Spring Martin Benjamin Office Hours: W 2:00-3:30; 514 South Kedzie Hall F 1:00-2:30; and by appointment

Transcription

1 PHL 200H (Section 004) INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Spring 2003 Martin Benjamin Office Hours: W 2:00-3:30; 514 South Kedzie Hall F 1:00-2:30; and by appointment benjamin@msu.edu TEXTS: 1. Daniel Kolak, ed., Questioning Matters: An Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry (Mayfield Publishing, 2000) [all page numbers are, unless noted, from this book] 2. Course Pack (CP) available on reserve at main library TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: Jan 7 Introduction Jan 9 (1) Doing Philosophy; (2) A (Very) Short Course in Logic I Kolak, ATools of the Philosopher,@ 1 Plato, from Apology, 2-4 ASome Notes on the Analysis of Philosophical Arguments@ (Handout) C. Stephen Layman, AA Logic Primer: Reason and Argument,@ 4-6 Hope May, AHow to Read Philosophy,@ Jan 14 A (Very) Short Course in Logic II ASome Notes on...@ (Handout) C. Stephen Layman, AA Logic Primer: Reason and Argument,@ 7-19 Jan 16 The Free Will Problem: Hard Determinism Kolak, ADeterminism, Free Will, and Responsibility,@ Baron Holbach, AThe Illusion of Free Will,@ Jan 21 Jan 23 The Free Will Problem: Soft Determinism (Compatibilism) W. T. Stace, ACompatibilism@ (handout) The Free Will Problem: Libertarianism C. A. Campbell, AHas the Self >Free Will=?@ 371L-77 1 Start reading this now. It=s long and you have to do it on your own. It will not be discussed in class. Be sure you finish it before you do the reading by Holbach assigned for Jan 16. 1

2 Roderick Chisholm, AFreedom and the Jan 28 The Free Will Problem: Contemporary Approaches Susan Wolf, ASanity and the Metaphysics of Martin Benjamin, APragmatic Free (CP) Jan 30 The Self and Personal Identity: The Cartesian Conception of Mind Kolak, AThe Self and Personal Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Feb 4 The Self and Personal Identity: Personal Identity as Continuity of Memory John Locke, AOf Identity and Diversity,@ Thomas Reid, ACritique of Locke and Hume on Behalf of Common Sense,@ David Hume, AOf Personal Identity,@ Feb 6 The Self and Personal Identity: Contemporary Puzzles Daniel Dennett, AWhere Am I?@ Raymond Martin, APersonal Identity from Plato to Parfit,@ Feb 11 The Self and Personal Identity: (1) The Self as a Center of Narrative Gravity; (2) A Practical Problem -- Determining Death Daniel Dennett, AThe Reality of Selves@ (CP) Martin Benjamin, APragmatism and the Determination of Death@ (CP) Feb 13 Reason, Religion, and Faith: The Ontological and Cosmological Arguments Kolak, AThe Existence and Nature of God,@ St. Anselm, AThe Ontological Argument,@ Saint Thomas Aquinas, AThe Five Ways and the Doctrine of Analogy,@ Samuel Clarke, AThe Cosmological Argument,@ Feb 18 Reason, Religion, and Faith: The Argument from Design William Paley, AThe Argument from Design,@ David Hume, from Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, , , Feb 20 Reason, Religion and Faith: The Problem of Evil I Kolak, AThe Problem of Evil,@ Fyodor Dostoevsky, ARebellion@ (CP) David Hume, from Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Feb 25 Reason, Religion and Faith: The Problem of Evil II J.L. Mackie, AEvil and Omnipotence,@ Peter Van Inwagen, AThe Magnitude, Duration, and Distribution of Evil: A Theodicy,@

3 Feb Open Questions: A Discussion No Reading Assignment March 4-6 Spring Break -- No Class March 11 Reason, Religion, and Faith: Faith and Reason Kolak, AFaith and Reason,@ 414 Blaise Pascal, AThe Wager,@ W.K. Clifford, AThe Ethics of Belief,@ William James, AThe Will to Believe,@ March 13 Philosophy, the Bible, and God Daniel Kolak and Alvin Plantinga, ADialogue on APhilosophy, the Bible, and God,@ March 18 Morality: Can We Have Ethics Without God? Kolak, AWhy be Moral?@ and AStandards of Right and Wrong: Theory and Practice,@ Plato, Euthyphro, AThe Divine Command Theory@ (Handout) March 20 Moral Theory and Practice: Kant and the Categorical Imperative I Immanuel Kant, from The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, March 25 Moral Theory and Practice: Kant and the Categorical Imperative II Immanuel Kant, from The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Onora O=Neill, AKantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems,@ March 27 Moral Theory and Practice: Mill and Utilitarianism I John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism, March 31 Moral Theory and Practice: Mill and Utilitarianism II John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism, Peter Singer, AFamine, Affluence, and Morality,@ April 1 Moral Reasoning and Reflection Susan Leigh Anderson, AWe Are Our Values,@ Martin Benjamin, AEthics@ (CP) 3

4 April 8 Justice and Law: Just and Unjust Laws; Justice as Fairness I Kolak, AJustice and Law,@ Martin Luther King, Jr., ALetter from Birmingham Jail,@ April 10 Justice and Law: Justice as Fairness II John Rawls, from A Theory of Justice, April 15 April 17 Justice and Law: Justice as Fairness III: Justice and Gender John Rawls, from A Theory of Justice, Susan Moller Okin, from Justice, Gender and the Family, Can Our Lives Have Meaning without Belief in God and the Supernatural? Leo Tolstoy, from My Confession, Martin Benjamin, AMeaningful Lives@ (CP) April 22 Concluding Reflections I Bertrand Russell, AThe Value of Philosophy,@ pp April 24 Concluding Reflections II WRITTEN REQUIREMENTS 1. Short Papers 2 Short (4-7 page) papers will be assigned for February 4, February 20, March 25, and April 10. Students must write the first paper and any two of the last three -- for a total of three short papers. Specific topics will be distributed in class one week in advance of each due date. Papers are due at the beginning of class. Late papers will be accepted without penalty only in very unusual circumstances and only if cleared with the instructor in advance. Late papers not authorized in advance will have their overall grade lowered by 0.5 for each 24-hour period for which the paper is late. The clock starts ticking at the beginning of class on the date the paper is due. 2. Final Examination The final examination is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, 10:00-12:00. Students will be asked to answer three essay questions to be chosen on the day of the exam from a set of essay 2 Though not assigned to be read for any specific class, you should read (and re-read) Hope May=s AWriting a Philosophy Paper@ (pp ) before writing your first paper -- and, perhaps, before writing each of your papers. 4

5 questions distributed in class on Tuesday, April Reflections on Readings and Class Meetings Ten very short (one page, one-inch margins, double-spaced, no more than 300 words) papers will be due in class once a week beginning the week of January 21. In these papers students will respond to two different questions: (1) What, to your mind, is the most interesting or important unanswered question 3 raised in or by the class meeting prior to the one on which the paper is due -- and why? (2) What, to your mind, is the most interesting or important point or question raised in or by the reading assigned for the class on which the paper is due -- and why? These papers are due at the beginning of class. They will be evaluated and returned at the following class meeting. Late papers will be accepted only in very unusual circumstances and only if cleared with the instructor in advance. Late papers not arranged in advance will receive a grade of 0.0. To do well on these papers, it is important that you answer the question being asked, paying special attention to the words in italics. Since each student will have twelve opportunities (during twelve weeks) to write the ten papers, there will be no make-ups for unexcused absences. Those electing to write all twelve papers will, for purposes of the final grade, be evaluated only on the best ten. Students in the first half of the alphabet will submit their Reflections on Tuesdays for the first six weeks in which they are due and on Thursdays thereafter; students in the second half of he alphabet will submit their Reflections on Thursdays for the first six weeks in which they are due and on Tuesdays thereafter. 4. Quiz There will be a brief quiz on the nature and assessment of elementary philosophical arguments in class on January 21. GRADING The first short (3-5 page) paper will count 15 percent of the final raw average; the second and third will each count 20 percent, for a total of 55 percent. The final examination will count 25 percent of the final raw average. Each of the ten (1 page) Reflections papers will count 2 percent, for a total of 20 percent of the final raw average. Adjustments (upward) in the final grade will be made in borderline cases for steady and unmistakable improvement in written work and informed, 3 By Aunanswered question@ I mean an interesting and important difficult question -- one to which there is no easy or obvious answer. If, after stating the question, you can provide a simple, snappy answer to it, the question is not a good one. It is not difficult or unanswered. After stating the question, you need to explain why it is interesting, difficult, and important. 5

6 thoughtful, and fairly regular participation in class discussion. The student's grade on the brief quiz on philosophical arguments will also be used to resolve borderline cases. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITTEN WORK: 1. How well does the author understand and appreciate the complexity of the problem(s) and issue(s) he or she is addressing? To what extent has the author made judicious use of the clearly relevant concepts, categories, distinctions, positions, arguments, etc. that have been included in course readings and that have been brought out in class or come up in discussion? 2. Is the paper or essay clearly written? Are its claims precise? Does it have an explicit overall direction? Would it be intelligible to another student at this level who is interested in the topic, but not enrolled in the course? 3. To what extent has the author identified the assumptions or presuppositions underlying his or her position? And to what extent is he or she aware of the possible difficulties with them? 4. Are the author's claims and positions accompanied by cogent arguments? Are claims and arguments provided in different parts of the paper or essay consistent with each other? 5. Has the author been fairly thorough? Can the reader think of some fairly obvious objection to the author's position, raised in class or in the readings, that he or she has not anticipated and addressed? CLASSROOM COURTESY 1. We will be discussing difficult, controversial, and occasionally emotional issues. A certain amount of disagreement is therefore expected. Disagreement is one thing, however, disrespect quite another. Please refrain from personal attacks. The trick is to disagree without becoming disagreeable. 2. Late arrival should be a rare exception. If you must arrive late, please minimize disturbance to the class. If a pattern of late arrivals emerges, the door will be closed at 10:20 and remain closed until a suitable break in the class meeting. Also, cell phones, beepers, and beeping watches should be turned off before entering class. 3. Early departure should be a rare exception. It is permitted only in emergencies or with prior notification to the instructor. If you must leave early, please sit where class disturbance will be minimal. 4. Early preparation for departure -- please refrain. Every effort will be made to bring discussion to a close by 11:40. If this does not occur and you must leave, please do so. 5. Class discussion is highly encouraged -- but please talk to everyone or no one. 6

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