introduction to philosophy
course #: PHIL 100
location and time: COR B129, Mon & Thu 1:00-2:20
instructor: Mike Raven ( mike@mikeraven.net )
office hours: CLE B323 Mon & Thu 11:30-12:30, or by appointment
teaching assistant: Melissa Hiebert ( mel_hiebert@hotmail.com )
office hours: CLE B312 Wed 12:30-2:30, or by appointment
course website: http://mikeraven.net/classes/uvic/intro10
MOODLE website: https://moodle.uvic.ca/course/view.php?id=14654
(Deviations from this document made in class or on these websites overrule this document.)
overview
description
This year-long course introduces the activity of philosophy by focusing on six of
its main topics: (i) what are minds and bodies? (ii) what are persons? (iii) what is
life and what is its value? (iv) do past events determine future events and, if so, is
morality empty? (v) what is the nature of reality? and (vi) what is knowledge and
is it constructed or discovered?
objectives
This course aims to introduce and improve: (i) familiarity with six philosophical
topics; (ii) skill in clearly, precisely, and rigorously expressing philosophical ideas
and arguments; and (iii) skill in clearly, precisely, and rigorously evaluating
philosophical ideas and arguments.
texts
Meditations on First Philosophy, Renee Descartes
A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality, John Perry
Confrontations with the Reaper, Fred Feldman
The Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell
Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, George Berkeley
Fear of Knowledge, Paul Boghossian
* Other readings will be made available in class.
* Translations (by J. Bennett) of the Descartes and Berkeley readings in the
contemporary idiom are online at http://www.earlymoderntexts.com.
heads-up
"Philosophy is the strangest of subjects: it aims at rigour and yet is unable to establish any results; it
attempts to deal with the most profound questions and yet constantly finds itself preoccupied with the
trivialities of language; and it claims to be of great relevance to rational enquiry and the conduct of our
life and yet is almost completely ignored. But perhaps what is strangest of all is the passion and
intensity with which it is pursued by those who have fallen in its grip." (Kit Fine)
Philosophers strive for clarity, precision, and rigor, so as to maximize chances of
arriving at genuine, exceptionless knowledge about the world. Toward this end,
philosophers appear to use obscure technical terms disconnected from ordinary
language, to fuss pedantically over insignificant details, and to get caught up in
"academic" disputes over abstract matters disconnected from what we care
about. As a result, many students initially find philosophy to be unfamiliar,
difficult, and irrelevant. But this first impression is misleading. Technical terms
are used to avoid unclarity and imprecision, details are fussed over to achieve the
strictest rigor, and the abstract is focused on to guard against ordinary biases.
To learn philosophy is to do philosophy. Thus, while the course focuses on six
traditional philosophical questions, the main emphasis is on how to do
philosophy: to think with clarity, precision, and rigor. But clear, precise, and
rigorous thought is inseparable from the clear, precise, and rigorous expression
of thought. One cannot learn philosophy without learning how to communicate
clearly, rigorously, and precisely. Writing assignments hone these skills. While
writing assignments tend to be short, the standards are high. Help is available.
Philosophy requires patience and discipline. But it can be extremely rewarding,
especially as one hones the skill of sharpening one's ideas and isolating the
justifications for them--a skill which can be used in any academic discipline, and
even in ordinary life.
policies
evaluation
The grade you earn is determined by the quality and timeliness of your own
work. The grading will not be curved: how well your classmates do and how well
others do in other classes isn‟t relevant to how well you do in this class. The
writing guidelines listed in the „resources‟ section offer guidance on by what
standard your written work will be evaluated.
You pass only if you complete all assignments and participate in class. Your
course grade depends upon papers (70%), peer-reviewing (20%), and
participation (10%). Details will be discussed in class.
Grades are given in accordance with the university‟s standard grading scheme:
A+ 100-90
B- 69-65
A 89-85
C+ 64-60
A- 84-80
C 59-55
B+ 79-75
D 54-50
B 74-70
F 49-0
The most common grades are in the B+ to B- range.
late work
Extensions are granted only if a legitimate reason (e.g. illness, personal, or
religious) is provided before the due date. Late work will be penalized one full
letter grade per day late. Do not expect comments on late work.
If you do not expect to complete an assignment on time, submit what you have
done on time and submit the completed assignment as soon as possible
thereafter; an incomplete but timely submission shows a good faith effort and
might receive a higher grade than a complete but late submission.
extra credit
There is no extra credit; no exceptions.
plagiarism
Academic dishonesty is not tolerated. See the University Calendar for the
university‟s statement on academic integrity (e.g. plagiarism, cheating, etc.).
reading schedule
What follows is a tentative reading schedule. Deviations mentioned in class or on the course
website overrule this schedule.
first term
Introduction
week 1 (Sep 9)
minds and bodies
week 2 (Sep 13,16)
Meditations on First Philosophy (I-II), Descartes
week 3 (Sep 20,23)
Meditations on First Philosophy (III-IV), Descartes
week 4 (Sep 27,30)
Meditations on First Philosophy (V-VI), Descartes
personal identity
week 5 (Oct 4,7)
A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality (I-II), Perry
week 6 (Oct 14)
A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality (III), Perry
life and death
week 7 (Oct 18,21)
Confrontations with the Reaper (1-2), Feldman
week 8 (Oct 25,28)
Confrontations with the Reaper (3-4), Feldman
week 9 (Nov 1,4)
Confrontations with the Reaper (5-6), Feldman
week 10 (Nov 8)
Confrontations with the Reaper (7), Feldman
week 11 (Nov 15,18)
Confrontations with the Reaper (8-9), Feldman
week 12 (Nov 22,25)
Confrontations with the Reaper (10-11), Feldman
week 13 (Nov 29,Dec 2)
Confrontations with the Reaper (12-13), Feldman
second term
free will
week 1-2 (Jan 6,10,13)
“Moral Luck”, Nagel
“The Powers of Rational Beings: Freedom of the Will”, Van Inwagen
idealism
week 3 (Jan 17,20)
The Problems of Philosophy (I-III), Russell
week 4 (Jan 24,27)
Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, Berkeley
The Problems of Philosophy (IV-V), Russell
knowledge
week 5 (Jan 31,Feb 3)
Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (IV-V), Hume
The Problems of Philosophy (VI-VIII), Russell
week 6 (Feb 7,10)
“The Justification of Induction”, Reichenbach
“Reliability, Justification, and the Problem of Induction”, Van Cleve
week 7 (Feb 14,17)
Theaetetus (selections), Plato
“Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”, Edmund Gettier
week 8 (Feb 28,Mar 3)
“On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense”, Nietzsche
“Making (Up) the Truth”, Smith
“Indian Tribes‟ Creationists Thwart Archeologists”, Johnson
Fear of Knowledge (1-2), Boghossian
week 9 (Mar 7,10)
Fear of Knowledge (3-4), Boghossian
“Relativism: Finding and Making”, Rorty
week 10 (Mar 14,17)
Fear of Knowledge (5-6), Boghossian
week 11 (Mar 21,24)
Fear of Knowledge (7-8), Boghossian
week 12 (Mar 28,31)
“The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement”, Kelly
assignments
In addition to participating in class, there will be approximately six papers assigned. In the first
term, you will be asked to write four short, focused papers on assigned topics. In the second
term, you will be asked to write longer papers, with a substantial peer-review component.
Approximate due dates are below; they will be subject to revision. Topics and details will be
announced in class.
paper 1
(due: Sep 30)
topic: TBA
paper 2
(due: Oct 22)
topic: TBA
paper 3
(due: Nov 11)
topic: TBA
paper 4
(due: Dec 2)
topic: TBA
paper 5
(due: Feb 7/10/17)
topic: TBA
paper 6
(due: Mar 21/24/31)
topic: TBA
resources
J. Bennett and S. Goroviz (June 1997), "Improving Academic Writing", Teaching Philosophy 20
Jim Pryor's guide to philosophical terms and methods
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/vocab/
Jim Pryor's guide to reading philosophy
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html
Jim Pryor's guide to writing philosophy
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
Mike Raven's philosophy paper advice
http://mikeraven.net/docs/[Raven] Philosophy paper advice.pdf