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Professor David Christopher Lane Presents

CRITICAL THINKING / Phil 8

Mt. San Antonio College | ONLINE COURSE | 8 WEEKS |

Fall 2020

Student Learning Outcomes by Discipline | Philosophy 8

CRITICAL THINKING | PHIL 8

SLO 1: Students will be able to distinguish inductive and deductive arguments.

SLO 2: Students will be able to identify the premises/reasons for supporting the conclusion within an argument.

SLO 3: Students will be able to evaluate arguments (strong/weak, valid/invalid).

SLO 4: Students will learn to analyze informal fallacies.

SLO 5: Students will be able to apply problem-solving skills to their personal belief systems and social issues.

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INTRODUCTION

This course is designed to help us think and write more critically over a broad number of issues, including such subjects as religion, mathematics, physics, psychology, and biology. To achieve this goal the course will require that each student write 6 distinct essays over the course of the semester. Each essay must be at least 500 words in length and properly edited before final submission to your professor. The student will also take one midterm and one final (all essay based) and will attach the same on their own website and email the link to your professor at the designated time. See more info below.

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General website: http://www.neuralsurfer.com

General library of free materials: Runnebohm Library

Neural Surfer's Youtube channel for original films: http://www.youtube.com/user/neuralsurfer

Email: FOR ONLINE STUDENTS ONLY | dlane@mtsac.edu

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/neuralsurfer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/neuralsurf

Audio Books: https://sites.google.com/site/msacaudiobooks/

If you have any questions or confusion, please write to your professor at the appropriate email (online students only: dlane@mtsac.edu) and you should receive a response within 24 hours. If you do not receive a reply within two days, it generally means that your professor did not get your email. Be sure to write again until you get a reply.

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INSTRUCTIONS

[Online Students]

1. Be sure to create your own personal website using google sites. Here is an older instructional video for classic sites; google now has an updated, newer version video to help you on how to make your site.

2. Keep a copy of everything that you do for the course on your website.

3. Do all of the assigned readings to the best of your ability. There will be some reading that you may skim read, provided you understand the basic materials being presented.

4. Watch all of the assigned films.

5. Please share on the canvas discussion forum your required essays per week; be sure to keep a copy on your website as well.

I am here 24/7 if you have any questions. Email me at dlane@mtsac.edu

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REQUIRED TEXTS

Special Note from Professor: These past four years we have partnered with audible.com and a series of professional narrators to provide our students with audio versions of the required texts for this class. We feel this a wonderful and useful option for students who are quite busy these days. You can listen to these audio texts almost anywhere (in your car, on your smartphone, at home on your computer). They are priced very low (anywhere from 5 dollars to 10 dollars) and provide a welcome alternative to reading a text that far too often students merely skim or skip altogether.

I have been a big fan of audiobooks now for some 35 years. I highly recommend it. The key is to simply join Amazon's owned company, http://www.audible.com. I have provided links next to each required text for the audio version. It is your option, of course, whether you wish to have the audio version or the print copy. Below are instructions about the printed books for this class.

For a fuller listing go here: https://sites.google.com/site/msacaudiobooks/

Required Books for this Course. There are several small books to purchase. They are available only at amazon.com.

Amazon offers PRIME free for 6 months for students. So when you order the book you will get it at your doorstep the next 1-2 days and delivery is free!! Here is how to sign up for free amazon prime: http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info (you have to use your student MtSac email to sign up). The purchase price for all 8 of the books together: around 50 plus dollars (reasonable considering traditional textbooks usually sell for over 100 dollars). I am recommending that you buy these books from amazon.com at once as a "bundle" (all at once). This will save you some money, they arrive at your door together in one package, and you will only have to order once for this class. The books are not available at Mt. Sac bookstore since there is about a 40% price hike if purchased there. Also, many students are taking this class outside of the Mt. Sac local area and are not able to commute to the campus for book purchases. The books are not for profit. I recommend using PRIME so that you receive the text within 24-48 hours of purchasing it. You can start reading it early as well. You will need the books as soon as possible. In addition to these small books, there will be online (free) readings assigned in the weekly lesson plans. This is NOT for-profit publishing.

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FOR FREE PDFS OF BOOKS GO HERE

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BELOW ARE DIRECT LINKS TO THE BOOKS FOR THIS COURSE FROM AMAZON.COM

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GENERAL GUIDE, EASY TO READ: BLISSFUL IGNORANCE: THE YOGA OF UNKNOWING | Audio version | FREE PDF

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1. YOU ARE PROBABILITY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

2. FEYNMAN IMPERATIVE | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

3. SURFING IN THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

4. COSMIC CREATIONISM | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

5. THE CHURCHLAND CONTROVERSY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

6. WHY LIVING TODAY IS BETTER THAN YESTERDAY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

7. PSYCHIC DECEPTION | AUDIO VERSION (forthcoming) | FREE PDF

8. GUMBY LAND | AUDIO VERSION (forthcoming) | FREE PDF

9. [ Extra credit book, not required] A SCIENTIFIC NOTEBOOK | AUDIO VERSION (forthcoming) | FREE PDF

10. THE CHANDIAN EFFECT | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

11. MAYA: The Physics of Deception | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

12. THE VIRTUAL PHILOSOPHERS | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

13. DOUBTING MIND | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE | FREE PDF

All ELEVEN books can also be available for free as PDF versions. However, I have found that students respond better if they choose the audio format coupled with the free PDF. You can also get the paperback version at near cost from Amazon on the first links given above to each book.

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IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE READING:

The reading may at first seem overwhelming but most of the books are short and I have estimated that each week it will take about 3 to 4 hours (give or take) to go through the assigned reading. Because this is a 16 week course condensed into 6 weeks, it should be expected to be more intense. If this was spread out over a regular semester, it would only be about an hour and a half of reading each week.

So don't stress. Get the book (in paperback or in audio format [what I recommend] or as a PDF) and read with a relaxed mind. These are not textbooks in the formal sense. I want you to read them as you would a regular book or magazine. The test questions will already be available to you weeks in advance so there are no "hidden" parts that you need to study for since it will be very clear and open what is being asked.

Remember this quote:

"What is more important than learning? THE DESIRE TO LEARN."

We have also spent several years creating original mini films to help you if the reading becomes too dense.

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Course Outline

INTRODUCTION (these are prefatory online readings that provide a general overview)

Required Introductory Readings (online and free):

Thinking and Writing Clearly | A Field Guide to Critical Thinking | A Mini Guide to Critical Thinking | Critical Thinking and Writing |

List of Common Fallacies |

FULL LIBRARY OF 360 PLUS FREE BOOKS FOR PDF DOWNLOAD

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DOUBTING MINDS book created by students at Mt. San Antonio College | Free PDF

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WEEK 1 and 2: MATHEMATICS (understanding probability)

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK

YOU ARE PROBABILITY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

DOUBTING MIND | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE |

Estimated reading time: 2 hours

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Required Online Readings: The Hidden Side of Wolfgang Pauli | Patternicity |

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) essay focusing on the issue of apophenia/patternicity. Find one or more examples of it from history (or from your own personal experience) and explain why humans are prone to see significance and meaning in erstwhile random or chaotic events. Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

REQUIRED PODCAST Listen to number 6 on the list.

EXTRA CREDIT PODCAST: "The Coffee-House of Surat" by Leo Tolstoy

NOTICE: Please introduce yourself to the other students in the class (major, interests, hobbies, job, etc.) on the canvas discussion forum.

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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WEEK 3: PHYSICS (understanding how things work)

REQUIRED BOOK FOR THIS WEEK

THE FEYNMAN IMPERATIVE | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

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Required Online Readings: Are you Living in a Computer Simulation? | Turing on the Mind and Machine Intelligence |

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) science fiction story about the role of computational/artificial intelligence in future human societies. Feel free to be creative, radical, and inventive. However, be sure to draw from the required readings and films. Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

DOUBLE EXTRA CREDIT BOOK: Heretical Thinking | AUDIO VERSION

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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WEEK 4: BIOLOGY (understanding evolution)

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK

WHY LIVING TODAY IS BETTER THAN YESTERDAY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

COSMIC CREATIONISM | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

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Required Online Readings: Natural Selection | Darwin's Life |

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) critical essay on the evolution vs. intelligent design debate by answering this query: Why do the vast majority of biologists find evolution by natural selection to be more persuasive than intelligent design/creationism. Conversely, why is intelligent design/creationism still popular in America? Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

DOUBLE EXTRA CREDIT BOOK (optional): EVOLUTIONARY LIMITS

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MIDTERM IS DUE NOVEMBER 16TH | here is the link

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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WEEK 5 and 6: PSYCHIC DECEPTION (understanding the cultic mind)

REQUIRED BOOK FOR THIS WEEK

PSYCHIC DECEPTION | AUDIO VERSION

Estimated reading time: 4 hours plus

GUMBY LAND | AUDIO VERSION

Estimated reading time: 30 minutes

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EXTRA CREDIT (not required): In Search of the Perfect Coke

Required Online Readings: Human, All Too Human | Civilization and Its Discontents |

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) essay using Freud or Nietzsche (or both) with which to analyze a particular situation, event, idea, or person. Be sure to creative in picking your topic since it will be elemental in how you employ a Freudian or Nietzschean understanding. Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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WEEK 7: THE BRAIN (understanding the neuroscience)

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK

THE CHURCHLAND CONTROVERSY | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

MAYA: THE PHYSICS OF DECEPTION | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 20 MINUTES

THE CHANDIAN EFFECT | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

Estimated reading time: 45 minutes

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Required Online Readings: Cargo Cult Science | How to do a cold reading?

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) critical analysis of an alleged paranormal event or idea and provide a rational/logical explanation for it. Although you can pick any parnormal topic be sure to research your topic beforehand. Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

REQUIRED PODCAST: "Fire in the Brain"

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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WEEK 8: THE TECHNOLOGICAL (understanding how we live and our future)

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK

SURFING IN THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

THE VIRTUAL PHILOSOPHERS | AUDIO VERSION GO HERE

EXTRA CREDIT (highly recommended)

THE ILLUMINATED BRAIN

Estimated reading time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

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Required Online Readings: The Singularity is Near? | Brave New World Revisited | Technopanics |

Required Readings: Global Positioning Intelligence | The Codex Funeral | The Future of Informational Memory |

Essay Prompt: Write a 500 word (or more) critical essay on how technology will change or alter how human beings live and interact in the future. You can select one (or more) gadgets or breakthroughs to ground your article. Be sure to do your own research as well. Post your essay on your own personal website (created via google sites) and on the canvas discussion forum. You will receive a reply at midterm and at finals time.

Each essay must be the student's own work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in an F for the assignment. Be sure to properly cite your sources when necessary.

Respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the canvas forum as well as on your website.

Best to finish each week by Sunday night but it is up to you since your work will be graded at midterm and finals time.

Sunday is merely a guideline.

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FINAL EXAM IS HERE, due December 13th at the very latest.

GRADING

A= Securing a B+ or higher on the midterm and final and doing all the required readings and watching all of the required films. Also completing each of the assigned essays and receiving a B+ grade or higher.

B= Securing a B- or higher on the midterm and final and doing all the required readings and watching all of the required films. Also completing each of the assigned essays and receiving a passing grade.

C= Securing a C- or higher on the midterm and final and doing most of the required readings and watching most of the required films. Also completing each of the assigned essays and receiving a passing grade.

D= Securing a D- or higher on the midterm and final and doing some of the required readings and watching some of the required films. Also completing most of the assigned essays and receiving a D grade or higher.

F= Not doing the required work for this course.

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Cheating and Plagiarism

The term “Cheating” includes but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism

• Receiving or knowingly supplying unauthorized information

• Using unauthorized material or sources

• Changing an answer after work has been graded and presenting it as improperly

graded

• Illegally accessing confidential information through a computer

• Taking an examination for another student or having another person take an

examination for you

• Presenting another person’s work as your own

• Forging or altering registration or grade documents

• Submitting collectively developed work as your own, unless specifically allowed by

the professor

A professor who determines that a student has cheated may give the student a failing grade

for the assignment and should report the alleged academic dishonesty to the Student Life

Office, which will maintain a record of the report and appropriate action under the

provisions of the Administrative Procedures on Student Discipline (AP 5520).

Students are advised that allegations of dishonesty are serious, and can lead to disciplinary

sanctions including suspension and expulsion. (AP 4290).

For webpage: http://www.mtsac.edu/distancelearning/_resources/2013-

14_Catalog_StudentHonestyPolicy_1.pdf

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Disability Accommodations

Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they

may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact Disabled Students

Programs & Services (DSPS) as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are

implemented in a timely manner. Their phone number is (909) 274-4290 and they are located

in the Student Services Building, Room 9B. Webpage: http://www.mtsac.edu/dsps/

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Student Learning Outcomes by Discipline | Philosophy 8

Classifying Arguments. Pre and Post-Surveys to identify student knowledge of Classifying Arguments (Inductive and Deductive)

Evaluating Arguments. Students will take Pre and Post-Surveys to identify knowledge of Evaluation Arguments (Strong/weak, Cogent/Uncogent; Valid/Invalid, Sound/Unsound). General Education Outcome. Students completing an assignment in Critical Thinking will be able to develop a thesis statement that advances a clear argument. Inquiry/Critical Thinking and Analysis. Students will demonstrate inquiry (a systematic process of exploring issues, objects or works) and analysis (assessment of evidence resulting in conclusions or judgments) as part of their Honors coursework.

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The Neuralsurfer website founded in 1994 is designed to present a variety of information

for free via books, magazines, circulars, forums, and films.

THE ATTACHMENTS BELOW ARE FOR ARCHIVES.

THE MIDTERM AND FINAL FOR THIS COURSE WILL BE NEW.