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COURSE SYLLABUS

Philosophy 102: Introduction to Philosophic Inquiry

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I look forward to talking to each of you about our philosophy course.  You are warmly encouraged to stop by my office to discuss classroom lectures, papers, ideas, or problems.  If the stated office hours do not fit your schedule, other times can be arranged.

Text

James A. Gould, editor, Classic Philosophic Questions, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:  Prentice-Hall), 2001.  

Course Description

General Aims

The general purpose of this course is to introduce some of the main problems of philosophy, including

          w   Are ethical principles relative?

          w   Are all persons really at heart egoistic?

          w   What are the best proofs for God’s existence?

          w   How can truth be established?

          w   Are there causal determinants of choice?

          w   Of what does reality exist?

          w   Are ethical and artistic judgments subjective?

          w   What is the purpose and meaning of life?

In this course you will learn how to inquire into complex problems and begin to formulate your own philosophy.  You will learn effective methods of inquiry, analysis, and criticism. 

Note Especially:  Although Philosophy 102 fulfills the General Education Core Curriculum requirement for humanities, it does not fulfill the requirement for logical and analytical thought.  

Specific Aims

The specific purposes of Introduction to Philosophic Inquiry are:

          [1]  to learn to identify arguments, to evaluate and counter them, and to construct  good arguments,

          [2]  to obtain the ability to relate arguments to one another and to appreciate persistent, sustained thought on a topic,

          [3]  to analyze philosophical essays and obtain facility in the clear, complete, and methodical statement of personal views,

          [4]  to obtain the ability to justify and defend personal views once they are clearly  and completely stated and to develop a personal ideology,

          [5] to gain skill in asking interesting, productive, and insightful questions,

          [6]  to recognize how all aspects of living are rationally and causally interrelated,

          [7]  to recognize the difference between a thoughtful question and a philosophic problem,

          [8]  to study classic, influential, and abiding arguments concerning the structures of  knowledge, belief, and value,

          [9]  to understand how concepts can be systematically clarified through philosophical analysis, and

[10]  to apply usefully the several methods of philosophical reasoning in everyday  life and ordinary language.