Shortcut Links to Phil 1001 Course Webpages
Phil 1001-115, 116, 123 Detailed Syllabus
Syllabus Part 2 of 2: Detailed Course Syllabus
TU 13 Jan: 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) Electronic devices not permitted in class after 15 Jan.; (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; (vi) Homework Note sheets” Link; (vii) Preview: Plato’s Apology and outlining arguments.
For next class: (i) Watch this 10 min. video. (ii) Bring the completed handwritten student information sheet; (iii) Study Plato’s Apology in this printing: https://blogs.ubc.ca/phil102/files/2018/01/Plato-Apology-Jowett.pdf (ca. 15 pp.) : Print this text and bring it to class on Thursday; (iv) mark up what you think are the key parts of the dialogue with a marker; (v) prepare handwritten note sheets on the Apology.
TH 15 Jan: (i) The Good; (ii) How to study philosophy; (iii) Student Note Sheets and their function in this class; (iv) the value of outlines; (v) discussion of Plato’s Apology; (vi) reminder about the prohibition of using AI. Note: No afternoon office hours for this day. Link to Student Homework Sheets: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qpX9MBcHr5baGeY3fTOfpeytA5BbkQ8g/view.
For next class: (i) Read 10 Common Logical Fallacies Everyone Should Know. Read all of Common Logical Fallacies. Then, if your your last name begins with A-L, provide five examples for each of the first 5 of the 10 Fallacies. If your last name begins with M-Z, provide examples for each of last 5 of the 10 Fallacies. At class we will discuss these.; (ii) study Plato’s Crito: available at https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/05.%20Crito.pdf (Alternate https://sites.pitt.edu/~mthompso/readings/crito.pdf. Print and bring to class. (ca. 10 pp.); (iii) mark up what you think are the key parts of the dialogue with penned notes on your copy of the 10 pp. of text; (iv) prepare handwritten note sheets on the Crito.
TU 20 Jan (i) Discussion of 10 Common Logical Fallacies Everyone Should Know and students’ own list of examples; (ii) Discussion of Plato’s Crito; (iii) outlining the Crito; (iv) complete the Student Note Sheets. But this time on the back of the sheet in the top 1/3 explain what you would do, flee Athens or stay for the punishment. Give 2-3 reasons for your decision.
For next class: (i) Read Republic Book 1 and prepare Student Note Sheets; (ii) and watch: Argument by Analogy.
TH 22 Jan Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 1, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 2.
TU 27 Jan Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 2, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 3.
TH 29Jan Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 3, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 4.
TU 3 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 4, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 5.
TH 5 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (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 & 4 questions; (iii) Discussion of Rep. 5 up to 472a (p. 164) ; (iv) Preview of the rest of Book 5 and Republic Book 6. NO AMU OFFICE HOURS TODAY.
TU 10 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (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 12 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (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 17 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic 7, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 8.
TH 19 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 8, Student Notes Sheets; (ii) Preview Republic Book 9.
TU 24 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 9, (ii) Student Notes Sheets
TH 26 Feb Bring your copy of the book to class. (i) Republic Book 10, (ii) Student Notes Sheets; (iii) Preview on Exam 1
TU 3 Mar Exam #1
TH 5 Mar Exams discussed and returned
7-15 Mar Spring Break
For next class: SPECIAL NOTE: FOR OUR STUDY OF ST AUGUSTINE, YOU MAY USE THE ONLINE TEXT. (i) Read Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will book 1 and watch THIS VIDEO LECTURE by Prof. Greg Sadler. 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. (ii) Also watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCGtkDzELAI.
TU 17 Mar Prof. Taylor away, no class meeting. (i) Read Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will book 1; (ii) Students note sheets to be handed in on Th 19 March.
For next class: On Free Choice of the Will, book 2, and Student Note Sheets.
TH 19 Mar (i) Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will book 2; (ii) Discussion of what free will is in St Augustine (iii) Student note sheets on Book 1 AND Book 1 will be collected.
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 24 Mar 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 26 Mar Kantian Deontology, Section Two. Student note sheets collected.
For next class: (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 two videos: Taylor (Link) and Crash Course Phil (Link).
TU 31 Mar Relative value: J. S. Mill’s Utilitarianism. Student note sheets collected.
2-6 Apr Easter Break
TU 7 Apr Exam 2 (20%) on Augustine, Kant and Mill.
TH 9 Apr Exam 2 returned and discussed. Preview on Aristotle’s Ethics.
For next class: 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.
TU 14 Apr (i) Aristotle’s Ethics: Eudaimonistic or Virtue Ethics.
For next class: (i) Moral Relativism (video Link 1 and video Link 2) and (ii) Ethical Egoism (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.
TH 16 Apr Moral Relativism and Ethical Egoism.
For next class: (i) Study Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism is a Humanism” (1946), available at Link. Student Note Sheets due. Also watch these two videos: Existentialism and J.-P. Sartre and Existential Choice.
TU 21 Apr No Morality: J.-P. Sartre.
For next class: Uncomfortable Morality: 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: (i) Go to Marqcat and search for the journal “Philosophy & Public Affairs;” (ii) Scroll to the 1970s section and open it; (iii) select the article for download. Student Notes Sheets due.
23 Apr Uncomfortable Morality: Peter Singer’s “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.” Student Notes Sheets due.
For next class:
Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law Ethics: (i) Natural Law Theory (Crash Course). (ii) Thomas E. Davitt, “St. Thomas and the Natural Law.” (iii) Do your notes sheet on Davitt.
TU 28 Apr Natural Law Ethics (Prof. Taylor away; class conducted by grad student); hand in note sheets.
For next class: Further discussion of Natural Law: (i) The Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYc-7lxDrNU. (ii) Natural Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjlmnqcJuO8. (iii) “The Fonts of Morality” for Aquinas.
TH 30 Apr (i) Further discussion of Natural Law; (ii) Final exam distributed and explained via video (forthcoming). In preparation for the final exam, watch this movie: The Island (2005), with Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson. It is available on several online platforms for $3-4 dollars or perhaps free. You will need to watch it a second time with focus on the assignment for the final exam. So I recommend the first watching be with popcorn and the second watching be with paper and pen for taking notes. More information will be provided on the last day of class. (Prof. Taylor away; class conducted by grad student)
Final exams in regular classroom:
4 May M Phil 1001-123 Exam 10:30-12:30
6 May W Phil 1001-115 Exam 8-10 am
8 May F Phil 1001-116 Exam 3:30-5:30