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)