The 3 Year Old In Us All

Here's comedian Louis CK's take on the broad, fundamental questions kids ask.

Louis CK - Why?

Philosophers In Their Own Words

Photographer Steve Pyke has a cool series of portraits of philosophers. Many of the philosophers also provide a short explanation of their understanding of what it is they do. Here are a few of my favorites:

Delia Graff Fara:

"By doing philosophy we can discover eternal and mind independent truths about the ’real’ nature of the world by investigating our own conceptions of it, and by subjecting our most commonly or firmly held beliefs to what would otherwise be perversely strict scrutiny."

Kit Fine:

"Philosophy is the strangest of subjects: it aims at rigour and yet is unable to establish any results; it attempts to deal with the most profound questions and yet constantly finds itself preoccupied with the trivialities of language; and it claims to be of great relevance to rational enquiry and the conduct of our life and yet is almost completely ignored. But perhaps what is strangest of all is the passion and intensity with which it is pursued by those who have fallen in its grip."

Sally Haslanger (only available in the book):

"Given the amount of suffering and injustice in the world, I flip-flop between thinking that doing philosophy is a complete luxury and that it is an absolute necessity. The idea that it is something in between strikes me as a dodge. So I do it in the hope that it is a contribution, and with the fear that I’m just being self-indulgent. I suppose these are the moral risks life is made of."

Homework: Email Subscription

So why does this course have a blog? Well, why is anything anything?

A blog is a website that works like a journal – users write posts that are sorted by date based on when they were written. You can find important course information (like assignments, due dates, reading schedules, etc.) on the blog. I’ll also be updating the blog throughout the semester, posting interesting items related to the stuff we’re currently discussing in class. You don't have to visit the blog if you don't want to. It's just a helpful resource. I've used a blog for this course a lot, and it's seemed helpful. Hopefully it can benefit our course, too.

Since I’ll be updating the blog a lot throughout the semester, you should check it frequently. There are, however, some convenient ways to do this without simply going to the blog each day. The best way to do this is by getting an email subscription, so any new blog post I write automatically gets emailed to you. (You can also subscribe to the rss feed, if you know what that means.) To get an email subscription:

1. Go to http://2014rowanphilosophy.blogspot.com.

2. At the main page, enter your email address at the top of the right column (under “EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION: Enter your Email”) and click the "Subscribe me!" button.

3. This will take you to a new page. Follow the directions under #2, where it says “To help stop spam, please type the text here that you see in the image below. Visually impaired or blind users should contact support by email.” Once you type the text, click the "Subscribe me!" button again.

4. You'll then get an email regarding the blog subscription. (Check your spam folder if you haven’t received an email after a day.) You have to confirm your registration. Do so by clicking on the "Click here to activate your account" link in the email you receive.

5. This will bring you to a page that says "Your subscription is confirmed!" Now you're subscribed.

If you are unsure whether you've subscribed, ask me (609-980-8367; landis@rowan.edu). I can check who's subscribed and who hasn't.

Course Details

Introduction to Philosophy
Rowan University
Philosophy 09121, Section 02
Spring 2014
Mondays and Wednesdays: 1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Esby Gym, Room 111

Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: landis@rowan.edu
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Website: http://2014rowanphilosophy.blogspot.com
Office Hourse: by appointment

Required Texts
Core Questions in Philosophy, 5th Edition, by Elliott Sober

About the Course
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy. Throughout the semester, we will explore a handful of classic philosophical questions: What is knowledge, and what can we know? What evidence is there regarding the existence of a God? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Do humans have free will?

We will also be developing various philosophical skills, including:

• Understanding: the ability to identify and explain an author’s main point in your own words, along with the ability to identify and explain an author’s argument in support of this main point.
• Evaluating: the ability to critically and charitably determine whether these arguments provide accurate, logical reasons in support of their main points, along with the ability to engage in critical and charitable dialogue with people who hold different views from your own.
• Defending: the ability to develop your own arguments in support of your opinions on the ethical issues we study, along with the ability to honestly assess your opinions and critically evaluate the quality of your arguments in support of them.

A broader goal of this course is to gain an appreciation for philosophical reflection. Hopefully, we will learn that careful, systematic, detailed thought is a great tool for increasing understanding on complex topics.

Assignments
Each assignment is created carefully, and designed to both measure and improve upon specific skills that students are expected to develop throughout the semester. I try to explicitly point out the educational importance of each assignment (both below and when I assign it), but if an assignment’s value is ever unclear, let me know! I value student feedback. Sometimes complacency makes me continue using an assignment that isn’t very helpful, or sometimes I haven’t explained an assignment clearly enough. 

Tests: There will be three tests, each one worth more points than the last. Tests are a chance to demonstrate your understanding of a wide variety of topics and skills that we’ll study throughout the semester. To this end, there will be a variety of question types on the exams. Test #1 will be on the logic and knowledge sections of the course. Test #1 will last about 25 minutes, and be held at the beginning of class on the scheduled day. Test #2 will be on everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last the first half of class (80 minutes) on the scheduled day. Test #3 is cumulative—that is, it will be on everything covered throughout the whole course. Test #3 will also last 80 minutes, and will take place during finals week.

Reading Responses: There will be four reading responses, which are to be handed in at the beginning of class the day they are due. Each assignment is an approximately 500-word essay response to a specific question about one or more of the week’s readings. The responses are a chance to do philosophy. To this effect, the focus of the responses will be on paraphrasing (demonstrating that you understand the reading by explaining it in your own words) and critically evaluating (presenting objections to the argument in the reading, or responding to such objections) the philosophical arguments being presented in the readings.

Fun Wednesdays: There will be 3 in-class graded assignments scheduled on some Wednesdays during the semester. These will be a chance to more casually discuss some issues more loosely related to the class, yet more closely connected to important practical concerns of our everyday lives.

Attendance/Participation: Most of this will be based on your attendance. If you’re there every class, you’ll get full credit for your attendance grade. In addition, there will be a lot of informal group work throughout the semester in which students get together to analyze the readings or philosophical issues being discussed in class. Group work can impact this grade. I value your attendance, and I expect you to show up each day. I also realize, though, that we sometimes need added motivation to attend each day, and I use this grade as a small carrot to motivate you.

Extra Credit: I like giving extra credit! I’ll be giving some official extra credit assignments throughout the semester. I’ll also be offering some extra credit points more informally during class time. Remind me about this if I slack off on dishing out extra credit points.
 
Grades
A = 934-1000 total points
A- = 900-933 total points
B+ = 867-899 total points
B = 834-866 total points
B- = 800-833 total points
C+ = 767-799 total points
C = 734-766 total points
C- = 700-733 total points
D+ = 667-699 total points
D = 634-666 total points
D- = 600-633 total points
F = below 600 total points

Test #1: 150 points
Test #2: 250 points
Test #3: 300 points
4 Reading Responses: 50 points each (200 points total)
Fun Wednesdays: 50 points total
Attendance/Participation: 50 points

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas in a paper or assignment without giving credit to the source) will not be tolerated in the class. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the exam or assignment on which they plagiarize—and possibly the entire class. FYI: I’m pretty good at catching plagiarists. I recommend not trying it!

Excused Absences: Any assignment will only be rescheduled for an excused absence. Excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury (with a doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day of any assignment or test will result in a zero on that assignment or test.

Disability Accommodations: If you have special requirements let me know as soon as possible so we can make all necessary arrangements.

Expectations
Philosophy can be a difficult subject to master. I expect each student to put in a lot of effort on a variety of fronts.

Read the Textbook. The textbook is, in my opinion, well written, full of insights, and quite helpful. Still, the assigned readings are often dense. This means that you may not fully understand what you read the first time you read it. Do not despair; this is common. Philosophical writings are best understood upon multiple readings. You should develop the habit of reading the assigned pages a few times, including both before and after our class discussion of the relevant material.

Attend Class. While the book is informative, often time the assigned reading is only a launch pad, and the key skills or concepts we’re learning during a given section goes beyond the book. If you can’t attend class one day, that’s unfortunate, but OK (and outside excused absences, you need not tell me why—frankly, I don’t care why you’re not there). But don’t make a habit of missing classes.

Participate in Class. Our classroom is a judgment-free zone. I’m not concerned with students acting perfectly or seeming smart during class. In fact, effective learning involves discussing precisely the things we don’t fully understand yet. Learning is a process that involves lots of failing: getting it wrong, figuring out where we went wrong, and trying again. Lots of class time will involve this type of (helpful) failing. This goes against how many of your classes are run. Good. I think many assumptions in our current education institutions aren’t conducive to effective learning. In class we’ll engage in helpful discussions. If something confuses you, let me know! Chances are, it confuses other students, too. Sometimes, I think I’ve understood something I read, only to discover upon discussing it that I haven’t really grasped it. Getting feedback from a group of smart people who’ve read the same thing as you is invaluable to learning. I understand some students are shy (I was shy myself in college), but try not to be timid simply out of fear of looking silly or stupid.

Practice. In addition to guided discussions, class time will involve a lot of informal group work on philosophical problems. There will also be lots of optional extra credit assignments. These are chances to practice. We are mostly developing skills in this class, skills that cannot be picked up in five minutes. Skills take prolonged training and effort, like learning to play the piano or hitting a 90-mph fastball. Again, be OK with failing! Just try to fail better each time you practice.

Because of this, I try to measure students based on the progress they make throughout the course. A student who struggles early in the semester is not doomed to a low grade. Early struggles are merely a warning sign that more or a different kind of effort is required. On the other end of the spectrum, for a small percentage of students, getting a good grade in this class will be relatively easy. For such students, I encourage you to challenge yourself. Don’t settle for merely learning the most basic skills we’re studying. Try to develop the more advanced skills touched on throughout the course. Read the articles linked to on the course blog! Talk to me outside class! Commit yourself to taking full advantage of this class.

Care About Learning. This should be your primary goal of taking this class—not getting a good grade, or socializing, or impressing me, or whatever. While I understand that these other things are important (I care a lot about the social value of college, for instance), these should not supersede your devotion to learning.

Course Schedule

*This schedule is tentative and will probably change a lot*

Doing Philosophy

January 22
Wednesday: Check. Check One. Sibilance (intro to class; no reading)
January 27—29
Monday: Doing Philosophy | What is Philosophy? (no reading)

Wednesday: Doing Philosophy | Understanding, Evaluating Arguments (pgs. 1-22)

February 3—5

Monday: Doing Philosophy | Abductive Arguments & Theories (pages 24-36)

Wednesday: Doing Philosophy | Wrap up (no new reading)

Knowledge February 10—12
Monday: Knowledge | What is Knowledge? (Plato handout; pages 147-156)
Wednesday: FUN WEDNESDAY #1; Knowledge | Descartes vs. Skepticism (pages 156-160, 207-210)

February 17—19
Monday: Knowledge | Descartes vs. Skepticism wrap-up (pages 160-163, 210-216)
Wednesday:  Knowledge | Other Forms of Skepticism (Bostrom, Frances handouts) (Reading Response #1 due)

Philosophy of Religion February 24—26
Monday: TEST #1; Does God Exist? | Intro to God Stuff (pages 37-38, 53-57)
Wednesday: Does God Exist? | Paley & The Design Arg (pages 120-122)
March 3—5
Monday: Does God Exist? | Hume & The Design Arg (pages 53-61, 123-128)

Wednesday: Does God Exist? | Design vs. Random (pages 61-83)

March 10—12

Monday: Does God Exist? | The Problem of Suffering Intro (pages 109-113)
Wednesday: FUN WEDNESDAY #2; Does God Exist? | The Free Will Defense (pages 113-117) (Reading Response #2 due)

March 17—19: SPRING BREAK (no class) (woo?)

March 24—26

Monday: Does God Exist? | The Soul-building Defense (no new reading)
Wednesday: Problem of Suffering Wrap Up and Review for Test #2 (no new reading)

March 31—April 2

Monday: TEST #2

Wednesday: Faith & Reason | Pascal’s Wager (pages 100-109, 136-138)

April 7—9
Monday: Faith & Reason | Verificationism (pages 92-100, 132-136)
Wednesday: FUN WEDNESDAY #3;  Faith & Reason | Pragmatism (pages 138-145)

Philosophy of Mind April 14—16

Monday: Philosophy of Mind | Dualism (pages 255-265, Descartes handout)

Wednesday: Philosophy of Mind | Criticisms of Dualism (pages 265-271, Elisabeth/Descartes handout)

April 21—23

Monday: Philosophy of Mind | Behaviorism, Identity Theory (pgs. 271-285)
Wednesday: Philosophy of Mind | Functionalism (pages 285-293) (Reading Response #3 due)

April 28—30

Monday: Philosophy of Mind | Functionalism continued (no new reading)

Wednesday: Philosophy of Mind | Consciousness (Nagel, McGinn handouts)

May 5

Monday: Philosophy of Mind Wrap Up & Review for Test #3 (Reading Response #4 due)

May 9
Wednesday, 12:30-2:30: TEST #3