Introduction to Western Philosophy (Fall, 2016)
Introduction to Western Philosophy (Fall, 2016)
Instructor: Dr Tim BEAUMONT, Research Associate, Department of Philosophy, SYS (Zhuhai)
Office Hours: Wednesdays 10-11AM or by email appointment.
Room 106, Office Area, Sun Yat-Sen University Business Conference Hotel, Tangjia.
Email:beaumonttim@hotmail.com
Teaching Assistants
HAO Shiyu HUXiaoLu
Email: 1272909114@qq.com 1020339137@qq.com
Course Outline
This course is designed to provide students with a taste of many, if not all, of the subfields of Western philosophy. Students will be invited to contemplate, discuss, and provide reasoned responses to some of the most important questions in each subfield, such as ‘what can we know?’ (Epistemology), ‘do human beings have a non-physical soul?’ (Philosophy of Mind), ‘is there a god?’ (Philosophy of Religion), ‘what is justice?’ (Political Philosophy), ‘why obey the law?’ (Philosophy of Law), ‘do we have free will?’ (Philosophy of Action), and ‘what gives life meaning?’ (Ethics). Having acquired a sense of which subfields most interest them, students who wish to proceed on to more advanced philosophy classes can choose accordingly.
Following a historical introduction to the pre-Socratic founders of western philosophy in week 1, each week’s lecture will cover a different subfield of the discipline, introduce its main questions and puzzles, and outline some of the most significant answers that have been provided by the most important Western philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Hobbes, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Bentham, Mill, Nietzsche, Russell, Frege, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein. However, the goal is neither to study any of those philosophers systematically, nor to provide students with a comprehensive overview of all of the answers that have been provided to any given philosophical question. The goal is rather to teach students what it is to think philosophically, which is to say, to see through shallow, superficial, or dogmatic answers to fundamental questions, to think critically about their most profound assumptions, to consider whether their beliefs can be supported by good reasons and arguments, and to think analytically about contested philosophical concepts.
Class Schedule
Each class will have assigned reading. For weeks 1 – 10 the main class text will be “Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy” by Simon Blackburn (Oxford University Press: UK, 1999). There will also be advanced readings assigned from John Cottingham (ed.) “Western Philosophy: An Anthology”, Second Edition (Blackwell Publishing: UK, 2008).
It should be noted that students are not expected to do all of the reading assigned for any given week. Each week you should begin with the assigned basic reading. If you are able to do so, you can try to readsome of the advanced reading as well. While you are not obligated to familiarize yourself with the advanced reading for any given week, doing so will be advantageous, partly because it will help you to practice reading difficult texts in English, and partly becausewe will use some of them for the examinations.
Week 1:
The Origins and Nature of Western Philosophy Monday 12th September, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Introduction.
Week 2:
Epistemology: Knowledge &Scepticism Monday 19th September, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 1.
Advanced Reading: Plato Republic- Cottingham (ed.) p.69-75; Descartes Meditations - Cottingham (ed.) p.21-5.
Week 3:
Philosophy of Mind: The Mind-Body Problem Monday 26th September, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 2.
Advanced Reading: Plato Phaedo- Cottingham (ed.) p.203-9; Aristotle,De Animap.210-14; Aquinas,Summa Theologiae- Cottingham (ed.) p.215-221; Descartes,Meditations, Cottingham (ed.) p.221-7.
Week 4:
No Class: National Holiday Monday 3rd October
Week 5:
No Class: Dr Beaumont Away Monday 10th October
Week 6:
Philosophy of Action: Free Will Monday 17thOctober
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 3.
Advanced Reading:Augustine, The City of God - Cottingham (ed.) 307-12; Hobbes Liberty, Necessity and Chance- Cottingham (ed.) p.312-18; Sartre, Being and Nothingness - Cottingham (ed.) p.320-5; Strawson, Freedom and Resentment – Cottingham (ed.) p.326-332; Frankfurt, Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility – Cottingham (ed.) p.332-339.
Week 7:
Philosophy of Psychology: Personal Identity& the Self Monday 24th October, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 4.
Advanced Reading: Locke,Essay Concerning Human Understanding– Cottingham (ed.) p.275-80; Hume,A Treatise of Human Nature- Cottingham (ed.) p.285-90; Parfit,Reasons and Persons- Cottingham (ed.) p.296-302; Taylor,Sources of the Self- Cottingham (ed.) p.302-7
Week 8:
Mid-Term Examination Monday 31st October, 2016
· Argument analysis: testing students command of the concepts of validity and soundness, and their ability to evaluate informal arguments.
· Short personal answers to one or more philosophical questions provided in advance.
Week 9:
Philosophy of Religion: God and Life Meaning Monday 7th November, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 5.
Advanced Reading: Anselm, Proslogion - Cottingham (ed.) p.345-7; Aquinas Summa Theologiae, 348-51; Leibniz, Theodicy – Cottingham (ed.) p.359-64; Lucretius,On the Nature of the Universe- Cottingham (ed.) p.766-7; Schopenhauer On the Vanity of Existence- Cottingham (ed.) p.782-5; Russell A Free Man’s Worship- Cottingham (ed.) p.790-96.
Week 10:
Logic and the Philosophy of Science: Reason and Explanation Monday 14th November, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 6.
Advanced Reading: Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding – Cottingham (ed.) p.433-443; Mill, A System of Logic – p.447-53, Popper, Conjectures and Refutations, 453-459 Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Cottingham (ed.) p.475-81.
Week 11:
Metaphysics: Mind and World Monday 21st November, 2016
Basic Reading: Simon Blackburn “Think”, Chapter 7.
Advanced Reading: Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding- Cottingham (ed.) p.86-90; Berkeley, Principles of Human Knowledge- Cottingham (ed.) p.97-102; Hume,Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding- Cottingham (ed.) p.102-7; Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics - Cottingham (ed.) p.108-20; Heidegger, Being and Time - Cottingham (ed.) p.115-120.
Week 12:
Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Law: Justice, Legitimacy and Authority Monday 28st November, 2016
Basic Reading: to be announced.
Advanced Reading:Plato, Crito - Cottingham (ed.) p.623-6; Hobbes, Leviathan – Cottingham (ed.) p.631-6; Locke – Second Treatise of Civil Government – Cottingham (ed.) p.636-41; Rousseau, The Social Contract – Cottingham (ed.) p.647-53.
Week 13:
Ethics and Moral Philosophy: the Right and the Good
Monday 5thDecember, 2016
Basic Reading: to be announced.
Advanced Reading: Plato, Republic- Cottingham (ed.) p.487-92; Aristotle,Nichomachean Ethics- Cottingham (ed.) p.492-5; Kant,Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals- Cottingham (ed.) p.506-512; Mill,Utilitarianism- Cottingham (ed.) p.512-7; Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil - Cottingham (ed.) p.524-9.
Week 14
Final Examination Monday 12thDecember, 2016
· Advanced argument analysis: testing students’ command of the concepts of validity and soundness, and their ability to evaluate formal and informal arguments.
· Advanced textual analysis: exposition of one or more advanced readings which will be provided in advance.
· Short personal answer to one or more philosophical questions provided in advance.
Assessment
Class attendance: 15% of grade
Class participation 15% of grade
Mid-term examination: 30% of grade
Final examination: 40% of grade
