Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy
"The argument concerns no ordinary topic but the way we ought to
live." --Plato Republic
"Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs in one."
--Hilary Putnam
First Summer Semester 2018
Dr. Scott Kimbrough
Office Hours: MWR 10:30-12:00 or by
appointment
Office: Council 121
Phone: 256-7118
e-mail
address: skimbro@ju.edu
Last updated 6/11/18
Resources and
Announcements
- Readings and events
listed at the bottom of this page
- Keep track of your
grades on Blackboard
- Due Dates and paper
topics
- Resources for extra help
- The Writing Center can
help with organization, clarity and style of writing assignments.
- If you complete a draft
of your paper early enough, Dr. Kimbrough will be happy to meet with you
in person and suggest improvements.
- Links
Course Description
Philosophy asks big and important questions. What should we
value? Are values subjective or objective? What is the mind, and how is it
related to the body? No one should be surprised that questions like these
receive widely varying answers. As such, an introduction to philosophy cannot
consist in a survey of agreed upon theories or results, but must rather explore
differing accounts of the nature of philosophy and philosophical method. The
course text provides a selection of works by both historical and contemporary
authors that serve as models of rigorous thinking about difficult questions,
providing both the context and the provocation for you to develop your own
views. To help you develop the skills necessary to the task, the course
emphasizes discussion, writing, textual interpretation, and analysis of
arguments.
Course objectives
- Because there is no
philosophical theory that each student is expected to accept at the end of
the semester, it is sometimes hard to tell what kind of progress is being
made in a philosophy class. The key is to understand that the objectives
of this course are related to the process of thought, not to its
conclusion.
- Students who take
Introduction to Philosophy will:
- Learn about major
philosophical figures, themes and methods that shaped Western
intellectual history
- Develop skill at
reading and interpreting primary texts
- Learn to understand and
explain the views of others, including especially views with which they
disagree
- Sharpen their writing
skills through regular writing assignments, learning to use textual
evidence and to justify conclusions rationally
- Hone critical thinking
skills by formulating and responding to objections
Required Text
- Allhoff, Mallon and Nichols (eds.). Philosophy: Traditional and Experimental
Readings. New York: Oxford University Press. 2013.
Grading policy
- Final grades will be
calculated using a 1,000 point scale. Your final grade will be determined
by the following table:
- A: 930 or higher
- A-: 900-929
- B+: 870-899
- B: 830-869
- B-: 800-829
- C+: 770-799
- C: 730-769
- C-: 700-729
- D+: 670-699
- D: 630-669
- D-: 600-629
- F: 599 or lower
- Extra credit: Any extra
credit points you earn are added to your total, not averaged. So don’t worry if your grade in the
gradebook is, for example, “2/10.” You didn’t flunk the extra credit. You
just earned 2 of the 10 points available in that category.
Course Requirements
- Preparation: This course focuses on
reading, writing, and discussion. As such, it is critical that each
student read the assigned material before class. Some of the readings are
very difficult and may require more than one reading to become
intelligible.
- Participation and
attendance:
Participation in discussions is expected. If you do not attend class you
will quickly become lost, as the texts for the course are very difficult
to understand.
- Reading and review
quizzes (5
points each = 100 points): 5 question, multiple choice quizzes will be
given at the beginning of each class. Three of the questions are designed
to insure students have read the material for the day, while the other two
questions review material covered in the previous class. Students who are
absent can make up these quizzes prior
to (not during) the next class they are able to attend.
- Presentation of
Objections
(100 points): Each student will sign up for a date to present objections
to the theories of the philosophers being covered. Instructions are posted
in the Resources and Announcements section above.
- Microtheme in-class writing:
(25 points each = 125 points): Five one-page in-class writing
assignments will be given over the course of the semester (dates above).
These short essays will involve the interpretation and application of
theories from the course texts.
- Exams (125 points each = 250
points): Two exams will be given. The exams cover terminology, major
arguments, replies to objections, etc. The exams are open book and open
notes. As such, the questions stress comprehension, including the ability
to make appropriate inferences and apply philosophical theories.
- Papers (125 points each = 375
points): Three maximum three page papers will be assigned. Papers will
respond to objections raised in the student presentations. The response
has two parts: an explanation of how the philosopher would respond to the
objection, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of that response. Use of
textual evidence is required. Late papers will be penalized 5 points per
day late. The topics will be posted in the due dates and paper topics
section above.
- Final Exam (175 points): The final exam includes two parts: an exam on the
final two units (125 points), and two essays integrating material from
multiple units (50 points). The integrative essays may include material
from any of the six units.
- Extra Credit for
Attending Philosophy Slams (up to 15 extra points): There will be up to three
philosophy slams this semester. Attendees will receive 5 points for
attendance at each slam.
- Extra Credit for
Attending Events
(up to 10 extra points): Attendees will receive extra credit points for
attending approved events, up to a maximum of 10 points. A list of
approved events is updated below throughout the semester. Each event
counts for one point of extra credit, though some events count for more.
The list of events below specifies when extra points are available.
Academic Dishonesty
- Any form of academic dishonesty,
including cheating on exams, plagiarism, etc., will result in a zero on
the relevant assignment. In addition to this class-level penalty, the
university punishes cases of academic misconduct. These policies are
described in the JU catalog section on “Academic Integrity and
Misconduct.”
- Definition of
plagiarism: Plagiarism consists in copying or closely paraphrasing the
work of another, in whole or in part, without citing the source.
Americans with
Disabilities
- Reasonable
accommodations will be made upon request for students with documented
disabilities.
This
Syllabus
- It is sometimes
necessary to revise the syllabus during the course of the semester.
Students will be notified in class, on the course web page, and/or via
Blackboard announcements of any pertinent changes to due dates,
assignments, grading policies, classroom policies, etc.
Reading Assignments
- The
readings and dates on this list are subject to change. Please check back
for updates.
- 5/14
Virtue ethics: Aristotle and Doris (495-498, 501-502, 506-515,
532-541)
- 5/15
Deontology: Kant (498-499, 516-523)
- 5/16
Consequentialism: Mill (499-501, 523-532)
- 5/17
Brain studies and moral reasoning: Greene (502-503, 543-548)
- 5/21
Morality and custom: Herodotus, Plato, and Rachels (431-436,
442-449, 465-473)
- 5/22
Anti-realism: Ayer and Mackie (449-458)
- 5/23
Empirical meta-ethics: Doris and Stich (438-439, 474-484)
- 5/24
First exam
- 5/28
Memorial Day: class canceled
- 5/29
Proofs of God’s existence (3-6, 13-26)
- 5/30
Pascal’s wager and the argument from evil (6-8, 26-36)
- 5/31
Scientific atheism and Plantinga’s defense of
religious belief (8-10, 37-49, 59-67)
- Free
will and moral responsibility
o 6/4
Compatibilism and Libertarianism: Nielsen and Chisholm, (332-334, 340-349)
o 6/5
Frankfurt (334, 358-366)
o 6/6
Brain studies: Wegner and Mele (336-337,
378-383)
o 6/7
Second exam
- Philosophy
of Mind (Readings from the Consciousness and Mental States chapters)
- 6/11
Substance dualism: Descartes readings from both the Mental States and
Consciousness chapters (193-196, 203-209, 290-291)
- 6/12
Idealism and epiphenomenalism: Leibniz, Huxley, and Jackson (280-284,
291-302)
- 6/13
Class canceled
- 6/14
Class canceled
- 6/18
Is there an explanatory gap?: Chalmers, Patricia Churchland,
and Tye (284-287, 302-315, 320)
- 6/19
Scientific naturalism: Paul Churchland and
Dennett (196-197, 199-200, 217-220, 235-249)
- 6/20
Theory of Mind: Gopnik and Wellman and Knobe (200-201, 252-278)
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