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PHIL-020 Introduction to Philosophy
Spring only
Philosophy 20, sections 1-10: Intro to Philosophy
Prof. W. Blattner
What is human freedom? Is there such a thing anyhow? Are you free when you choose what to do? Or does freedom require that you choose rationally? Or alternatively, does freedom require that your choices reflect your character, who you are? If freedom does require that you express yourself in your choices and/or actions, are there any moral or aesthetic constraints on such self-expression? Or finally, does freedom require that whatever you choose, you choose in a completely unconstrained manner, free of all determining and limiting factors? We will examine these alternative conceptions of the freedom of action and choice by working through four models of freedom present in the Western philosophical tradition: those of St. Thomas Aquinas, David Hume, William James, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
This course will place a premium not just on learning these views, but putting them into debate with one another. We will try to sort out our understanding of human freedom and the arguments that can be marshaled for or against these several conceptions of it. You will practice the art of philosophical analysis and argumentation in your papers, in which you will learn how to take a philosophically informed stand on the issues and defend it with argument. You will also practice this art in weekly mandatory discussion sections.
Students will take one short in-section quiz and write three short (5 pp.) papers.
Philosophy 20 is part of the Main Campus core curriculum and satisfies the general philosophy half of the philosophy requirement. Seniors should not take Philosophy 20, and students who have already taken Intro to Ethics are discouraged from taking Philosophy 20.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Course syllabi
The following syllabi may help you learn more about this course (login required):
Spring '10:
Blattner, W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Spring '10:
Blattner W
(web site, description, file download)
Fall '09:
Ambrosio
(description)
Additional syllabi may be available in prior academic years.
Sections:
PHIL-020-11 Intro to Philosophy
Spring only
TBA
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
PHIL-020-12 Introduction to Philosophy
Spring only
Introduction to Philosophy. Spring 2010
Prof. W.Ver Eecke
This course will address philosophically the relation of a human being to other human beings.
In a first chapter, we will analyze the characteristics of philosophy. We will pay special attention to multi-culturalism as a threat to philosophy in as much as it may lead to skepticism about truth. We will use a book by Jaspers and two videos to provide a summary view of six major civilizations. We will read Plato as an example of philosophical thinking.
In a second chapter we will study the interdependence of single humans beings by means of a classic passage in Hegel's philosophy: the master-slave dialectic. We will use Frederick Douglass’ Memoirs as an illustration of Hegel’s ideas. We will discover the paradoxical consequences of dominance/submission and idealization and the positive function of work and thinking.
In chapter three we will study the relation of one human being with privileged others. We will do that by first studying the complexity of the human subject (jokes, slips of the tongue, denials) and then by studying the function of privileged others (parents) in the complexity of the human subject. We will make use of philosophy of psychoanalysis which will introduce us to the meaning of both mental illness (schizophrenia and depression) and sexual difference. A member of the counseling center will address the class as part of the Engelhard program. He will concentrate on depression.
In a fourth and last chapter we will analyze the relationship of individuals in the capitalist system. We will, first, reflect on the relationship between economic actors in economic theory using the concepts of private, public and merit goods. We will argue that individuals in the free market must compete (private goods), co-operate (public goods) and must submit to the will of the community (merit goods). Second we will study the consequences for a human person of being a member of a special class. Here we will use Marx' analysis of class conflict and class exploitation.
Readings:
Jaspers. Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus.Harvest.
ISBN 0-15-683580-0.
Plato. Great Dialogues of Plato. Mentor. ISBN 0-451-62827-6.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass.
On the web: http://docsouth.unc.edu/douglass/douglass.html
Ver Eecke. Denial, Negation and the Forces of the Negative. SUNY Press.ISBN 0-7914-6599-3
Marx. Communist Manifesto. International Publishers.
ISBN 0-7178-0241-8
Some articles will be on reserve and on blackboard
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
PHIL-020-13 Introduction to Philosophy
Spring only
This course is a general introduction to philosophy. The first half of the course will be about moral and general skepticism. Moral skeptics maintain that there are no objective moral truths--no moral facts; there are only feelings and culturally induced habits that prompt you to behave non-selfishly. Or perhaps the only moral fact is that you should behave selfishly? General skeptics question whether you have sufficient grounds for thinking there is even a physical world. You think, you reason, you have plenty of experiences, but are they experiences of anything? Is there any reason to believe reality is as you suppose? The second half of the course is metaphysics. Here we will assume you do have a body, and are not just a disembodied mind. You will be asked to explain what the relation is between your mind and your body, and to figure out whether you act freely sometimes or you are merely a cog in the relentless causal machine that is the universe. In addition to watching some useful films you will read excerpts from the writings of great philosophers, extract key concepts and arguments and then analyze those arguments. Four 3-page papers. Participation in class and Blackboard discussions.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
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