Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 102-01
Course Description | Course Schedule
Study Helps & Links
Fall 2021
Miller Center 105
9:10-10:10 MWF
Email: fritzman@lclark.edu
Class Email: 21fa-phil-102-01@lclark.edu
Office: J. R. Howard Hall 223
Office Hours:
12:30-1:30 MWF, 3:00-4:00 MW, and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
René Char: "Develop your legitimate strangeness."
John Dewey: "Philosophy, then, is a generalized theory of criticism. Its ultimate value for life-experience is that it continuously provides instruments for the criticism of those values -- whether of beliefs, institutions, actions or products -- that are found in all aspects of experience."
Rosa Luxemburg: "Freedom is always freedom for the one who thinks differently."
Brian Massumi: "A concept is a brick. It can be used to build the courthouse of reason. Or it can be thrown through the window."
Hilary Putnam: "Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs in one."
Bertrand Russell: "Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination, and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good."
Ludwig Wittgenstein: "Working in philosophy -- like work in architecture in many respects -- is really more a working on oneself. On one's interpretation. On one's way of seeing things. (And what one expects of them)."
As the course title indicates, this is an introduction to philosophy. There are one required text:
Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Eighth Edition,
edited by John Perry, Michael Bratman, and John Martin Fischer.
Oxford University Press, 2015, Paperback
ISBN-10: 0190698721
ISBN-13: 978-0190698720
Retail: $104.99
New: Starting at $28.98
Introduction to Philosophy is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.
Download a free copy of Microsoft's Office 365 Education— which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams—at https://products.office.com/en-us/student/office-in-education.
There are also learning outcomes for students who major in Philosophy.
In preparation for each class meeting, you should have read the assigned material. You should arrive in class with prepared questions or comments about something in the assigned reading.
In preparation for each class meeting, you should have read the assigned material. You should arrive in class with prepared questions and comments.
In addition to learning about philosophy, a major goal of this course is to cultivate intellectual abilities which have general application. It aims to provide the resources which will enable you to develop intellectual survival skills, question what passes as common knowledge and accepted wisdom, evaluate your own and others' positions, and formulate new ideas. Such skills consist in the ability to summarize the assigned material, and to write pieces in which ideas and arguments are articulated, criticized, defended. Such skills also involve developing the ability to think critically about the views of ourselves and others. Critical thinking consists in understanding several sides of a debate, and seeing both the advantages and limitations of an opinion. Learning to question your opinions is as crucial as arguing for them. If you only learn to give reasons for opinions already held, you merely are giving rationalizations for prejudices. You need to learn to think for yourself, developing, defending, and criticizing your beliefs.
In this connection, I am especially concerned that you develop the ability to discuss issues cogently and to write intelligent, reflective pieces in clear, grammatical English. It is important that you learn to think, in a disciplined way, about the books and issues they raise. Part of that discipline consists in being able to analyze, evaluate, and formulate arguments. This involves knowing how to identify basic assumptions, develop a line of reasoning, recognize the steps that lead to a conclusion, and determine whether an argument is sound. In this way, hopefully, you will develop intellectual curiosity and the competencies to reason logically, evaluate critically, communicate effectively, imagine creatively, and appreciate aesthetic and creative expressions of humanity.
You are encouraged to share your questions and observations with the rest of the class, and to engage critically with the material, myself, and each other. By participating in class discussions, you will encounter directly differing interpretations of the material, become aware of the history of these views, and be encouraged to develop your own critical perspectives. In interacting with the material and each other, you will acquire a knowledge and appreciation of self, society, human cultures, and the natural world. I intend that you discover what has been written and said concerning, in the words of Socrates, "the most important things"—questions about human character and the conduct of life. Such skills will enable you to succeed in subsequent courses and in endeavors outside of the classroom. Those abilities also will contribute to your development as educated citizens in a democratic society.
Each student will write a Précis for almost every reading assignment, complete various Research Exercises that teach research skills, and write and present in class one Assessment on a specific reading assignment. There also will be one Argumentative Research Paper (which includes a Prospectus, two Drafts, and a Final Rewrite). And an in-class oral Presentation of the Argumentative Research Paper on the Final Exam Day.
The Précis, Research Exercises, and Class Participation will be weighted together and will count for 20% of your final grade. The Assessment will count for 20% of your final grade. The Prospectus will count for 5%, the First Draft will count for 10%, the Second Draft will count for 15%, and the Final Rewrite will count for 25% of your final grade. The Presentation will count for 5% of your final grade. The grading scale is as follows:
A = 93%-100%
A- = 90%-92%
B+ = 86%-89%
B = 83% 85%
B- = 80%-82%
C+ = 76%-79%
C = 73%-75%
C- = 70%-72%
D+ = 66%-69%
D = 60%-65%
F = 0%-59%.
A Précis will be due almost every class session. Each précis will be one typed side of a page—never longer—double-spaced, with 1 inch margins on the right & left sides and the top & bottom. It must be at least 3/4 of a page in length. Use a 12-point Times or Times Roman font. There will be no spelling or grammatical errors in your précis. Your name will be typed in the upper right-hand corner. In each précis, you will summarize—in your own words, without using any quotes—the assigned reading's main claims, as well as the reasons which are given to support those claims. You will not include any opinion, evaluation, or commentary. At the bottom of each précis, or on the back, you will write one question that you have about the reading. This question must written prior to, not during, class.
An Assessment should be approximately 2000 words, typed, double-spaced. You will sign up for a date on which you will orally present your assessment. On the day you present, you will distribute copies to all of the persons in this class. This will require, of course, that you have enough copies made so that each member of the class has one.
You first will read aloud your assessment. Then, you and I will serve as the main resource persons for fielding questions concerning the material. Since the class discussion will be centered around the assessment, it is crucial that you distribute the assessment the class session when you present it, and that you actually be in class to read your assessment.
An assessment is not a summary of the reading. Rather, its primary purpose assessment is to summarize, consolidate, and explicate the central issues, main points, and key motifs of the assigned reading in order to facilitate class discussion of the material. It is important that the assessment contextualize the reading by describing briefly both how the reading is a continuation and development of material which has come before, and how it contributes to the overall trajectory of the thinker's thought.
It is crucial that you critically engage the reading. You might argue that a claim that the author makes is incorrect, for example, or that a criticism in the secondary literature is incorrect. Alternatively, you might argue that an interpretation advanced in the secondary literature is incorrect. The assessment must reflect an acquaintance with the requisite secondary literature. This means that you must incorporate at least three secondary sources you consulted while writing your assessment.
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy will be useful.
Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index will be vital for the Assessment and Argumentative Research Paper.
The Chicago Manual of Style's Citation Quick Guide is online.
There will be an Argumentative Research Paper, 2000 words, typed, double-spaced. It will be on the same reading assignment as your Assessment.
You're welcome to consult the Writing Center, located on the main floor of Watzek Library.
Also useful is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.
If you would find it useful to create concept maps, to help write your assessment or argumentative research papers, you can download the software to create them from IHMC Cmap Tools.
All work must be submitted when it is due.
This class will be successful only if there is a high degree of participation and attendance, and so I want you in class participating. The final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you miss four unexcused class sessions, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you miss five class sessions, etc. Serious illnesses and emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Throughout the course you are expected to read carefully the assigned material. It is impossible to do well in this course without reading and studying the books. You should spend a minimum of three hours preparing for each class session. Read the assigned material at least twice and take notes on what you read. You are expected to attend all class sessions, come to class having read thoroughly the assigned material, and to contribute to the discussions.
While there may be few answers that can be know for certain, there are better and worse arguments and ideas, usually in direct proportion to thoughtfulness and care. What is important is that you think for yourself, and that you develop and defend your own ideas. It would be an excellent idea to write drafts or outlines of your drafts, and to have a comrade read them to check on spelling, grammar, development of arguments, and so forth.
You are strongly encouraged to discuss the class material, your ideas, your puzzles and difficulties with each other. A word to the wise: Find a study partner to discuss things with outside of class. (To see why this is effective for creativity and learning, read Malcolm Gladwell's article, Group Think: What Does "Saturday Night Live" Have in Common with German Philosophy?, The New Yorker, 2 December 2002, pages 102-107).
There's a Bollwood tune for every occasion. Click here.
Do your own writing. That is the only way you will get the full benefit of your own efforts. I will be happy to discuss ideas with you, read outlines and rough drafts, and so forth. That is partly why I keep office hours.
A final word to the wise. It is not difficult to do well in this course, but it also is easy to do badly. Let me talk about the bad stuff first. You will receive a major grade reduction—or fail this course—if you do not read the material, seldom participate in class discussions, do not write your assessment, or argumentative research paper, plagiarize, cheat, and so forth.
About plagiarizing and cheating. All students must follow Lewis & Clark College's Academic Integrity Policy. Plagiarizers and cheaters will be given an "F" for the entire course (they will not be allowed to drop or withdraw from the course). I also will turn their cases over to the Honor Board; I will recommend that disciplinary penalties be assessed. It is never in your interest to plagiarize or cheat!
Now for the good stuff. With a concerted effort, you will do well in this class. To do well, you must participate in class discussions, read and study the assigned material, write the assessment, argumentative research paper, be in class (almost) all of the time, etc. I do not grade on a curve, and so there is no good reason why you should not get an "A" for the course!
The Writing Center will be available for remote consultations on Zoom all semester. There are two ways to work with the Center:
Drop in Peer Tutoring. Tutoring begins on Sunday, September 12, and hours will be 3:00-10:00 PM on Sundays-Thursdays. No appointment is needed—just sign in through the website and you can usually see a tutor right away.
Appointments with the Director. You can book consultation appointments with John Holzwarth throughout the semester. Appointments are often available on short notice.
Course policy on disability accommodation. If you have a disability or learning difference that may impact your academic performance, you may request accommodations by submitting documentation to The Office of Student Accessibility. They will notify me of the accommodations for which you are eligible.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Oscar Wilde: “The more mechanical people ... always know where they are going, and go there.... A man [sic] whose desire is to be something separate from himself [sic], to be a Member of Parliament, or a successful grocer, or a prominent solicitor, or a judge, or something equally tedious, invariable succeeds in being what he [sic] wants to be. That is his [sic] punishment. Those who want a mask have to wear it. But with the dynamic forces of life ... it is different. People whose desire is solely for self-realisation never know where they are going. They can’t know.”
Week 1
Monday, August 30:
Introduction to the course. Read:
Malcolm Gladwell's "Group Think" in The New Yorker.
Wednesday, September 1:
Ethan Watters' "We Aren't the World" in Pacific Standard.
Joseph Henrich, Steven J. Heine, and Ara Norenzayan's "The Weirdest People in the World?" in Behavioral and Brain Sciences 33:2-3, June 2010, pages 61-83; précis.
To access this article, sign into Watzek.
Discussion of research.
Friday, September 3:
Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus", pages 751-753; précis.
Discussion of research.
On Wednesday, sign-up for an Assessment (which is also the topic of your Argumentative Research Paper).
Week 2
Monday, September 6:
Labor Day.
Existential Issues
Wednesday, September 8:
Thomas Nagel, "The Absurd", pages 753-760; précis.
Sign-up for Assessment (which is also the topic of your Argumentative Research Paper).
Friday, September 10:
Richard Taylor, "The Meaning of Human Existence", pages 761-777; précis.
Discussion of (annotated) bibliography, reasons for citations, proper quoting (block or in-line).
Exercise for Monday: Find one book and one article (or two articles) that will be relevant to your Assessment. Provide one block quote from the book and one in-line quote from the article (or one block quote from the one article and one in-line quote from the other). List the book and the article (or articles) in proper format for bibliography.
Week 3
Monday, September 13:
Susan Wolf, "The Meanings of Lives", pages 778-789; précis.
Discussion of search procedures for articles and books.
Wednesday, September 15:
Thomas Nagel, "Death", pages 790-795; précis.
Discussion of search procedures for articles and books.
Friday, September 17:
Précis on Topic of your Assessment and Paper.
Place your précis in my mailbox, across the hall from Office 222 in J. R. Howard Hall.
Exercise for Wednesday: In proper bibliographical format, list one additional article and one additional book (or two additional articles) that you found through Google Scholar or the Philosopher's Index that are relevant to your Assessment.
Week 4
Monday, September 20:
Class canceled.
Wednesday, September 22:
Anthony L. Brueckner and John Martin Fischer, "Why Is Death Bad?", pages 795-801; précis.
Discussion on using Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index.
Friday, September 24:
Amy Olberding, "Sorrow and the Sage: Grief in the Zhuangzi", pages 802-820; précis.
Discussion on using Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index.
Exercise for Monday:
Submit a 3-5 page prospectus of your argumentative research paper in which you:
(1) state your topic and, if possible, your thesis.
(2) describe the problem or issue to be treated.
(3) outline your anticipated procedure and probable conclusion.
(4) include an annotated bibliography of works to be consulted (a minimum of six books or articles, with a brief paragraph discussing the relevance of each work to your project).
Week 5
Monday, September 27:
Prospectus due.
Wednesday, September 29:
Jenann Ismael, "The Ethical Importance of Death", pages 820-828; précis.
Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of sources.
Friday, October 1:
Dan Moller, "Love and Death", pages 828-838; précis.
Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of source.
Week 6
Justice and Equality
Monday, October 4:
John Rawls, "A Theory of Justice", pages 633-646; précis.
Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.
Wednesday, October 6:
Robert Nozick, "Justice and Entitlement", pages 646-654; précis.
Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.
Friday, October 8:
Fall Break.
Week 7
Monday, October 11:
G. A. Cohen, "Where the Action Is: On the Site of Distributive Justice", pages 655-671; précis.
Assessment: Paige Cabral, Amelia Madarang.
Discussion: Sophie Bell, Michael Di Cesare, Emma Ford, Azra Zukić.
Discussion of formulating a thesis: outlines, drafts, revisions.
Wednesday, October 13:
John Stuart Mill, "The Subjection of Women", pages 671-675; précis.
Assessment: Sophie Bell, Emma Ford.
Discussion: Paige Cabral, Michael Di Cesare, Amelia Madarang, Azra Zukić.
Discussion of formulating a thesis: outlines, drafts, revisions.
Friday, October 15:
Annette C. Baier, "The Need for More than Justice", pages 676-684; précis.
Assessment: Michael Di Cesare, Azra Zukić.
Discussion: Sophie Bell, Paige Cabral, Emma Ford, Amelia Madarang.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Week 8
The Traditional Problem of Mind and Body
Monday, October 18:
Bertrand Russell, "The Argument from Analogy for Other Minds", pages 279-281; précis.
Assessment: Audrey Herlocker, Dyontae Navarrete.
Discussion: Amanda Cora, Cassidy Crusberg, Eli Dell’Osso, Jack Heppner, Lauren Kalt, Charlie King, Haley Kramer, Marcelo Lopez, Caitlin Ward.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Wednesday, October 20:
Gilbert Ryle, "Descartes's Myth", pages 282-289; précis.
Assessment: Charlie King.
Discussion: Amanda Cora, Cassidy Crusberg, Eli Dell’Osso, Jack Heppner, Audrey Herlocker, Lauren Kalt, Haley Kramer, Marcelo Lopez, Dyontae Navarrete, Caitlin Ward.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Friday, October 22:
David M. Armstrong, "The Nature of Mind", pages 290-298; précis.
Assessment: Lauren Kalt, Marcelo Lopez.
Discussion: Amanda Cora, Cassidy Crusberg, Eli Dell’Osso, Jack Heppner, Audrey Herlocker, Charlie King, Haley Kramer, Dyontae Navarrete, Caitlin Ward.
Week 9
Monday, October 25:
Paul M. Churchland, "Eliminative Materialism", pages 298-302; précis.
Assessment: Amanda Cora, Haley Kramer.
Discussion: Cassidy Crusberg, Eli Dell’Osso, Jack Heppner, Audrey Herlocker, Lauren Kalt, Charlie King, Marcelo Lopez, Dyontae Navarrete, Caitlin Ward.
Wednesday, October 27:
Frank Jackson, "What Mary Didn't Know", pages 303-306; précis.
Assessment: Cassidy Crusberg, Jack Heppner.
Discussion: Amanda Cora, Eli Dell’Osso, Audrey Herlocker, Lauren Kalt, Charlie King, Haley Kramer, Marcelo Lopez, Dyontae Navarrete, Caitlin Ward.
Friday, October 29:
Patricia Churchland, "Neurophilosophy", pages 307-321; précis.
Assessment: Eli Dell’Osso, Caitlin Ward.
Discussion: Amanda Cora, Cassidy Crusberg, Jack Heppner, Audrey Herlocker, Lauren Kalt, Charlie King, Haley Kramer, Marcelo Lopez, Dyontae Navarrete.
Due on Monday: First Draft of Argumentative Research Paper.
Week 10
Monday, November 1:
Due: First Draft of Argumentative Research Paper.
Submit your First Draft as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL102_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Draft1.docx
for example:
PHIL102_ArendtHannah_Draft1.docx
Minds, Brains, and Machines
Wednesday, November 3:
A. M. Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", pages 322-335; précis.
Assessment: Suhail Akram and Kaikea Kaui.
Discussion: Rebecca McCullough, Miles Voenell.
Friday, November 5:
John R. Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs", pages 335-348; précis.
Assessment: Rebecca McCullough, Miles Voenell.
Discussion: Suhail Akram, Kaikea Kaui.
Week 11
Personal Identity
Monday, November 8:
Bernard Williams, "The Self and the Future", pages 370-380; précis.
Assessment: Marzieh Ghaderi, Trey Morris.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Tamasin Geoffrey, George Karamitsos, Elijah McGee, Abby Mills, Joelle Pazoff, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Manuela Salzgeber, Celeste Schreifels, Katie Shimaura.
Wednesday, November 10:
Derek Parfit, "Personal Identity", pages 380-393; précis.
Assessment: Elijah McGee, Manuela Salzgeber.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Tamasin Geoffrey, Marzieh Ghaderi, George Karamitsos, Abby Mills, Trey Morris, Joelle Pazoff, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Celeste Schreifels, Katie Shimaura.
Friday, November 12:
Class canceled: Northwest Philosophy Conference.
Week 12
Monday, November 15:
J. David Velleman, "So It Goes", pages 394-406; précis.
Assessment: George Karamitsos, Katie Shimaura.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Tamasin Geoffrey, Marzieh Ghaderi, Elijah McGee, Abby Mills, Trey Morris, Joelle Pazoff, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Manuela Salzgeber, Celeste Schreifels.
Wednesday, November 17:
Daniel Dennett, "Where Am I?", pages 406-414; précis.
Assessment: Ben Burnham and Celeste Schreifels.
Discussion: Tamasin Geoffrey, Marzieh Ghaderi, George Karamitsos, Elijah McGee, Abby Mills, Trey Morris, Joelle Pazoff, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Manuela Salzgeber, Katie Shimaura.
Friday, November 19:
Marya Schechtman, "Personhood and Personal Identity", pages 415-428; précis.
Assessment: Joelle Pazoff.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Tamasin Geoffrey, Marzieh Ghaderi, George Karamitsos, Elijah McGee, Abby Mills, Trey Morris, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Manuela Salzgeber, Celeste Schreifels, Katie Shimaura.
Due Wednesday: Second Draft of Argumentative Research Paper.
Week 13
Monday, November 22:
Agnieszka Jaworska, "Rejecting the Margins of Agency: Alzheimer's Patients and the Capacity to Value", pages 429-448; précis.
Assessment: Tamasin Geoffrey, Abby Mills.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Marzieh Ghaderi, George Karamitsos, Elijah McGee, Trey Morris, Joelle Pazoff, Shaylynne Rodriguez, Manuela Salzgeber, Celeste Schreifels, Katie Shimaura.
Wednesday, November 24:
Due: Second Draft of Argumentative Research Paper.
Submit your Second Draft as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL102_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Draft2.docx
Friday, November 26:
Thankgiving Holiday.
Week 14
Monday, November 29:
Arindam Chakrabarti, "Troubles with a Second Self: The Problem of Other Minds in 11th Century Indian and 20th Century Western Philosophy", Argument 1:1, 2011, pages 23-36; précis.
Assessment: Shaylynne Rodriguez.
Discussion: Ben Burnham, Tamasin Geoffrey, Marzieh Ghaderi, George Karamitsos, Elijah McGee, Abby Mills, Trey Morris, Joelle Pazoff, Manuela Salzgeber, Celeste Schreifels, Katie Shimaura.
Ethical Issues
Wednesday, December 1:
Peter Singer, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality", pages 575-
582; précis.
Assessment: Sara Brown, Rebecca Hanson.
Discussion: Carly Leandro, Tor Parsons, Annika Traxler.
Friday, December 3:
Onora O'Neill, "Kantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems", pages 600-606; précis.
Assessment: Carly Leandro, Annika Traxler.
Discussion: Sara Brown, Rebecca Hanson, Tor Parsons.
Week 15
Monday, December 6:
Rosalind Hursthouse, "Right Action", pages 623-632; précis.
Assessment: Tor Parsons.
Discussion: Sara Brown, Rebecca Hanson, Carly Leandro, Annika Traxler.
Wednesday, December 8:
Concluding discussion.
Friday, December 10:
Reading day.
Week 16
Wednesday, December 15, 8:30-11:30 AM:
Due: Final Drafts of Argumentative Research Papers.
Submit your Final Draft as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL102_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Final.docx
Oral presentation of papers.
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