MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE  | SPRING SEMESTER | 2026 | PHIL 9

Professor David Christopher Lane, Ph.D.

CRN  22266 | Course Hours: 54, 3 units 

Email: dlane@mtsac.edu

WELCOME TO PHILOSOPHY | CRITICAL THINKING and WRITING

Key Guideline: Everything you need for this course is listed on this page. Read it carefully and systematically. Each week you are provided with reading materials and films and essay questions. Your professor is here to help and available 24/7 via email at dlane@mtsac.edu.

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PHIL 9 Critical Thinking and Writing

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.



BE SURE TO FOLLOW MLA FORMAT IN YOUR WRITING.

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to a course designed not simply to introduce you to new ideas, but to help you become a more critical thinker, careful reader, and effective writer.

Throughout the semester, we will explore a remarkably broad range of subjects—including religion, mathematics, physics, psychology, biology, philosophy, and science. Although these fields may initially appear quite different from one another, they share an important challenge: How do we distinguish reliable knowledge from assumption, exaggeration, misinformation, and poorly supported claims?

Our goal is to learn how to ask better questions, evaluate evidence, recognize weaknesses in arguments, and communicate our conclusions clearly and persuasively. Critical thinking is not merely about criticizing ideas. It is about learning how to think carefully about what we believe—and why we believe it.

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

Writing will play a central role in developing these skills. During the semester, each student will complete eight distinct essays, allowing you to examine important questions raised by our readings, films, lectures, and discussions.

Each essay must:

The emphasis is not simply on reaching a particular word count. Your goal is to develop an argument, examine evidence, consider alternative explanations, and express your ideas as clearly and thoughtfully as possible.

MIDTERM AND FINAL

In addition to the eight essays, students will complete one midterm examination and one final examination. Both examinations will be essay-based and will emphasize your ability to analyze ideas rather than merely memorize information.

Throughout the semester, students will maintain their coursework on their own individual website. Your essays, midterm, final, and other required assignments should be posted there according to the instructions provided in the course.

At the designated submission times, you will email your professor the appropriate link to your work. Additional instructions regarding your website, assignments, examinations, and submission procedures will be provided throughout the course.

COURSE RESOURCES

A large collection of free books, articles, audiobooks, films, and other educational materials has been created and assembled for this course. These resources are available online and can be accessed throughout the semester.

General Website:
Neural Surfer

Original Films and Lectures:
Neural Surfer YouTube Channel

Facebook:
Neural Surfer on Facebook

Professor's Email:
dlane@mtsac.edu

QUESTIONS AND COMMUNICATION

If at any point during the semester you are confused about an assignment, uncertain about course requirements, or simply have a question, please do not hesitate to contact your professor.

For online students, email:

dlane@mtsac.edu

You should normally receive a response within 24 hours. If you have not received a reply within two days, your message may not have reached your professor. Please send your email again. Continue following up until you receive a response.

Most importantly, remember that this course is about more than completing assignments. It is an opportunity to develop intellectual habits that can serve you long after the semester ends: questioning assumptions, examining evidence, recognizing faulty reasoning, remaining open to new information, and learning to express your ideas with clarity and precision.

The objective is not to tell you what to think.

It is to help you become better at understanding how to think—and how to explain why you think as you do.

Welcome to the course.


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INSTRUCTIONS


1. Be sure to create your own personal website (for free) using google 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


ALL BOOKS ARE FREE AS PDFS, but you can buy audio versions if you choose.


Special Note from Professor: These past five 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 is 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/


TEACHER-STUDENT INTERACTION: 


I have spent the last twenty years creating over 150 original mini visual films on philosophy, science, and religion, to provide a more personal (and visual) glimpse into philosophy. In this way, they serve as a visual and auditory lecture from your Professor.


Furthermore, we have created over 500 original books and pamphlets dealing with philosophy that is available for free as PDFs and as interactive texts. This is an ongoing project and during the semester we will be adding to the large database that can be accessed anytime and anywhere via the Internet.


Finally, I am available 24/7 via email for any questions or issues you may have.  Contact: dlane@mtsac.edu


IMPORTANT NOTE: Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Your work must be your own.


STUDENT TO STUDENT INTERACTION:

Often we learn more from sharing with other students than from formal lectures. Be sure to use the canvas forum to post your essay responses and to exchange ideas with other students. Also be sure to keep a copy of your posts (and selected interactions) on your website for my review at midterm and finals time. 


Introductory book: EASY TO READ, General Overview: BLISSFUL IGNORANCE | Audio version | FREE PDF


 EXTRA CREDIT: AUDIOBOOKS AND FREE PDF VERSIONS


Over the past five months, we have produced over 380 free audiobooks via the Neuralsurfer YouTube channel. Here is a link to all of the titles. Feel free to pick anyone that you find of interest (they usually cover some aspect of philosophy) and write a 200-word reaction and place it on your website. This will garner extra credit. You can do as many as you like to gain extra points each time. Also share your reaction analysis on the canvas student forum. They will be graded at midterm and finals time to add extra points. You may opt for the FREE PDF books instead of audiobooks here.


I am a huge fan of audiobooks primarily because we are now so distracted by our smartphones and other computational devices. Listening to an audiobook while driving is a unique pleasure especially in traffic! After the drive one feels more enlightened instead of stupefied by the long drive!


A link to audiobooks produced by the MSAC Philosophy Group but which necessitate signing up to Audible (versus our free YouTube channel).


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


https://sites.google.com/view/themasterlist/home


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 8  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 PDF OR AUDIO 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 to 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.


COURSE OUTLINE

WEEK ONE — THINKING CRITICALLY

We begin the course by developing the intellectual tools that will guide us throughout the semester. Our focus is on critical thinking: learning how to distinguish strong arguments from weak ones, recognize logical fallacies, evaluate evidence, question assumptions, and remain willing to revise our conclusions when better information becomes available.

Required Introductory Readings

All materials are available online and free of charge:


WEEK 1 — MATHEMATICS

Understanding Probability, Chance, and Coincidence

This week explores one of the most important tools in critical thinking: probability. Events that appear extraordinary, miraculous, or even supernatural can sometimes become much less mysterious when we understand chance, coincidence, and the enormous number of events occurring in our lives.

Required Books and Films

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Probability and the Apparently Supernatural
Write an essay of 500 words or more about an event from your own life—or from the experience of someone you know or have heard about—that initially appeared extraordinary, paranormal, or supernatural but might be better explained through probability, coincidence, and Littlewood's Law/Theory of Large Numbers.

Analyze the event critically. What made it appear extraordinary? How might probability offer a more natural explanation? Conduct additional research if necessary and cite your sources appropriately.

Essay 2 — Artificial Intelligence and Your Education
Write an essay of 500 words or more examining how artificial intelligence has affected your life and the way you approach school, learning, research, writing, or problem-solving.

When finished, place both essays on your course website and share the appropriate links on Canvas.

WEEK TWO — OCCAM'S RAZOR AND ALGORITHMIC REASONING

WEEK 2 — PHYSICS

Understanding Reality, Perception, and the Basic Rules

This week introduces Occam's Razor and explores the relationship between physical reality and human perception. We will examine why the brain does not simply record the world like a camera but actively interprets sensory information—and why those interpretations can sometimes be wrong.

Required Books

Required Essays

Essay 1 — The Deceptive Brain
Write an essay of 500 words or more explaining how the mind/brain can be deceived by visual illusions and other sensory experiences. What do these illusions reveal about perception and our confidence in what we believe we see, hear, smell, or otherwise experience?

You are encouraged to include illustrations or visual examples. You may also discuss a personal experience in which you misinterpreted a sight, sound, smell, or other sensation and later discovered that your original interpretation was mistaken.

Essay 2 — We Are All Scientists
Listen to the free audiobook We Are All Scientists by T. H. Huxley. Then write an autobiographical essay of 500 words or more explaining how you have behaved "scientifically" in your own life.

Describe specific situations in which you approached a problem systematically, tested possible solutions, examined the results, and altered your approach when new evidence suggested that you should do so.


WEEK THREE — EVOLUTION

WEEK 3 — EVOLUTION

Understanding the Prime Directive

Evolutionary theory provides a powerful framework for understanding not merely the development of biological organisms but many aspects of human behavior, cognition, cooperation, competition, attraction, fear, and survival.

This week asks us to think critically about what evolutionary theory can—and cannot—tell us about ourselves.

Required Books

Required Films

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Evolution and Human Behavior
Write an essay of 500 words or more explaining how evolutionary theory can help us understand human behavior. Select specific examples and support your analysis with additional research.

Do not merely summarize evolutionary theory. Apply it critically to particular features of human behavior.

Essay 2 — The Sentinel
Listen to the free audiobook THE SENTINEL and write an analysis of 500 words or more exploring the story's central ideas and implications.

Extra Credit: Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and compare the film with the earlier science-fiction story. What do the differences between them suggest about technology, intelligence, evolution, and human development?


WEEK FOUR — CONSCIOUSNESS

WEEK 4 — CONSCIOUSNESS

Understanding the Brain and Its Ways

What is consciousness, and why did it evolve? This week examines one of philosophy's most enduring mysteries by bringing together philosophy, neuroscience, biology, artificial intelligence, and evolutionary theory.

Required Books

Required Films

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Why Did Consciousness Evolve?
Write an essay of 500 words or more addressing the following question:

Why might evolution have favored the emergence of self-reflective awareness in human beings? What adaptive advantages might consciousness, imagination, memory, planning, language, and self-awareness confer?

Essay 2 — Two Possibilities for Human Existence
Compare and contrast The Vertical Ascent and Subtle. The films present different possibilities for understanding human existence and consciousness.

Write an analysis of 500 words or more explaining the similarities and differences between the films and offering your own critical reaction.

WEEK FIVE — RELIGION

WEEK 5 — RELIGION

Understanding Faith and Belief from a Critical Perspective

Religion raises some of humanity's deepest questions about meaning, morality, consciousness, death, transcendence, and ultimate reality. This week we examine religious experience critically while attempting to understand why religious beliefs and experiences can be so psychologically powerful.

Required Books

Required Film

MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Religion and Science
Why has there historically been tension between certain religious claims and scientific explanations? Where are the genuine conflicts, and where might the perceived conflict be exaggerated? What approaches could improve meaningful dialogue between scientific and religious perspectives?

Minimum: 500 words.

Essay 2 — The Projective Arc
Explain the concept of the projective arc. How might it help us understand why human beings maintain certain beliefs even when those beliefs appear to contradict evidence, probability, or common sense?

Use specific examples to illustrate your argument.

Minimum: 500 words.

WEEK SIX — THE PARANORMAL

WEEK 6 — THE PARANORMAL

Understanding Supernatural Claims from a Critical Perspective

Extraordinary experiences deserve careful investigation. This week we examine paranormal and supernatural claims without automatically accepting or dismissing them. The goal is to learn how a critical thinker investigates unusual events by considering probability, psychology, perception, alternative explanations, and empirical evidence.

Required Books

You may skim these texts and concentrate on the sections that most interest you.

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Investigating the Supernatural
Develop a rational, step-by-step method for investigating an event that has been described as supernatural or paranormal.

How can we determine whether an apparently extraordinary event has a more conventional explanation? Incorporate Occam's Razor, probability, Littlewood's Law/Theory of Large Numbers, and other critical-thinking principles whenever appropriate. Include specific examples.

Minimum: 500 words.

Essay 2 — Why We Believe
Why are human beings so susceptible to beliefs in miracles, paranormal phenomena, supernatural forces, conspiracy theories, and extraordinary coincidences?

Consider psychological, neurological, evolutionary, cultural, and sociological explanations.

Minimum: 500 words.

WEEKS SEVEN AND EIGHT — THE FUTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

WEEKS 7 & 8 — AI, VIRTUAL REALITY, AND THE FUTURE

Critical Thinking in an Increasingly Artificial World

Artificial intelligence gives us unprecedented access to information and intellectual assistance, but it also creates a paradox: the more powerful our thinking tools become, the more important it may be that we learn to think independently of them.

These final weeks ask how human beings can preserve curiosity, skepticism, creativity, intellectual independence, and sound judgment in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

Required Books and Resources

Required Film

THE MACHINE STOPS

Required Essays

Essay 1 — Critical Thinking in the Age of AI
What is the best way to become—and remain—a critical thinker in the age of artificial intelligence?

How can we benefit from AI without becoming intellectually dependent upon it? Discuss practical methods for preserving independent reasoning, skepticism, creativity, research skills, and intellectual curiosity. Provide specific examples.

Minimum: 500 words.

Essay 2 — The Machine Stops
Analyze The Machine Stops and explain how its themes resonate with contemporary concerns about artificial intelligence, technological dependency, social isolation, mediated communication, and our relationship with machines.

Why does a story written long before today's digital world seem so strikingly relevant now?

Minimum: 500  words.






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

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