Introduction to Philosophy

After completing this course students are able to:

1. identify the key arguments in a primary philosophy text by key thinkers in Western philosophy. (Assessment: final exam, class participation, reading questions).
2. critically assess the arguments in a primary philosophy text by key thinkers in Western philosophy. (Assessment: final exam, class discussion, essays).
3. represent their critical, cogent assessments of arguments from the main themes of Western philosophy in an essay. (Assessment: essays, final exam).
4. express their cogent philosophical arguments in class discussions and beyond. (Assessment: class discussion).
5. Main goal: After completing this course students have a solid, if basic knowledge of the main figures and main themes (e.g. epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, mind, language, science) in the Western philosophical tradition, from the Ancient world to the 20^th Century. (Assessment: final exam).

Relationship between assessment and learning goals:
 

Philosophy is neither a science nor an art, yet it is the mother of many arts and sciences, which have achieved independence from it by developing methods and techniques of their own. This course is an introduction to the discipline of philosophy, its authors, its history, its methods, and last but not least, its arguments.

Philosophy comprises a wide range of subjects and a long history of human thought relying on nothing but itself. Its problems and arguments have for two an a half millennia helped to articulate religious and political movements, to inspire art and literature, and so to shape societies and civilizations.

            The course is an invitation to hear western philosophers from twenty-four centuries reflecting on such large questions as (1) What, basically, is there? (2) Do we really know what we think we know? (3) How should we act and who should we choose to be? These are theoretical questions, but many of them have enormous practical implications. The questions are tied up with each other: our view on what there is, is related both to our view on what insures reliable knowledge, and to our view on how to derive evaluation from description, or how to get from ‘is’ to ‘ought’. By tracing the connections between these questions, philosophy helps to articulate a consistent and coherent world-view.
            Designed as a self-contained first presentation of the subject that, at the same time, provides a basis for more advanced work, our course introduces participants both to the major areas of philosophy as it is currently conceived and to significant stages in its two and a half millennia long development. We study the philosophers themselves primarily in brief extracts from their own works, and try to put human thought in systematic and historical perspectives. In the process we exercise and develop our capacity for analysis and argument, as well as our reading comprehension and our ability to communicate these in writing.

 

FormatThe class meets twice a week for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Classes are devoted to discussions of our readings, which are organized thematically, as is our book. You are expected to prepare for class by studying the texts assigned, referring to the study questions as provided in the book and/or to the questions provided by the instructor.
            Students are responsible for the preparation of two essays on different topics. There may be several quizzes. A comprehensive final exam concludes the course. During the course you are continually assessed on your attendance, participation, and preparedness. Remember that more participation is not always the same as better participation.