philosophy City College spring 2017 -

Introduction to Philosophy

Spring 2017

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Dr. Andreas Keller

andreasmusilkeller@gmail.com

office hours Tuesdays 5-6pm room 6/334B

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The general aim of this course is to serve as an introduction to central philosophical problems and methods of philosophical argumentation and analysis. We will consider three philosophical questions in detail.

READING: All of the readings/materials for this course will be available through the course website

http://andreaskeller.squarespace.com/philosophy-city-college-spring

RESOURCES:

- a youtube channel called Wireless Philosophy

- podcasts called philosophybites.com

- online: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: There will be one in-class exam on 4/6. In addition, you will write two essays. In the first essay, you will summarize a reading. In the second essay, you will develop and defend your own philosophical thesis by giving arguments and responding to objections.

GRADING: First essay 25%; Second essay 35%; Exam 25%; Attendance and Participation 15%

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: Late papers will only be accepted in cases of emergency. Arrangements must be made with me at least 48 hours in advance.

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is required. You will be granted up to three excused absences throughout the term. An excused absence is an absence that you tell me about via email before or within 24 hours after the session. If you need more than three excused absences, come talk to me. Unexcused absences and late arrival to class will affect your grade significantly. More than three unexcused absences will result in failing the class.

PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will be subject to penalties in conformity with the College’s policy on Academic Integrity. (http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/facultystaff/provost/policies_integrity.cfm)

LEARNING COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of this course you should: (1) Be able to read philosophy; that is, to identify the thesis of a piece of philosophical writing and the arguments or evidence adduced in support of that thesis. (2) Be able to write philosophy; that is, to present a claim in clear terms and to defend it in a logically coherent manner. (3) Be able to reconstruct and debate some foundational issues in the Western philosophical tradition.

As part of the College’s General Education Curriculum, this course is designed to satisfy the requirements for a Logical-Philosophical Perspective course. Students successfully completing this course will develop the following proficiencies: will have had multiple experiences in communicating ideas in writing and speaking by completing writing assignments, will have had experiences that emphasize analytic and/or philosophical reasoning to critically examine fundamental questions of ethics, justice and epistemology, and will have had multiple experiences in finding information and evaluating the reliability of this information.

The Basics and some examples of philosophy

Tue 1/31 Session 1: Introduction: syllabus, introductions, course requirements

Thu 2/2 Session 2: Introduction: What is philosophy? Why study philosophy?

Tue 2/7 Session 3: Doing philosophy: arguments

Thu 2/9 snowday!!!

Thu 2/14 Session 4: Doing philosophy: fallacies

Tue 2/16 Session 5: Doing philosophy: cognitive biases

Thu 2/21 Session 6: Is the actual world entirely physical?

required reading: Frank Jackson What Mary Didn't Know (excerpt) (3 pages)

Tue 2/23 Session 7: Does God exist?

required reading: St. Thomas Aquinas The Five Ways (5 pages)

Epistemology