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Fall Semester 2008
Saturday course Syllabus
Classes will meet: Sept 6, Sept 20,
Oct 4, Oct 18, Nov 1, Nov 15, Dec 6 (Alternative Snow Date: Dec. 13,
2008) Course
Description: An introduction to Western
philosophical thinking and methods through an examination of selected figures and movements from the history of the discipline,
including Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Hume, Mill, & Kant.
Credits: 3
Liberal Studies Division D1
Dragon Core Area 6: The Humanities
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Related Links: (highly useful for this semester's
course)
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What
is Philosophy? |
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SAMPLE STUDENT ESSAYS |
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I
need help with the Euthyphro! |
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Aquinas:
The Five Ways to Prove That God Exists
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Analysis
of the Argument of each of the Five Ways
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Criticisms
of the Five Ways
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Outline
of Paley's Argument and Hume's Response
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Christianity
and Free Will (The Catholic Encyclopedia)
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Hard
and Soft Determinism (another teacher's outline)
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d'Holbach
& Moore lecture on Determinism
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Three
Theories of Truth Compared (Very Basic level -- another
teacher's outline)
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Theories
of Truth (Lots of info: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
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Truth: Coherence
and Correspondence
(Advanced level: Stanford Encyclopedia)
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Relativism
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Outline
of absolutism and relativism |
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ASSORTED LINKS
(generally relevant to introductory philosophy): |
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Tell
me more about the Meno, and about learning as recollection |
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A very
basic overview of Plato's Philosophy, including the Parable of the Cave |
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Tell
me more about ancient Greece |
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Lecture
notes about Plato at the University of Washington |
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A
visual of the cave, with explanations |
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What do you
want to know about Plato and his writings?
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What
is Plato's distinction between knowledge and opinion in the Meno?
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Aristotle's
Four Causes
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What
happens after death? A traditional Christian doctrine
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Aquinas:
The Five Ways to Prove That God Exists
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Analysis
of the Argument of each of the Five Ways
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Criticisms
of the Five Ways
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Pascal's
Wager
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A
basic guide to Pascal's Wager And
a more complex one
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Tell
me more about the problem of evil and its solution
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Why
did Galileo get into such trouble with the Church?
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A
general introduction to Descartes and his philosophy |
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Malebranche
on Free Will
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Ryle,
the mind, and category mistakes |
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Aristotle's
thesis that virtue is tied to dispositions
and an outline
of Aristotle's ethics |
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What
is Hume's position on morality? |
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David
Hume:
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (edited)
Loads
of links to pages about David Hume
Outline
of Kant's Ethics (duty and the categorical imperative)
John
Stuart Mill: Introduction to his life and
his
writings
Outline
of Mill's Utilitarianism -- and another
outline
Outline
of King's Letter from Birmingham Jail
d'Holbach
Loads
of links to pages about Immanuel Kant
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Citing
sources (University of California web site)
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Syllabus:
Summer 2002
Syllabus: Summer 2003
Syllabus: Fall 2004
Syllabus: Fall
2005
Syllabus:
Fall 2006
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Last
updated Nov. 1, 2008 |
