Introduction to Philosophy

Think_different 2.png. Wkimedia Commons. Oct. 2009. Web. 01/02/2012.

Who are we? What does it mean to be human? Does God exist? Are there universal moral values? What is "good reasoning"? You might have thought about similar questions before and speculated about possible answers. In the above picture, the Iranian philosopher Avicenna (980-1037 C. E.) presents a diagram of the human mind, an early attempt to understand how knowledge is formed. The question how human knowledge is possible has been pursued by philosophers throughout history. Yet this question is just one among many raised. Exploring philosophical topics in this course will sharpen your interest in some of the puzzling questions human beings face. The course will expand your horizon of understanding of diverse topics, and enhance your sensibility to ask questions about humankind's most basic assumptions, beliefs, values and ideas.

We will explore why we think what we think and why we value what we value in conversation with philosophical texts. It is quite likely that you might have certain thoughts and follow common sense notions regarding many of the topics we will consider in class since these arise from human life experience. Yet, the goal of this class is not to simply restate what you already think and value but to discover, rationalize, and explore a variety of possible perspectives on questions and topics that have been raised regarding humanity and the cosmos. Therefore, it is helpful to get to know what others have thought before us. To consider the perspectives of various philosophers, their thinking, reasoning, and judgment is a first step in understanding the topics. This requires a serious attempt to recognize philosophical arguments and to examine ideas that will come from diverse and multicultural contexts.

Identifying questions and exploring perspectives and ideas will prepare you for another important step, your critical assessment of philosophical arguments. This means you will evaluate your own position on the discussed issues and ultimately defend and justify your philosophical views on the topics explored with your argument. Such a learning process includes the possible challenge to preconceptions and the willingness to be open to "listen" to concepts that might be unusual and unfamiliar. It requires the ability to question, rethink, and modify notions in the light of others who present different perspectives on issues often taken for granted in everyday life experience.

Accordingly, Philosophy 1100 introduces students to examine human nature and the world through the study of knowledge, reality, and human conduct. Designed to increase the student's self-awareness and ability to think, the central focus in this honors course will be on the question what it means to be human. Throughout history, this question has been asked, has challenged the minds of famous thinkers, and has been answered in various ways by philosophers. In this course, students will be provided with a body of philosophical writings that introduce them to a broad range of possible models on how to think about humanity and the human being. Acquiring comprehensive knowledge of these models, analyzing ideas and concepts and ultimately responding critically to these is therefore not just an exercise in reading, writing, and research. The work should allow honors students to critically investigate multifaceted perspectives with the goal to ultimately reach sound judgments about questions that are central to their own lives.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the course the student should be able to do the following:

1. Recognize the meaning and purpose of philosophy as people have pursued it in various ways
2. Define the various areas of philosophy and introduce the student to the basic questions and problems these areas address
3. Describe some of the answers to these questions as proposed by major thinkers and to assess them
4. Identify major types of philosophies which have emerged from the past and the present and which are still affecting the world today
5. Make original and unexpected inferences and present new avenues of thought

No portion of this work shall be copied, reproduced, distributed or

publicly displayed without the consent of the author.