5
(25) The Problem of Evil [show]
Meet here in Second Life (9-10 AM or 9-10 PM EDT).
Quiz #25 due + Review Quiz on 22-25 (see ANGEL).
* Comments on DF #8 are due (see ANGEL) [rubric]
Manchester College // Registrar // Department of Religion and Philosophy // Last updated: 23 May 2011