Introduction to Philosophy
Denny 104, MWF 10:30 – 11:20
Professor Chauncey Maher
maherc@dickinson.edu East College 201
Office Hours: 4-5 MW, or by appointment
Course Description
Philosophy considers such questions as: What is justice? How should a proper civil society
and government work? What can I know? What is a mind? Are our morals sound? Should we
have the values we have? In what sense does science make progress?
This course is an introduction to philosophy by way of four widely and rightly influential
texts that address these questions (and more). In addition, through these texts you will be made
familiar with different modes of philosophical thinking. The Republic is a dialogue; Descartes’s
Meditations is a set of first-personal reflections; Nietzsche’s Genealogy is a polemic; and Kuhn’s
Structure is a piece of history and sociology. Philosophical inquiry can take various forms.
Goals
-Develop skills of reasoning through reading, discussion and writing
-Become familiar with some central philosophical claims and arguments
-Become familiar with different forms of philosophical inquiry
Texts
Republic, Plato, trans. Griffith, ISBN: 978052484435
Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes, ISBN: 0521558182
On the Genealogy of Morality, Friedrich Nietzsche, ISBN: 0521406102
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn, ISBN: 0226458083
A Rule Book for Arguments, 4 edition, Anthony Weston, ISBN: 08722205525
th
Evaluation
As you will see, philosophical issues are often more easily grasped when discussed with
others. For that reason, in this class, I expect all of you to ask questions of me and one another. I
also expect you to do all of the reading and attend class regularly. Almost every week, we will
dedicate time solely to discussing the issues and questions raised by the reading for that week. Your
participation in these discussions is worth 10% of your final grade. Please see my comments on
participation at the end of the syllabus for more details.
There are 4 three-page essays for this course, one for each of the books we will read. These
assignments are deliberately short: part of the challenge is to write concisely and effectively. Each
essay is worth 22.5% of your final grade. You will have roughly one week to write each essay. See the
schedule for the due dates.
1
Schedule (tentative)
Date
8/31
M
Topic
Introduction. What will we be doing in this
course?
Reading (for class on this day)
None
9/2
What is justice?
Republic, Book I
9/4
Discussion
Republic, Book I
9/7
M
Why be just?
Republic, Book II
9/9
What makes for a good education?
Republic, Book III
9/11
Discussion
Republic, Books II - III
9/14
M
What is justice in a well-formed state?
Republic, Book IV
9/16
A small lesson in logic and arguments
Family and property
Republic, Book V - VI
9/18
Should we seek advice from philosophers?
Discussion
Republic, Book IV - VI
The myth of the cave
Republic, Books VII
**Rulebook, Chapters I, VII-IX**
9/23
What does a good essay look like?
What is an unjust state?
What is tyranny?
9/25
Discussion
Republic, Books VII - X
9/28
M
What is knowledge?
What can I know for certain?
Meditations, Dedicatory Letter and 1
9/30
1 PAPER DUE
What am I?
1 PAPER DUE
Meditations, 2 Meditation
10/2
Discussion
Meditations, Dedicatory Letter, 1
9/21
M
ST
Republic, Books VIII - X
st
Meditation
ST
ND
st
nd
and 2 Meditations
10/5
M
Is there a god?
Meditations, 3 Meditation
10/7
What is god?
Meditations, 4 and 5 Meditations
10/9
Discussion
Meditations, 3 , 4 and 5 Meditations
10/12
M
What is a mind?
Meditations, 6 Meditation
10/14
How are mind and body related?
Meditations, 6 Meditation
10/16
Discussion
Meditations, 6 Meditation
rd
th
rd
th
th
th
th
th
th
2
10/21
NO CLASS
Mid-term pause
View: The Remains of the Day
10/23
2 PAPER DUE
View: The Remains of the Day
2 PAPER DUE
Genealogy, Preface
10/26
M
View: The Remains of the Day
Genealogy, Preface
10/28
Discussion
Genealogy, Preface
10/19
M
ND
NO CLASS
Mid-term pause
Genealogy, Preface
ND
The Remains of the Day
10/30
Why a genealogy?
Genealogy, Preface and First Essay
11/2
M
Are we free?
Genealogy, Preface and First Essay
11/4
The right to make promises
What is the will to power?
Genealogy, Second Essay
The ascetic ideal
Genealogy, Third Essay
11/6
(focus on §13)
(focus on §1)
(focus on §§1-22)
11/9
M
The will to truth
Is there an alternative to the ascetic ideal?
Genealogy, Third Essay
11/11
Discussion
Genealogy
11/13
What is the place of history in understanding
scientific inquiry?
Structure, Introduction
(focus on §§23-25)
Gay Science, excerpts
View: Cosmic Voyage
What is normal science?
Structure, Chapters II-IV
11/18
What is a paradigm?
Structure, Chapter V
11/20
3 PAPER DUE
Anomaly and Discovery
Crisis and Response
3 PAPER DUE
Structure, Chapter VI-VIII
11/23
M
Discussion
Structure, Chapter I-VIII
11/25
NO CLASS
Thanksgiving Break
NO CLASS
Thanksgiving Break
11/16
M
rd
rd
11/30
M
What is a revolution?
NO CLASS
Thanksgiving Break
NO CLASS
Thanksgiving Break
Structure, Chapters IX-XII
12/2
Progress
Structure, Chapter XIII
12/4
Discussion
Structure, Chapter IX-XIII
12/7
M
Different worlds?
Structure, Postscript
11/27
3
12/9
How rational are revolutions?
Structure, Postscript
12/11
Discussion
Concluding remarks
Structure, Postscript
12/15
9 am
4 PAPER DUE
9 am
4 PAPER DUE
th
th
Academic Honesty
Any case of suspected academic dishonesty must be reported. Note: “To plagiarize is to
use without proper citation or acknowledgment the words, ideas, or work of another. Plagiarism is a
form of cheating that refers to several types of unacknowledged borrowing.” When in doubt, cite it.
For more information, please see the handbook on Community Standards here:
http://www.dickinson.edu/student/files/commstand0809.pdf
Disabilities
In compliance with the Dickinson College policy and equal access laws, I am available to
discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be recommended for students with
disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made during the first three weeks of
the semester (except for unusual circumstances) so that timely and appropriate arrangements can be
made.
Students are required to register with Academic Resource Services, located in Academic
Advising, first floor of Biddle House (contact ext. 1080 or waybranj@dickinson.edu) to verify their
eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
Participation
What it is:
1.
2.
A comment or question on a specific claim or argument made by the author. This
requires pointing to the specific passage.
a. This can be interpretive. E.g. ‘What does Socrates mean when he says S on
page P?’ Here you have the burden of saying what you think S means.
b. Or it can be critical. E.g. ‘Socrates claims S, but he doesn’t seem to have a
good reason for it.’ Here you have the burden of saying why you think the
person has a bad reason.
A comment or question on a specific claim made by me or someone else.
a. As above, this can be interpretive or critical.
What it is not:
1. Asking what the assignment is for next time.
2. Saying ‘yea’ to what someone else says.
3. Sitting in your chair and saying nothing.
4. Saying things like, “The central impediment to a transcendental deduction of the
systematic marginalization of the epistemic condition of the proletariat is what the poststructuralist movement has called the malaise of language.” Aim to speak plainly and
to the issues at hand. One way to achieve this is by rooting your comments in specific
claims in the text.
By participating in one of the acceptable ways, you will get credit. To get full credit (to get the full
10%), you will need to participate 6 times over the course of the semester. We have 12 discussions
scheduled, so you will have ample opportunity to do so.
4