Unit 1: The Origins of Philosophy Suggested Duration: about 10 days Introduction to Philosophy Levels 1 and 2 Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary/Content Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: The earliest philosophers sought to understand nature and its processes independent of religious myths. Eventually, philosophy underwent a permanent shift from the study of nature to that of human nature. Standards: 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D, 8.4.9.A, 8.4.9.C Essential Questions: 1. What is the definition of philosophy? 2. What are the qualities of a good philosopher? 3. Who were the earliest philosophers and what did they study? 4. What is the significance of the shift from religious myths to philosophy for human development? 5. How did philosophy Students should know that: The purpose of religion in any culture is to provide an explanation to things the culture does not understand. In the earliest days of human development, humans used religious myths to explain nature and its processes, the most important areas of understanding for human survival As religious myths became more complicated and corrupted by religious leaders, those on the periphery sought alternative explanations to understanding nature. The earliest philosophers, known as the Cosmologists, studied nature and changes in nature. Some of what they put RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Develop a definition of philosophy and identify the qualities of a good philosopher. Identify the two areas of a philosopher s background and explain why such knowledge is Definition of Philosophy and etymology Qualities of a good philosopher Two items encountered with each philosopher: a. Personal history b. General history Role of religion in any culture Role of religious myths in explaining natural processes/why nature so important to early cultures (survival) Definition of Cosmology and etymology Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus Definition of Rationalism Definition of Empiricism Contrast Rationalism and Empiricism Biography of Socrates Four points of Socratic theory Socratic Method Impact of Socrates on Western thought Plato s biography Plato s concept of two worlds, rationalism, views on government and women Aristotle s biography Aristotle s empirical world view, and views on government and women Sophie s World, Chs. 1 12 Wolff, Chapter 1, pgs. 1 33 Plato s Allegory of the Cave Computers/Projector Students submit and analyze their own definitions of philosophy via blog submissions. Wolff, p. xiii and analyze the author s background and biases. Students then follow up by writing a biography of themselves following a similar format in order to analyze their own potential biases. and discuss Sophie s World, Chs. 1,2 to emphasize the definition of philosophy and the qualities of a good philosopher.
shift from the study of nature to the study of human nature? 6. What is the significance of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to the development of philosophy? forth is still valid today. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle brought philosophy to the mainstream and instituted the permanent shift in philosophy from nature to human nature. Every philosopher s personal and general history impact the ideas he/she develops. important. Define bias and analyze each philosopher s potential bias by studying his/her background. Synthesize the development of philosophy from religious myths, through cosmology to the Socratics and human nature. Analyze the impact of the Socratics on Western thought. Compare and contrast Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Sophie s World, Chs. 3 6 and Wolff, p. 12 26 to synthesize the process of shifting from religious myths to cosmology and identify the names and achievements of the first philosophers. Interactive lecture about the process of historical accuracy and fallibility of what is fact especially regarding ancient history. Wolff, p. 1 12 and Sophie s World, Ch. 7 and discuss Socrates biography, Socratic method and four points of Socratic theory. and discuss Sophie s World, Chs. 9 11 to analyze the connection between Plato s and Aristotle s
biographies and compare and contrast their ideas between themselves and Socrates.
Unit 2: Epistemology Suggested Duration: about 10 days Introduction to Philosophy Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary/Content Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: The early modern European period witnessed a second major philosophic shift known as the Epistemological Turn, which started with Rene Descartes and ended with Immanuel Kant. Standards: 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D, 8.4.12.A, 8.4.12.C, 8.4.12.D Essential Questions: 7. What is the definition of epistemology? 8. How did the Protestant Reformation affect Descartes philosophy? 9. What was the impact of Descartes philosophy on Western thought? 10. How did Immanuel Kant complete the Students should know that: Very few people in the early modern European period received a formal education. Those that did were considered experts in all academic fields. The violence of the Protestant Reformation led Descartes to attempt to completely revamp all human knowledge based on absolute certainty. Descartes philosophy ignited a 200 year epistemological debate. Immanuel Kant gets credit for ending the epistemological turn. RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Define epistemology and identify its root origins. Connect Descartes background to his philosophy. Identify the four steps of the Cartesian method of Inquiry and Definition of Epistemolgy and etymology Definition of Rationalism and Empiricism and the difference between them Definitions of Episemological Dualism, and Epistemological Skepticism Connection between Descartes biography and his ideas Four Steps of Cartesian Method and summary of Cogito Argument Definition of Solipsism Summary of Leibniz and his defense of rationalism Summary of David Hume and John Locke and their defenses of empiricism Summary of Immanuel Kant s ideas on Unity of Consciousness and World of Appearance vs. World of Reality Sophie s World, Chs. 17 25 Wolff, Chapter 2, pgs. 49 85 Computers/Projector Sophie s World, Ch. 17 and Wolff, p. 49 and analyze the impact of Descartes biography on his ideas. Wolff, p. 50 60 and summarize Descartes ideas on the Method of Inquiry and Doubt, and the Cogito Argument. Wolff, p. 61 76 and Sophie s World, Chs. 18 25, and summarize and compare and contrast Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Kant. Students write a 2 3 page paper determining if Empiricism or
Epistemological turn? Doubt. Compare and contrast the competing rationalist and empiricist philosophies that followed Descartes. Summarize Kant s philosophy on the World of Appearance vs. World of Reality and his ideas on the Unity of Consciousness. Analyze the impact of the Epistemological turn on Western thought. Rationalism is the more valid philosophy and which philosopher developed the most valid epistemological philosophy (submitted via Google Docs).
Unit 3: Metaphysics Suggested Duration: about 5 days Introduction to Philosophy Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary/Content Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: While Metaphysics can apply to just about any philosophical topic, one of the most basic is an inquiry into the basic substance of things in nature. Are things material, just ideas in the mind, or do both exist? The answer to this question leads to an even larger study into whether humans act of their own free will or act in a determined way. Standard 8.1.12.B: Synthesize and evaluate historical sources. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural contributions to world history since 1450. Essential Questions: 11. What do we mean by Metaphysics? 12. How did Thomas Hobbes defend his materialistic theory? Students should know that: Metaphysics is a very broad field in philosophy and is best understood as the junk drawer of philosophy. One of the basic topics in Metaphysics is the debate between materialism vs. idealism. This debate affects a person s understanding of free will vs. determinism. Thomas Hobbes was a pure materialist and as a result, believed in physical determinism of our actions. Immanuel Kant acknowledged the existence of both materialism and idealism and suggested that free will and determinism are experienced in two different realms of RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Define all terms associated with the unit and identify the etymology of the word, metaphysics from the Greek. Summarize Hobbes ideas on materialism. Summarize Hobbes Metaphysics Materialism Idealism Dualism Endeavor Deliberation Appetite/Desire Aversion Love Hate Contempt Liberty/Freedom Free will Physical determinism World of Appearance World of Reality Wolff, Ch. 3 Class blog Computers Wolff, Ch. 3. Students take a section (as selected by the teacher) from Hobbes primary source selection within Ch. 3 and translate into their own words. Students blog about their beliefs regarding whether or not humans have free will. This exercise is particularly effective when teachers are invited to participate.
13. In what way did Hobbes think we are determined? 14. How did Kant address the question of free will vs. determinism? existence. ideas on physical determinism. Explore the implications of Hobbes determinist theories for morality and law. Identify the main ideas of Kant, specifically regarding his belief in two realms. Develop their own ideas as to whether humans act as a result of free will or are, in fact, determined. Synthesize the ideas of past philosophers with those encountered in this unit to deepen an understanding of how western thought developed.
Unit 4: The Philosophy of Science Suggested Duration: about 5 days Introduction to Philosophy Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: Science has come to set the standard of what is true in our society, but maybe it is possible that science provides no fact and is no different than any other academic subject. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural contributions to world history since 1450. Essential Questions: 15. When did science take its preeminent place in academics? 16. Who helped establish science as a primary subject of study? 17. How is science actually practiced? 18. Does scientific fact actually exist or is it as social an institution as religion? Students should know that: Francis Bacon provided the world with the first formal scientific method. Bacon rooted his method in empiricism and thought that science was progressive with each successive generation. Sir Isaac Newton believed that observing science without a hypothesis was inefficient and swung the scientific method back to rationalism. Newton s method is what we use today. Thomas Kuhn claimed that there is no such thing as scientific fact, but only popular opinion within the scientific community. RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Synthesize a rationale for the study of science as a viable subject. Construct a biography of those who helped establish science as a preeminent subject in western thought. progressive: the idea that scientific knowledge grows and improves with each successive generation empiricism: the belief that the primary source of knowledge is sense experience rationalism: the belief that the primary source of knowledge is reason normal science: the process of teaching and studying science in a classroom setting through established texts scientific revolution: the rejection of one scientific theory for another approved by the majority of the scientific community paradigm: the model studied through the process of normal science Wolff, About Philosophy, Ch. 4 Class debate on whether or not DNA testing should be allowed in court cases.
Analyze a primary source for accuracy and bias and connect it to other ideas in Philosophy.
Unit 5: Ethical Theory Suggested Duration: about 10 days Introduction to Philosophy Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: Although discussed for thousands of years, humans still debate if such a thing a universal ethics exists, or whether even there is such an actual concept. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural contributions to world history since 1450. Essential Questions: 19. Are there any universally sound moral principles; if so, how are they justified? 20. How do we solve moral dilemmas, cases in which there is genuine doubt about what is right and what is wrong? 21. What is the good life? Students should know that: There are four basic beliefs about ethics: universalism, relativism, skepticism, and nihilism. Immanuel Kant offered the strongest support of universalism with the Categorical Imperative. Ruth Benedict used an anthropological background to support relativism. Jeremy Bentham attempted to address collective ethics and the good life simultaneously with his Utilitarianism. RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Identify and summarize the basic belief systems regarding ethical theory Construct a biography of those who helped further the debate regarding ethics in Ethics: the systematic study of how we ought to act toward ourselves and others; it deals both with general rules and with particular cases. Maxims: universal rules Ethical skepticism: a perspective that denies that we can have any certainty about what it means to be good or right; doubts that any acts are right or wrong Ethical relativism: a perspective holding that the rightness or wrongness of an act depends on, or is relative to the society in which the act is committed Ethical nihilism: a perspective which denies that any act is right or wrong Categorical Imperative: a command that orders us to do something unconditionally, regardless of aims or purposes Utilitarianism: a moral philosophy which considers the maximization of utility (the greatest happiness for the greatest number) to be Wolff, About Philosophy, Ch. 5 Class debate on whether or not personal behavior should be used to judge public activity. Short paper on the ethical nature of using steroids in sports.
western thought. Analyze a primary source for accuracy and bias and connect it to other ideas in Philosophy. Compare and contrast the varying ethical theories in western thought Develop his/her own ethical theory and defend its principles the highest moral good Rule Utilitarianism: a moral philosophy which holds that general laws or social norms should be chosen based on a utilitarian consideration, but individual acts should then be judged in accordance with those laws and norms
Unit 6: Social and Political Philosophy Suggested Duration: about 10 days Introduction to Philosophy Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Big Idea: The decisions of citizens and the actions of politicians are rooted in basic ideas as to how a society should be organized and what the responsibilities of individuals are in that society. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural contributions to world history since 1450. Essential Questions: 22. How ought we as humans make collective decisions about fundamental issues like distribution of wealth? 23. How do we define political authority and justify any authority of the state? 24. Is our own system of government, rooted in Rousseau and Locke, a Students should know that: John Stuart Mill took the ethical theory of Utilitarianism and reworked it into a social and political theory rooted in Laissez faire capitalism. Karl Marx offered Marxism as an alternative to what he saw as an inefficient capitalist system. Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke both believed that the concept of popular sovereignty was paramount. Rousseau believed that the best social and political system was the social contract. RTM Core Social Studies Skills: Map skills Interpretation of charts and graphs interpretation of political cartoons interpretation based on synthesis of facts Notetaking and organizational skills Reading comprehension Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Differentiate among the various social and political theories. Construct a biography of those who helped further the debate regarding social and political theory in western thought. Laissez faire: the economic system of free market exchange unfettered by government regulation or intrusion Entrepreneur: an economic agent who takes on both the full risks and rewards of his commercial activities Invisible hand: a term, coined by Adam Smith, which indicates that the market exchange economic system leads to positive ordered outcomes for an entire economy even though each individual actor seeks only his own ends Material base: the factors of economic production and the institutions in which they are used within an economy Means of production: the elements used in economic production, typically considered to be land, labor, capital, and other raw materials Social relationships of production: how different types of economic agents interact with each other Wolff, About Philosophy, Ch. 6 Sophie s World chapters, Marx, Locke Have students read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and annotate where they see Locke s and Rousseau s ideas Have students watch speeches on line of American politicians and ask them to analyze the speeches for influence of any of the philosophers studied.
valid system? Analyze a primary source for accuracy and bias and connect it to other ideas in Philosophy. Analyze each of the ideas presented for strengths and weaknesses. Develop his/her own ethical theory and defend its principles. Division of labor: dividing a production task into identifiable sub tasks to be undertaken by individual workers in order to capture economic efficiency Superstructure: non economic social institutions Bourgeoisie: essentially, the middle class of capitalist society Proletariat: the working Class Alienation: disconnectedness; being at war with one s own nature Marxism: the social/economic philosophy developed by Marx which is essentially scientific materialism Socialism: an economic system based on collective ownership of the factors of production, involving systematic planning of economic activity Legitimate authority: the right to give commands that others have a moral obligation to obey Popular sovereignty: a system in which social or governmental decisions are undertaken based upon the will of the citizenry Social contract: a voluntary, unanimous agreement among all the people of a society to form themselves into a social unit with agreed upon rules of conduct and government
General will: the decision of a society s members to put aside individual preferences in order to work toward the collective good of that society Tacit consent: agreeing to a contract, without actually signing it or explicityly declaring allegiance to it, but some revealing action such as choosing to live within a society governed by a given social contract Pluralism: the belief that society is affected not the relationship between and individual and the state, but among competing special interest groups within the society