Introduction to
Philosophy
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c. 1300
English Miniaturist; Illumination on 21,7 x 14,2 cm
University Library, Cambridge
This picture features a diagram of the brain as perceived
by the Iranian physician and philosopher, Avicenna
. The brain is divided in five
sections, which include judgment, imagination, composition and
combination of images and memory.
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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.
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
Requirements:
Essays - 40% of your accumulative grade will be determined by a number
of essays. In these essays, you need to write a summary of certain
philosophical arguments and discuss philosophical topics critically.
Please read the information how
to critically analyze arguments very carefully. Once every second
week, we will use a computer-lab. This will give you time to work
on summaries, interpretations and philosophical arguments (1-2 pages;
double spaced 12 point font). I will give you a critical response
and a letter-grade for four of these essays. You decide, which essays
you want to have graded (please indicate clearly on the top of your
paper). You need to turn in all your essays since those without a
letter grade account for 20% of your accumulative grade as long as
I can recognize a serious effort in your work.
Structure
of an argument and abstracts: You will be required to choose one
philosopher from the primary philosophical tentative reading list
in the syllabus to perform research. For this purpose, you should
plan to have some time to visit the library. You are required to read
a primary text by a philosopher of your choice. In addition, you need
to read two secondary sources which deal with your philosophical topic
or the philosopher to gain a more comprehensive and critical understanding
of the argument/s provided. You will submit a)
an outline of the main argument b) your own critical response to this
argument, and c) and informative abstracts (half a page each) about
the research material you used. Your secondary sources must at
least include one academic book and one academic article dealing with
your philosopher's work. The library offers numerous sources for your
research. In case you have never written an abstract please use the
following guidance on "Informative
Abstracts". The research will be a very good preparation
for your writing assignments. Therefore, choose your philosopher early
on during the course and begin your readings. Your outline of the
philosophical argument and the documented research accounts for 30%
of your grade. The grading criteria will particularly focus on clarity,
creativity, and depth of presentation in your interpretation of your
sources.
Please do not plagiarize. Keep in mind that this class
follows the “Academic Honesty Philosophy Statement” of the
College of DuPage: http://www.cod.edu/grayke/honesty.htm.
The assignments must be your own work. The following website offers
a comprehensive insight and examples how to acknowledge your
sources: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sources/. Please think about your choices
seriously and mark, what you find as a source, your teacher can detect
as well! Proven plagiarism will earn you an F for the class, possibly
a meeting with the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, including
a formal report and/or an appearance before a Judicial Board.
Participation - Practicing your argumentative
skills in class discussion is vital in philosophy. Lively discussions
make this a much more interesting class. You are required
to keep a notebook with the questions for each reading. Please include
the topic of the reading and the date. Since your thoughtful and critical
contribution in these discussions accounts for 30% of your grade,
please participate regularly! The questions need to be submitted with
the term paper at the end of the semester and will be part of your
participation grade. Missing more than two classes during the semester
will negatively influence your participation grade.
Attendance
- You are allowed three absences. Yet, you are responsible to keep
up with what you missed in particular the computer sessions and assignments!
I also assume you are not one of those students slamming doors, coming
late into class. Respect for others will make this class a much more
enjoyable and dynamic place for exploring, thinking, and learning.
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Class Discussion
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30%
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Assignments
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40%
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Structure
of an Argument
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15%
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Abstracts
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15%
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Course
Material
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The Oxford
Dictionary of Philosophy.
Simon Blackburn. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference
Online. Oxford University Press. College of DuPage Library.
01.02.07
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Week 1
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Tentative Readings
Unit I
Philosophy
in ancient Greece
Simon
Goldhill. The Perfect Body:
An excerpt from Love, Sex & Tragedy: How the Ancient World
Shapes Our Lives. August 1, 2006. <http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/301176.html
>
Kent
Anderson and Norm Freud. Last Days of Socrates.(12/30/03)
http://socrates.clarke.edu/
Simon
Blackburn. Think . Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1999. pp 1-13.
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| Week 2 |
Plato. Apology. Trans. Benjamin
Jowett. Aug. 1, 2006. < http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html
>
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| Week 3 |
Joe Lau. A Mini Guide to Critical Thinking. Aug. 2003.
University of Hong Kong. Aug. 23. 2006.
http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/misc/miniguide.pdf
Plato. "Pheadrus"
(excerpt) Trans. Benjamin Jowett. The Dialogues of Plato. 3ed.
vol. 2 (excerpt) Macmillan, 1892.
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| Week 4 |
Unit II
Soul, Body, Mind, and
Personal Identity
Plato. Phaedo.
Trans. Benjamin Jowett The Dialogues of Plato. 3ed.
vol. 2 (excerpt) Macmillan, 1892.
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| Week 5 |
Aristotle. On
the Soul. Trans. J. A. Smith. (excerpt)
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| Week 6 |
Simon Blackburn. Think . Oxford:
Oxford University Press. pp. 15-48.
Descartes. Meditations
on First Philosophy. Trans. John Veitch, 1901 (excerpt).
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| Week 7 |
Simon Blackburn.
Think. Oxford : Oxford University Press. pp. 40-48.
David Hume. Enquiries
Concerning the Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles
of Morals. Rep. Ed. of 1777, edited by L.A. Selby-Bigge,
M.A., late Fellow of University College, Oxford, 2nd. Ed. 1902.
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| Week 8 |
Simon Blackburn. Think . Oxford: Oxford
University Press. pp. 135-48. 253-59.
Before reading Kant's
Critique of Pure Reason please look at the following
introduction to his thought: The Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy. Immanuel Kant. (10/12/05) http://www.iep.utm.edu/k/kantmeta.htm
Immanuel Kant. The
Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. J.M.D. Meiklejohn
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| Week 9 |
Unit III
Philosophy of Religion
Simon Blackburn. Think.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 149-76.
Optional:
Caroline Stone. Doctor, Philosopher, Rennaissance Man . 07/17/04.http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ir/art/ir-armco.pdf
Averroës. On the Harmony
of Religion and Philosophy . Medieval Sourcebook from trans.
Mohammed Jamil-al-Rahman Baroda: A. G. Widgery, 1921. pp. 14-19,
122-131, 204-229, 242-249, 260-283, 300-308.(12/30/03) http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1190averroes.html
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| Week 10 |
Friedrich Nietzsche. The Gay Science
(1882, 1887) para. 125; Walter Kaufmann ed. (New York:
Vintage, 1974. pp.181-82. (01/18/03) http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/nietzsche-madman.html
Friedrich Nietzsche. Thus
Spoke Zarathustra (excerpt) Trans. Thomas Common. 1999.
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| Week 11 |
Albert Camus. Myth of Sisyphus.
(02/01/05) http://www.siue.edu/~evailat/sisyphus.html
Jean Paul Sartre. A selection from Existentialism
and Human Emotions . Trans. Bernard Frechtman. Philosophical
Library, 1957. pp. 9-16. (01/17/04) http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/exist.htm
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| Week 12 |
Zen Master Dogen. Moon in a Dewdrop:
Writings by Zen Master Dogen. Kazuaki Tanahashi ed. New
York: North Point,1995. pp. 3-25, 29-43, 85-94,114-123.
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| Week 13 |
Unit IV
Ethics
Peter Singer. Practical Ethics.
2 nd. ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. pp. 218-335.
Henry Richardson. "Moral Reasoning"
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University.
01/14/05. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/reasoning-moral/
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| Week 14 |
Peter Singer. Practical Ethics.
2 nd. ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. pp. 218-335.
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| Week 15 |
Unit V
Political and Social
Philosophy
Please read the introduction:
Simone de Beauvoir. The
Second Sex. H M Parshley trans. (12/30/03) http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/2ndsex.htm
Hannah Arendt. Reflections
on Violence. New York Times Review of Books 27 February,
1969 (reprint) (01/02/06) http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/arendt-hanna_reflections-on-violence.html
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| Week 16 |
Conferences
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Faculty/Student Commitments:
I promise to give every effort
and knowledge to stimulate your interest in and curiosity about the
topics. I will meet with you to give guidance and will respond to
your work as promptly and honestly as possible. Please do not hesitate
to visit me in my office, ask questions, provide suggestions or inquire
about any other matters that seem of importance to you. If you participate
in the course, I expect you to attend classes regularly, be prepared
with your readings to make discussions profitable, and deliver your
written essays on time. In case you cannot participate in the course
any longer, you are responsible to withdraw from the course.
All rights reserved.
No portion of this work shall
be copied, reproduced, distributed or
publicly displayed without
the consent of the author.
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