Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 100-001): Syllabus Course: PHIL 100-001 Semester: Fall 2012 Location: Lecture Hall 2 Class Time: M/W/F, 11:30am-12:20pm Website: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu Instructor: Jason Rogers Email: jrogers2@gmu.edu Office: Robinson A252 Office Hours: T, 1:30-2:30pm (also available by appointment) General Course Description This course aims to introduce you to some of the central issues in philosophy while developing your expertise with the argumentative and critical thinking skills that characterize both the philosophical method and good thinking in general. We will pursue this aim by thinking carefully about three main topics: 1. The Existence of God (Guiding Questions: Does God exist? What reasons are there for thinking that He does or does not?) 2. Knowledge and Skepticism (Guiding Questions: What is knowledge? Does anyone actually have knowledge about anything at all? How do you know if you do that you are living in the real world right now, as opposed to living in the matrix?) 3. Free Will and Determinism (Guiding Questions: Does anyone have free will? What is the relationship between free will and determinism? Is free will required for moral responsibility?) For each of these issues, our considerations will be aided by texts from both historical and contemporary thinkers. These texts will exhibit the critical thinking methods that this course aims to cultivate. Through reading, discussing, and writing about these texts and the ideas presented within them, you will develop your own ability to think clearly about difficult but important issues and to present, explain, and evaluate arguments. No prior experience with philosophy is required for any of this, so no such experience will be presupposed. Required Texts 1. Feinberg, Joel, and Russ Shafer-Landau (Eds.). Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy (14 th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2010. This will be our primary source for historical and contemporary texts. Please make sure that you have the 14 th Edition, available at the GMU bookstore. 2. When necessary (as noted on the tentative class schedule, below), additional readings will be made available either through our course s Blackboard page (at https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu) or through E-Reserves (at the GMU Library s website, http://library.gmu.edu).
A Note about Reading Philosophy Reading philosophy can often require a different kind of attention than is required with other sorts of reading. This is at least partly because philosophical texts aim primarily (in most cases, anyway) to present rationally persuasive arguments, rather than to merely report facts, describe situations, tell stories, or offer opinions. These arguments are often very subtle, and can discuss complex ideas in a way with which you may not be familiar. For example, philosophers will sometimes make distinctions between notions that you might have thought are equivalent, and that might be used more or less interchangeably in everyday speech. If you are to fully understand such philosophers views, it will be extremely important that you pick up on these distinctions. All of this often takes time and patience. Thus, as a general rule, you should read each assigned reading at least twice. It might be helpful to first read (or perhaps skim) the piece straight through, and then read it more carefully a second time, taking notes. Don t let the relative shortness of the readings mislead you into thinking that they can be read and absorbed quickly! If you would like additional (and very helpful!) guidance on reading philosophy, please see Jim Pryor s Guidelines on Reading Philosophy, available online at http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html. NOTE: All readings should be read before the class session in which they are to be discussed! See the tentative schedule for details. Course Website (Blackboard) and GMU E-mail Usage In this course, I will make extensive use of online tools for course management. Announcements, assignments, grades, and some readings (see #2 under Required Texts, above) will be made available to you via the course s Blackboard page, accessible online through the mymason Portal (mymason.gmu.edu or mymasonportal.gmu.edu). Announcements and other communications will also occasionally be sent to your official GMU e-mail address. That being so, you should familiarize yourself with the course s Blackboard page and be checking both it and your official GMU e-mail inbox regularly for updates. According to University policy, students must use their official GMU e-mail accounts either the existing MEMO system or a new MASONLIVE account to receive important University information, including messages related to this class. It is your responsibility to check these sources regularly so as to avoid missing any messages that I might send to you. Grading Your grade for this course will be determined primarily by your performance on informal assignments and the three exams (details below). I say primarily because, while there is no official grade for participation in this class, your enthusiastic participation can sometimes function as a sort of extra credit that boosts your grade by a bit. The grading scheme for our course is as follows:
Assignment Percent of Final Grade Informal Assignments 25% First Exam 25% Second Exam 25% Third (Final) Exam 25% Assignment and Grading Details I. Informal Assignments (25% of Final Grade) There will be six (6) informal assignments throughout the semester. These assignments are called informal because they are not meant to be extremely rigorous tests of your abilities or knowledge; instead, they are intended to help you review and/or develop your capacities. Sometimes, these assignments will be given as homework; other times, they will be done in class. Typically, the assignments will be small quizzes (true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and/or multiple choice questions) or short answer assignments. These assignments will not always be announced ahead of time, so this is one good reason (among many others!) to regularly attend class. Because I understand that circumstances preventing a person from attending class or from turning in an assignment sometimes arise, you will be allowed to drop one (1) of these assignments. This does not require my approval, so there's no need to give me an excuse. I will not accept late or missed informal assignments (except in the circumstances outlined in Late and Missed Assignment Policy, below). Note that if you do not miss any informal assignments, then you get the bonus of dropping the one on which you had the least success. I do all of this automatically, so you do not need to speak with me about which one you would like to drop. II. Exams (25% of Final Grade Each; 75% of Final Grade in Total) There will be three in-class, closed-book, timed exams during the course of the semester. These will occur at the ends of their respective course units (the first exam will occur at the end of the first unit, and so on). The third exam is called the final exam because it will occur at the end of the semester, at the time scheduled by the GMU Registrar for our course s final exam (Friday, 12/14, 10:30am-1:15pm). Otherwise, it is just like the other exams: it has the same weight, it is not cumulative, it does not contain a greater number of questions, etc. Each exam will cover material from the readings, lectures, and class discussions. It will test your knowledge of concepts and important figures, ask you to explain views, and ask you to present, explain, and evaluate arguments that philosophers offer for endorsing views. The exams will consist of ten (10) true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice questions, three (3) short answer questions, and one essay question. Your answers should always be recorded in a blue (or green) book, which you should purchase from the GMU bookstore and bring to class on the day of the exam. I don t care what size the blue (or green) book is, as long as it is large enough to be read by an average human being.
Some form of review (e.g., discussion of potential exam questions) will occur prior to each exam. Late and Missed Assignment Policy Late assignments and re-scheduled exams will be accepted with no penalty only if there is a documented legitimate excuse (for example, a doctor s note or emergency room receipt if the excuse is illness; I reserve the right to determine what counts as a legitimate excuse here). In cases where there is such an excuse, we will determine new terms for the completion of the assignment. NOTE: According to university policy, absence from the final exam can be excused only if the documented legitimate excuse is illness or other cause approved by the student s academic dean or director, so please keep that in mind. It is best not to miss the final exam. Assignments turned in late or missed without a documented legitimate excuse will receive a score of 0. As I mention above, one (1) of the informal assignments can be dropped, so you can miss one informal assignment without having the 0 affect your grade. This is not the case with exams; if you miss an exam without a documented legitimate excuse, you will receive a 0 on the exam. Hopefully it goes without saying that you shouldn t do this! Attendance and Class Participation There is no explicit attendance requirement or requirement of class participation in this course. Still, I strongly encourage you to participate in class discussion and to attend class as much as possible. As I mention above (see Grading ), your enthusiastic participation in this course can sometimes boost your grade by a bit, effectively acting as extra credit. What s more, missing a class can cause you to miss an in-class informal assignment, or can cause you to be unable to turn in a homework assignment on time. Likewise, missing class can cause you to miss an important discussion or lecture, and material from discussions and lectures may be covered on the exams. You are still responsible for knowing all of this material, whether present and active in class or not. So, regularly failing to participate and/or attend class can indirectly affect your grade in various ways, and I don t recommend it. Plus, I value your input and participation, and it s likely to be beneficial to other students, as well! Class Format Class sessions will consist primarily of lectures, with time for questions and class discussion. Since much of the reading for the course is not easy, the lectures will be intended to help you understand difficult points in the reading, and will likely take up a large part of our class. Even so, there will always be time for questions and discussion, and I strongly encourage both. There are many different views on the issues that we will be discussing, and it is unlikely that all of us will agree on every point. I encourage you to question your classmates (and me!) when you hear something that you disagree with or are not sure about. Such disagreement and questioning is prevalent throughout the history of philosophy, and it is often the occasion for important philosophical discussion. Just remember that disagreeing about the views that we will discuss
does not (and should not) amount to a personal attack on any person. Our focus should be on assessing the merits of the ideas being discussed. Academic Integrity and Honor Code This course will be conducted in accordance with the GMU Honor Code, and all students are expected to abide by it. The GMU Honor Code, as found in the University Catalog, is as follows: To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of the George Mason University community and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the student members of the university community, have set forth this honor code: Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work. (http://catalog.gmu.edu/content.php? catoid=15&navoid=1039&returnto=search#honor) Details concerning the university s Honor System and Code can be found in the University Catalog (accessible online at the above link). Principles of academic integrity will be taken very seriously in this course. How can you respect the principles of academic integrity? Essentially, you should do your own work when asked to do so, and you should give appropriate credit and attribution to others when you rely upon their work. To be clear about this: unless group work is explicitly requested, all submitted work in this course should be your own work; collaboration (or any other use of the work of other persons) on submitted work is not permitted. The only exception to this is when materials in your submitted work happens to be drawn from scholarly sources (e.g., journal articles, books, etc.), in which case you must include proper attribution (e.g., quotation marks where appropriate, author s name, title of source, page number or URL, etc.). Put in more practical terms, you are free (and encouraged!) to discuss readings, philosophical issues, and other course materials with your peers, but you should not work with or copy from them (or others) when directly completing submitted assignments (i.e., when determining answers to questions or completing essay or short answer assignments). If you have any questions concerning these issues or any other aspect of academic integrity, please speak with me. When (if ever) a violation of academic integrity is suspected, I will have to comply with the university s guidelines and report the student(s) involved to the GMU Honor Committee. My recommendation to the Honor Committee will typically be at least that the assignment in which the violation seemingly occurs receive a score of 0, unless the case is resolved by the Honor Committee with a finding of Not Guilty (in which case it will not be penalized). Ideally, we will all avoid having to go through this! Academic Accommodations If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me, and please also contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 703-993-2474. You may also refer
to the website of ODS at the following URL: http://ods.gmu.edu/. All academic accommodations must be arranged through ODS.
Tentative Class Schedule (subject to change) Readings Key: RR = Reason and Responsibility; ER = E-Reserves; BB = Blackboard Date Topic Readings Topic 1: Preliminaries Mon., 8/27 Introduction and Syllabus None Wed., 8/29 Philosophical Methods: Argument (1) Jim Pryor, Philosophical Terms and Methods (section titled What is an Argument, including sub-sections) [BB] Fri., 8/31 Philosophical Methods: Analysis (1) Jim Pryor, Philosophical Terms and Methods (section titled Analyzing Concepts ) [BB] FIRST UNIT: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD (PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION) Topic 2: The Cosmological Argument Mon., 9/3 NO CLASS (Labor Day) N/A Wed., 9/5 Classical Version(s) (1) Thomas Aquinas, The Five Ways (only the first three ways are required) [RR] Fri., 9/7 Updated Version(s) (1) Samuel Clarke, A Modern Formulation of the Cosmological Argument [RR] Mon., 9/10 Objections (1) William Rowe, The Cosmological Argument [RR] Topic 3: The Argument from Design Wed., 9/12 Paley's Version (1) William Paley, The Argument from Design [RR] Fri., 9/14 Humean Objections (1) (1) Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Parts II-VII [RR] Mon., 9/17 Humean Objections (2) (1) Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Parts II-VII [RR] Topic 4: The Ontological Argument
Wed., 9/19 Anselm's Ontological Argument (1) Anselm of Canterbury, The Ontological Argument [RR] Fri., 9/21 Gaunilo's Objections (1) Gaunilo of Marmoutiers, On Behalf of the Fool [RR] Mon., 9/24 Rowe's Objections (1) Rowe, The Ontological Argument [RR] Topic 5: The Problem of Evil Wed., 9/26 The Problem of Evil (1) J. L. Mackie, Evil and Omnipotence [RR] Fri., 9/28 Responses to the Problem of Evil (1) Richard Swinburne, Why God Allows Evil [RR] Mon., 10/1 Responses to the Problem of Evil (1) Richard Swinburne, Why God Allows Evil [RR], continued Topic 6: FIRST EXAM Wed., 10/3 Exam Review None Fri., 10/5 FIRST EXAM None SECOND UNIT: KNOWLEDGE AND SKEPTICISM (EPISTEMOLOGY) Topic 7: What is Knowledge? Mon., 10/8 (TUES., 10/9) The Traditional Account (1) Edmund Gettier, Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? Wed., 10/10 A Recent Account (1) James Cornman, Keith Lehrer, and George Pappas, An Analysis of Knowledge [RR] Topic 8: Doubts About Knowledge (Skepticism) Fri., 10/12 Skeptical Scenarios (Evil Demons and Brains in Vats) (1) Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, First and Second Meditation [RR] (2) John Pollock, A Brain in a Vat [RR] Mon., 10/15 Skeptical Arguments (1) Richard Feldman, Skepticism [ER]
Wed., 10/17 More Skeptical Arguments (1) Michael Huemer, Three Skeptical Arguments [RR] Topic 8: Responses to Skepticism, Part 1 Fri., 10/19 The Causal Response (1) John Locke, The Causal Theory of Perception, Section titled Of Our Knowledge of the Existence of Other Things [RR] Mon., 10/22 Epistemological Commonsensism (1) Thomas Reid, Of the Existence of a Material World [RR] (2) G. E. Moore, Proof of an External World [RR] Wed., 10/24 Fallibilism (1) Richard Feldman, Fallibilism [ER] Topic 9: Responses to Skepticism, Part 2 Fri., 10/26 Phenomenal Conservatism (1) Michael Huemer, Selections from Skepticism and the Veil of Perception [ER] (2) Richard Feldman, The Moorean Response [ER] Mon., 10/29 Inference to the Best Explanation (1) Timothy McGrew, A Defense of Strong Foundationalism, (Section titled Are Strong Foundations Sufficient? only (but skip sub-section about concept empiricism )) [BB] (2) Feldman, Inference to the Best Explanation [ER] Topic 10: SECOND EXAM Wed., 10/31 Exam Review None Fri., 11/2 SECOND EXAM None THIRD UNIT: FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM (METAPHYSICS) Topic 11: Compatibilism and Soft Determinism Mon., 11/5 Compatibilism/Soft Determinism, Part 1 (1) David Hume, Of Liberty and Necessity [RR]
Wed., 11/7 Compatibilism/Soft Determinism, Part 2 (1) A. J. Ayer, Freedom and Necessity [RR] Topic 12: Incompatibilism Fri., 11/9 Incompatibilism, Part 1 (1) Peter van Inwagen, Freedom of the Will [RR] Mon., 11/12 Incompatibilism, Part 2 (1) Peter van Inwagen, Freedom of the Will [RR], continued Topic 13: Libertarianism Wed., 11/14 Agent-Causal Libertarianism (1) Roderick Chisholm, Human Freedom and the Self [RR] Fri., 11/16 Event-Causal Libertarianism, Part 1 (1) Robert Kane, Free Will: Ancient Dispute, New Themes [RR] Mon., 11/19 Event-Causal Libertarianism, Part 2 (1) Robert Kane, Free Will: Ancient Dispute, New Themes [RR], continued Thanksgiving Holiday Wed., 11/21 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Holiday) N/A Fri., 11/23 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Holiday) N/A Topic 14: Hard Determinism and Hard Incompatibilism Mon., 11/26 Hard Determinism and Hard Incompatibilism (1) Paul Holbach, The Illusion of Free Will [RR] (2) Derk Pereboom, Why We Have No Free Will and Can Live Without It, Sections 1-2 only [RR] Wed., 11/28 Hard Incompatibilism, Part 2 (1) Derk Pereboom, Why We Have No Free Will and Can Live Without It, Sections 3-4 only [RR] Topic 15: Freedom and Responsibility Fri., 11/30 Freedom, Responsibility, and Hard Incompatibilism (1) Derk Pereboom, Why We Have No Free Will and Can Live Without It, Sections 5-8 only [RR]
Mon., 12/3 Wed., 12/5 Freedom, Responsibility, and Soft Determinism, Part 1 Freedom, Responsibility, and Soft Determinism, Part 2 (1) Harry Frankfurt, Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility [RR] (1) Harry Frankfurt, Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility [RR], continued Topic 16: THIRD (FINAL) EXAM Fri., 12/7 Exam Review None FINAL (THIRD) EXAM: FRIDAY, 12/14, 10:30AM-1:15PM