PHIL 470 ( : Term 2). Comparative Conceptions of the Self. Tues & Thurs. 3:30-5:00pm. Buchanan B-215. Professor Evan Thompson

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1 PHIL 470 ( : Term 2). Comparative Conceptions of the Self. Tues & Thurs. 3:30-5:00pm. Buchanan B-215. Professor Evan Thompson Office hours: Tues & Thurs 2:00-3:00pm, Wed 1-2:00pm, or by appointment. Office: Buchanan E377. TA: Jelena Markovic: This course will examine conceptions of the self from different cultural and philosophical traditions the modern West, and different historical periods from South Asia and East Asia. Our approach will be to study the self and the identity of a person over time by looking at change and transformation, focusing especially on experiences that can be said to be transformative. Philosophers have long been interested in these topics, but recently they have received new attention thanks to Laurie Paul s book, Transformative Experience (2014). Her work serves as the springboard for this course. Along the way we will read works by Anglophone analytical philosophers, European existentialists, Classical Chinese thinkers, South Asian and East Asian Buddhist thinkers, and contemporary Buddhist writers. We will end the course by reading Kwame Anthony Appiah s new book, The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity. Creed, Country, Color, Class, Culture (2018). The objective of this course is to give you an opportunity to read closely and think intensively about a wide range of philosophical approaches to the self and transformative experiences, and to discuss them with your classmates and me. The learning approach will be focused discussion of the readings. Emphasis will be placed on interactive classroom discussion. You are required to do the assigned class readings before each class meets. Please note that this is is a fourth-year course so the readings will be more demanding than in lower-level philosophy courses. Please make sure to budget your time to do the readings before the class meets. Given our objective and approach, attendance and participation are essential and will make up 20% of your final mark. You should not take this class if you cannot commit to regular attendance. I recognize and acknowledge that some of you may feel uncomfortable speaking in class. For those who feel this way, I encourage you to me with your thoughts and questions. This will let me know that you are engaged with the material, and will count toward the participation component of your mark. (See also the policy below.) Cell phone and computer policy: Cell phones should be turned off or put in silent mode during class. You should not be sending messages. If you are using a computer, then it should be used only for taking notes. Required Books (available at the UBC bookstore, listed alphabetically) Stephen Addis et al. eds., Zen Sourcebook Kwame Anthony Appiah, The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity. Creed, Country, Color, Class Culture

2 2 Stephen Batchelor, Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism P. J. Ivanhoe and Bryan Van Norden, eds., Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy L. A. Paul, Transformative Experience Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh, The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life Glen Wallis, Basic Teachings of the Buddha Additional readings Those marked with an asterisk* are available at Canvas; for others follow the URL. Requirements Class attendance and participation: 20%. 3 short reader-response/critical-reflective papers (800 words minimum/1000 words maximum). Each paper = 20%. Total = 60%. Summative final paper (1 page maximum, 1.5 spacing, 12 point font). 20%. Instructions for writing these papers will be posted separately at Canvas. Paper Due Dates Paper 1: Monday January 28 by midnight (12pm) Paper 2: Friday March 1 by midnight (12pm) Paper 3: Friday March 29 by midnight (12pm) Summative Final Paper: Monday April 8 by midnight (12pm) Statement on Plagiarism: Plagiarism is intellectual theft and occurs when an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship rests on examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. When another person s words (i.e., phrases, sentences, or paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in endnotes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must be clearly delineated (for example, within quotation marks or separately indented). Failure to provide proper attribution is plagiarism because it represents someone else s work as one s own. Plagiarism should not occur in submitted drafts or final works. A student who seeks assistance from a tutor or other scholastic aids must ensure that the work submitted is the student s own. Students are responsible for ensuring that any work submitted does not constitute plagiarism. Students who are in any doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism should consult their instructor before handing in any assignments. For further information, please see the following link about academic misconduct: PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC FAILURE OF THE ASSIGNMENT, as well as possible further disciplinary action by the University. Policy The following guidelines apply to communication during this course:

3 3 I will make every effort to reply to legitimate inquiries within 24 hours during weekdays but will likely take longer to respond to during the weekend. Each message should include in the Subject line the course identifier and a clear statement of purpose (e.g., PHIL 470: Question about Paper); otherwise, it may be deleted along with spam messages. Schedule Jan 3. Introduction No reading assignment Module 1: Transformative Experience Jan 8: The Problem of Transformative Experience Transformative Experience, Chapter 1. Jan 10: Experience and Subjectivity Frank Jackson, What Mary Didn t Know * Thomas Nagel, What Is It Like to Be a Bat? * David Lewis, What Experience Teaches * Jan 15: Transformative Choice Transformative Experience, Chapter 2. Jan 17: Transformative Choice Transformative Experience, Chapter 3. Jan 22: Transformative Decision Transformative Experience, Chapter 4. Jan 24: Transformative Experience: Critical Perspectives Elizabeth Barnes, Social Identities and Transformative Experience * Elizabeth Barnes, What You Can Expect When You Don t Want to Be Expecting * Module 2: Perspectives from Existentialism and Phenomenology Jan 29: Existentialism J.-P. Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism, at Jan 31: Existentialism Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, Part III and Conclusion, at

4 4 Feb 5: Phenomenology Iris Marion Young, Pregnant Embodiment: Subjectivity and Alienation * Linda Finlay and Patricia Molano-Fisher, Transforming Self and World: A Phenomenological Study of a Changing Lifeworld Following a Cochlear Implant * Module 3: Perspectives from Chinese Philosophy Feb 7: Kongzi (Confucius) The Path, chapters 1-3 Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 1. See especially Analects 1.1, 1.12, 2.4, 3.12, 4.2, 7.19, 7.20, 7.34, 12.1, 15.5, 15.18, 15.28, 17.2, Feb 12: Mengzi (Mencius) The Path, chapter 4 Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 3. Feb 14: No Class [I have to be out of town] Feb 19 & 21: Reading Week. No Classes. Feb 26: Laozi The Path, chapter 5 Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 4. Feb 28: Zhuangzi The Path, chapter 7. Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 5. March 5: Xunzi The Path, chapters 8 and 9. Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 6. Module 4: Perspectives from Early Buddhism March 7: The Buddha Basic Teachings of the Buddha, Suttas 1-8 (read also the corresponding sections from Guide to Reading the Texts ) March 12: The Buddha Basic Teachings of the Buddha, Suttas 9-16 (read also the corresponding sections from Guide to Reading the Texts ) March 14: Zen Zen Sourcebook, Chapters 1-9. Module 5: Perspectives from Zen Buddhism

5 5 March 19: Zen Zen Sourcebook, Chapters March 21: Zen Zen Sourcebook, Chapters Module 6: Buddhism Meets Existentialism March 26: Buddhism Meets Existentialism Alone with Others, Foreword, Preface, Chapters 1-3 March 28: Buddhism Meets Existentialism Alone with Others, Chapters 4-6 Module 7: Who Do You Think You Are? April 2: Who Do You Think You Are? The Lies that Bind, Introduction, Chapters 1-3. April 4: Who Do You Think You Are? The Lies that Bind, Chapters 4-6.