|
Question
|
Week
|
Topic
|
Date
|
Readings
|
|
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Week 0
|
Introductory
|
Sept. 8
|
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Question
1:
Does God
exist?
|
Week 1
|
The
ontological argument
|
Sept. 11
|
Anselm:
65-69
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The
cosmological arguments (1)
|
Sept. 13
|
Aquinas:
71-76
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Discussion
|
Sept. 15
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Week 2
|
The
cosmological arguments (2)
|
Sept. 18
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Paley:
78-82
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Pascal’s
wager
|
Sept. 20
|
Pascal:
84-88
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Discussion
|
Sept. 22
|
|
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Week 3
|
Kierkegaard’s
leap
|
Sept. 25
|
90-94
|
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The
Imperfect Architect
|
Sept. 27
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Hume:
96-102
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Discussion
|
Sept. 29
|
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Week 4
|
The
Problem of Evil
|
Oct. 2
|
Hick:
103-111
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Discussion/Review
|
Oct. 4
|
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Question
2:
What is
knowledge and what can be known?
|
|
The
definition of knowledge.
|
Oct. 6
|
Plato:
237-245
|
|
|
Week 5
|
Thanksgiving
(no class)
|
Oct. 9
|
|
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Theories
of knowledge (Rationalism)
|
Oct. 11
|
Descartes:
246-256
|
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Theories
of knowledge (Pt. 2 – Empiricism)
|
Oct. 13
|
Locke:
259-270
|
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Week 6
|
Theories
of knowledge (Pt. 3 – Kantianism)
|
Oct. 16
|
Kant:
272-280
|
|
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|
More on
Kant (He’s hard.)
|
Oct. 18
|
|
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Discussion
|
Oct. 20
|
Essay 1 due
|
|
|
Week 7
|
Theories
of truth (Correspondence)
|
Oct. 23
|
Russell:
282-288
|
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Theories
of truth (Coherence)
|
Oct. 25
|
Bradley:
289-294
|
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Discussion
|
Oct. 27
|
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|
Week 8
|
Causation
|
Oct.
30
|
Hume:
304-309
|
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The
problem of induction
|
Nov. 1
|
Hume:
311-320
|
|
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Discussion/Review
|
Nov. 3
|
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Question
3:
Of what
does reality consist?
|
Week 9
|
Is
reality composed of mind and matter?
|
Nov. 6
|
Descartes:
351-356
|
|
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Is
reality composed of mind alone?
|
Nov. 8
|
Berkeley:
372-382
|
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Discussion
|
Nov. 10
|
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Week 10
|
Is
reality composed of matter alone?
|
Nov. 13
|
Taylor:
358-370
|
|
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Realism
about universals
|
Nov. 15
|
Plato:
335-344
|
|
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Discussion
|
Nov. 17
|
|
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Week 11
|
Nominalism
about universals
|
Nov. 20
|
Hume:
345-349
|
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What is
the self? (1)
|
Nov. 22
|
Locke:
393-401
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Discussion
|
Nov. 24
|
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Week 12
|
What is
the self? (2)
|
Nov. 27
|
Hume:
403-408
|
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Discussion/review
|
Nov. 29
|
Essay 2 due
|
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Review
for mid-year test
|
Dec. 1
|
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Week 13
|
Review
for mid-year test
|
Dec. 4
|
|
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Review
for mid-year test
|
Dec. 6
|
|
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Question
|
Week
|
Topic
|
Date
|
Readings
|
|
Question
4:
In what
does moral obligation consist?
|
Week 14
|
Preliminary
question: Do we have
free will? (Determinism)
|
Jan. 8
|
Holbach:
113-121
|
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Do we
have free will? (Libertarianism)
|
Jan. 10
|
James:
123-131
|
|
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Discussion
|
Jan. 12
|
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Week 15
|
Ethical
relativism
|
Jan. 15
|
Benedict:
133-139
|
|
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Ethical
absolutism
|
Jan. 17
|
Stace:
140-151
|
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Discussion
|
Jan. 19
|
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Week 16
|
Ethical
egoism
|
Jan. 22
|
Plato:
153-155
|
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Altruism
|
Jan. 24
|
Rachels:
157-167
|
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Discussion
|
Jan. 26
|
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Week 17
|
Virtue
ethics
|
Jan. 29
|
Aristotle:
168-176
|
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Utilitarianism
|
Jan. 31
|
Bentham:
178-184
|
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Discussion
|
Feb. 2
|
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Week 18
|
Deontology
|
Feb. 5
|
Kant:
188-199
|
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More
deontology (Remember – Kant’s hard.)
|
Feb. 7
|
|
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Discussion/Review
|
Feb. 9
|
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Question
5:
Political
philosophy: What is the
best society?
|
Week 19
|
Political
authority
|
Feb. 12
|
Dostoevski
(411-422)
(optional)
|
|
|
|
The
tyranny of the majority
|
Feb. 14
|
Mill
(423-432)
|
|
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Discussion
|
Feb. 16
|
Essay 3 due
|
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|
Week 20
|
Freedom
and race
|
Feb. 19
|
King
(435-444)
|
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Freedom
and gender
|
Feb. 21
|
Tong:
446-457
|
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Discussion
|
Feb. 23
|
|
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Reading Week – No classes
|
Feb.
26-March 2
|
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Week 21
|
Hobbes’
Leviathan
|
March 5
|
Hobbes:
461-467
|
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Liberal
democracy
|
March 7
|
Locke:
469-475
|
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Discussion
|
March 9
|
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Week 22
|
Communism
|
March 12
|
Marx and
Engels: 476-490
|
|
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Critical
voices
|
March 14
|
Popper: 500-509
|
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Discussion
|
March 16
|
|
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Question
6:
What is
the character of contemporary philosophy?
|
Week 23
|
Applied
ethics (Abortion)
|
March 19
|
English:
511-520
|
|
|
|
Applied
ethics (Pornography and censorship)
|
March 21
|
Ward:
522-530
|
|
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|
Applied
ethics (Homosexuality)
|
March 23
|
Gould:
532-537.
|
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|
Week 24
|
Discussion
|
March 26
|
|
|
|
|
Continental
philosophy (1)
|
March 28
|
Heidegger:
TBA
|
|
|
|
Discussion
|
March 30
|
Essay 4 due
|
|
|
Week 25
|
Continental
philosophy (2)
|
April 2
|
Camus:
604-613
|
|
|
|
Discussion/review
|
April 4
|
|
|
|
|
|
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No class.
|
April 6
|
|
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Week 26
|
No
class.
|
April 9
|
|
|
|
|
Review
for final exam
|
April 11
|
|