An Introduction to Philosophy

A standard class introducing philosophy from an historical angle.
Develops skills in reading comprehension and in writing essays.

Estimated Price of Books on Feburay 22nd, 2008, $70.00, does not include shipping as this can vary, texts must be ordered seperately from registering, the correct texts are linked in the Required Book section for an Introdcution to Philosophy on the left hand side of the web page.

This class begins with the rise of philosophy and science in Ancient Greece in the 6th century BC, a time with a number of parallels with the 20th and early 21st centuries. The beginning of philosophy is more a beginning in natural philosophy or what is now termed science and there is considerable efforts expended in trying to explain the world in only physical terms, much like the scientism of this and the last century. Next we will consider Socrates and his efforts to introduce the discussion of ends or purposes into the philosophical mix, an attempt to bring ethics or the governance of one’s conduct under the umbrella of thought. Plato, the great student of Socrates, will provide us with the next four lessons when we look at this definition of justice or proper conduct. Plato thinks it is possible to define the just person by looking at the just state and visa versa so we will also be treated to his view of the good society. After Plato David Hume will bring us into the modern era and a renewed focus on experience and observation in forming thoughts about the world. Hume, himself a skeptic, will provide a powerful challenge to formation of non-arbitrary beliefs about the world. The class will conclude with looking at a possible answer to Hume developed by another British philosopher, Susan Haack, a top-flight professor I had the honor of studying with in graduate school.

By the end of the class the student should have a good understanding of the general flow of philosophical thought from its’ inception to contemporary times, be in a position to both write and follow philosophical arguments from a number of time periods and have a greater appreciation of philosophy.

Detailed Course of Study

Course Description: Major areas of study and concern in philosophy include epistemology, metaphysics, ethics and political theory. The first of these, epistemology, deals with how we come to know or form justified beliefs and metaphysics inquires into what is real, God(s), minds, souls, freedom, etc. Ethics is the study of proper conduct and or how we ought to behave and political theory concerns itself with what might be termed ethics for mass society. This class will touch on all four of these topics in addition to developing reading comprehension and writing skills.

Course Structure and Assignments

Final Grades and the Assessment Option

If the student likes the ideas of being given a mock college grade the traditional, 90% or higher is an A, 80% or higher is a B, 70% or higher is a C, 60% or higher is a D and less than 60% is a F, can easily be applied. Mock grades do not have to be assigned; it is up to the student. In weeks one through nine you will have two assignments each week, a set of multiple choice questions and an essay. If a mock grade is desired the multiple-choice questions will be worth 20% of the final grade, the weekly essays worth 60% of the final grade and the final exam will be worth the remaining 20%. In terms of a 500 point semester the final exam would be worth 100 points, the essay questions worth 300 points and the multiple choice questions worth 100 points.

The weekly essays and the final exam will be graded in terms of completeness, errors and omissions. When I grade essays I start off by assuming that everyone has a 100% and then take off points for failing to completely answer each part of the question, mistakes and omitting any part of the question.

Required Texts

Before and After Socrates, by F.M. Cornford, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-09113-6.

Plato, The Republic, by Plato, Translated by Richard Sterling and William Scott. W.W. Norton and Company, 1985, ISBN: 0-393-31467-7.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, by David Hume, edited by Eric Steinberg, Hackett Publishing, 2nd edition, 1993, ISBN: 0-872-20229-1.

Some Thoughts on Thinking, by Jonathan Finch, University Press of America, 2002, ISBN: 0-7618-2315-8.