Professor: Andrew
Latus Email: alatus@mun.ca
Office: Arts 3105 Phone:
737-8333
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday
4-5; Thursday 1-2 or drop by
Web Page: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~alatus/Intro.html
Overview: This course provides an introduction to a variety of the standard issues in philosophy. Some examples: (1) What makes acts morally right or wrong? (2) Does God exist? and (3) What is knowledge? My aim is not to lead you to particular answers to these questions, but to enable you to reach properly reasoned conclusions of your own. People often say there are no right answers to philosophical questions. I doubt very much that this is true, but what is most important in this class is that, whether or not there are right answers, there are certainly right and wrong ways of coming up with answers.
Texts: 1. Plato, Five Dialogues,
Hackett Publishing Company, 1981.
2. Rene Descartes,
Discourse
on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy,
Hackett Publishing
Company, 1998.
3. Reserve Readings
(see course schedule)
4. On-line notes
Grading: Critical Thinking Test
(Wednesday, Feb 16) - 20% [NOTE NEW DATE!]
Writing
Assignments (3 x 15% each) - 45%
Final Exam (Date &
location TBA) - 35%
Writing Assignments: You are required to submit three assignments over the course of the term. There will be six assignments to choose from. Due dates are indicated on the reverse of this page. For further details, see the handout on writing assignments.
Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend all classes and arrive on time. If you must miss a class you should inform me (in advance, if possible). Even if you miss a class with a reasonable excuse, you are still responsible for the material covered in that class. Make-ups for tests will only be arranged if a reasonable excuse for the absence has been provided.
Policy on Late Assignments: Assignments are due on the dates indicated on this handout. If you have a reasonable personal or medical excuse for failing to hand in an assignment on time, contact me (in advance, if possible) and you will be permitted to hand the assignment in. Note that I reserve the right to ask for proof of the excuse (e.g., a medical note). In the absence of a reasonable personal or medical excuse, you will not be permitted to hand in a late assignment and will receive a grade of zero on the assignment.
Tentative Schedule:
Jan. 11: Introductory Class
Jan. 15-19: Peter Singer - "The Singer
Solution to World Poverty" (handout)
Critical
Thinking I - The Structure of Arguments
Jan. 22-26: Critical
Thinking II - Analyzing Arguments
Critical
Thinking III - Criticizing Arguments
Jan. 29 - Feb. 2: Critical
Thinking IV - Fallacies
Assignment #1 (Singer)
- Due Monday, Jan. 29
Feb. 5-9: Critical
Thinking IV - Fallacies (continued)
Introduction
to Plato & Socrates
Plato
- Apology
Feb. 12-16: Plato
- Euthyphro
Critical Thinking
Test - Wednesday, Feb. 14
Feb. 19-23: Moral
Objectivism & Relativism
Alan Goldman - "Plain
Sex" (on reserve)
John Harris - "The
Survival Lottery" (on reserve)
Assignment #2 (Fallacies)
- Due Monday, Feb. 19
March 2: Plato - Crito
March 5-9: The
Prisoner's Dilemma
Plato - "The Ring of
Gyges" (handout)
Phaedo
Assignment #3 (Goldman)
- Due Wednesday, March 7
March 12-16: Phaedo (continued)
Thomas Nagel - "Free
Will" (on reserve)
Introduction to Descartes
& Discourse on Method - Parts I & II
March 19-23: Meditation I &
Meditation
II
Assignment #4 (Harris)
- Due Monday, March 19
March 26-30: Meditation III &
Meditation
IV
Assignment #5 ("Ring
of Gyges") - Due Monday, March 26
April 2-6: Meditation V & Meditation
VI
Assignment #6 (Nagel)
- Due Monday, April 2
April 9-11: Review & Catch-up