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Prof. Robert DiSalle
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This course will discuss some of the ideas that have shaped western culture, politics, science, and philosophy—the “big ideas” that play key roles in contemporary discourse, and that most of us are expected to be familiar with, but that are rarely spelled out in any detail. Through readings and class discussion, we will try to understand some of the most important of these ideas from a critical philosophical perspective, and talk about the impact that they have had, might have, or ought to have on our lives and thought. Among the “big ideas” are: evolution, materialism, artificial intelligence, atheism, progress, revolution, relativity, individualism, infinity, the scientific method, certainty, determinism, and others.
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| Requirements: Weekly reading
assignments; 2 short essays
(each 25% of final mark); 1 final exam (50%
of final mark). Text: Penguin Custom Edition, available from the UWO Bookstore; occasional supplementary readings will be available on this page. |
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