Introduction to Philosophy (Fall semester, 2005)
Professor: Chienkuo (Michael) Mi
Office: Room #103 (教師研究二樓)
Course: BP10301
Classroom: B710
Class Time: 10:00am ~ 1:00pm, Mondays
Office Hours: 1:30pm ~3:30pm, Mondays
E-mail: cmi@mail.scu.edu.tw
Course Description:
This is a course to introduce you what philosophy is in general. So, the question
“What is Philosophy?” will be the central concern and the fundamental question to be
taken care of and to be dealt with. The attempt to develop your own ways of
thinking—to “do” philosophy and to understand what other philosophers have
done—is central to any study of philosophy. In philosophy, unlike physics, biology,
history, or any other subject, your own answer may be just as reasonable and valuable
as those given by the philosophers of the past. The point of doing or dealing with
philosophy is whether you can really grasp the questions and are able to give some
reasonable supports (reasons, premises, or arguments) for your answers. This is what
makes philosophy so difficult to learn at first, but it is also what makes it so
personally valuable and enjoyable.
Instead of giving a definition of philosophy at the outset (as most people will
expect), I will encourage you to join in the discussions of philosophy (the sea of
philosophy), and to have a closer look at those fundamental questions in different
areas of this subject: epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. The questions include:
“what is the relation between languages, thoughts, and the world?”, “what is
knowledge?”, “what is truth?”, “what is a cause?”, “what is the world or reality?”,
“does God exist?”, “how do we justify our beliefs?”, “what is good?”, and, of course,
many more. These questions will eventually lead us to our ultimate concern: “what is
philosophy?” There are various ways of approaching philosophy. The way we choose
to do for this course is to read through John Hospers’s An Introduction to
Philosophical Analysis (4th edition) and to understand and discuss the important issues
involved in this book. Besides, I will also assign some supplementary readings from
other outside sources in order to enhance some important topics introduced in our
main textbook. I don’t want to pretend to say that my way of approaching philosophy
is the only way or the right way of doing it. However, since everyone can have his or
her own path of pursuing philosophy, and since I think I am doing philosophy, I will
have to provide my reasons and explanation to you, through the course of discussion
and argumentation during this year, why my path of pursuing it is more favorable and
justifiable than those of others.
Required Textbook:
John Hospers, An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, 4th edition, published in
1997, by Prentice Hall.
Course Evaluation:
1. Three exams, 45%, (15% each)
2. Three home-works, 45% (15% each)
3. Website on-line Q&A and discussions, 10%
4. Coming to class meetings is mandatory. If you miss three meetings, your final
grade will be failed.
5. If you fail to turn in any homework or take any exam, your final grade will be
failed too.
Course Schedule:
9/12
General administrative details
9/19
Required Textbook, pp. 1-12
9/26
Required Textbook, pp. 12-21
10/3
10/10
10/17
10/24
10/31
11/7
11/14
11/21
11/28
Required Textbook, pp. 21-28
Holiday
Required Textbook, pp. 28-35
Discussions of the exercises in Chapter 1, turn in homework #1
Exam #1
Required Textbook, pp. 39-47
Required Textbook, pp. 47-50
Required Textbook, pp. 50-67
Discussions of the exercises in Chapter 2, turn in homework #2
12/5
12/12
12/19
12/26
1/2
1/9
Exam #2
Required Textbook, pp. 71-80
Required Textbook, pp. 80-89
Required Textbook, pp. 89-97
Discussions of the exercises in Chapter 3, turn in homework #3
Final Exam