Phil 101: Introduction to Philosophy
Fall 2021
INSTRUCTOR: WILLIAM IRWIN, Ph.D. EXT. 5493. williamirwin@kings.edu
Webpage: http://staff.kings.edu/wtirwin/
OFFICE HOURS: HAFEY-MARIAN 509 M&W 4-5, Tu&Th 3:30-5, and by appointment.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will be a historical survey of philosophy in the West. We shall begin with the birth of philosophy and trace its development through the ages. The major figures we shall discuss include Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Nietzsche, and Sartre.
Outcomes: We will critically analyze some of the Catholic intellectual tradition’s major texts, themes, concepts, figures, and histories. In our analysis, we shall address the basic questions of philosophy: What can I know? What should I do? What is real? Do human beings have free will? Can the existence of God be proven? What is evil? How can we deal with pain and difficulty in life? Students will learn to construct and defend arguments concerning wisdom, faith, and the good life.
Disabilities Policy: Special accommodations will be made for students who have a bona-fide disability that impacts their ability to learn the course material. Students with certifiable disabilities should privately inform the instructor so that appropriate arrangements can be made in consultation with the Academic Skills Center.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Philosophic Classics 6th Edition: From Plato to Derrida, Forrest E. Baird ed.
GRADES will be determined as follows:
Exams 90% (5 or 6, dates to be announced) All exams will be essays that ask you to explain, criticize, argue, and apply.
Quizzes 5% There will be unannounced quizzes to check whether you have done the reading. No makeups.
Attendance and Participation 5% The instructor will take attendance at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late it is your responsibility to notify the instructor after class that you are in attendance. Habitual tardiness, however, will not be tolerated. More than four absences will result in no credit for attendance. Active participation means speaking in every class meeting, and this requires that you read the assigned material before class. There will be no PowerPoints in this course. Students need to be active notetakers.
Readings and Topics:
At the beginning of each class meeting the instructor will announce the assigned reading for the next class meeting. We will follow the list of readings in order, and generally take one line per class meeting.
I. Socrates and Plato: Know Yourself and Reality
A. Apology, 21-37.
B. Republic Bk. VII (The Allegory of the Cave), 119-124.
C. David Foster Wallace, “This Is Water” https://fs.blog/2012/04/david-foster-wallace-this-is-water/ ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
Exam
A. Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus, 232-235; Principal Doctrines 236-238.
A. The Four Causes, 125-127.
B. What is virtue? Nichomachean Ethics Bk. I, 164-173.
C. How do we become virtuous? Ethics Bk. II, 178-187.
D. More on habits (videos and discussion).
Exam
A. Epictetus, Enchiridion, 241-251.
B. Extending Stoicism (videos and discussion).
Exam
A. Augustine, The City of God Bk. XII (the problem of evil), 292 (Ch. 2)-299.
B. Aquinas, Summa Theologica (The Existence of God), 331-335.
A. Meditations on the First Philosophy Bks. I&II, 384-391.
B. Meditation VI (Free Will and Mind-Body Problem), 408-416.
Exam
A. Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy,1037-1043.
B. Nietzsche, The Madman, 1044 and “The Greatest Weight” handouts.
C. Sartre, “Existentialism Is a Humanism,”1160-1173.
Exam
VIII. Political Philosophy: Living Together
A. Jonathan Haidt, “The Righeous Mind” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/73535/the-righteous-mind-by-jonathan-haidt/
B. Amy Olberding, The Wrong of Rudeness https://aeon.co/essays/whats-the-difference-between-being-righteous-and-being-rude
C. Stephen Asma, “Against Fairness” https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/the-myth-of-universal-love/ and handout
D. Nick Riggle, Be Awesome https://aeon.co/essays/how-being-awesome-became-the-great-imperative-of-our-time
Exam
A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR STUDENTS
IN THE CLASSROOM
1. Come on time. You disturb the professor, the students, and the flow of the class when you walk in late.
2. Come to class prepared. Do the assigned reading.
3. Enthusiasm is contagious. Profs respond and teach better to an alert, attentive, and interested class in just the way a performer puts on a better show for an enthusiastic crowd.
4. Be involved in class. Participate in class discussions and ask questions. If you do not have a lot to say, then show that you are interested and engaged by making eye contact with the professor. You would find it pretty boring if the prof never made eye contact with the class. In the same way, the prof will find you pretty boring, and assume you are not interested, if you never look up.
5. The “too cool for school” posture is unacceptable and offensive. Never slouch, chat, glare at the clock, or yawn. The professor is not your adversary. Work with him, not against him. You would not appreciate such posture or attitude if you were speaking at the front of the class. Think about it.
6. Respect your classmates, and learn their names for class discussions. Never refer to “the fat guy in the Nike hat.” It’s not nice.
7. When a fellow student speaks it is not an opportunity to “tune out,” take a break, or start a conversation. Respecting your classmates includes listening to their questions and comments.
8. During class, never study for another exam or do work for another class. If you’re too busy to be in class, then don’t come. But, by the way, you’re never that busy.
9. Never close your books or rustle your papers to signal the end of class. This is like looking at your phone when someone is talking to you—pretty rude. The prof knows what time it is, and he will let you know when the class is over.
10. Try not to look at the time during class. Time flies when you’re not thinking about it.
11. Do not walk out of class unless it is truly necessary. Do not walk out of class during an exam without asking permission.
12. Listen as if the professor were speaking to you alone. Don’t divide the responsibility for understanding among all the students in the class. Ultimately you alone are responsible for your understanding of the material.
OFFICE HOURS, ETC.
1. Make use of office hours, and don’t hesitate to make an appointment if the designated times conflict with your schedule. If you make an appointment, keep it. No one likes to be stood up.
2. Keep in mind that profs do not just “kill time” in their offices between classes. Profs put a great deal of time into preparing for class, and they also pursue an active scholarly research agenda. Profs are there for students first and foremost, but respect their time and interests.
3. When addressing the instructor don’t just start talking. Whether by e-mail, phone, or in person, call your prof by name: Dr. Doolittle, Professor Plum, Mr. Clean, Ms. Demeanor, Ms. Information, whatever.
4. Don’t wait until it’s “too late” to seek help. If you’re having trouble let the prof know, and show that you are concerned.
5. Come to office hours with particular questions, concerns, or problems in mind. Don’t wait until you arrive to think about what you need help with.
6. Never ask “Did I miss anything important in class the other day?” Of course you did.
7. Don’t ask for extra credit. This is not your seventh-grade science class; you cannot earn extra credit by making a volcano for the science fair. Just work extra hard for the rest of the semester.
8. When leaving voice mail for your prof, make it brief and to the point—no long excuse stories or graphic details about projectile vomiting and other maladies. Better yet, just e-mail me!
9. Unless the prof instructs you otherwise, do not call to tell him that you will be missing class. You are an adult. If you were not in class, the prof assumes you had a good reason.
10. Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on the prof’s part. Laziness is not a learning disability; procrastination is not a sport.
Why Major or Minor in Philosophy?
The best reason to major in philosophy is that you find the subject interesting and exciting. Philosophy IS the road less traveled, and it can make all the difference.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH A PHILOSOPHY DEGREE?
Is Philosophy practical?
What careers do philosophy majors pursue?
Most majors offer only a few career possibilities, but with a philosophy major the possibilities are endless. The list of careers and career areas typically pursued by philosophy majors includes, but is not limited to: law, medicine, education, F.B.I., government, publishing, writing, research, consulting, social and community services, business, and computer programming.
How do philosophy majors score on standardized tests?
In short, philosophy majors score among the very best.
What if I’m interested in philosophy but I want to major in something else?
You should know that philosophy works very well as a double major or minor with any other area of study. The study of philosophy can provide you with highly valuable insight into the nature of literature and the humanities, psychology and the social sciences, chemistry and the natural sciences, and economics and business. You can earn a minor in philosophy by taking just four courses beyond the Core requirements.
I’ve never heard of anyone majoring in philosophy.
Yes, you have! Here are just a few of the philosophy majors you may certainly have heard of:
Business: Larry Sanger (co-founder of Wikipedia), Reid Hoffman (co-founder of Linkedin), Peter Thiel (founder of PayPal), Stewart Butterfield (co-founder of Flickr), Patrick Byrne (founder of Overstock.com), John Mackey (co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market), J. Paul Getty, Carl Icahn (CEO, TWA Airlines), Gerald Levin (former CEO, Time Warner, Inc.), George Soros (financier), Lachlan Murdoch (son of Rupert Murdoch, media magnate), Max Palevsky (co-founder of Intel), Carly Fiorina (former CEO Hewlett-Packard and presidential candidate), Robert Greenhill (President of Morgan Stanley).
Government, Politics, and Law: Thomas Jefferson, David Souter and Stephen Breyer (Supreme Court Justices), Sheila Bair (Chair of FDIC), Stokely Carmichael (civil rights activist), William Bennett (Secretary of Education and best-selling author), Patrick Buchanan (presidential candidate and political columnist), Jerry Brown (governor of California and presidential candidate), Raisa Gorbachev (former first lady of the Soviet Union), Fred Thompson (former Senator and presidential candidate).
Religion: Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King, Jr., Madelyn Murray O’Hair (famous atheist).
Contemporary Writers: T. S. Eliot, Christopher Hitchens, Mary Higgins Clark, James Michener, Iris Murdoch, Alexander Solzhenitsin, Umberto Eco, M. Scott Peck, Ken Follett, Susan Sontag, Sam Harris, David Foster Wallace, Ayn Rand, Elie Wiesel, Nic Pizzolatto, Yann Martel, J.D. Vance.
Performers and Broadcasters: Rashida Jones, Juan Williams, Kennedy (MTV VJ and political commentator), Katy Tur, Harrison Ford, Susan Sarandon, Lana Del Rey, Dessa, Woody Allen, Richard Gere, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, Kim Thayill (Soundgarden), Stone Phillips, John Chancellor, Alex Trebek, Gene Siskel, Willard Scott, Jimmy Kimmel, Ricky Gervais (creator of The Office), Wes Anderson, Ethan Coen.
Sports: Bruce Lee, Phil Jackson, Michael McKaskey (Owner, Chicago Bears), Arian Foster (Houston Texans), Aaron Talylor (OT, Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers).