Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy
Fall 2015
Mon. & Wed. 1-2:30
Taylor Hall 204
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Basic Course Information
Intructor:
Email:
Office:
Office hours:
Office phone:
Course Website:
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Greg Gandenberger
greg@gandenberger.org
Taylor Hall 243-D
Mon. 12-1, Thurs. 1-2
(412)624-3879
gandenberger.org/introphil
Objectives
This course has two primary aims. One is to introduce you to some of the central debates in
philosophy. The other is to develop your ability to read philosophical texts, understand their
arguments, and develop your own positions.
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Topics
We will discuss one topic in each of the four major divisions of philosophy.
Metaphysics:
Logic:
Epistemology:
Ethics:
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The Existence of God
Paradoxes
Skepticism
The Meaning of life
Required Texts
Please get these exact texts so that we will all have good translations and the same page numbers.
Descartes, René. Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and
Replies. Ed. John Cottingham. Rev. ed. New York: Cambridge UP, 1996. ISBN: 0521558182
Sainsbury, R. M. Paradoxes. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009. ISBN: 0521720796
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus, and Other Essays. Trans. Justin Brien. New York:
Vintage, 1991. ISBN: 9780679733737
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Expectations
Grades
I expect the median grade in this course to be close to the Arts and Sciences median of B/B+.
However, I do not grade on a curve, so your grade depends only on your own performance.
Time
I have designed this course with the expectation that being a full-time student takes as much
work as a full time job, so that the three credit hours for this course corresponds to about five
hours of focused work outside of class each week. Superior performance (and an A grade) may
require more time.
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Requirements
Reading Notes
Thoroughly understanding a philosophical text generally requires reading it at least twice and
taking notes. I will give you a method for approaching philosophical texts that is designed
to provide full understanding relatively efficiently. You will be required to produce one set of
reading notes according to a template I provide each week until you have mastered this approach.
Reading Responses
You will be required to write reading responses in which you analyze and evaluate an argument
from one of our assigned texts. You may write as many reading responses as you would like;
only the best three scores will count toward your final grade.
Quizzes
I will often give a short quiz at the start of class, usually on the readings for that session. You
will not be allowed to make up any quizzes you miss, but I will drop your two lowest grades.
Constructive Essays
You will write two papers for this course of 1000–1500 words in which you articulate your own
argument for a philosophical position. Each essay assignment will be carried out in three stages.
First, you will turn in a thesis statement and outline for my feedback. Second, you will write a
draft to discuss in an in-class writing workshop. Finally, you will write a final draft for a grade.
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Grading
Points are available as follows:
2
Reading Notes
Reading Responses
Quizzes
Constructive Essay 1 Thesis and Outline
Constructive Essay 1 Discussion Draft
Constructive Essay 1
Constructive Essay 2 Thesis and Outline
Constructive Essay 2 Discussion Draft
Constructive Essay 2
Total
50
150
150
50
50
200
50
50
250
1000
Final grades will be determined on the following scale:
A+
A
A-
8
970–1000
930–969
900–929
B+
B
B-
870–899
830–869
800–829
C+
C
C-
770–799
730–769
700–729
D+
D
D-
670–699
630–669
600–629
F
<600
Policies
Receiving Course Information
Important course announcements will be sent to your university email addresses. You are responsible for checking these accounts regularly. You may want to set up your university account
to forward your messages to another account if you have one that you check more often.
Grades will be posted on Blackboard. All other course materials will be posted on the course
website.
Use of Electronic Devices
To minimize distractions, electronic devices must be put away during class.
Late Work
Assignments are due at the start of class. My standard policy is to deduct five percent of the total
possible points on an assignment for each day it is late. I will handle requests to accommodate
special circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Bringing such requests to me as early as possible
is helpful in ensuring that I will be able to accommodate them.
Academic Integrity
I follow the university’s policy on academic integrity and have no tolerance for cheating or
plagiarism. If you have questions about what counts as plagiarism, see the article “A Primer on
Plagiarism” on our course website, and then ask me about any questions that remain.
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Office Hours
I am available to talk about course-related topics either in person (Taylor Hall 243-D) or via
Google Chat (gsganden@gmail.com) during my office hours (Mon. 12-1, Thurs. 1-2) or by
special appointment.
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Resources
Additional Sources
You are not expected to consult additional sources in this course. If you would like to do further
reading, the free, online Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an excellent starting point.
Writing Resources
You should begin work on your writing assignments as early as possible so that you have ample
time to revise them. For the sake of fairness, I will not read and give general comments on early
drafts. However, I will be more than happy to answer any specific questions you might have
about the content and organization of your paper. I also encourage you to take advantage of the
university Writing Center, located in room M-2 of Thaw Hall.
Disability Resources
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are
encouraged to contact both me and Disability Resources and Services, 140 Student Union, 412648-7890 or 412-383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine appropriate accommodations for this course.
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Course Calendar
Disclaimer
This calendar is subject to change and is intended only to provide a big-picture overview of the
course. You will be notified about any changes in class and by email. See the course website for
the latest version of this document and for detailed assignment guidelines.
Course Introduction
Date
Topics/Activities
Aug. 31
Course Introduction
Reading Philosophy
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Unit 1 (Metaphysics): The Existence of God
Date
Topics
Readings
Sept. 2
God & Morality
Analyzing Arguments
Elizabeth Anderson, “If God Is Dead, Is Everything
Permitted?”
Sept. 7
No Class
N/A
Sept. 9
Problem of Evil 1
J. L. Mackie, “Evil and Omnipotence”
Sept. 14
Problem of Evil 2
Eleonore Stump, “The Problem of Evil”
Sept. 16
Cosmological Arguments
Richard Swinburne, “The Cosmological Argument”
Sept. 21
Design Arguments
Sept. 23
Faith & Reason
Writing Philosophy
Selection from William Paley, Natural Theology
Selection from Charles Darwin, On the Origin
of Species
William James, “The Will to Believe”
Unit 2 (Logic): Paradoxes
Date
Topics
Readings
Sept. 28
Zeno’s Paradoxes
Sainsbury, Paradoxes, Intro & Ch. 1
Sept. 30
Sorites Paradox
Sainsbury, Paradoxes, Ch. 3
Oct. 5
Decision Paradoxes
Sainsbury, Paradoxes, Sect. 4
Oct. 7
Surprise Examination
Sainsbury, Paradoxes, Ch. 5.3–5.4
Oct. 12
No Class
N/A
Oct. 14
Liar Paradox
Sainsbury, Paradoxes Ch. 6
Oct. 19
Lottery & Preface
Writing Workshop
Richard Foley, “The Epistemology
of Belief and the Epistemology of
Degrees of Belief”
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Assignments
Constructive Essay 1 Thesis &
Outline
Constructive Essay 1 Discussion
Draft
Unit 3 (Epistemology): Skepticism
Date
Topics
Readings
Assignments
Oct. 21
Unit 3 Intro
Selection from Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism
Oct. 26
Cartesian Skepticism 1
René Descartes, Meditations 1 & 2
Oct. 28
Cartesian Skepticism 2
René Descartes, Meditations 3 & 4
Nov. 2
Relevant Alternatives
Gail Stine, “Skepticism, Relevant Alternatives, and Deductive Closure”
Nov. 4
Inductive Skepticism 1
Wesley Salmon, “An Encounter with
David Hume”
Nov. 9
Inductive Skepticism 2
Selection from Nelson Goodman, Fact,
Fiction, and Forecast
Nov. 11
Inductive Skepticism 3
Susan Haack, “The Justification of Induction”
Constructive
Essay 1
Unit 4 (Ethics): The Meaning of Life
Date
Topics
Readings
Assignments
Nov. 16
Nihilism
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, pp. 3–65, 119–23
Constructive Essay 2
Thesis & Outline
Nov. 18
Supernaturalism 1
William Lane Craig, “The Absurdity of Life Without God”
Nov. 23
Supernaturalism 2
Jacob Affolter, “Human Nature as
God’s Purpose”
Nov. 25
No Class
Nov. 30
Writing Workshop
Dec. 2
Naturalism 1
Eric Wielenberg, “God and the
Meaning of Life”
Dec. 7
Naturalism 2
Susan Wolf, “Meaningful Lives”
Dec. 9
Transformative
Experience
L. A. Paul, “What You Can’t Expect When You’re Expecting”
Dec. 14
No Class
N/A
Constructive Essay 2
Discussion Draft
Constructive Essay 2
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