LECTURE NOTES

Occasional changes may be made in the readings and other assignments over the course of the term. Such updates will be announced in class, but be sure to check the on-line version regularly. Some readings will be linked from the web syllabus.

Texts:

Morgan: Classics of Moral and Political Philosophy

Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy

Objectives: All thoughtful persons, at some point in life, consider the problems that have been the subject of philosophical investigation for thousands of years. Some of these questions are fairly abstract, and rarely pose practical difficulties for us as we live our lives. Other of these problems are inescapable, and face us, whether we realize it or not, in every aspect of our lives. This course will introduce a few of the central problems of philosophy. We will read and discuss some of the most interesting works of some of the most brilliant people who have ever used reason and philosophical analysis to try to find answers to these questions.

Our purpose is (at least) twofold. First, in examining the history of these intensely interesting philosophical questions, we learn the roots of some of our own cultural traditions. These roots are enormously rich, and learning about them as issues in intellectual history is surely a valuable and enjoyable endeavor in its own right. But second, and perhaps most importantly, the problems of philosophy involve questions in which we are all (or should all be) deeply interested at the most basic level. They are important to us as we make decisions about what to believe, and how to be critical of our own naively held beliefs. Philosophical investigation may help us to determine what kinds of choices we should make, and what kind of person to be. They are important to us as we try to understand what we are and to determine our place in the scheme of things. And they are important to us as we try to choose right actions in a complicated and difficult world, and to find meaning in our lives. These are not trivial projects.

If this class goes well, it should sometimes be frustrating: we will raise many more questions than we can possibly answer, more than we can even completely discuss in a short class. My aim, after all, is to introduce the problems of philosophy, and to spark interest that may lead to further study. But many students are left, after an introductory class, with the impression that philosophical questions are answerless, and that serious philosophical investigation is therefore fruitless. In fact, there is considerable progress in philosophy, and in at least some cases there really are rationally discoverable answers to the questions we will raise, and reasonable conclusions to be drawn from the arguments we will consider. This is not because philosophy is a mass of questions without answers, but because our time is short and this class is only an introduction. Sometimes there are quite satisfactory answers to philosophical questions, though most such answers bring new questions along with them. Ideally, frustration experienced in this class should spur your interest in the frustrating questions considered, and cause you to take more classes in this department. For those of you who do not go on to study philosophy further, this class should give you some acquaintance with a few central problems, and how to think about them in an organized and rational way. The philosophical virtues of disciplined thought, clarity of language, and careful consideration of available evidence should be valuable in any context.

ASSESSMENT:

Daily Quiz/Analysis Exercise: 10%

Writing Assignment: 10% [Sept 6]

First Exam: 30% [Oct 2]

Quiz on Epistemology: 15%, [Oct 23]

Final Exam: 35%

Quantitative:
(1) Writing Assignment:There will be a short writing assignment, distributed on August 30 and due one week later. It will be worth 10% of the quantitative portion of your final grade. Late papers will be marked down one full grade for each day they are late.[ex: B+ = C+]
(2) Tests: In addition to a cumulative final exam, there will be two in-class writing assignments: a first "exam" worth 30% to be taken on October 2, and a shorter quiz/exam on , given on October 23 (15%). The final exam will cover material discussed over the course of the whole term, though it will focus on material from the last part of the course. It will 35%. The final will be cumulative: it will cover material from the beginning of the course to the end. However, it will focus more heavily on material covered since the Midterm. Tests will include short answer questions, simple definition questions, and essay questions. Some of the test questions will be distributed in advance, and you are encouraged to discuss them with your classmates or with me during my office hours. The tests will not be easy, and will surely require extensive study, but there will be few surprises. Some of the material on which you will be tested will (of course) be in lecture and discussion sections only, and not in your reading. :
(3) Daily Quiz: Each class meeting will begin with a brief assignment to be handed in on a 3X5 index card. The assignment will either require you to analyze an argument, to answer a question from the reading, or some similar task. This daily assignment will count for 5% of your final grade.

Optional Paper: Any student who either (i) excusably misses an exam, or (ii) would like to do additional work may write a term paper in consultation with me. If you elect to write a paper, you need to discuss it with me and turn in an outline of your topic on or before the week of October 23-25. You will need to work through at least two drafts with me, and first drafts must be submitted by November 6. Papers will be worked in as 25% of your total grade, with tests (weighted proportionally as stipulated above) accounting for the remaining 75%.

Non-Quantitative Assessment:
(1) Attendance: Attendance at lecture and discussion is mandatory. Two absences from lecture over the course of the term are permissible, but since material from each class meeting will appear on the exam, even two absences is not advisable. Barring exceptional circumstances, if you miss more classes than this, your absence from class will be reflected in your grade. If you know that you will need to miss class, you need to let us know in advance. If you miss an excessive number of classes or discussion periods, you will be dropped from the course and will receive either a W or a WF as your course grade.
(2) Homework: I reserve the right occasionally to hand out or write out questions on the upcoming reading assignment. When I do so, you are required to prepare written answers for the following session. Answers will be occasionally and randomly collected to check your work. Homework will not be given a letter grade, but only a check (minus or plus) or a zero. Such assignments will not be long or detailed, and will be counted as part of your Daily Quiz grade.

Weekly Schedule with Reading Assignments: Occasional changes may be made in the readings and other assignments over the course of the term. Such updates will be announced in class, but be sure to check the on-line version of the syllabus regularly. Online reading assignments will be accessible from the web-version of the syllabus.

Week 1: On Analyzing Arguments and On Reading Philosophy

Tues Aug 21: Reading: Notes on Logic and Critical Thinking

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jwcwolf/ReadingsIntrF07/LogicCritThinking.doc

Thurs Aug 23: Reading Philosophy: Logic, Critical Thinking, Arguments

Note: We will refer to terms and information given these notes many times over the course of the term. You would do well to read it more than once!

Week 2: Plato and the Immoralist’s Challenge

Tues Aug 28: Plato, Republic. Book I. pp. 75-93.

Note: Most of this chapter is an extended discussion between two characters: Thrasymachus and Socrates. Try to express Thrasymachus’s view in your own words: according to Thrasymachus, what does it mean to behave justly toward other people? What reason do we have to behave justly? Does Socrates offer convincing arguments against Thrasymachus’s position?

Thurs Aug 30: Plato, Republic. Book II. Pp. 93-109.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT DISTRIBUTED: AUG 30

Note: In this chapter, pay special attention to the story of the Ring of Gyges—why does Glaucon take this story to be a re-statement of Thrasymachus’s argument? What are the main elements of Socrates’s initial response?

Week 3: Plato’s Theory of Ideas

Tues Sept 4 through Thurs Sept 6: Plato, Republic. Please read from Book VI, pp. 182 (second column) through the end of Book VII on p. 202.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT DISTRIBUTED: SEPT 6

Note: These chapters contain the core of Plato’s theory of ideas. Pay special attention to the discussion of the divided line on p. 185 (see if you can figure out on your own what Plato has in mind!). The Myth of the Cave, at the beginning of Book VII is the most famous part of the Republic. Can you relate the Myth of the Cave to the earlier account of the divided line at the end of Book VI? Through the end of Book VII, Plato offers a theory of education. What is the relationship between his theory of ideas (what there is to be known) and his theory of education (how to teach people what there is to be known)?

Week 4: Aristotle on The Good, and his Attack on Plato's Theory of Ideas

Tues Sept 11: Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Book I (pp. 255-265) [10 pages]

Note: Consider how different Aristotle’s writing style is from Plato’s: While Plato writes dialogues, Aristotle writes in prose. In the early sections of Book I, Aristotle argues that ‘good things’ must be arranged in a hierarchy according to their significance. What reasons does he give for this claim? He further argues (like Plato) that most people are confused about what is good, and that this leads them to make foolish decisions. In Section 6 of Book I, Aristotle argues against Plato’s theory of ideas. What are his objections, and what it his alternative? What are the defining characteristics of The Good, according to Aristotle? What is the significance of Aristotle’s discussion of the different parts of the human soul, in Section 13? How is this related to his conception of the Good? How is it related to his concept of ‘virtue?’

Thurs Sept 13: Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Book II (pp. 265-273)

WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: SEPT 13, BEGINNING OF CLASS. (Follow this link.)

You might find it helpful to look at an Example of a Similar Assignment here.

Note: In NE Book II, Aristotle offers a theory of ‘virtue.’ If his account works, why might one think that he has given a response to Thrasymachus and Glaucon’s challenges in the first books of Plato’s republic? What are the ‘virtues of character?’ What is the structure of an Aristotelian virtue? What is the relationship between ‘virtue’ and ‘Good’ and ‘happiness,’ on Aristotle’s view? What does it mean to say that a ‘virtue’ is a ‘mean’ or middle place? Does Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean amount to the advice that we should be “moderate” in all things? What is the relationship between the ‘mean’ and the two extremes?

Week 5: Aristotle's Theory of Virtue and Human Flourishing

Tues Sept 18: Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Book III (273-284)

Note: Why does Aristotle take so much time discussing voluntariness of action? According to Aristotle, when are actions ‘voluntary’ in the right sense? Why does ignorance undermine voluntariness? Why does Aristotle need to argue that we can sometimes voluntarily do wrong? Can you explain the structure of the virtue of courage?

Thurs Sept 20: Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics Book X (pp. 349-360)

Note: Aristotle begins Book X with a discussion of pleasure and it’s relevance to happiness. But pay special attention to Sections 6, 7 and 8 of Book X: Many people regard them as the most important sections of the book. According to Aristotle, is happiness the same as pleasure? If pleasure is not to be equated with happiness, what is the relevance of pleasure anyway? According to Aristotle, what is complete happiness, and what activities will be involved in a happy life?

Week 6: Epicurean and Stoic Conceptions of Happiness

Tues Sept 25 and Thurs Sept 27:

Epicurus, “Letter,” and “Principal Doctrines,” pp. 419-424.

Epictetus, Encheiridion, pp. 427-439.

Notes: According to Epicurus, what kind of life is best? In his letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus distinguishes among different kinds of desires (see p. 420, first column). Why does he think it relevant to make these distinctions, and what is their significance? Why, according to Epicurus, is it unnecessary for us to fear death?

Epictetus was a Roman slave. Does knowing this influence your understanding of the first two sections of the reading? According to Epictetus, you can make yourself fully self-sufficient, happy, and invulnerable to hardship if you take the right attitude toward life. According to Epictetus, what is the right attitude toward life?

Week 7: First Exam (T), Descartes on Knowledge and Skepticism (Th)

Tues Oct 2: FIRST IN-CLASS EXAM.

Note: The exam will cover everything we have read and studied up to this point. It will include definitions, arguments for analysis, and short-answer questions about Aristotle, Plato, Epicurus, and Epictetus.

Thurs Oct 4: Descartes, Meditations. Synopsis, Meditations I and II.

Note: Descartes’s project is to find out what he knows for sure. Why does he begin by discussing the different things he can doubt? Is he right to think that we can’t be certain about things that we can doubt? What is the relevance of the “evil genius” Descartes introduces near the end of Meditation I? What is the significance of the discussion of the piece of wax in Meditation II?

Week 8: Knowledge, Scepticism, and Arguments Concerning the Existence of God

Tues Oct 9: Descartes, Meditation III and IV.

Note: In Meditation III, Descartes offers what he believes to be a proof that god exists. Why does he believe that the idea of god could not have originated in him? How many arguments concerning the existence of god does Descartes offer in this section? How does Descartes move, in Meditation IV, from his beliefs about God to subsequent beliefs about the reliability of his own perceptions? Why does his argument seem to lead him to conclude that he must be infallible, and how does he reconcile his own fallibility with his earlier arguments?

Thurs Oct 11: Descartes, Meditation V.

Note: In this Meditation, Descartes offers a version of the “ontological” argument for the existence of God. You might compare Descartes’s version of this argument with the version you encountered in the first reading for this class, in the “Notes on Logic and Critical Thinking, Part IV.

Week 9: William James on Rationality and Belief

Tues Oct 16: M12 William James, "The Will to Believe" (Available on the web)

Note: Like Descartes, James is concerned to explain when it is rational to believe something, but unlike Descartes James does not believe that certainty is necessary for knowledge. Under what circumstances, according to James, is it rationally permissible to believe something when there is no evidence that it is true?

Thurs Oct 18: W14 James, Continued—no new reading assignment.

Week 10: Hobbes' Empiricist Theory of Human Nature

Tues Oct 23: Quiz on Epistemology

Thurs Oct 25: Hobbes, Leviathan. Ch. 1 (553-554), Ch. 5-6 (563-570), Ch. 10 (577-582)

Week 11: Hobbes' State of Nature

Tues Oct 30: Hobbes, Ch. 13-15 (591-604)

Thurs Nov 1: Hobbes continued. (No new reading)

Week 12: Locke on the Origins of Civil Society

Tues Nov 6: Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Ch 1-5, Ch. 7

Thurs Nov 8: Locke, Ch 8-11

Week 13: Locke and Rousseau on Equality and Human Nature

Tues Nov 13: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Preface, "Question," and Part I

Thurs Nov 15: Discussion: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau on human nature. (No new reading assignment)

FALL BREAK: NOV 17-24

Week 14: Rousseau on Inequality

Tues Nov 27: 16 Rousseau, Discourse Part II

Thurs Nov 29: 18 Rousseau continued.

Week 15: Marx on Exploitation and Alienation

Tues Dec 4: Marx: Alienated (Estranged) Labor

Thurs Dec 6: Jefferson, "Declaration of Independence"

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be held on December 11 at 12:00 in the regular class meeting room, Carver 202. It will be comprehensive, but will focus on material covered since the midterm.