Freshman Seminar in Philosophy

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Syllabus Philosophy PHIL111 (01/02), Spring 2009 Freshman Seminar in Philosophy Meetings (/01): TR 8:00AM 9:15AM, Hyde Hall 119 Meetings (/02): TR 9:30AM 10:45AM, Hyde Hall 119 Instructor: Steve

1 Syllabus Philosophy PHIL111 (01/02), Spring 2009 Freshman Seminar in Philosophy Meetings (/01): TR 8:00AM 9:15AM, Hyde Hall 119 Meetings (/02): TR 9:30AM 10:45AM, Hyde Hall 119 Instructor: Steve Harris sh204 [at] evansville [dot] edu Office Hours: Wednesday by appointment, at Olmstead Hall 302 Course Webpage: Course Description In this course we will carefully think our way through some of the most important perennial problems in philosophy. Throughout we will find ourselves wrestling with fundamental issues in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and logic, the core areas of philosophical inquiry. Pressing philosophical concerns in the appropriate way will thus lead us to ask questions having the following general forms. What should we believe? (And why?) What is the world really like? What can we actually know about the world anyway? (And how?) How should we live our lives? The Freshman Seminar in Philosophy is a historically sensitive but problem-centered approach to the subject. The biggest questions are familiar to nearly everyone: What is the meaning of life? What matters most? Who (or what) am I? What should I do? Is there a god? Why do people suffer? Is the world the way we experience it or is everything an illusion? How can I be certain? Philosophy as practiced through the ages is largely a refinement of the art of asking such questions and being critical of the answers that might be given. In this course, we'll discuss traditional and contemporary debate about the existence and nature of god, about our knowledge of the world, and about ourselves as rational and moral beings. It is often said that the goal of philosophical inquiry is truth (or, if not truth, then at least some kind of clarity of thought). In this course, students will explore how to ask the right questions and how to make the right criticisms while carrying out philosophical investigations of their own. 1

2 Course Objectives If we are really lucky, we will manage to actually solve one or two of the problems that have bothered philosophers for centuries. What is more likely is that we will develop an understanding of what those problems are by analyzing and critically evaluating different views concerning them. The goal of the Freshman Seminar is to give each student a chance to learn philosophy by practicing philosophy. Students should come away from the course able to understand and appreciate central philosophical issues, along with the basic skills needed to analyze and evaluate philosophical arguments. Required Reading Most of the required reading for the course is contained in the textbooks listed below. These books can be purchased at the UE Bookstore. What Does It All Mean?, Thomas Nagel (New York: Oxford UP, 1987) ISBN: Reason and Responsibility 13/e, Edited by Joel Feinberg and Russ Shafer-Landau (Wadsworth, 2007) ISBN: Specific reading assignments are listed in the course schedule. Any additional required reading will be available as a handout. Recommended Reading There are some very helpful and easy-to-read introductions to philosophy and philosophical subjects. Listed below are some books that I have found useful and that you might enjoy reading as we work our way through the course. These texts are not required. Think, Simon Blackburn (New York: Oxford UP, 1999) Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, Edward Craig (New York: Oxford UP, 2002) The Philosophers, Edited by Ted Honderich (New York: Oxford UP, 1999) The Oxford History of Western Philosophy, Edited by Anthony Kenny (New York: Oxford UP, 2000) Course Outline The course begins with some preliminary discussion about the practice of philosophy. After that, the course is divided into four parts (see below). In each part, we investigate a related set of philosophical issues. We will explore these philosophical "problems" by carefully reconstructing and critically evaluating the arguments of philosophers. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Reason and Religious Belief Knowledge and Skepticism Mind and Nature Moral Philosophy 2

3 Assignments & Course Requirements The Freshman Seminar in Philosophy has no formal prerequisite. Students are expected to know how to write an essay. Some experience with philosophy or with critical reasoning will be helpful but neither is required. A main objective of this course is to introduce students not only to the subject matter of philosophy but also to the kinds of critical analysis and evaluation philosophers engage in. Reading Assignments and Lectures Readings are assigned for each meeting. Doing the readings and attending lectures is required. All the work you complete for the course (commentaries, quizzes, papers, exams) is designed to develop material originally presented in the readings and lectures. Participation The participation component of the final grade is based on your involvement in class discussion. The open, critical discussion of ideas is fundamental to the practice of philosophy. If you are not participating in class discussion, then you are missing most of what this course is really about. Quizzes and Commentaries There are regular quizzes (in class) and commentaries (homework) throughout the semester. These short assignments are designed to help you focus your attention on the important content found in the reading assignments. Students are thus encouraged to take them seriously. They provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your understanding of the philosophical arguments presented in the readings and a chance to practice your critical reading and writing skills. Exams There are no exams. Papers Formal written work for the course consists of two papers. Suggested paper topics will be distributed in class at an appropriate time. The first paper is expected to be about three pages in length and the second paper is expected to be about six pages. Both papers should be typed, double-spaced and appropriately referenced. Grades Final grades for the course are determined on the basis of the quality of work evidenced by papers, quizzes, and commentaries. The final grade also includes a participation component. Final grades are calculated according to the following scheme: Quizzes & Commentaries: 50% Paper #1: 15% Paper #2: 30% Participation: 5% 3

4 All work you turn in for a grade has a raw point-value and each component as a whole counts toward the specified percentage of the final grade. Letter grades are assigned according to the standard scale presented below. A A B+ B B C+ C C D+ D D F Policies Schedule Adjustments As the class proceeds, minor adjustments to the course schedule sometimes become necessary. I reserve the right to make such minor adjustments but will never do so without first announcing them to the class. Late or missed assignments Late assignments are never accepted for full credit and missed quizzes cannot be made-up. Exceptions: Only for those students who have some valid (i.e. documented) excuse will I waive this policy. Students who must miss a quiz or assignment are therefore encouraged to contact me before the date of the quiz or assignment to make other arrangements. Grading late assignments: Late assignments are graded normally and then 10% of the total possible score is deducted for each day overdue. (This means that any assignment handed-in more than 4 days late receives an automatic "F".) Incompletes A course grade of "incomplete" is given only in very special circumstances and must be formally requested by the student. Academic Honesty All the work you turn in for the course must be your own. For the official policy regarding cases of academic misconduct, please see the university s Academic Honor Code, which can be found on page 42 of the Undergraduate Catalogue. UELink: I strongly encourage doing philosophy together. Discussing the concepts and arguments introduced throughout the semester will contribute to your success in this course. However, students should not consult one another in completing specific assignments. Whenever you use ideas that are not your own in a paper, the correct citation of all such sources is required in order to receive a grade. Documented Disabilities It is the university s policy to make reasonable accommodations for any student with a documented disability. For information about how you can request accommodations, contact the Office of Counseling and Health Education, Union 135. Their telephone number is UELink: 4

5 Doing Well To do well in this course you have to engage yourself with the philosophical issues we consider. Keep up to date on all the reading assignments and bring questions and comments up during class discussions. Students are always encouraged to initiate class discussions and to discuss philosophical issues outside of class (e.g. together in groups, or with friends or family). Do not be afraid to disagree with the authors we read, or your classmates, or even the instructor! And do not be afraid of others disagreeing with you either. It is through the critical examination of philosophical reasoning that we eventually arrive (hopefully!) at philosophical understanding. Some of the subtle and perplexing dynamic aspects of doing philosophy are discussed in the book What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel. Reading Philosophy Reading (and understanding) philosophical writing is often very difficult. You will find that you must often read a piece of philosophical writing over and over again until it begins to make some sense. Sometimes, this is because the writing uses technical terminology. More often, it is simply the nature of the subject. Philosophical writing is critical and argumentative. Reading philosophy requires you to pay attention to what arguments the author is stating, analyzing or evaluating. This is important because philosophers very often state arguments, even defending them at length, before presenting their own counterarguments. If you do not make the effort to carefully follow the line of critical reasoning a philosopher is tracing, then what that philosopher says will surely sometimes seem confusing, perhaps even self-contradictory. Always do the assigned reading before the day of lecture when that reading will be discussed. Read and reread the assignments until you are comfortable with the primary gist or the main argument. And always take notes when you read. Your general goal is to answer the question: What is the argument? You should always try to identify the conclusion of the author's argument, and then try to identify the premises the author gives in support of that conclusion. Note any important definitions or distinctions the author takes pains to mention. And always ask yourself: If I grant these premises, am I then committed to the conclusion? Does it follow from the premises? And besides this, ask yourself this question: Are the premises true in the first place? Notice that these are two very different questions. Writing Philosophy When you write a philosophical paper, always be clear and to the point. Remember that you will be presenting, explaining and evaluating arguments. An argument is a conclusion and a group of reasons or premises in support of that conclusion. Always present arguments in a way that is clear and convincing, even when you disagree with them. To explain an argument, simply explain the meaning of any technical terms and clarify any important distinctions presupposed by the argument. If the argument is complex, you may also want to explain important or subtle steps in the argument. To evaluate an argument, you must do two things. First, decide whether the conclusion really follows from the premises. And second, decide whether the premises are really true. Doing Philosophy Philosophy is a kind of investigation, a kind of "thinking about thinking". When you investigate a philosophical issue, you often end up investigating yourself. But philosophizing is not a private enterprise. 5

6 Bring your investigations to class discussion. Open critical discussion is central to doing philosophy and everyone (including you) benefits from hearing views defended and objections raised. It is important to keep in mind, however, that philosophy is an investigation, not a boxing match. Philosophy is not debate. Our goal is not to win arguments but to critically evaluate them. At the end of philosophical investigation, we hope to find truth and understanding. 6

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