Spring 2010
150H 001 TR 10:50-12:05 Room: HR 101
150 005 MWF 11:00 - 11:50 Room: LA 207

Professor: Rudy Garns
Office: LA 232
Office Hours: MWF 10:15-10:45 & by appointment
Phone: 859.572.5528
Email: garns@nku.edu

Web site: http://www.rudygarns.com/class/150/

Use Twitter to post comments and questions about the class. Use hashtag #garns150.

PHI 150 is a general introductory course in philosophy. The topics we discuss will center largely on the topic of human nature and specifically on questions of knowledge, mind, the self, free will, and morality. Are minds unique to humans, and are minds distinct from brains and bodies? What is a person, and what does one refer to as one's 'self?' Do we have free will? and What makes humans moral animals? We will explore all these questions using film, class discussion, and primary texts in philosophy.

The primary objective in this course is that you become familiar with some specific areas of philosophical concern, with some of the questions that philosophers find important, and with the methods they use to approach these questions. You should see not only what philosophy is, but how one does philosophy. You should come to appreciate the import, the direction, and the challenge of philosophical thinking.

Specific course objectives are listed for each section of the course.

Section 1: Nature v. Nurture

At the end of this section

• You should be able to explain and discuss critically the following concepts, positions and problems: Social Darwinism, the nature v. nurture debate, essentialism, and innate ideas/knowledge.
• You should be able to articulate clearly traditional arguments involved in the nature versus nurture debate, the role of genetic and environmental factors in these explanations of human nature.
• You should be able to explain the vision of Social Darwinism and critically review its assumptions and claims.
• You should be able to present different starting points for investigation claims about human nature.

Section 2: Descartes, Mind & Knowledge

At the end of this section

• You should be able to explain and discuss critically the following concepts, positions and problems: appearance and reality, skepticism, foundationalism, coherence theory, reliabilism, internalism/externalism, Dualism, Materialism, the Mind-Brain Identity Theory, Functionalism, the Computational Theory of Mind, intentionality, qualia, Interactionism, and Searle's Chinese Room.
• You should be able to discuss in an informed and comfortable way the following questions:
  1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of foundationalism and the coherence theory?
  2. What role does skepticism play in Descartes' philosophy? What role does God play in Descartes' quest for certainty?
  3. How does a naturalistic epistemologist employ evolutionary theory to account for human knowledge?
  4. How do Cartesian and naturalistic philosophers differ in their response to the question “Can we ever know what is real?”
  5. What can be said for/against Dualism and for/against Materialism?
  6. How do Cartesian and naturalistic philosophers differ in their response to the question “Could machines one day think?”

Section 3: Self, Free Will and Morality

At the end of this section

• You should be able to explain and discuss critically the following concepts, positions and problems: the Ego theory, the Bundle theory, teletransportation, split brain conditions, free will, Determinism, Indeterminism, Incompatibilism, Compatibilism, meta-ethics and normative ethics, Supernaturalism, Non-naturalism, Naturalism, Nihilism, and Relativism.

• You should be able to articulate clearly traditional arguments for/against the Cartesian Ego theory and for/against the Bundle theory. You should also be able to show how thought experiments involving split brain patients, teletransporation, and disassociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) can be used to challenge and support different positions.
• You should be able to discuss in an informed and comfortable way the following questions:
  1. How do Cartesian and naturalistic philosophers differ in their response to the question “What am I?”
  2. How might one argue for/against the possibility of free will? What is the traditional dilemma against free will and the (neo-)Compatibilist response.
  3. How do Cartesian and naturalistic philosophers differ in their response to the question “Do we ever act of our own free will?”
  4. What are the strengths and weakness of meta-ethical theories like Supernaturalism, Non-naturalism, Naturalism, and Nihilism.
  5. How do naturalistic and non-naturalistic philosophers differ in their response to the question “That is the basis of morality?”

Another goal for the course is that you become a better critical thinker and reader. You should become more comfortable reading primary texts in philosophy and better able to find, articulate and evaluate main lines of reasoning within these texts. Since we are focusing on film, you should also become more familiar with the techniques used for interpreting films and finding and evaluating philosophical content.

• At the end of the course successful students will be comfortable reading primary texts in philosophy.
• At the end of the course successful students will be able to identify the central arguments (premises and conclusions) in primary texts.
• At the end of the course successful students will be able to explain the reasoning in appropriately challenging philosophical passages.

In addition you should develop a sensitivity for philosophical issues in general and for the manner in which philosophers approach these issues. The successful student will be able to engage effectively in further study in philosophy.

Your progress in the class will be evaluated primarily on the basis of a series of short essay exams and response papers. Anyone not meeting all the requirements will fail the course.

Attendance. Chronic absenteeism will not be tolerated. A necessary condition for getting an A in the course is that you attend 90% of the classes. A necessary condition for getting an B in the course is that you attend 80% of the classes. A C requires you attend at least 70% of the classes, and to pass the course you must attend at least 60% of the time. Attendance is not, of course, a sufficient condition for earning a particular grade. Since attendance will be recorded at the beginning of class either through a roll call or from quiz participation, I recommend that you arrive at class on time; I am not responsible for recording your presence after roll is called. There will be no excused absences.

Participation and Preparation. You are required to attend class, participate responsibly, and prepare adequately for class. My evidence for adequate participation in class is your behavior. Those who regularly ask questions and take part in class discussions are clearly actively involved in the class; and those who regularly attend class, listen attentively to lectures and discussions, and complete assignments on time are also involved in the class (though to a lesser degree). Failure to attend class or to complete assignments, sleeping in class, talking to neighbors and other disruptive behavior will count against you. Up to 20% of your grade will be based on this criterion.

Three exams. The day before the exam we will work in small groups to address candidate questions. Each group will be assigned one question and asked to design the best answer. We will then critically discuss each answer as a class. For each exam I will ask you to write a brief (one or two paragraph) response to two of the questions chosen randomly. Each essay is worth 10 points. I will allow you to write on a third essay during the final exam that would replace the lowest grade from the earlier exams. I typically do not permit make-up exams. The exams together contribute to roughly 60% of the final grade.

Response Papers. For at least three of the readings assigned in each section of the course you are required to turn in a response paper; you can do as many as you want and I'll count the best three in each section. This paper should be concise, readable, grammatically appropriate and address the demands listed below. Papers should be typed and double-spaced, with 12-point font and roughly 1.25 inch margins.

• Write a brief one paragraph summary of the reading highlighting the conclusion or thesis of the reading assignment and the main line of reasoning.
• In a few sentences describe what you found to be most interesting about the reading.
• What two questions do you have about the reading or what do you want to know more about?
• Briefly answer any questions I might pose for the reading assignment.

Your grade (a score of 0-3) will reflect how well you present your work and demonstrate that you read the assignment with a degree of informed sophistication appropriate for that stage of the course. Up to 20% of your final grade is earned in this category.

Grading: The final grade for the course should be understood as my assessment of your overall level of achievement in the class based on all the evidence available to me. In short, the final grade will be determined by the following question, which I will ask myself in a sober, reflective and analytic moment at the end of the semester: based on class discussion, response papers, exams and other assignments, to what degree does this student meet the course objectives and understand the course material?

I understand the particular letter grades in terms of the descriptions given in the recent university catalog. A grade of C “represents average achievement, the minimum expected of a college student.” Better or worse work is possible and will be reflected in the grade. Please ask me if you have questions about your standing in the class at any point in the semester.