Philosophy 100: Introduction to Philosophy
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Fall 2013
T R, Section 7 3:35-4:50, Section 9 5:00-6:15
Dr. Ryan Hay (rhay@uwsp.edu); Office: CCC 419
Office Hours: TBD
Description
This course is meant to provide you with a general broad overview of the field of philosophy. The course
is divided into several different units. These units represent broad areas of interest within philosophy, but
they do not constitute an exhaustive set of all fields of philosophical investigation. This course is not
meant to be a chronological historical introduction to Western philosophy, but we will read philosophical
works from ancient, early modern, and contemporary periods.
Essential Questions for the Course
 What are the rules of good reasoning and philosophical argumentation?
 What is truth and what is its relation to belief and knowledge?
 What is it for some action to be right or wrong, and furthermore do we even have the ability to
freely choose how we act?
 How is the mind related to the body, and how is the mind related to language and the world?
Enduring Understandings
You will come to understand that:
 Philosophy encompasses a broad set of very fundamental questions, and the philosophical method
can be applied to rationally investigate these.
 There are independent (or objective) standards for how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ a philosophical argument is.
 Philosophical argumentation is essentially connected to many other academic disciplines and
professional activities.
 While some philosophical questions are not settled and may never be, this doesn’t necessarily mean
that progress cannot be made, and that some philosophical positions aren’t rationally better than
others.
Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions
You should be able to:
 Employ philosophical concepts and terminology appropriately.
 Distinguish logically good arguments from logically bad arguments.
 Identify key philosophical positions on knowledge, value, free will, the mind-body relation, and
meaning.
 Identify, interpret, and analyze the arguments of others
 Compose and support your own arguments
 Develop your own pre-philosophical intuitions into a coherent position
 Demonstrate these skills in both writing and speech
 Appreciate the value of the philosophical method in applying not just to abstract core
philosophical concepts, but also to thinking and reasoning about the world in general and their
other academic work
 Appreciate the relationships between a variety of philosophical problems
Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy – Page 1
Sources for Required Readings
Philosophy: The Quest for Truth edited by Louis Pojman (PQT)
Many other readings will be made available on Desire 2 Learn (D2L)
Assessment
Midterm Paper
Term Paper
Unit Quizzes
Short Presentation
Attendance and Participation
(600 words)
(1200 words)
(6, with lowest score dropped)
(5 minutes, on your research topic)
(This includes 10 online response questions)
20 %
30 %
25 %
10%
15 %
Unit Quizzes
There will be six unit quizzes given in this course. These quizzes consist of eight multiple choice (A-E)
questions. Quizzes will be given after the end of each unit, and they will be announced no later than the
class before they are scheduled to be given. Material covered on the quizzes may come from either my
lectures or the assigned readings. In general, PowerPoint slides will be made available on D2L after the
end of each unit. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped, and the resulting score will be curved.
Plagiarism & Cheating
It should be clear that cheating on quizzes will not be tolerated. I have no problem with students helping
each other to learn the material, but copying another’s work on an assignment is not acceptable. Basic
principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the work of others, the expectation that
individual work will be submitted, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from
misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. Clear cases of plagiarism or
cheating will result in a failing grade on the assignment in question, and a referral for academic disciplinary
procedures. All written papers will be run through D2L’s Turn-it-in originality report service.
Late Work
In the interest of fairness to all students, written work received more than a week after the stated deadline
with no pre-arranged excuse will be limited to a grade no higher than the lowest a student received for
turning in the assignment on time.
In the Classroom
In general, I am fairly laid back. But it is important to remember to be respectful, both to me and to your
fellow students. Some claims in a philosophy course may be controversial. Reasonable disagreement and
argument is a fundamental part of the philosophical enterprise. In addition, there are two further points
that should be made here. First, if you are going to sleep in class – don’t, just sleep at home. It is more
comfortable for you there. Second, if you are talking to another student during class and I can hear you, I
will be distracted. I generally find that kind of behavior offensive, and especially so if you do it when a
fellow student is talking or giving a presentation. Your performance here may affect your participation
grade.
Accommodations
Any student who has a disability and is in need of classroom and/or exam accommodations, please
contact both me and Disability Services. UWSP’s Office of Disability Services is located in 103 Student
Services Center. The Disability Services Mission is to ensure that qualified students with disabilities are
provided equal access and accommodations appropriate to their disability in all UWSP programs and
academic pursuits.
Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy – Page 2
Tentative Schedule
Meeting: Topic/Question:
Introduction: What is philosophy?
9-3
Does philosophy as a discipline make
9-5
progress?
Logic:
9-10
What are the rules of ‘good’ reasoning?
Knowledge:
9-12
Does knowledge aim at and reach truths
that are true for everyone?
Knowledge: What are the proper roles
9-17
of truth, belief, and justification in the
attainment of knowledge?
Skepticism: Introduction
9-19
Skepticism: Of what, if anything, can
9-24
we be absolutely certain?
Skepticism Continued…
9-26
10-1
10-3
10-8
10-10
10-15
10-17
10-22
10-24
10-29
10-31
11-5
11-7
11-12
11-14
Responses to Skepticism
Writing Philosophy Papers
Ethics: Introduction and Overview
Ethical Relativism:
Isn’t morality all just relative?
Morality and the Divine:
Does morality depend on theology?
Normative Ethics:
What makes an action morally right, (or
wrong)?
Applied Ethics:
Should you donate to charity?
The Problem of Free Will:
Do we have the ability to freely choose
what we do?
Determinism:
Are events determined?
Responsibility:
What is the relationship between free
will and responsibility?
Compatibilism: Both free will and
determinism are correct…
Philosophy of Mind:
How is the mind related to the body?
Dualism: The mind and the body are
distinct entities.
Physicalism:
Can machines think?
Reading Due:
None
What is Philosophy? (PQT), Russell - The Value
of Philosophy (PQT)
A Little Bit of Logic (PQT)
Plato – Excerpts from Theaetetus and Meno
(D2L)
Gettier – Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?
(D2L)
None; In-class Screening: The Matrix
What Can We Know? (PQT)
Hume - The Origin of Our Ideas and
Skepticism… (PQT)
Moore - Proof of an External World (D2L)
Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper (D2L)
Ethics: Introduction (PQT)
Benedict - Morality is Relative, Rachels Morality is not Relative (PQT)
Prager - Why Young Americans Can't Think
Morally, Plato - Euthyphro (D2L)
Which is the Correct Ethical Theory?
THROUGH Mill - Utilitarianism (PQT)
Singer – The Singer Solution to World Poverty
(D2L)
Freedom of the Will and Determinism Introduction (PQT)
Holbach - We Are Completely Determined
(PQT); Screening: Futurama: “Free Will Hunting”
Lamont - Freedom of the Will and Human
Responsibility (PQT)
Stace - Compatibilism (PQT)
The Mind-Body Problem: Introduction (PQT)
Descartes: Dualistic Interactionism (PQT)
Ryle - Exorcising Descartes' "Ghost in the
Machine" (PQT)
Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy – Page 3
11-19
11-21
11-26
12-3
12-5
12-10
12-12
Consciousness:
What is it for something to be
conscious? Can consciousness be
reduced to a scientific property?
Personal Identity:
What makes you a thing that exists over
time?
Philosophy of Language:
What is it for a sentence to be true?
Meaning: What is the relation between
language and the world?
In-class Presentations
In-class Presentations
In-class Presentations
Nagel - What Is It Like to Be a Bat? (PQT)
Parfit & Vesey - Brain Transplants and Personal
Identity (PQT)
Russell - The Correspondence Theory of Truth
(PQT)
None
Prepare for presentations
Prepare for presentations
Prepare for presentations
Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy – Page 4