Course Requirements and PoliciesTentative Syllabus/Reading List1 Philosophy 231-50 Introduction to Philosophy Fall, 2011 Jackson Community College Monday & Wednesday 11:00 am – 12:49 pm, McDivitt Hall, Room 141 Dr. James D. Steadman Office: McDivitt Hall, Room 150 Office Phone: 517.796.0800, ext. 8332 Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00 am – 11:00 am (and by appointment) JCC e-mail: [email protected] Home e-mail: [email protected] Home Phone: 517.323.3792 Philosophy is a peculiar form of study, since philosophers themselves often disagree about the nature of their subject. Most philosophers have wanted to say that philosophy is a worthwhile cognitive discipline of some kind (so that it cannot be classified, for example, as simply a form of art), but there the agreement ends. In this class we will see that the two main functions of philosophy are (1) to clarify the concepts that we have about the world we live in, and (2) to sometimes serve as a judge in regard to such concepts. That is, a philosopher does not merely engage in logical analysis, but also considers how far (and in what manner) our most fundamental beliefs about the world are capable of being justified. It should be evident that these two concerns can be applied to almost anything that passes for learning. For example, the philosophy of religion examines problems of knowledge and truth in religion. In our class, we will look at how the fact of evil in the world has been used to argue against the existence of a perfectly good God. Another branch of philosophy is ethics, where philosophers look at moral rights and responsibilities. In our class we will look at (and criticize) the popular claim that moral judgments need to be understood in the context of given cultures. Two of the most fundamental areas of philosophy are epistemology and metaphysics. Epistemology is the study of how humans can know anything, the kinds of knowledge available to them, and the possibility of certainty. We will look at the classical theories of knowledge in philosophy, and examine an attempt by a contemporary philosopher to avoid skepticism, which is the claim that all we think we know is entirely without justification. Metaphysics is the study of theories of reality. We will look at several issues in this area. For example, we will look at the free will debate, and ask if the truth of determinism would take away our freedom. We will also ask what it is to have a mind, and what it takes to be the same person over time. Course Requirements and Policies The text for our class is Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, edited by Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn. We will read several selections from the text each week, to correspond with each of my lectures. You may find some of the readings to be a bit challenging, since philosophy has a technical language all its own. But I will be careful to clarify the difficult points for you, and only the information mentioned in the lectures will end up on the exams. I will also give one handout per lecture, which should make it relatively easy to follow the lectures.2 Your final grade will be determined by in-class exams. I will give three such exams, but only two exams will count toward your final grade. The final exam will be one of the two relevant to your final grade, but in regard to the first two exams, I will drop the one with the lowest grade. Each of the two relevant exams will count for 50% of your grade. Each exam will contain about 45 multiple-choice questions, and there will be a few short-answer questions. As I said above, only material from the lectures and handouts will appear on the exams. Makeup exams are difficult to justify. At a minimum, a student must contact me by the day of the exam in question, and only serious and verifiable excuses will be considered. The exams will be graded on the basis of accuracy and completeness. For the short-answer questions, I will tend not to grade down because of minor problems in grammar and spelling: the rule of thumb is that such deficiencies must not obscure the points that you are arguing for. The exams will receive a numerical grade. These grades will correspond to the following scale: 93-100 4.0 Superior 65-69 1.5 Below Average 88-92 3.5 Very Good 60-64 1.0 Poor 82-87 3.0 Good 55-59 .5 77-81 2.5 Above Average 0 – 54 0.0 Failure 70-76 2.0 Average It is expected that you will attend class on a regular basis, arrive on time, and remain until class is dismissed. You are requested to respect your fellow classmates, by refraining from talking during class and turning off all electronic devices. Cheating, or any other form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. Students found to have committed academic dishonesty will be referred to the Dean of Arts and Sciences for disciplinary action. Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the office of Learning Support Services at 787-0800, extension 8270/8553 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Tentative Syllabus/Reading List Sept. 19/21 Lecture 1 – The Nature and Scope of Philosophy. Readings: Handout 1; Pojman, pp. 2-5 and 33-47; Russell, “The Value of Philosophy.” Sept. 26/28 Lecture 2 – Philosophy of Religion. Readings: Handout 2; Pojman, pp. 54-58 and 114-116; Johnson, “Why Doesn’t God Intervene to Prevent Evil;” Hick, “There Is a Reason Why God Allows Evil.” Oct. 3/5 Lecture 3 – The Nature of Human Knowledge. Readings: Handout 3; Pojman, pp. 186-188; Descartes, “Cartesian Doubt and the Search for Foundational Knowledge;” Locke, “The Empiricist Theory of Knowledge;” Hospers, “An Argument Against Skepticism.” Oct. 10/12 On 10th review for Exam 1; Exam 1 on Oct. 12th.3 Oct. 17/19 Lecture 4 – Philosophy of Mind. Readings: Handout 4; Pojman, pp. 282- 285; Descartes, “Substance Dualism;” Churchland, “On Functionalism and Materialism.” Oct. 24/26 On 24th begin Lecture 5 – Personal Identity. Readings: Handout 5; Pojman, pp. 360-364; Locke, “Our Psychological Properties Define the Self;”