Philosophy 200: Introduction to Philosophy. Spring Dr. Bill E. Lawson. Tuesday and Thursday 10:20 11:40 am

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1 Philosophy 200: Introduction to Philosophy Spring 2003 Dr. Bill E. Lawson Tuesday and Thursday 10:20 11:40 am Instructor: Dr. Bill E. Lawson Office: 511 S. Kedzie Hall Phone: Office Hours, Tuesday and Thursday times by appt, other 3pm-4:30pm info. and other TEXT: Thomas Wall: Thinking Critically about Philosophical Problems (Wadsworth, 2001) Mark B. woodhouse: A Preface to Philosophy (Wadsworth, 2000) DESCRIPTION: The Matrix. What if virtual reality wasn't just for fun, but was being used to imprison you? That is the dilemma that faces mild-mannered computer jockey Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix. It is the year 2070, and Anderson works in a cubicle, manning a computer and doing a little hacking on the side. It is while engaged in the latter activity that Thomas makes the acquaintance of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who has some interesting news for Mr. Anderson -- none of what's going on around him is real. It seems Thomas, like most people, is a victim of The Matrix, a massive artificial intelligence system that has tapped into people's minds and created the illusion of a real world, while using their brains and bodies for energy, tossing them away like spent batteries when they're through. Morpheus, however, is convinced Thomas is "Neo," the "one" who can crack open The Matrix and bring his people to both physical and psychological freedom. (All-Movie Guide) The questions that arise from this movie are not unlike the ones we can ask about our own existence. (Should we even ask these questions?) We, like Neo, are faced with questions regarding human existence. Why are we here at all? Why is there something as opposed to nothing? Does life have a purpose? How can we know the meaning of life? What is knowledge?

2 What is truth? What is the ethical life? Who decides if an action is right or wrong? In Western thought, traditionally, the philosopher has been the person that attempts to answer these questions. This does not mean that other individuals have not also attempted, but it is often thought that the philosopher is better suited to answer these questions. Why is this so? Philosophers are concerned with understanding the nature of human existence. They are also concerned with the reasoning involved in answering questions about human existence. In this course we will read and discuss attempts by philosophers to answer questions regarding such topics as objectivity, relativism and cultural diversity, moral responsibility, the self, existence of evil, free will, and the good life. Our goal is to explore how philosophers have attempted to answer some of the questions raised by the Matrix of human existence. GOALS: 1. To highlight the complexity of the philosophical issues. 2. To examine the role of reasoning in our understanding of the world we experience. 3. To raise questions about answers given to questions about how we should understand our experience of the world. 4. To illustrate the importance of Philosophy in discussions of our understanding of the world we experience. 5. To introduce student to some of the major figures of Western Philosophy REQUIREMENTS: Important!!!!! This course will provide each student with the opportunity to explore the academic discipline of Philosophy. The style of teaching will be a mixture of lecture, Socratic inquiry, and open class discussion. You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the material for that day. Because this is a philosophy course, we are not on a rigid time schedule regarding the readings. Since an important part of the course is the processes that we use to think about the material, the amount of required material covered any given day could vary. You are, nonetheless, responsible for the assigned material. I will attempt to stay on track with the syllabus. Any significant course changes will be announced in a timely fashion. Class attendance is very important. When engaging in a philosophical dialogue it is necessary to be an active and present participant in the ongoing discussion. If you miss class please do not me asking if you missed anything important. Every class is important. You should get a study buddy for the class; a student in class who will inform you of what you missed. An referencing that you miss a class and want to know what you missed will result in 5 points off your final grade score. If you miss a class you can come to office hours to discuss the material, providing you have read the material and you simply want to see if your understanding of the material is on target. Time in office hours will not be used to repeat the class lectures. RESOURCES:

3 ct_isbn_issn= # EVALUATION: Grade will be calculated from 5 short papers, two exams, and major association outline. The exams will consist of short answer questions and vocabulary questions. Each of the five short papers will be of a minimum of 500 words and count for 10% of your grade. The exams will count for 70% of your grade, the short paper with the major association of your discipline (major), the meeting dates, the major journal in your major, and a citation from the major journal with a philosophical slant and your rationale for citing this article is due April 24 th. This is 20% of your grade. Paper must be in my hands by the announced time or it will not be accepted. Papers left under my office door or in the philosophy office will be considered late. Papers must be typed with a cover sheet: The Pattern of Critical Thinking Dr. Bill Lawson Philosophy 200 January 16, 2003 Paper number 1 Word count 700 Grading Scale: = = = = = = =4.0 Missed exams: Make-up exams will be given only in extreme cases. In those cases where an emergency occurs and you must miss the exam, the following applies: If you miss the midterm examination, you must inform me the next class and then take the exam the following day. For example, if you miss the exam scheduled for March 12th, you must inform me March 13th and take the exam by March 18th. If you take the exam after March 18 th, your grade on the exam will drop 10 points each day thereafter. If you take the exam March 19th your grade for the exam will be 10 points lower than it would have been March 18 th. Special note: if you are involved in some MSU group related activity that will cause you to miss an exam or class, please inform me ASAP. 1. If you have questions about the course or your ability to do the required work, you should feel free to come to office hours to discuss your concerns. Do not me regarding these issues. Do not wait until the last week of class to do this. 2. Late papers: Short papers are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Since I want to return the papers in a timely fashion, late papers will not be graded.

4 Philosophy 200 Course Schedule WEEK CHAPTERS TOPIC Jan 7-9 Wall: Introduction Woodhouse: chapters 1,2,3 What is your philosophy? What is academic philosophy? Jan Wall: Part 1, What is an argument? Woodhouse chapters 6,7,8 What is an argument? Exercise A: page 9 1 st paper due: Jan. 16 th Jan Woodhouse: chapters 4,5 Philosophy and Religion Jan Religion question Wall Part 2: Units 1-4 Wall Part 2 Unit 4-9 Philosophy and Religion Second paper due Jan. 30 th Feb. 4-6 Wall Part 3 Units 1-5 What can I know? Feb Wall Part 3 Units 1-5 What can I know Feb Reality question Wall part 4 Units 1-3 Third paper due What is real? Third paper due Feb. 20th Feb Wall part 4 Units 4-6 What is real? March rd paper due: March 13th March 13 Exam 1 Wall and Woodhouse.

5 March The time question Wall Part 6, 1-2 What is right and what is good? Fourth paper due March 20th March Wall Part 6, 2-4 Ethics and the good life? April 1-3 Wall Part 6, 5-6 What is right and what is good? 4 th paper due April 3rd April 8-10 Wall Part 7 Units1-3 April Wall Part 7 Units 4-6 What is the best type of society? What is the best type of society? Fifth paper due April 17 th April Major paper Part 7 end and Wall Part 8 EXAMINATIONS: March 13 th exam 1 FINAL EXAMINATION: May 1 st Thursday May 1 10:00-12:00 noon Example of student paper: Why is there evil in this world? Important Note The mid term exam will be given March 13 th. Major papers due last day of class Your short paper with the major association of your discipline (major), the meeting dates, the major journal in your major, and a citation from the major journal with a philosophical slant and your rationale for citing this article is due April 24 th.