PHIL 100 Sec 3 Introduction to Philosophy Fall 2011 2 00 pm 3 15 pm TTh CCC Room 128 Instructor David Frost Office CCC Room 489A Email djfrost uwsp edu Office Hours MW 2 00 3 00pm and by appt Course Description In this course we survey four issues in the philosophical literature skepticism about the existence of the external world the problem of free will and determinism the mind body problem and finally empirical explanations of morality The course is reading intensive discussion intensive and writing intensive Student Learning Outcomes Discriminate between two apparently similar philosophical positions and defend one against the other Reconstruct a philosophical system and employ it in an analysis of a cultural artifact or practice Explain difficult philosophical texts and infer the implications of the views therein Philosophically appreciate the problem of freewill skepticism mind body dualism and naturalistic ethics Required Texts There are three texts that you are required to buy for this course 1 Philosophy The Quest for Truth Sixth Edition Louis P Pojman Oxford 2006 2 On the Genealogy of Morals Ecce Home by Friedrich Nietzsche trans by Walter Kaufman Vintage 1964 Please use only a Kaufman translation 3 Nietzsche On Morality by Brian Leiter Routledge 2002 Any other materials appearing on the reading schedule will be provided in electronic copy Course Requirements First Paper 10 Second Paper 20 Midterm 20 Third Paper 20 Final Exam 20 1 Participation 10 A student must complete all of the above work for a passing grade No assignment can be skipped Grading Grades will be computed using the following numerical scale Late Work Written assignments including papers are due at the beginning of class on the dates specified Late work will be penalized by grade plus an additional grade for each day past the deadline Requests for extensions must be made in advance of the deadline and will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances Attendance Attendance is required and necessary for success You should miss class only for a compelling reason and if you do it is your responsibility to catch up on the material covered Attendance will be recorded and considered in deciding the participation grade Daily Preparation for Class All students are required to prepare for every class by studying the material specified in the course schedule see below Unless otherwise indicated in the schedule you should read the material assigned for a particular day very carefully at least twice before class and try to develop a sympathetic but critical understanding of the arguments Evidence that a student has not done this for one or more classes will be considered in deciding the participation grade Reading Schedule The following schedule indicates what readings and assignments are due for each day This schedule is subject to revision Readings not in your books will be provided electronically 2 00 pm 3 15 pm TTh CCC Room 128 2 Week 1 Sep 6th 9th Introduction to Philosophical Thinking Plato s Euthyphro available electronically Clifford s The Ethics of Belief Pojman pp 129 134 Week 2 Sep 12th 16th Week 3 Sep 19th 23rd Skepticism Pollock s Brain in a Vat available electronically Descartes Meditations Pojman pp 165 171 PROMPT FOR FIRST PAPER AVAILABLE THIS WEEK Skepticism cont FIRST PAPER DUE Sep 20h Stroud s The Significance of Philosophical Skepticism part 1 available electronically Week 4 Sep 26th 30th Skepticism cont Stroud s The Significance of Philosophical Skepticism part 2 available electronically Stroud s The Significance of Philosophical Skepticism part 3 available electronically Lewis s Elusive Knowledge only pp 549 555 available electronically Week 5 Oct 3rd 7th Week 6 Oct 10th 14th Freewill Pojman s Freedom of the Will Pojman pp 343 349 Holbach s The Illusion of Free Will Pojman pp 349 355 SECOND PAPER PROMPT MADE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK Freewill cont and Catch up SECOND PAPER DUE OCT 11th Ayer s Freedom and Necessity available electronically Frankfurt s Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility available electronically Week 7 Oct 17th 21st 3 Freewill cont Continue with Frankfurt s Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility Frankfurt s Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person Pojman pp 374 384 Week 8 Oct 24th 28th Week 9 Oct 31st Nov 4th Week 10 Nov 7th 11th Week 11 Nov 14th 18th The Mind Body Problem Pojman s Philosophy of Mind Pojman pp 241 244 Nagel s What is it Like to be a Bat available electronically Bisson s They re Made out of Meat available electronically The Mind Body Problem cont Ryle s Ghost in the Machine Pojman pp 252 258 Searle s Mind Brains Computers Pojman pp 293 300 The Mind Body Problem cont and catch up Byrne s Mind Body Problem Here http www bostonreview net BR31 3 byrne php MIDTERM IN CLASS EXAM NOV 101h Perspectives on Ethics Nietzsche s Genealogy of Morals Preface and Essay I pp 15 56 Leiter s Commentary on the First Essay pp 193 222 Week 12 Nov 21st 25th Thanksgiving Break begins the 23rd at 6pm Perspectives on Ethics cont Nietzsche s Genealogy of Morals Essay II pp 57 96 Leiter s Commentary on the Second Essay pp 223 244 Week 13 Nov 28th Dec 2nd Week 14 Dec 5th 9th Perspectives on Ethics cont Nietzsche s Genealogy of Morals Essay III pp 97 163 Leiter s Commentary on the Third Essay pp 245 288 THIRD PAPER PROMPT AVAILABLE THIS WEEK Empirical Perspectives on Ethics 4 THIRD PAPER DUE DEC 6th Nietzsche Selections from Twilight of the Idols Daybreak and Beyond Good and Evil available electronically Selections from Wilson s Strangers to Ourselves Selections from Wegner s The Illusion of Conscious Will Week 15 Dec 12th 15th Dec 15th is the last day of classes Empirical Perspectives on Ethics cont Haidt s The Emotional Dog and its Rational Tail available electronically Doris and Murphy s The Moral Psychology of Atrocity available electronically Final Exam TBA 5