Fall 2026
Shortcut Links to Phil 1001 Course Webpages
Phil 1001-123 Detailed Syllabus
Syllabus Part 2 of 2: Detailed Course Syllabus
NOTE: Schedule revisions to the syllabus due to weather and other reasons are in red.
Before coming to class, watch this 10 min. video.
TU 1 Sept: Preliminaries: The Good; dead cats and humans; the brain: language and meaning: univocity, equivocity, analogy. Brains! And More Brains! (i) My brain and how I want to help to develop student brains, brain size and other heady brain issues (Brain Anatomy and How the Brain Works and more); (ii) Exercising your brains: (a) Restrictions on Electronic devices.; (b) Attention (NYT Link); (c) Handwritten note sheets; (d) Complex thinking: Heraclitus; (e) prohibition of using AI for this class. (iii) For fun: “Craving brains and hangry: Zombie behavior demystified by scientists”. (iv) For Science: National Institutes for Health: “Gender and age differences in normal adult human brain” (v) Introduction to the course & its syllabus: Why are we beginning with the study of Greek philosophy?; (vi) Homework Note sheets” Link; (vii) Preview: Plato’s Apology and outlining arguments.
For next class: (i) Bring the completed handwritten student information sheet; (ii) Study Plato’s Apology; (iii) prepare handwritten note sheets on the Apology.
TH 3 Sept: Always bring your copy of the book to class. Some repetition for newly enrolled students: (i) The Good; (ii) How to study philosophy: Link; (iii) Student Note Sheets and their function in this class; (iv) the value of outlines; (v) discussion of Plato’s Apology. Note sheets link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qpX9MBcHr5baGeY3fTOfpeytA5BbkQ8g/view.
For next class: (i) Read Plato, Crito; (ii) How to read the Crito; (iii) prepare handwritten note sheets on the Crito.
TU 8 Sept: (i) Discussion of Plato’s Crito; (ii) what are the major divisions of the Crito?; (iii) complete the Student Note Sheets. (iv) Preview of Republic Book 1.
For next class: (i) Read Republic Book 1 and prepare Student Note Sheets.
TH 10 Sept: (i) Republic Book 1, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 2.
TU 15 Sept: Always bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 2, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 3.
TH 17 Sept: (i) Republic Book 3, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 4.
TU 22 Sept: (i) Republic Book 4, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 5.
TH 24 Sept: (i) Republic Book 5, SPECIAL: Read only up to 472a (p. 164) ; (ii) Note sheets: Just note 5-6 points that seem to be important & provide 2 questions; (iii) Discussion of Rep. 5 up to 472a (p. 164) ; (iv) Preview of the rest of Book 5 and Republic Book 6.
TU 29 Sept: (i) Review of Republic Book 5, now including 472a to the end of Book 5 (480a) [What is, what is not, what is in between, and the philosopher vs philodoxer]; (ii) Read Book 6 beginning (483e) to 502c (p.196) [The philosopher seeks unchanging Forms, not changing appearances, knowledge vs opinion, philosopher as lover of truth] ; (ii) Student Notes Sheets.
TH 1 Oct: (i) Continued discussion of Republic Book 6 from 502c (p.196) to end 511e (p.207); (ii) Student Notes Sheets; (iii) Preview Republic Book 7.
TU 6 Oct: (i) Republic 7, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 8.
TH 8 Oct (i) Republic Book 8, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 9.
TU 13 Oct: (i) Republic Book 9, (ii) Student Notes Sheets
TH 15 Oct: (i) Republic Book 10, (ii) Student Notes Sheets; (iii) Preview of Exam 1
TU 20 Oct: Exam #1 Plato
TH 22 Oct: Fall Break. No class.
For next class: SPECIAL NOTE: FOR OUR STUDY OF ST AUGUSTINE, YOU MAY USE THE ONLINE TEXT. You can access the book as a free download via Marqcat by searching for Augustine: On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other Writings, by Peter King. If you have problems, ask for help at the Raynor Library Circulation Desk.
TU 27 Oct: (i) Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCGtkDzELAI.; (ii) Read Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will book 1; (iii) Students note sheets.
For next class: On Free Choice of the Will, book 2, and Student Note Sheets.
TH 29 Oct: (i) Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will book 2; (ii) Discussion of what free will is in St Augustine (iii) student note sheets.
For next class: An introduction to Deontology and Immanuel Kant. (i) Read the “First Section” (12 pp.) of Kant’s Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Print these 12 pp and bring them to class. How do I find the text? Go to Raynor Library online Marqcat and search for Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: With an Updated Translation, Introduction, and Notes by Allen W. Wood. Download this book. Read Only The First Section. [Do NOT read the Preface. Only Section 1.] (ii) Watch this helper: Link; (iii) Then watch this video lecture: Link.
TU 3 Nov: Absolute value: Kant
For next class: Section Two of Kant’s work is tough going and you are welcome to read it (36 pp.), but I will not require it. In its place I have for you a 28 minute video on it : Link. You should watch it twice because it is hard thinking and you should take notes. We will discuss Kant in class in greater detail. Also watch this video: Kant & Categorical Imperatives.
TH 5 Nov: Kantian Deontology: (i) Watch video on Kant Section Two : Link; (ii) Student note sheets collected.
TU 10 Nov: Relative value: J. S. Mill’s Utilitarianism. (i) J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism, I recommend you read Chapter 1 (Link), but I require you to read Ch. 2 (Link); (ii) also watch these videos: Taylor (Link) and Crash Course Phil (Link)
TU 12 Nov: Exam 2 (20%) on Augustine, Kant and Mill.
TH 17 Nov: Aristotle’s Ethics: Eudaimonistic or Virtue Ethics: Watch this short 9 min. video (Link) introducing Aristotle’s ethics. (ii) Study this Video lecture. This lecture is 49 minutes long. I recommend that you take a break in the middle. That will help you focus better. And I require that you watch it twice and (iii) do your notes sheet on this.
TH 19 Nov: Moral Relativism and Ethical Egoism: (i) Moral Relativism (14 min. video Link 1 and 10 min. video Link 2) and (ii) Ethical Egoism (9 min. video Link). (Hint: Key notions are the kinds of Egoism [Psychological, Ethical, Rational] And the kinds of Moral Relativism [Descriptive, Metaethical, Cultural].)(iii) Do your notes sheet on these.
TU 22 Nov: No Morality: (i) Print & study Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism is a Humanism” (1946), available at Link. Student Note Sheets due. Also watch these two videos: 9 min. Existentialism and 2 min. J.-P. Sartre and Existential Choice.
TH 24 Nov: Thanksgiving: no class
TH 29 Nov: Uncomfortable Morality: (i) Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” Philosophy & Public Affairs, Spring, 1972, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Spring, 1972), pp. 229-243. How to get this article: (a) Go to Marqcat and search for the journal “Philosophy & Public Affairs;” (b) Scroll to the 1970s section and open it; (c) select the article for download. (ii) Student Notes Sheets.
TU 1 Dec: Christianity and Islam: Western Ethics vs non-Western Ethics? (i) Christian Western Ethics: Thomas E. Davitt, “St. Thomas and the Natural Law.”
TH 3 Dec: Christian Natural Law Ethics, continued discussion; (ii) “Ethics in Islam,” by Atif khalil, St. Andrews Encyclopedia of Theology Link
Tu 8 Dec: (iii) Continued discussion of Ethics in Islam; (iii) Comparing Christian Ethics and Islamic Ethics.
TH 10 Dec: (i) Completion of Course with Overview; (ii) Discussion of Final Course Exam.
Final exam in regular classroom CU 126 Monday 14 December 10:30 am – 12:30 pm