PHI 231: Knowing, Doing and Being: Philosophical Method and Its Application
Section 22 Spring 2013
Professor: Damion K. Scott
Office: NB. 8.63.29
Phone: (646) 781-5573
Email: dascott@jjay.cuny.edu
Classroom: NB/1.87
Class Hours: Friday 10:50am-1:30pm
Office Hours: Monday 2:00-3:00pm
Required Texts:
Critchley, Simon Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction Oxford 2001
Descartes, Rene Meditations on First Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1993.
Kant, Immanuel Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics 1783
King, Martin Luther Letter from a Birmingham Jail 1962
Nagel, Thomas What Does It All Mean: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy Oxford
University Press 1987
Plato The Trial and Death of Socrates. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2000.
Recommended Supplemental Texts:
Blocker, Gene H. Japanese philosophy State University of New York Press 2001
Dilworth, David Philosophy in World Perspective: A Comparative Hermeneutic of the Major
Theories Yale University Press 1989
Fanon, Franz The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 1963.
Kim, Jaegwon, Sosa, Ernest and Rosenkrantz, Gary S. (editors) A Companion to Metaphysics
2nd. Edition Blackwell 2009
Lott, Tommy L. and Pittman, John P. (editors). A Companion to African-American Philosophy
Blackwell 2003
McGary, Howard Race and Social Justice Blackwell 1999
Nagel, Thomas Mortal Questions Cambridge University Press 1979
Nietzsche, Friedrich The Gay Science translated by Walter Kaufmann Vintage 1974
Young, Julian The Death of God and the Meaning of Life Routledge 2003
Course Description
The John Jay Undergraduate Bulletin describes this course as follows: “An introduction
to the four major philosophical questions: What can I know for certain? Does God exist? How
should I act towards others? What is Justice? This analysis of the foundations of knowledge,
religious belief, ethical theory, and social justice includes readings from Plato, Aristotle, St.
Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, Mill, and contemporary philosophers.”
The purpose of this course is to be a general introduction to some of the major topics in
the history of Western philosophy and to engage students in philosophical thinking. The course
will cover four major areas of study within the discipline, each of which is indicated by one of the
four questions mentioned above. The question “Does God exist?” is indicative of an inquiry into
Metaphysics—the study of the fundamental nature of bring and reality. Epistemology—the
study of knowledge and the acquisition of rational justification—is the area of philosophy
designated by the question “What can I know for certain?”. “How should I act towards others?”
refers to the area of philosophy known as Ethics—the study of morality as it pertains to human
beings. Finally, the area of philosophy which studies human social and political associations,
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institutions, and relationships—Social and Political philosophy—,is demarcated by the question
“What is justice?”
Throughout this course each student will become familiar with the nature of
philosophical inquiry, representative philosophical texts, issues and schools, and develop the
ability to analyze philosophical texts and arguments, as well as to engage in clear, insightful and
charitable debate about the merits of philosophical theses. My foremost concern in this course is
to introduce students to philosophical thinking and methodology. More than endowing the student
with any particular content, I want to assist the student in developing the critical reasoning skills
that are requisite for thinking philosophically.
More than this, I intend for this class to be a sustained philosophical conversation about
philosophical issues and questions. Each of us should view ourselves as equal participants in this
conversation. To be sure, I will lead the conversation most often, but at times the conversation
will be led by one of you. I want for this course to be an honest attempt by each of us to take
seriously the material we read, the issues we discuss, and the problems which arise, both in the
text that we read and in our own consideration and discussion of the material. We should all
approach the class, and the particular content of the class with a serious consideration of both
the texts and the relevance of the texts in helping each of us negotiate our way through the
philosophical challenges inherent in our own lived experiences.
Learning outcomes for PHI 231:
Students successfully completing PHI 231 will be able to:
a.
Demonstrate familiarity with the basic issues and elementary concepts, and some positions
and arguments, in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and theories of justice;
b.
Demonstrate familiarity with some example(s) of ancient Greek philosophical writing and
with the three main types of normative ethical theory: deontology, consequentialism, and virtue
ethics;
c.
Identify arguments and their premise(s) and conclusion(s), implicit assumptions, and make
basic distinctions between strong and weak arguments;
d.
Present elementary philosophical positions and arguments in public both verbally and in
writing;
e.
Apply basic philosophical concepts and arguments to contemporary issues and to their own
lives.
Course Requirements
Term Paper
Each student will be responsible for one short paper (3 to 5 pages double-spaced, in
length). This term paper should be of an expository, critical, or comparative approach. The exact
paper topics are TBA, as is the due date. This paper ought to deFRIstrate a command of a topic
that we discuss in class as well as reflect one or more of the target learning outcomes of this
course. The term paper will be 25% of the overall course grade.
Class participation
Course participation consists in maintaining an active presence throughout the course. I
expect each student to ask questions and be prepared to answer questions that I might have for
you. This course will involve frequent seminar-style discussions, where students will be
expected to have completed the assigned reading for that day, and to engage the instructor and
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each other in discussion. Make no mistake, in order to do well in this class you must ask
questions and make comments every class meeting. s, attendance is very important, for if you
are not in class, you can neither contribute to, nor benefit from, the class discussion. Please note
that regular unexcused absences will negatively affect your grade. Lastly, you will be graded on
the quality, not necessarily the quantity, of your class participation. Class participation will be
25% of the overall course grade.
Two Examinations (each 25 %) of total grade.
There will be two exams given for the course; one midterm exam and one final exam.
Both exams will consist of some combination of short answer, and essay questions. Each
examination will cover all of the course material presented in the course up to the point at which
the examination is administered. Questions will be drawn from any assigned readings, lectures, or
discussions that take place in the course up to that point. Students will have one class period in
which to complete the examinations. The final exam will be given at the time and place
designated by the college. Students will have the entire allotment of time to complete the exam.
So, the overall grade breakdown for the course is as follows:
Class Participation
First Exam
Second Exam
Term Paper
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
25 %
25 %
25 %
25 %
Total
400 points
100 %
Classroom Policies and Procedures
Attendance Policy
Tardiness – Every three (3) times a student arrives late to class will equal one (1)
unexcused absence.
Absences – Every three (3) unexcused absences will result in a five (5) point deduction from the
student’s total grade. Such a deduction is equivalent to a half letter grade deduction. For example,
If a student had an A-/90 and accumulated three (3) unexcused absences, a five (5) point
deduction would lower the student’s grade to an 85/B. If a student fails to complete an
assignment due to an unexcused absence, there will be a ten (10) point deduction from the grade
the student earns after making up the assignment for every weekday past the scheduled due date
for the assignment that the student fails to schedule a make up (to be completed within five (5)
days of the due date) with the instructor. Once five weekdays have elapsed from the scheduled
due date, a student is no longer permitted to make up the assignment and will receive a zero (0)
for that assignment.
A student may request a current total of absences, tardiness, or classroom conduct infractions
in person during the professor’s office hours.
Policies regarding late work and missed exams
Unless otherwise specified, all work is due at the beginning of class on the due date
indicated in this syllabus or as instructed during the course of the semester. If you are unable to
turn in an assignment when it is due, you must provide acceptable documentation such as a
doctor's written confirmation that you were too ill to complete the work on time, or a written
confirmation that a family emergency had you engaged in such a way that completion or
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attendance was impossible, or some other justification for why you were unable to turn in the
assignment when it was due. Absences required by the athletic department and other college
related extra-curricular activities reasons must be cleared ahead of time, with appropriate plans
made with me for completing any assignments due on that date. Unless otherwise stated, all late
work will be penalized 10 points (one letter grade) for each class meeting it is late.
Policy on academic honesty
It is my sincere hope that we make it through the entire semester, and that each of you
make it throughout your entire academic and professional careers without being academically
dishonest. I will be clear upfront about the expectations and requirements of both the college and
myself. I require that all written work be your own. If you use someone else’s words or ideas,
these sources MUST be appropriately cited. This includes both VERBATUM copying as well as
PARAPHRASING another person's ideas. When presenting another’s ideas provide some form
of citation (and make sure to use quotation marks when appropriate. I am not strict on the
formalities of style – whether it be MLA style, APA style or some other version – as long as I can
find where your citation is from). If it is not clear to you what counts as plagiarism, it is your
responsibility to seek clarification from me beforehand. My policy is simple: if there is
conclusive evidence that you have plagiarized (by claiming any other person's work as your own
– even so much as a single phrase or sentence) You will be referred to the office of the Vice
President for Student Development and your case will be handled under the Student
Disciplinary Procedures in Article 15 of the Bylaws of the CUNY Board of Trustees, copies of
which are available in the Library.
John Jay College’s policy on plagiarism and cheating can be found at the following address:
http://doit.jjay.cuny.edu/jjcemail/
It reads as follows:
College Policy on Plagiarism and Cheating:
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's ideas, words, or artistic, scientific, or
technical work as one's own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissible only
when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations,
require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of
dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. It is
the student's responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are comFRI
knowledge (which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others.
Paraphrasing, summarizing, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as
the source is cited. Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised
to consult with their instructors. The Library has free guides designed to help students with
problems of documentation.
Students are prohibited from using books, notes, and other reference materials during
examinations except as specifically authorized by the instructor. Students may not copy other
students' examination papers, have others take examinations for them, substitute examination
booklets, submit papers written by others, or engage in other forms of academic dishonesty.
Reading Schedule
I will try my best to stick to the schedule below, but it is tentative and may be modified
during the course of the semester. As it stands, we have a lot of material to cover, and in an
attempt to make the course sensitive to the interests of the students; I want to leave us the
flexibility to make alterations to the syllabus. We may wish to spend more or less time than I
have scheduled on some of the issues we confront in the course. Ultimately, the decision about
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what to include or not include, and how much time we will spend on any topic or figure that we
cover in class will rest with the professor.
WEEK ONE:
FEBRUARY
1
FRI
WEEK TWO:
8
FRI
WEEK THREE:
15
FRI
WEEK FOUR:
22
FRI
Course Introduction, Basic Philosophical Method
KRS-One “My Philosophy”, Nietzsche first four “Prelude in Rhymes”
of “The Gay Science’, Poetic, Dialectical, and Prosaic modes of
philosophical expression
Plato “Euthyphro” Photocopy handouts
Plato. “Euthyphro”, “Apology” and “Crito” in The Trial and Death of
Socrates.
Plato. “Apology” in The Trial and Death of Socrates.
Plato. “Crito” in The Trial and Death of Socrates.
Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” 1963
Review of Plato, Begin Descartes The Meditations on First Philosophy
WEEK FIVE:
MARCH
1
FRI
WEEK SIX:
8
FRI
Descartes The Meditations on First Philosophy“ Meditation One”.
Descartes, Rene. “Meditation Two” in Meditations on First Philosophy
Descartes, Rene. “Meditation Three” in Meditations on First
Philosophy”
Descartes, Rene. “Meditation Five” in Meditations on First Philosophy
WEEK SEVEN:
15
FRI
Review
WEEK EIGHT:
22
FRI
***Midterm Exam***
SPRING BREAK: MARCH 25 – APRIL 2
WEEK NINE:
APRIL
5
FRI
Mill, Utilitarianism, sections TBA
WEEK TEN:
5
12
FRI
WEEK ELEVEN:
19
FRI
WEEK TWELVE:
26
FRI
Mill (utilitarianism), Kant (deontology), Nagel Chapter 8
Justice
Nagel Chapter Right and Wrong,
Handouts: Locke (empiricism), Spinoza (Rationalism) TBA
Nagel, ‘How Do We Know Anything’
Kant Prolegomena to Any Future Sections TBA
WEEK THIRTEEN:
MAY
3
FRI
Handouts: Kyoto School Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(‘Eastern’ or Asian Philosophy), Critchley selection from A Very Short
Introduction to Continental Philosophy
WEEK FOURTEEN:
10
FRI
Nagel Chapter 3 Other minds, Chapter 4 The Mind Body Problem
Handouts: Nietzsche, Sartre, Gordon (Africana Existentialism)
Readings TBA
Handouts: Naturalism, Humanism, Nagel Chapter 9 Death, Chapter
10 The Meaning of Life
WEEK FIFTEEN:
17
FRI
***Term Paper due, Review for Final Exam***
***Applications of Philosophical methods to other disciplines, Final
Review***
WEEK SIXTEEN
24
FRI
***Final Exam***
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