PHL 310: Knowledge and Reality
Fall 2009
Professor: Sinan Dogramaci
Email: sinan.dogramaci@gmail.com
Office Hours: Wednesday, 3:30pm, 408B Waggener Hall. Or by appt.
Course Information:
Are there any absolute truths and is it possible for us to know them? The purpose
of this course is to make sense of that question, and maybe take a step or two
towards some answers.
We’ll begin by comparing notions of absolute truth and relative truth. What does
the distinction amount to, and what kind of truth is really out there?
Next we’ll turn to the topic of god. Does the elegant design of the world we see
around us constitute a compelling argument in favor of god’s existence? If the
argument is less than compelling, is it still permissible to believe in god? We’ll go
on to discuss the significance of the fact that smart people often disagree with
one another about religious matters.
Our final two topics will concern radical skepticism about our knowledge of the
world. First we will examine the classic philosophical argument that we cannot
really know whether there is an external material world containing rocks, trees,
tables and chairs. And second we’ll examine the argument that we cannot, on the
basis of past experience, draw any conclusions about the future. We’ll evaluate
the power of both kinds of skeptical argument, and we’ll study some standard
replies to each.
Books and Readings:
There is only one book you’ll need to buy for this class: Paul Boghossian’s Fear
of Knowledge. The rest of the readings will be made available as PDFs.
Assignments and Grading:
Students will write three short papers, each one 5 - 6 double-spaced pages. This
will be the only graded material for this class. Pluses and minuses will be used.
I will be grading your papers blindly. In other words, you will not write your name
anywhere on your paper, you’ll only write an identification number, and I will read
and grade each paper without knowing who wrote it.
Class participation is extremely welcome. Ask questions and share your
thoughts. Never worry that your question sounds dumb, because (a) it won’t
affect your grade, and more importantly (b) it’s almost certainly not a dumb
question.
If your final grade from the papers is right on a borderline then it can be adjusted
up or down. Multiple unexcused absences from lecture will put it below the
borderline. A dramatically upward progress of grades on the three papers can put
it above the borderline.
Late Papers:
Any paper handed in after the start of the class when it is due will be docked onethird of a letter grade. An additional one-third of a letter will be docked every 24
hours after that. Medical excuses for late papers require written notice from your
doctor to avoid docking.
“Plagiarism is Totally Insane”1:
Don’t plagiarize! This course will have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism.
Plagiarism happens whenever your paper includes words or ideas that come
from someone else, and you do not explicitly say what is coming from someone
else (e.g. like I do with my footnote to the heading above). Students are caught
plagiarizing all the time. If you plagiarize in this course, it will be caught, you will
automatically fail the course, and you will be reported to the dean.
Disabilities:
“Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations
from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students
with Disabilities, 471-6259.” (quoted from a memo from Vice Provost Ritter.)
Course Schedule:
Relativism and Constructivism
1
Aug 1
Boghossian, Fear of Knowledge, ch. 1
Sept 1
Whorf, “Science and Linguistics”;
Goodman, “The Way the World Is”;
Feyerabend, “Rationalism, Relativism, and the
Scientific Method”
Sept 3
continue above readings
Sept 8
Boghossian, Fear of Knowledge, ch. 2
I am taking this heading title from my friend Seth Yalcin’s syllabus for a similar course he taught at NYU.
Aug 1
Boghossian, Fear of Knowledge, ch. 1
Sept 10
ch. 3
First Paper Topics Are Distributed Today
Sept 15
ch. 4
Sept 17
ch. 5
Sept 22
ch. 6
First Paper Is Due at Start of Class Today
Sept 24
ch. 7
Sept 29
ch. 8 & 9
Oct 1
class discussion of papers
Arguing for and against God’s existence
Oct 6
William Paley, “The Watch and the Watchmaker”
Oct 8
Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Oct 13
continued
Oct 15
continued
Oct 20
continued
Oct 22
Swinburne, “The Argument from Design”
Second Paper Topics Are Distributed Today
Oct 27
Dawkins, The God Delusion, ch. 4
Disagreeing about God
Oct 29
G.A. Cohen, “Paradoxes of Conviction”
Nov 3
Van Inwagen, “It is always wrong, for anyone,
anywhere, to believe anything upon insufficient
evidence”
Second Paper Is Due at Start of Class Today
Nov 5
Feldman, “Reasonable Religious Disagreements”
Nov 10
Kelly, “The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement”
(Read the statement of the "No independent weight view" (9-10),
the discussion of "The Appeal to Symmetry" (14-20), and Kelly's
"positive argument for the No Independent Weight View" (20-26).)
Nov 12
Elga, “On Overratting Oneself...and Knowing It”
Skepticism about Knowledge of the External World
Nov 17
Stroud, “The Problem of the External World”
Nov 19
Moore, “Proof of an External World”
Nov 24
Vogel, “Cartesian Skepticism and Inference to the Best
Explanation”
Skepticism about Knowledge of the Future
Dec 1
Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,
Section IV
Dec 3
Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,
Section V
Third Paper Topics Are Distributed Today
time allowing
Hans Reichenbach, “The Pragmatic Justification of
Induction”
time allowing
Van Cleve, “Reliability, Justification, and the Problem of
Induction”
Third Papers Are Due by 3:30pm, December 15th