Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy – Levels 1 and 2 Unit 1: The Origins of Philosophy Suggested Duration: about 10 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Big Idea: The earliest philosophers sought to understand nature and its processes independent of religious myths. Eventually, philosophy underwent a permanent shift from the study of nature to that of human nature. Standards: 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C,
8.1.12.D, 8.4.9.A,
8.4.9.C Essential Questions: 1.
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3.
4.
5.
What is the definition of “philosophy?” What are the qualities of a good philosopher? Who were the earliest philosophers and what did they study? What is the significance of the shift from religious myths to philosophy for human development? How did philosophy Concepts Students should know that: Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of • The purpose of religion charts and graphs in any culture is to •
Analysis and provide an explanation interpretation of to things the culture political cartoons does not understand. • Analysis and • In the earliest days of interpretation human development, based on synthesis humans used religious of facts myths to explain • Notetaking and nature and its organizational skills processes, the most important areas of • Reading understanding for comprehension human survival • Research skills • As religious myths • Written and oral became more expression of facts complicated and and concepts corrupted by religious leaders, those on the Students will be able to: periphery sought alternative • Develop a definition of explanations to philosophy and understanding nature. identify the qualities of • The earliest a good philosopher. philosophers, known • Identify the two areas as the Cosmologists, of a philosopher’s studied nature and background and changes in nature. explain why such Some of what they put knowledge is Vocabulary/Content Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Definition of “Philosophy” and etymology Qualities of a good philosopher Two items encountered with each philosopher: a. Personal history b. General history Role of religion in any culture Role of religious myths in explaining natural processes/why nature so important to early cultures (survival) Definition of “Cosmology” and etymology Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus Definition of “Rationalism” Definition of “Empiricism” Contrast Rationalism and Empiricism Biography of Socrates Four points of Socratic theory Socratic Method Impact of Socrates on Western thought Plato’s biography Plato’s concept of “two worlds,” rationalism, views on government and women Aristotle’s biography Aristotle’s empirical world view, and views on government and women Sophie’s World, Chs. 1‐12 Wolff, Chapter 1, pgs. 1‐33 Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” Computers/Projector
Students submit and analyze their own definitions of philosophy via blog submissions. Students read Wolff, p. xiii and analyze the author’s background and biases. Students then follow up by writing a biography of themselves following a similar format in order to analyze their own potential biases. Students read and discuss Sophie’s World, Chs. 1,2 to emphasize the definition of philosophy and the qualities of a good philosopher. 6.
shift from the study of nature to the study of human nature? What is the significance of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to the development of philosophy? forth is still valid today.
• Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle brought philosophy to the mainstream and instituted the permanent shift in philosophy from nature to human nature. • Every philosopher’s personal and general history impact the ideas he/she develops. important. • Define “bias” and analyze each philosopher’s potential bias by studying his/her background. • Synthesize the development of philosophy from religious myths, through cosmology to the Socratics and human nature. • Analyze the impact of the Socratics on Western thought. Compare and contrast Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Students read Sophie’s World, Chs. 3‐6 and Wolff, p. 12‐26 to synthesize the process of shifting from religious myths to cosmology and identify the names and achievements of the first philosophers. Interactive lecture about the process of historical accuracy and fallibility of what is “fact” especially regarding ancient history. Students read Wolff, p. 1‐12 and Sophie’s World, Ch. 7 and discuss Socrates’ biography, Socratic method and four points of Socratic theory. Students read and discuss Sophie’s World, Chs. 9‐11 to analyze the connection between Plato’s and Aristotle’s biographies and compare and contrast their ideas between themselves and Socrates. Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy Unit 2: Epistemology Suggested Duration: about 10 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Big Idea: The early modern European period witnessed a second major philosophic shift known as the Epistemological Turn, which started with Rene’ Descartes and ended with Immanuel Kant. Concepts Students should know that: Standards: 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B,
8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D,
8.4.12.A, 8.4.12.C,
8.4.12.D Essential Questions: 7.
What is the definition of “epistemology?” 8. How did the Protestant Reformation affect Descartes’ philosophy? 9. What was the impact of Descartes’ philosophy on Western thought? 10. How did Immanuel Kant complete the • Very few people in the early modern European period received a formal education. Those that did were considered experts in all academic fields. • The violence of the Protestant Reformation led Descartes to attempt to completely revamp all human knowledge based on absolute certainty. • Descartes’ philosophy ignited a 200 year epistemological debate. • Immanuel Kant gets credit for ending the epistemological turn. Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills Vocabulary/Content Instructional Materials Suggested Activities RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of charts and graphs • Analysis and interpretation of political cartoons • Analysis and interpretation based on synthesis of facts • Notetaking and organizational skills • Reading comprehension • Research skills • Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: Definition of “Epistemolgy” and etymology Definition of “Rationalism” and “Empiricism” and the difference between them Definitions of “Episemological Dualism,” and “Epistemological Skepticism” Connection between Descartes’ biography and his ideas Four Steps of Cartesian Method and summary of “Cogito Argument” Definition of “Solipsism” Summary of Leibniz and his defense of rationalism Summary of David Hume and John Locke and their defenses of empiricism Summary of Immanuel Kant’s ideas on “Unity of Consciousness” and World of Appearance vs. World of Reality Sophie’s World, Chs. 17‐25 Wolff, Chapter 2, pgs. 49‐85 Computers/Projector
Students read Sophie’s World, Ch. 17 and Wolff, p. 49 and analyze the impact of Descartes’ biography on his ideas. Students read Wolff, p. 50‐60 and summarize Descartes ideas on the Method of Inquiry and Doubt, and the Cogito Argument. Students read Wolff, p. 61‐76 and Sophie’s World, Chs. 18‐
25, and summarize and compare and contrast Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Kant. Students write a 2‐3 page paper determining if Empiricism or • Define “epistemology” and identify its root origins. • Connect Descartes’ background to his philosophy. • Identify the four steps of the Cartesian method of Inquiry and Epistemological turn? Doubt. • Compare and contrast the competing rationalist and empiricist philosophies that followed Descartes. • Summarize Kant’s philosophy on the World of Appearance vs. World of Reality and his ideas on the “Unity of Consciousness.” • Analyze the impact of the Epistemological turn on Western thought. Rationalism is the more valid philosophy and which philosopher developed the most valid epistemological philosophy (submitted via Google Docs). Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy Unit 3: Metaphysics Suggested Duration: about 5 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Big Idea: While Metaphysics can apply to just about any philosophical topic, one of the most basic is an inquiry into the basic substance of things in nature. Are things material, just ideas in the mind, or do both exist? The answer to this question leads to an even larger study into whether humans act of their own free will or act in a determined way. Standard 8.1.12.B: Synthesize and evaluate historical sources. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural contributions to world history since 1450. Essential Questions: 11. What do we mean by Metaphysics? 12. How did Thomas Hobbes defend his materialistic theory? Concepts Students should know that: • Metaphysics is a very broad field in philosophy and is best understood as the “junk drawer” of philosophy. • One of the basic topics in Metaphysics is the debate between materialism vs. idealism. This debate affects a person’s understanding of free will vs. determinism. • Thomas Hobbes was a pure materialist and as a result, believed in physical determinism of our actions. • Immanuel Kant acknowledged the existence of both materialism and idealism and suggested that free will and determinism are experienced in two different realms of Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of charts and graphs • Analysis and interpretation of political cartoons • Analysis and interpretation based on synthesis of facts • Notetaking and organizational skills • Reading comprehension • Research skills • Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: • Define all terms associated with the unit and identify the etymology of the word, “metaphysics” from the Greek. • Summarize Hobbes’ ideas on materialism. • Summarize Hobbes’ Vocabulary/Content Metaphysics Materialism Idealism Dualism Endeavor Deliberation Appetite/Desire Aversion Love Hate Contempt Liberty/Freedom Free will Physical determinism World of Appearance World of Reality Instructional Materials Wolff, Ch. 3 Class blog Computers Suggested Activities Students read Wolff, Ch. 3. Students take a section (as selected by the teacher) from Hobbes’ primary source selection within Ch. 3 and translate into their own words. Students blog about their beliefs regarding whether or not humans have free will. This exercise is particularly effective when teachers are invited to participate. 13. In what way did Hobbes think we are determined? 14. How did Kant address the question of free will vs. determinism? existence. ideas on physical determinism. • Explore the implications of Hobbes’ determinist theories for morality and law. • Identify the main ideas of Kant, specifically regarding his belief in two realms. • Develop their own ideas as to whether humans act as a result of free will or are, in fact, determined. • Synthesize the ideas of past philosophers with those encountered in this unit to deepen an understanding of how western thought developed. Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy Unit 4: The Philosophy of Science Suggested Duration: about 5 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Big Idea: Science has come to set the standard of what is “true” in our society, but maybe it is possible that science provides no fact and is no different than any other academic subject. Concepts Students should know that: • Francis Bacon provided the world with the first formal scientific method. • Bacon rooted his method in empiricism and thought that Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate science was the significance of individuals progressive with each and groups who made major successive generation. political and cultural • Sir Isaac Newton contributions to world believed that history since 1450. observing science without a hypothesis Essential Questions: was inefficient and swung the scientific 15. When did science take method back to its preeminent place in rationalism. Newton’s academics? method is what we use 16. Who helped establish today. science as a primary •
Thomas Kuhn claimed subject of study? that there is no such 17. How is science actually thing as scientific fact, practiced? but only popular 18. Does scientific fact opinion within the actually exist or is it as scientific community. social an institution as religion? Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of charts and graphs • Analysis and interpretation of political cartoons • Analysis and interpretation based on synthesis of facts • Notetaking and organizational skills • Reading comprehension • Research skills Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: • Synthesize a rationale for the study of science as a viable subject. • Construct a biography of those who helped establish science as a preeminent subject in western thought. Vocabulary progressive: the idea that scientific knowledge grows and improves with each successive generation empiricism: the belief that the primary source of knowledge is sense experience rationalism: the belief that the primary source of knowledge is reason normal science: the process of teaching and studying science in a classroom setting through established texts scientific revolution: the rejection of one scientific theory for another approved by the majority of the scientific community paradigm: the model studied through the process of normal science Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Wolff, About Philosophy, Ch. 4 Class debate on whether or not DNA testing should be allowed in court cases. • Analyze a primary source for accuracy and bias and connect it to other ideas in Philosophy. Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy Unit 5: Ethical Theory Suggested Duration: about 10 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Big Idea: Although discussed Students should know for thousands of years, that: humans still debate if such a thing a universal ethics • There are four basic exists, or whether even there beliefs about ethics: is such an actual concept. universalism, relativism, skepticism, and nihilism. Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate • Immanuel Kant offered the significance of individuals the strongest support and groups who made major of universalism with political and cultural the Categorical contributions to world Imperative. history since 1450. • Ruth Benedict used an anthropological background to support Essential Questions: relativism. 19. Are there any universally sound • Jeremy Bentham moral principles; if so, attempted to address how are they justified? collective ethics and 20. How do we solve moral the “good life” dilemmas, cases in simultaneously with which there is genuine his Utilitarianism. doubt about what is right and what is wrong? 21. What is the “good life?” Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of charts and graphs • Analysis and interpretation of political cartoons • Analysis and interpretation based on synthesis of facts • Notetaking and organizational skills • Reading comprehension • Research skills • Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: • Identify and summarize the basic belief systems regarding ethical theory • Construct a biography of those who helped further the debate regarding ethics in Vocabulary Instructional Materials Ethics: the systematic study of how Wolff, About we ought to act toward ourselves Philosophy, Ch. 5 and others; it deals both with general rules and with particular cases. Maxims: universal rules Ethical skepticism: a perspective that denies that we can have any certainty about what it means to be good or right; doubts that any acts are right or wrong Ethical relativism: a perspective holding that the rightness or wrongness of an act depends on, or is relative to the society in which the act is committed Ethical nihilism: a perspective which denies that any act is right or wrong Categorical Imperative: a command that orders us to do something unconditionally, regardless of aims or purposes Utilitarianism: a moral philosophy which considers the maximization of utility (the greatest happiness for the greatest number) to be Suggested Activities Class debate on whether or not personal behavior should be used to judge public activity. Short paper on the ethical nature of using steroids in sports. western thought. the highest moral good • Analyze a primary Rule Utilitarianism: a moral source for accuracy philosophy which holds that and bias and connect it general laws or social norms to other ideas in should be chosen based on a Philosophy. utilitarian consideration, but • Compare and contrast individual acts should then be the varying ethical judged in accordance with those theories in western laws and norms thought • Develop his/her own ethical theory and defend its principles Access the SAS content at: www.pdesas.org Introduction to Philosophy Unit 6: Social and Political Philosophy Suggested Duration: about 10 days Standards, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions Concepts Big Idea: The decisions of Students should know citizens and the actions of that: politicians are rooted in basic ideas as to how a society • John Stuart Mill took should be organized and the ethical theory of what the responsibilities of Utilitarianism and individuals are in that reworked it into a society. social and political theory rooted in Standard 8.4.12.A: Evaluate Laissez‐faire the significance of individuals capitalism. and groups who made major • Karl Marx offered political and cultural Marxism as an contributions to world alternative to what he history since 1450. saw as an inefficient capitalist system. • Jean‐Jacques Rousseau Essential Questions: and John Locke both believed that the 22. How ought we as concept of popular humans make sovereignty was collective decisions paramount. about fundamental •
Rousseau believed that issues like distribution the best social and of wealth? political system was 23. How do we define the social contract. political authority and justify any authority of the state? 24. Is our own system of government, rooted in Rousseau and Locke, a Competencies and Social Studies Core Skills RTM Core Social Studies Skills: • Map skills • Interpretation of charts and graphs • Analysis and interpretation of political cartoons • Analysis and interpretation based on synthesis of facts • Notetaking and organizational skills • Reading comprehension • Research skills • Written and oral expression of facts and concepts Students will be able to: • Differentiate among the various social and political theories. • Construct a biography of those who helped further the debate regarding social and political theory in western thought. Vocabulary Laissez‐faire: the economic system of free market exchange unfettered by government regulation or intrusion Entrepreneur: an economic agent who takes on both the full risks and rewards of his commercial activities Invisible hand: a term, coined by Adam Smith, which indicates that the market exchange economic system leads to positive ordered outcomes for an entire economy even though each individual actor seeks only his own ends Material base: the factors of economic production and the institutions in which they are used within an economy Means of production: the elements used in economic production, typically considered to be land, labor, capital, and other raw materials Social relationships of production: how different types of economic agents interact with each other Instructional Materials Suggested Activities Wolff, About Philosophy, Ch. 6 Sophie’s World chapters, “Marx,” “Locke” Have students read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and annotate where they see Locke’s and Rousseau’s ideas Have students watch speeches on‐line of American politicians and ask them to analyze the speeches for influence of any of the philosophers studied. • Analyze a primary source for accuracy and bias and connect it to other ideas in Philosophy. • Analyze each of the ideas presented for strengths and weaknesses. • Develop his/her own ethical theory and defend its principles. valid system? Division of labor: dividing a production task into identifiable sub‐tasks to be undertaken by individual workers in order to capture economic efficiency Superstructure: non‐economic social institutions Bourgeoisie: essentially, the middle class of capitalist society Proletariat: the working Class Alienation: disconnectedness; being at war with one’s own nature Marxism: the social/economic philosophy developed by Marx which is essentially scientific materialism Socialism: an economic system based on collective ownership of the factors of production, involving systematic planning of economic activity Legitimate authority: the right to give commands that others have a moral obligation to obey Popular sovereignty: a system in which social or governmental decisions are undertaken based upon the will of the citizenry Social contract: a voluntary, unanimous agreement among all the people of a society to form themselves into a social unit with agreed upon rules of conduct and government General will: the decision of a society’s members to put aside individual preferences in order to work toward the collective good of that society Tacit consent: agreeing to a contract, without actually signing it or explicityly declaring allegiance to it, but some revealing action such as choosing to live within a society governed by a given social contract Pluralism: the belief that society is affected not the relationship between and individual and the state, but among competing special interest groups within the society