January 30th 2018 - Discussed the three major questions of the course. What is knowledge? What is reality? What is objectivity? Also discussed the topic of insight and the five criteria that it consists in.
February 2nd 2018 - Collected money for the course kits. Did a homework reading check. Discussed the possibility of a movie film series hosted by grade 12 students. Asked students to write a journal entry on the question: "In your own opinion is Socrates guilty of corrupting the youth."
Discussed the apology and the reason why there was a prejudice against Socrates.
February 5th 2018 - Discussed the Rumsfield matrix with the students. How this fits into Socrates' idea of not being aware of what we don't know. Asked the students to complete a journal entry on whether "ignorance is the first stage of wisdom."
All students asked to bring a journal to class as leaflets will not be accepted any longer.
February 7th 2018 - Did in an in class review of the Apology. Discussed Socrates' reasoning for not fearing death. Discussed the notion of "social contract theory." In the next class will discuss Socrates' epistemology.
February 8th 2017 - Discussed in class the epistemology of Socrates. Individuals then journaled about an experience they had about learning something. We then discussed ideas raised by Socrates in the Apology.
Homework: Students are asked to read the cave. Homework check will be done on Tuesday.
February 13th 2018 - Introduced Plato, his relationship to Aristotle, talked about the Republic and the desire for the ideal city. Discussed the divided line and the allegory of the cave. Discussed herd consciousness.
Journal Entry #4 - Write about a time when something annoyed/irritated/frustrated you.
What happened? What were some of your thoughts? What were some of your feelings?
February 19th 2018 Discussed the difference between seeing and knowing. Noted how those in the cave think they know because they see and hear. Noted the difference between memorizing and understanding. Asked the students to submit their journal to be marked and given back in the next class. Marked Journal entry #5.
February 20th 2018 - Covered ideas form the last class. Two ideas of the way we come to learn. Association or pairing, and making connections.
February 23rd 2018 - Reviewed the cave, the meaning of form. Came to understand the form as essentially the answer to the question what is it. Discussed patter recognition. Asked the individuals in the class to complete the journal entry related "What is beauty?"
February 28th 2018 - Discussed the age old problem, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise. Discussed ideas of truth and objectivity.
March 1st 2018 - Discussed the idea a) there is no objective meaning, values, purpose b) that all meaning we create is up to the individual. Had students journal about whether they discover themselves or create themselves. Which position do they agree with and why?
March 7th 2018 - Assignment - Create a poster relating to the Epicurean philosophy. Choose a theme or idea related to Epicureanism, and in the form of an advertisement, try and draw people into that theme or idea. Give an abstract as well with your poster that explains the meaning of the image and slogan you use in your ad. Due - Thursday March 22nd at the beginning of class. 5% deducted each day that its late to maximum of 30%.
March 8th 2018 - Discussed Epicureanism and its relation to pleasure, morality, happiness,
Friday March 9th - Had a lady from Development and peace come and speak to the class. Students wrote in their journal the answer to the question of whether happiness was the fundamental pursuit of human life.
March 12th 2018 - Discussed pleasure in terms of short and long term. Discussed the five star rating of pleasure. Examined the relationship between pleasure and freedom. Spoke about asceticism in the Epicurean lifestyle. The epicurean would want give up all extreme forms of pleasure and move toward good satisfactions.
March 13th 2018 - Discussed a methodology for uncovering pleasures in our lives. Began conversing around issues of pain, and how the Epicureans would view pain.
April 10th - Gave out 2nd assignment relating to death. Will be due April 20th. Took up the reading relating to Stoicism. Discussed ideas around creative reason, intelligence, and the difference between skepticism and stoicism.
April 11th 2018 - Discussed the Stoic idea of placing our happiness in things we can control. Also discussed reasons for desiring popularity. What makes something a good reason or a bad reason. Discussed notions around objectivity, and being free of bias. Examples of what popularity would look like away from bias.
April 14th 2018 - Finished chapter on the Stoics. Students are asked to read the chapter on the skeptics for the next class. Discussed in class the principles of order and chaos in the world. We discussed whether there exists an ordering in the universe. This position was discussed in relation to the possibility that their is no order in the universe and all is simply chaos.
April 16th 2018 - Journal Question - In your own life would you describe yourself as a Stoic or an Epicurean? Explain your response.
Began discussion of the Skeptics. Discussed how their philosophy would fit into Stoicism and Epicureanism.
April 19th 2018 - Joe Mroz came to the class and we discussed basically a history of philosophy. Discussed problems of modern philosophy involving knowledge, solipsism, and reality.
May 3rd 2018 - Discussed postmodernism and contrasted it to the realist philosophy of Aristotle. Began a discussion on gender issues, white privilege, and racism.
Journal entry due Monday - is post-modernism anti-intellectual.
May 15th 2018 - After discussing David Hume, we moved onto Bernard Lonergan. We asked the question today what Lonergan means when he says that his reader is asked to have an insight into insight.
May 31st 2018 - Journal entry question, according to elementary learning and humanistic learning, how does each view reality, objectivity, and knowledge.
June 4th 2018 - Journal entry on political correctness. According to the article by Moilino, how is truth defined, how is natural law understood, and finally, how is the article politically incorrect.
June 5th 2018 - Final paper due Friday. Marks deducted afterward.
June 5th 2018 - Watched the Munk debate relating to Political Correctness. Discussed assignment due next Wednesday relating to political correctness.
June 6th 2018 - All overdue assignments due Monday June 11th 2018 (after which they will be marked as zero).
June 13th 2018 - All assignments due this evening before 12. Late essays are losing a mark of .5 out of 10 for every day late.
June 14th - Bonus Assignment. 1 page double spaced, write about the connections between the film the matrix and any of the philosophical ideas we have discussed this semester. The assignment is worth two percent and is optional.