PHIL : Introduction to Philosophy Examining the Human Condition

Transcription

1 Course PHIL : Introduction to Philosophy Examining the Human Condition Professor Steve Hiltz Term Fall 2015 Meetings Tuesday 7:00-9:45 PM GR Professor s Contact Information Home Phone Office Location JO Address shiltz@smu.edu Office Hours By appointment (before or after class) General Core Area 040 Language, Philosophy & Culture Description: Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures. Core Objectives: Critical Thinking (CT)-to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information Communication (COM)-to include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication Social Responsibility (SR)-to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities Personal Responsibility (PR)-to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making General Course Information Pre-requisites, Corequisites, & other restrictions No prior courses are required. But students must be willing to think, be open to revision/expansion of their current mindset, and be willing to explore odd questions. Course Description The course will investigate a variety of influential philosophical perspectives, from Plato to the present day, on topics of perennial interest in epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of mind. We will ponder the following questions, among others: What sort of inquiry is philosophy? What weight should be given to the roles of sense perception and abstract conceptual activity in our attempts to acquire knowledge of

2 the world? Is certainty possible? Can we attain genuine knowledge of anything beyond Nature? Are there any valid proofs of the existence of God? What is the most reasonable attitude to take towards matters of faith? What, exactly, does it mean to have a mind? What sort of relation obtains between mental states or events and the physical dimension of our being? PHIL Course Objectives: By the end of the semester, those students who have applied themselves diligently will have learned the following (all assessed via various portions of the exams): Learning Outcomes Critical thinking skills: to analyze and think critically about the ideas of important philosophers in various periods of history, uncovering and assessing implicit assumptions behind their views and evaluating arguments presented for them (assessed on tests) Communication skill: to articulate their understanding of some central philosophical concepts and positions (assessed from class participatio) Social responsibility: to become aware of how philosophical inquiry has its roots in, and an impact on, the self-understanding of a culture with respect to our common pursuit of truth, our place in the cosmos, and how best to live in society (assessed on Final) Personal responsibility: to appreciate the existential dimension of abstract theorizing, how the examination of philosophical topics helps direct and ground one s orientation towards the world (assessed on Final) Required Texts & Materials Cahn and Eckert, eds., Philosophical Horizons: Introductory Readings, 2 nd edition Supplementary readings posted on elearning Assignments & Academic Calendar [Topics, Reading Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates] This schedule represents the order of the topics to be discussed. Flexibility is called for with respect to how much time will be spent on the particular subsections. Students are responsible for knowing I. The Nature of Philosophy and the Examined Life, the Example of Socrates II. Apology Euthyphro pp Theory of Knowledge pp in textbook Plato: The Divided Line and the Myth of the Cave pp (on elearning) Descartes: Notes on Plato s Epistemology The Early Modern Era (el) Descartes and Galileo (el)

3 where we are i n the schedule, and are expected to have completed the relevant reading before the topics are addressed in class. (Subsequent rereading will of course be necessary, if even a merely adequate grasp of the subject matter is to be attained.) Meditations on First Philosophy, I and II pp An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (selections) Kant: short précis on el Midterm Exam Tuesday, October 13 III. Philosophy of Religion Religious Belief (el) Anselm: The Ontological Argument p p The Ontological Argument (el) Aquinas: The Five Ways pp The Cosmological Argument (el) Paley: The Teleological Argument p p Notes on the Teleological Argument (el) Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (selections) Evolution Through Natural Selection (el) IV. Philosophy of Mind Cartesian Dualism (el) Ryle: Descartes Myth pp Ryle s Logical Behaviorism (el) Smart s Materialism (el) Searle s Biological Naturalism (el) Functionalism (el) Dretske: A Recipe for Thought (el) Final Exam tba (somewhere between December 11 and 17) Course Policies Grading (credit) Criteria Your course grade will be based a Midterm Exam, worth 40%, and Final Exam, worth 60%. These tests will include a mix of True-False, Multiple- Choice, Definition, and Short-Analysis questions. There will be no extracredit assignments, and no tests will be given early to accommodate

4 individual students extracurricular lives. If you miss a test for legitimate reasons, you will be able to take a make-up at a later date. Here is the grading scale I use: A+ = A = A- = B+ = B = B- = C+ = C = C- = D+ = D = D- = F = 59 and lower Make-up Exams Extra Credit Class Attendance Classroom Citizenship Only for excused absences None Regular (if not perfect) attendance and participation in class is strongly recommended. If you do not show up for class or if you merely show up, unprepared you cannot expect to learn much. Past experience has taught me to back up this advice with a sanction. Consequently, if you accumulate four unexcused absences you will have five points deducted from your next test. Classes will start promptly at 4:00 and are not over until 5:15. Laptops are permitted, but for note-taking purposes only. No use whatsoever of phones or any other electronic devices is permitted. The same goes for any other activities unrelated to the course; e.g., reading books or doing homework for other classes. Not only are these proscribed activities distracting to students who are trying to pay attention, they are rude and disrespectful towards your instructor. Students caught in violation of these strictures will be asked to leave the classroom, will not be given credit for attending on that day, and will receive a 3-point deduction from their final grade for each offense. Philosophy thrives on questions, so please bring some with you to class. If the readings do not bring up any questions, objections, or associations in your mind, you are reading too passively. Moreover, it is important to learn to question your own assumptions, to direct the same critical attention to the stance from which you approach the readings as you would towards unfamiliar or disturbing views. UT Dallas Syllabus Policies and Procedures The information contained in the following link constitutes the University s policies and procedures segment of the course syllabus. Please go to for these policies.

5 The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.