PHIL 1313 Introduction to Philosophy Section 09 Fall 2014 Philosophy Department

Transcription

1 PHIL 1313 Introduction to Philosophy Section 09 Fall 2014 Philosophy Department COURSE DESCRIPTION A foundational course designed to familiarize the student with the meaning and relevance of philosophy through a study of its main problems and the principal theories that have been proposed as solutions to them. (HBU Catalogue) INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Name: Dr. Paul R. Shockley sumphutos@gmail.com Cell Phone: (713) Office Location: TBA Office Hours: Personal Appointment LEARNING RESOURCES Plato. Five Dialogues. 2nd Edition. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Revised by John M. Cooper. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, ISBN Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by David Ross. New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN St. Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine. Translated by John K. Ryan. New York: Doubleday, ISBN Aquinas, Thomas. Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings. Edited by Ralph McInerny. London: Penguin Books, ISBN Rene Descartes. Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies. Revised Edition. Translated and edited by John Cottingham. New York: Cambridge University Press, ISBN Blaise Pascal. Pensees. Translated by Krailsheimer. New York: Penguin Classics, ISBN David Hume. Ed. Steinberg. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, ISBN Friedrich Nietzsche. The Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ: or How to Philosophize with a Hammer. Translated by R. J. Hollingdale. Edited by Michael Tanner. New York: Penguin Classics, ISBN

2 COURSE OBJECTIVES This course introduces students to the discipline of philosophy, understood essentially as the loving pursuit of wisdom. We will undertake this pursuit of wisdom together: reading texts by some of the greatest thinkers in the Western tradition, discovering what big questions they found important, and contemplating their answers. Philosophers are concerned with universal and timeless questions such as: What is really true? How do we know what we know? What does it mean to be a good and virtuous human being? How do we become good? Why should we be good at all? What is happiness, and how do we find it? Where did we come from, and where are we going? Is there a God, and if so, how do we come to know this God? We will focus on asking what it means to love wisdom and to live a life in pursuit of it. We also hope that you will learn what it means to do philosophy, why it is important, and how to approach these big questions with a humble, honest, and careful mind and heart. We want this course to be a delightful and enriching experience for you. We are convinced that philosophy is an essential part of human life. We are all thinkers, and in this sense, we are also all philosophers. But, the question is whether we do it well or badly. Doing philosophy well is not easy, and this course will indeed be a challenge. But if you take this challenge seriously and engage these thinkers and questions sincerely, this can be one of the most exciting courses of your college experience. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to accomplish the following objectives: Intellectual Objectives To understand the significance, presuppositions, and purpose of philosophy. To reflect on what is involved in a distinctively Christian approach to philosophy. To become more aware of your own presuppositions and worldview by learning to read and understand other philosophers, and to think and reason philosophically. Affective Objectives To become excited about studying great thinkers and cultivate a passion for the lifelong pursuit of wisdom. To alleviate your fears or suspicions of philosophy: that it is too difficult, opposed to your religious faith, or simply boring. To continue to develop in the formation of a moral, virtuous character and way of life.

3 Volitional Objectives To learn to see wisdom as an end in itself and as a way to recognize the substance and value of your own humanity. To rediscover a childlike wonder about the world and to feed this hunger by asking big questions in the context of a faith seeking understanding. Transformational Objectives To see the university and the classroom not merely as a marketplace where information is bought and sold, but where a student s soul is enriched and transformed. RELATION TO DEPARTMENTAL GOALS AND PURPOSES The mission of the Department of Philosophy is to enhance the student s ability to read classic texts in the history of philosophy, express the ideas found in those texts accurately, and engage in dialogue with those ideas; students will also be challenged to display a command of logic and sound reasoning, as well as research skills employing primary and secondary literature. By structuring the semester in a way that consists first in defining and exploring the Christian worldview and secondly in close reading of great texts in the history of philosophy, the entire course aims to fulfill the goal of engaging the history of philosophy from a Christian perspective in an atmosphere of open inquiry. Additionally, in your papers and test you will need to be logical and reason well. Finally, in your papers you will practice research skills using primary and secondary texts. RELATION TO COLLEGE GOALS AND PURPOSES This course is designed to support the mission of the College of Arts and Humanities: To develop intellectual, moral and aesthetic growth in its students While all the great texts we will read and discuss are perfectly suited to fulfill this mission, particular texts are especially helpful in developing the student s intellectual, moral, and aesthetic growth, respectively. The logical rigor and focus on clear argumentation in Aquinas and Descartes aid in intellectual growth. As for moral development, Plato and Aristotle offer insight into the ethical and religious life and aim to nurture virtue in their readers. Finally, the indirect style of communication and poetic approach to philosophy found in Kierkegaard and Nietzsche can nourish the student s aesthetic development. St. Augustine shows a way to bring the intellectual, moral, and aesthetic elements together in order to form human beings holistically and put these gifts into the service of God and neighbor

4 RELATION TO THE PURPOSE STATEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY The mission of Houston Baptist University is to provide a learning experience that instills in students a passion for academic, spiritual, and professional excellence as a result of our central confession, "Jesus Christ is Lord." In keeping with HBU s goal of promoting the growth of the whole person, this course engages great texts by Christian thinkers such as St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas that exemplify the unity of heart, mind, and will, and of faith and reason. The ancient texts of Plato and Aristotle are particularly helpful in fostering strength of character, moral virtue, and life-long learning and service to God and to the community. (HBU Catalog ) ATTENDANCE Please see the official Attendance Policy in the HBU Classroom Policy on Blackboard. Students missing more than 25% of the class will be given a failing grade. ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS Students needing learning accommodations should inform the professor immediately and consult the Academic Accommodations section of the HBU Classroom Policy posted on Blackboard. COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADE SCALE 1 st Paper Draft An argumentative paper on a topic selected by the instructor. A specific writing prompt will be given out in class. Since PHIL 1313 is a QEP W-course, this paper will be scored according to the QEP rubric which will be posted on the course s Blackboard site. Grades will take into account the QEP score as well as other factors. (~1000 words) 15% 1 ST paper draft due to Blackboard by 11:59pm on Friday, November 7 Revised Paper Draft A revision of the 1 st Paper Draft based on detailed feedback given by the instructor. This revision will be scored and graded according to the same QEP Rubric as the 1 st draft. (~1200 words) 25% Revised paper due to Blackboard by 11:59pm on Monday, December 1, 11:59 PM Midterm Essay test covering the ancient and medieval philosophers 20% Final Cumulative test on the day of the final 20% Reading Assessment such as Quizzes, Study Questions, etc. 20% Grading Standards

5 1 st paper draft = 100 points Revised Paper draft = 250 points Midterm = 200 points Final = 200 points Reading Assessment = 250 points points is an A in the course points is a B in the course points is a C in the course points is a D in the course. <600 points results in a F in the course. LATE WORK & TEST POLICY Every test and paper must be completed to pass the course. Late study questions will not be accepted, and for every 24 hour period after the due date/time papers will penalized 5 points. The 2 nd paper cannot be turned in later than the day of the final. TOPICAL OUTLINE 1. M, Aug 25 Syllabus & Introduction to Class; worldview thinking. 2. W Aug 27 Introduction to Presocratic Philosophy 3. F. August 29 Introduction to Plato s Metaphysics & Epistemology 4. M. 1 Sept. Plato, Euthyphro 5. W, 3 Sept. Plato, Phaedo, 57a-90e; 91a-118a 6. F, 5 Sept. Introduction to Aristotle 7. M, 8 Sept. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book One 8. W, 10 Sept. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book Two 9. F, 12 Sept. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book Three, 10. M, 15 Sept. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book Four, Eight September 10: Census Date/Last day to drop without a W 11. W, 17 Sept. St. Augustine, Confessions, Book One 12. F, 19 Sept. St. Augustine, Confessions, Book Two 13. M, 22 Sept. St. Augustine, Confessions, Books Three and Four 14. W, 24 Sept. St. Augustine, Confessions, Books Eight and Nine 15. F, 26 Sept. Introduction to Thomas Aquinas 16. M, 29 Sept. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapters 9-14, pp

6 17. W, Oct 01 St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Prima Secundae, QQ 90-94, pp F, Oct 3 Review Session for the Midterm Examination 19. M, Oct 6 Introduction to Rene Descartes and overview. 20. W, Oct. 8 Rene Descartes, Meditations 1 & F, Oct. 10 Rene Descartes, Meditations 3 & M, Oct 13 Rene Descartes, Meditations 5 & W, Oct 15 Midterm Examination 24. F, Oct 17 Blaise Pascal, Pensees, Section 1: III, IV, XXIII; Section 2: II, III 25. M, Oct 20 Pascal continued. 26. W, Oct 22 Introduction to David Hume 27. F, Oct. 24 David Hume, Enquiry, Sections 1, 2, M, Oct. 27 David Hume, Enquiry, Sections 4, W, Oct. 29 David Hume, Enquiry, Sections, 6-7, 10 October 31: Last day to drop with a W 30. F, Oct. 31 Introduction to Immanuel Kant 31. M, Nov. 3 Survey of Kant s Metaphysics and Epistemology 32. W, Nov. 5 Survey of Kant s Ethics First paper draft due on Wednesday, November 7, 11:59 PM 33. F, Nov 7 Introduction to Existentialism 34. M, Nov. 10 Existentialism Continued 35. W, Nov 12 Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, The Problem of Socrates, Reason in Philosophy 36. F. Nov. 14 Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, How the Real World at last Became a Myth Morality as Anti-Nature, The Four Great Errors, The Improvers of Mankind 37. M. Nov. 17 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ, Sections W. Nov. 19 Reading Review 39. F. Nov. 21 Reading Review 40. M. Nov. 24 Introduction to Aesthetics

7 41. W. Nov. 26 Aesthetics continued November 27-28: Thanksgiving Holiday, no class on for us on Nov M. Dec 1 Class Review: Final Paper Due on 1 December by 11:59pm. 43. W. Dec 3 Class Review Session for Final Examination Final Paper Due, Monday, December 1, 11:59 PM 44. Final Examination: TBA Student Signature I have read and understand the syllabus for this class. I understand that the content of this syllabus and the topical outline are subject to change at the discretion of the professor. I have read and understand the HBU Classroom Policy posted on Black Board. I promise to uphold the Code of Academic Integrity at Houston Baptist University and will not tolerate its violation by others.