Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy 101
Spring 2005
Instructor: David Braun
Office & Phone: Lattimore 525, 275-8107
Office Hours: Mondays 2:00 - 4:00, and by appointment
Course Website: http://www.ling.rochester.edu/~braun/Teaching/101/index.htm
This course will provide an introduction to philosophy by discussing three central topics in philosophy: the problem of free will and determinism, the mind-body problem, and the existence and nature of God. We will formulate several theories and arguments concerning each topic. Our goal will be to understand and critically evaluate each theory and argument.
Required Reading
All reading assignments will be from Introduction to Philosophy (revised edition), edited by Fred Feldman. It can be purchased at the campus bookstore.
Course Requirements
There will be three examinations and one three-page paper on an assigned topic. The first exam will occur after the section on freedom and determinism (tentative date, February11), the second after the section on the mind-body problem (tentative date, March 25), and the third after the section on the existence of God (definite date, April 27, the last day of class). The tentative due date for the paper is April 15.
Grading
Each exam and paper will be graded on a 100-point scale and will count equally towards your course grade. At the end of the course, I will sum your points and assign a letter grade based on your numerical score.
Clusters
This course may be used as an entry course for any cluster in Philosophy other than the Logic cluster. It is particularly useful as an entry into the “Knowledge, Mind, and Nature” cluster.
Rescheduling Examinations
I will announce the dates of the exams in class, which are very likely to be the same as the tentative dates given above. To be fair to all students, examinations must be taken on the dates that I announce in class, except in a very few unusual circumstances. Under no circumstances will exams be given before their scheduled date. Make-up exams will be offered only to those who can document illness on the day of the exam, for those who have family emergencies (documentation required), for those who have out of town commitments due to membership in a college organization (e.g., sports teams), and for those who have conflicts with religious requirements. You must let me know no later than the third week of class if you anticipate having a commitment that conflicts with an exam.
Tentative Schedule (subject to revision)
Jan 12 Introduction
14 Logic and Arguments
17 No Class - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
19 Argument Extraction, Explanation, and Evaluation
21
24 Hard Determinism - Paul Ree, pp. 3-16
26 Extreme and Moderate Indeterminism
28
31 Libertarianism - Chisholm, pp. 23-31
Feb 2
4 Soft Determinism - Ayer, pp. 17-22.
7
9 The Case of the Great Falsifier - Feldman, pp. 32-36.
11 First Exam (tentative date)
14 Philosophy of Mind
16
18 Materialism
21
23 Some Problems for Materialism
25
28
Mar 2 Socratic Dualism - Plato, pp. 49-62
4
7-11 No Class-Spring Break
14 Cartesian Dualism - Descartes, pp. 63-70
16
18 Problems for Dualism - Ryle, pp. 71-79
21 Problems for Dualism - Armstrong, pp. 80-87
23 Philosophical Theology
25 Second Exam (tentative date)
28 Pascal’s Wager
30 Concept of God
Apr 1 Cosmological Arguments - Aquinas, pp. 104-105
4 Leibniz’s Cosmological Argument - pp. 105-110
6
8 Arguments from Design - Paley, pp. 91-102
11
13 Ontological Argument - Anselm, pp. 111-119
15 Paper Due (tentative)
18 Argument from Evil - Mackie, pp. 120-128
20
22
25
27 Third exam (definite)