PHIL 201                Introduction to Philosophy                                 Spring 2008

Dr. Carla Fehr

cfehr@iastate.edu                                                                
www.public.iastate.edu/~cfehr

Meeting Times:          TR 11:00-12:20

Office hours:              TR 9:30-11:00 at 431 Catt Hall

What is the point?

The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions, which have grown up in his mind without the co-operation or consent of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to become definite, finite, obvious; common objects arouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected. As soon as we begin to philosophize, on the contrary, we find, ... that even the most everyday things lead to problems to which only incomplete answers can be given. Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts that it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities, which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom. Thus, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be; it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never traveled into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder by showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect.
                                 Bertrand Russell,   "The Value of Philosophy" in Perry and Bratman

The previous statement also applies to women. 
                                           Carla Fehr

Course Objectives:
This course this course considers different ways that we create and recognize different sorts of knowledge both about the world and about other people.  Our tools are analytic arguments that we employ while reading, writing, and talking. Developing these tools is as much a part of this course as employing them in our philosophy discussions.

Philosophy readings:
Philosophy readings are difficult. If they were easy, they wouldn't be any fun. Don't be discouraged if you need to read the material several times before you arrive at a critical understanding of it. We all have to do that. Before you come to class you should have at least begun to wrestle with some of the following questions: what is the argument that the philosopher is trying to make? is the argument valid? are the premises true? what are the implications of this argument? why is this argument important or interesting? and why would someone be motivated to make such an argument?

Class participation:
This class will be more effective if you read, as well as think about, the text that we will be discussing that day before you come to class. You should drink coffee before arriving in class. I will expect you to raise questions concerning points that either intrigue or confuse you. Some people define philosophy as a discussion among friends, and it is my job to keep it that way.  We will regularly engage in critical and possibly heated discussion.  It is imperative that you treat your classmates with empathy and respect. Sexist, racist or homophobic comments will not be tolerated.  Good class participation means volunteering your own views, but more importantly it means listening to and responding to the views of your classmates.

Important Dates

Date

Activity

Percent of final grade

Feb 12

Midterm 1

15

Feb 26

Paper 1 Due

15

March 25

Midterm 2

20

April 15

Paper 2 Due

20

Final exam period

Midterm 3

30

 

 

100

Contacting the Professor
Contact me by EMAIL  at cfehr@iastate.edu.

The subject line of your message must be exactly “Phil201”.  If the subject line does not contain the phrase in the quotation marks in the previous sentence, I will NOT read your message.  I will answer your message within one business day.

Exams
There will be three cumulative exams.  For every exam you are responsible for everything that we have covered in class up until that point. There will be questions about the syllabus on the exams.

Papers
You will write two, three page papers for this class.  The papers will be double spaced and in 12 point black font.  If the pages are not stapled together, I will not accept your assignment.

Print out the grading rubric from the class web page and use it for the cover page of your paper.

You need to make a philosophical argument. Your paper MUST have the following four sections:

1)      Clearly state the conclusion of your argument.

2)      Identify and explain your premises (the reasons why you think the conclusion is true).

3)      Show how the premises support the conclusion.  What kind of argument is it and how do the premises work together to support the conclusion?

4)      Give evidence for the truth of the premises. 

When you sit down to write this paper, if there is a tradeoff between being fancy and being clear, pick clear. 

Paper one:
You are at a club and you order your favorite mixed drink. You are sober.  The server brings your order and puts a swizzle stick on the napkin beside your drink.  When you look at the swizzle stick as it sits on the napkin it looks straight.  When you put the swizzle stick in your drink, something very odd happens, it looks bent.  How do you know if the stick is straight or bent?

Paper two:
Do you have freewill? Refer to at least one of the philosophical arguments that we will discuss in class.

Attendance
Many freshmen don’t realize that missing classes seriously affects the quality of their education.  Presumably no one is forcing you to take this class.  If you don’t want to attend class, don’t sign up in the first place.  If you miss a class you are responsible for getting the missed notes and assignments from a classmate before the next class.  I don’t take attendance. I will not repeat a missed lecture during office hours.  You can bring questions about missed classes to my office hours only after you have read the assignment and have studied notes from 2 of your classmates.

Textbook
Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy, 6th edition, Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, Harcourt College publishers.

Students with disabilities
Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office (515-294-6624).  DR is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076. 

Academic honesty
Plagiarism is theft. I expect you to turn in a bibliography of every single thing that you read for every paper: every book, every article, every web page, everything.  Any ideas or quotations that are not directly from your head need to be cited.  I check.  If I catch you plagiarizing even one sentence or one idea in your papers, I will forward the case to the dean of students and recommend the harshest possible penalty.  If you are found guilty you will fail the class.

Don’t cheat on tests.  Cheating includes, but is not limited to, procuring copies of old exams, taking copies of the exam booklet out of the classroom, looking at other students’ bubble sheets.  If I catch you cheating on a test I will forward the case to the dean of students and recommend the harshest possible penalty.  If you are found guilty you will fail the class.

If you have any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please consult the Academic Regulations section of the Iowa State University Catalogue found here: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007-2009/geninfo/dishonesty.html, or consult the professor.

 

Schedule of Readings

Note: This schedule is very tentative. It is designed to give you an idea of the time line of readings and due dates for assignments. The schedule will change if, as a class, we get more interested and involved in a particular topic than I anticipated. If there are changes in the volume of reading that we will cover those changes will only result in a decrease of your workload. 

 

Week

Topic

6th edition pages

Events

Jan 15

Introduction, Logic

 (no reading)

 

22

Aristotle

 (no reading)

 

29

Descartes

Reading online

 

Feb 5

Carroll
Locke

211
214

 

12

Locke cont.

 

Midterm 1 

19

Berkeley

217

 

26

Popper

91

Paper 1

March 4

Quine; Kuhn

 (no reading); 84

11

Fox Keller

98

  

18

SPRING BREAK

25

Aristotle

591

Midterm 2

April 1

Holbach; Skinner

593; 606

 

8

Kane

611

 

15

Young

616

Paper 2

22

Thomas

437

29

Appiah

445

 

May 6

 

 

Midterm 3 – in final exam period