PHILOSOPHY 100 (FALL 2012) – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (MW)
Instructor: Ted Stolze
Office: SS-132
Office Phone: 562-860-2451, extension 2774
Office Hours: MTWTh 9-9:30am, M 11am-12pm
E-mail: tstolze@cerritos.edu
Webpage: www.cerritos.edu/tstolze
“There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers. Yet it is admirable to profess because it was
once admirable to live. To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school,
but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and
trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”
—Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Transfer Credit:
CSU, UC
Course Description:
In this course we’ll develop philosophical concepts by investigating a wide variety of problems, systems of
thought, and cultural perspectives. We’ll be reading carefully and critically selected philosophers and philosophies
from ancient Greece through contemporary Europe and the United States.
Texts:
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James Rachels, Problems from Philosophy, 3rd ed. (McGraw Hill, 2008) = PFP
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course you should be able to do the following:
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Explain Socrates’ statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” by applying the statement in at
least two of the following areas: ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Demonstrate a basic understanding of methods of philosophy.
Demonstrate an enhanced ability to articulate ideas about philosophical issues.
Use philosophical methods, assumptions, and principles to analyze philosophical ideas and positions,
including contemporary problems and issues.
Evaluate philosophical arguments, methods, assumptions, and principles for coherence, relevance, truth,
sources, and limits of knowledge.
Explain philosophical arguments, methods, fundamental assumptions, and principles about the nature of
reality, self, and freedom.
Explain philosophical arguments, methods, and evaluate fundamental assumptions and principles of
various ethical theories, including Deontology, Utilitarianism, and Virtue Ethics.
Evaluate your own philosophical presuppositions, as well as the philosophical presuppositions of others in
order to assess the merits of these assumptions.
Course Requirements:
1.
Show up regularly and on time. Be prepared to discuss the readings. You should carefully read the
assignment before class, noting difficult passages and writing down any questions you’d like to pose in class. You
should also briefly reread the assignment after class to confirm that you now understand the author’s main
points. NOTE: you must turn off all electronic devices before class begins (unless you have a demonstrable
need).
2
NOTE: I reserve the right to drop any student who is absent for more than four class
sessions during the course. Also, if you leave class early without permission, you will be
considered absent for that session.
2.
Take seven quizzes. I’ll drop the lowest two quiz scores, and the remaining five quizzes will count for 20
points of your final grade.
NOTE: There will be no make-up quizzes. A missing quiz will count as a dropped quiz.
3.
Take three exams, each of which will count for 30 points of your final grade. The second exam should be
completed as a take-home essay and is due on November 14.
4.
Final grades will be based on the following scale:
90 - 100 points
80 - 90 points
70 - 80 points
60 - 70 points
0 - 60 points
A
B
C
D
F
5.
Cheating and plagiarism are ethically unacceptable and will result in automatic failure for a particular
assignment.
Standards for Classroom Behavior and Discussion:
Our goal in this course is to achieve respectful philosophical dialogue in which everyone feels affirmed in the
value of his or her ideas and contributions to the class. This means not only that we should speak in certain
ways, but also that we should listen in certain ways. Respectful philosophical dialogue demands that even if we
strongly disagree with others, we should be very careful not to speak in a way that demeans them or their
ideas. We should instead engage in active listening—a technique that helps us to be less defensive in responding
to criticism or disagreement. Mindful, active listening requires each of us to focus on the words of the person
speaking rather than on what we ourselves might want to say, and to reserve judgment until he or she has
finished speaking and we are sure that we really understand his or her perspective. At the very least, active
listening requires the following respectful behavior:
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No side conversations, note-passing, or fiddling with your cell phone
Body language that indicates supportive attention (e.g., eye contact with the speaker)
No body language that is derisive (e.g., sighs, eye-rolling, muttering under your breath, throw-away
comments after the speaker is finished).
(I have adapted these standards from those developed by Johanna and Mark Brenner.)
Reading Assignments:
I. What is Philosophy?
8/20
8/22
8/27
8/29
9/3
Introduction to Philosophy
Video on the Life of Socrates
PFP, pp. 1-9, 191-199
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No Class – Labor Day
II. Metaphysics: What is Reality?
9/5
PFP, pp. 10-26
3
9/10
9/12
9/17
9/19
9/24
9/26
10/1
10/3
10/8
10/10
10/15
10/17
10/22
10/24
10/29
VIDEO: Darwin and the Tree of Life
PFP, pp. 10-26
PFP, pp. 27-37
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Video on Life after Death
PFP, pp. 38-51
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PFP, pp. 52-66
Review
Exam #1
PFP, pp. 67-82
PFP, pp. 83-93
VIDEO: The Human Behavior Experiments
PFP, pp. 94-108
PFP, pp. 109-24
III. Epistemology: What is Knowledge?
10/31
11/5
11/7
11/12
PFP, pp. 125-38
Library Assignment (Take-Home Exam #2) – Stolze in London
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No Class – Veterans Day
IV. Axiology: What is Value?
11/14
11/19
11/21
11/22-25
11/26
11/28
12/3
12/5
12/10
12/12
12/17
PFP, pp. 139-152
PFP, pp. 153-165
Review
No Class - Thanksgiving Break
Review
PFP, pp. 166-175
Video on the Life of Epicurus
VIDEO: Earth: The Operators’ Manual
James Garvey, “Climate Change and Moral Outrage” (available online)
Review
Exam #3 (2-4pm)