PHILOSOPHY 1030-Introduction to Philosophy
(aka "CoPhilosophy," in Oliver's sections. We take a peripatetic* approach when we can, wear comfortable shoes.)
Spring 2020 sections
#5 TTh 9:40-11:05 (but we'll plan to finish by 11) BAS-S301
#6 TTh 1:00-2:25 CKNB-105
#11 TTh 4:20-5:45 PH 305
#6 TTh 1:00-2:25 CKNB-105
#11 TTh 4:20-5:45 PH 305
OFFICE HOURS (Spring '20: TTh 11:15-12:45 and by appointment, James Union Building (JUB) 300. FYI: I reply to email mainly during office hours. Best way to insure a prompt reply to any query: call or come in during office hours or designated appointment time.
The purpose of our course is to introduce some of the leading topics and figures of (mostly western) philosophy, with both a thematic and historical approach, and to help students discover and articulate their own philosophical ideas in a constructive and cooperative spirit. Our emphasis is on collaboration: we'll be conversing, listening, and “putting our heads together” in discussion both in the classroom and, in the peripatetic* fashion, around campus (when weather permits). See more on this at the course blogsite “CoPhilosophy": www.cophilosophy.blogspot.com.
Achieving our purpose will entail asking lots of questions and conversing about them, argumentatively but not disagreeably... supporting claims with reasons, listening thoughtfully and respectfully to one another, expressing our views amicably and hearing others’ views receptively. It is possible-- in a functional democracy it really is essential-- to share and contest differing views respectfully and in good faith. As a political culture we've not been doing such a good job of that lately. But why, after all, would you have come to college and enrolled in a philosophy course if you weren't prepared to entertain unfamiliar points of view? It's crucial, to that end, to really listen to one another - whether or not we think we'll like what we hear.
Among the central, perennial preoccupations of philosophy in its pursuit of wisdom is the crucial importance of honesty and truthfulness about what's real. In our historical moment, with so much casual talk of "alternative facts" and so much documented daily dishonesty in the executive branch of our federal government, truth and reality seem under seige. Hence, the focus in our course (anchored by Fantasyland) on how we got here.
TEXTS
REQUIRED for Spring 2019:
- American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag (AP)
- A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton (LH)
- Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen (FL)
(I've been notified by the Phillips Bookstore that The Joys of Walking is out of print, but is still available in a kindle edition.)
I also recommend books/resources listed below. You may wish to use one or more of them, or some other text you find (and I approve), as the basis of your midterm group or final solo report.
RECOMMENDED-
- The Stone philosophy blog (NYT)*
- Philosophy Bites iPhone app
- Philosophy Bites Back (PB)
- Philosophy: The Basics (P)
- Philosophy: The Classics by Nigel Warburton (book & podcast)
- Pragmatism: A New Name for an Old Way of Thinking by William James
- America the Philosophical by Carlin Romano
- American Philosophy: A Love Story(Kaag)
- At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others by Sarah Bakewell
- How to Live: Montaigne... (Bakewell)
- The Dream of Reason (Gottlieb)
- The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy (Gottlieb)
- Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter (Peter Singer)
- Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments: A Stone Reader
- The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically (Singer)
- Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit
- A Philosophy of Walking by Frederic Gros
- The Joys of Walking ed. Edwin Mitchell
- A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy by Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins, and its longer version A Short History of Philosophy
- The God Dialogues: APhilosophical Journey by Torin Alter & Robert J. Howell
- The Greeks: An Illustrated History by Diane Harris Cline
- Hiking With Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are by John Kaag (Sep'18)
- The Meaning of Human Existence by EO Wilson
- Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away by Rebecca Goldstein
- Popular Culture & PhilosophySeries (and see below)
- The Stone Reader (compilation from the NYT philosophy blog)
- Very Short Introductions (OUP)
- Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt
- When Einstein Walked with Gödel: Excursions to the Edge of Thought by Jim Holt
- The History of Western Philosophyby Bertrand Russell
- Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truthby some guys with difficult Greek names
Also see "More books" in our blogsite sidebar... and look for more in the Philosophy stacks on the 2d floor of our library.
*Pop culture and philosophy
- Religion in 19th century America, from Cane Ridge to Joseph Smith (see FL 9-10) -
- Pseudoscience and magical thinking (see FL 11) -
- Socrates and Plato -
- Aristotle -
- Skepticism -
- Epicureans and Stoics -
- Machiavelli and Hobbes -
- Montaigne, Descartes, & Pascal -
- Eastern vs. western philosophy, "The Monk and the Philosopher"
- Pre-Socratic philosophy-The Milesians (Thales et al)
- Pre-Socratic philosophy-Democritus and the atomists, Protagoras and the sophists... Democritus, Diogenes, and the Sophists
- Stone essays - select & discuss three or more of these short essays, explain how & why you see them as mutually related and interesting
- This I Believe, TIB II essays - select & discuss three or more of these short essays, explain how & why you see them as mutually related and interesting, and how they relate to your own personal philosophy
- Peripatetic philosophy - select and discuss three chapters in Rebecca Solnit's Wanderlust OR Frederic Gros's Philosophy of Walking... and do so peripatetically, conditions permitting
- Pop philosophy - select and discuss three chapters in the "Pop culture and philosophy" volume of your choice...
- Your (approved) suggestion...
- indigenous philosophies, Native Pragmatism
- Eastern vs. western philosophy, "The Monk and the Philosopher"
- Pre-Socratic philosophy-The Milesians (Thales et al)
- Pre-Socratic philosophy-Democritus and the atomists, Protagoras and the sophists... Democritus, Diogenes, and the Sophists
- Stone essays - select & discuss three or more of these short essays, explain how & why you see them as mutually related and interesting
- This I Believe, TIB II essays - select & discuss three or more of these short essays, explain how & why you see them as mutually related and interesting, and how they relate to your own personal philosophy
- Peripatetic philosophy - select and discuss three chapters in Rebecca Solnit's Wanderlust OR Frederic Gros's Philosophy of Walking... and do so peripatetically, conditions permitting
- Pop philosophy - select and discuss three chapters in the "Pop culture and philosophy" volume of your choice...
- indigenous philosophies, Native Pragmatism
- Spinoza, Einstein, and pantheism -
- Your (approved) suggestion...
- You may select a topic related to your midterm report, OR suggest something else (including any approved post-Descartes philosopher), OR do a StoryCorps interview/essay,OR transcribe an imaginary dialogue between yourself and one or two philosophers...
Spring 2020
T 21 - Introduce yourself in class and online (before next class) by replying to "Introductions" on our blogsite at http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/ & read classmates' introductions. Answer two questions (bearing in mind that this is an open site): Who are you? and Why are you here? (in school, in a philosophy class, in middle Tennessee... whatever you'd like to share.)
Th 23 - What's your definition of "philosophy"? Do you have a favorite philosopher? Can you summarize your current, personal philosophy of life? And: if you read Educated, post a comment on it. William James, Pragmatism lecture 1; WATCH: What's Philosophy for? School of Life (SoL); FL 1-2
Recommended: LISTEN: What is Philosophy? and Who's Your Favourite Philosopher? (PB Philosophy Bites). Also recommended, if you need help articulating your personal philosophy: Look on the This I Believe website for essays you like, and post links to them; and this; TIB II
T 28 - Cosmic philosophy. William James said ""The really vital question for us all is, What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?" What do you think? Will humans go back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond? Should we? Is there a long-term future for human life on this planet? Will we ever learn to think of ourselves as one species, with a common fate? Or will humans forever antagonize themselves? Pale Blue Dot, &WATCH: Pale Blue Dot (Sagan) LISTEN: Why explorling space still matters (Tyson)
Also recommended: Read these old posts, & this one.
FEB
[Feb 3: Honors Lecture, 3 pm: Philosophical reflections on climate change]
T 4 - FL 5-6;
Th 6 - FL 7-8; identify midterm report topics (see list above*)
T 11 - FL 9-10. Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)__________
Th 13 - FL 11-12; Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)__________
Bring treats to celebrate Valentine's Day (and somebody's birthday), and earn a bonus base!
T 18 - Socrates and Plato, LH1; FL 13-14; Midterm collaborative report(s): Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle...
Th 20 - Aristotle, LH 2; FL 15-16. Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)__________...
Also recommended: WATCH: Aristotle on Flourishing: How to Live a Good Life? LISTEN: Aristotle & flourishing; How Do I Live a Good Life? (HIp); Terence Irwin on Aristotle's Ethics (PB).
T 25 - Skepticism, LH 3; FL 17-18; Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)_______...; Exam
Th 27 - NO CLASS, I'm at a conference in Chicago... but read and post comments (etc.):
Epicureans and Stoics, LH 4-5; FL 19-20
Also recommended: WATCH Epicurus (SoL); Epicurus on Happiness; The Stoics (SoL); LISTEN Epicureanism (IOT); Epicurus the greatest philosopher? (IOT); Seneca & facing death (HI)
MAR
T 3 - Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Aquinas LH 6-8; FL 21; Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)_______...
Also recommended: WATCH Augustine (SoL); LISTEN Neuroscience & free will (HI); Boethius (LH); Consolation of Philosophy tba; LISTEN Religious freedom as constraint (HI); WATCH: Boethius & Philosophy; WATCH Aquinas & 1st Cause (HI) LISTEN Anthony Kenny on Aquinas' Ethics (PB)
Th 5 - Exam; Machiavelli, Hobbes, LH 9-10; FL 22; Midterm collaborative report(s): (tba)_______...
Also recommended: WATCH Hobbes on freedom & security (HI) LISTEN Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince, Quentin Skinner on Hobbes on the State (PB); Hobbes & civil disobedience (HI)
SPRING BREAK
T 17 - Montaigne, Descartes, & Pascal, LH 11-12; FL 23-24
Also recommended: (How to Live, ch1); LISTEN Sarah Bakewell on Michel de Montaigne (PB); A.C. Grayling on Descartes' Cogito (PB); WATCH Montaigne (SoL); Descartes (HI)
Th 19 - Spinoza, Locke, & Reid, LH 13-14; FL 25-26
Also recommended: LISTEN Susan James on Spinoza on the Passions (PB)
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UPDATE: Major alterations necessitated by the extended break/coronavirus...
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APR
Th 2- Berkeley, Leibniz, Hume, & Rousseau, LH 15-18; FL 27-28
Also recommended: John Campbell on Berkeley's Puzzle (PB); Locke on personal identity (HI); WATCH The Is/Ought Problem. LISTEN Peter Millican on Hume's Significance, Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Civilization (PB); Hume & the philosophy of good taste (HI); Hume (IOT); Hume the greatest philosopher? (IOT)
T 7 - Kant, Bentham, Hegel, Schopenhauer LH 19-23; FL 29-30
Also rec: WATCH Kant's Axe (HI); LISTEN Adrian Moore on Kant's Metaphysics (PB); LISTEN Robert Stern on Hegel on Dialectic (PB)
Th 9 - FL 31-32; AP Prologue
Th 2 -
T 14 - Mill, Darwin, Kierkegaard, Marx LH 24-27; FL 33-34; AP -38
Also rec: WATCH Mill's harm principle, Paley & the divine watchmaker (HI); LISTEN Richard Reeves on Mill's On Liberty (PB); WATCH Marx (SoL); Marx on alienation (HI); Humans, Apes, & Linnaeus; Evolution & Beauty (HI)
Th 16 - Peirce & James, Nietzsche, Freud LH 28-30; FL 35-36; AP -77
Also rec: LISTEN Angie Hobbs on beauty & goodness (HI); WATCH Nietzsche (SoL); LISTEN: Aaron Ridley on Nietzsche on Art and Truth (PB); Jung & the mind (HI)
T 21 - Russell, Ayer, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus LH 31-33; FL 37-39; AP -119
Th 23 - Wittgenstein, Arendt, Popper & Kuhn, Foot & Thomson LH 34-37; FL 40-41; AP -149
T 28 - Last class. Exam tba. Rawls, Turing & Searle, Singer LH 38-40; FL 42-46; AP -235
MAY
T 5 - Final report blog post final draft due (post earlier if you'd like constructive/collaborative feedback)
Grades
FAQ-How do you grade?
"Well, I add up the grades for the essays, quizzes, the midterm and final. I average them out. Then I consult my stomach."Granny Rice
"When the last great scorer comes to mark against your name, it matters not if you won or lost, but how you played the game." Grantland Rice (Murfreesboro's most famous son)
*Peripatetics
The original peripatetics were Aristotle's students at the Lyceum, back in the day. Legend has it that they didn't sit indoors in orderly rows like students nowadays, but instead roamed the grounds in small groups, walking-and-talking philosophy. I like their style, apocryphal or not. It’s a model we’ll emulate when the weather is nice enough, outdoors.
Would you be interested in joining a peripatetic Study Abroad summer course that involves walking and talking in England? Let me know...
The original peripatetics were Aristotle's students at the Lyceum, back in the day. Legend has it that they didn't sit indoors in orderly rows like students nowadays, but instead roamed the grounds in small groups, walking-and-talking philosophy. I like their style, apocryphal or not. It’s a model we’ll emulate when the weather is nice enough, outdoors.
Would you be interested in joining a peripatetic Study Abroad summer course that involves walking and talking in England? Let me know...
"Solvitur ambulando" (says The Thinker's best friend)
LINKS. An example of a posted link that would get you home to score: “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is helpfully explained in a cartoon I found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EPz5z1pUag”... OR, “I found a helpful article about Aristotle in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://www.iep.utm.edu/aristotl/” etc.
ALSO RECOMMENDED:
School of Life (SoL) videos
History of Ideas video animations
History of Ideas podcasts
In Our Time podcasts
JPO's blogs & podcasts (we're not using D2L): JPO blogs at CoPhilosophy, Up@dawn and Delight Springs, podcasts here and on Soundcloud (More day to dawn, at iTunes), and tweets @osopher. "You don't need to follow me..."
but if a blog or podcast link is included with the daily quiz you'll probably want to read or listen.
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You are encouraged to take advantage of this free service.
School of Life (SoL) videos
History of Ideas video animations
History of Ideas podcasts
In Our Time podcasts
JPO's blogs & podcasts (we're not using D2L): JPO blogs at CoPhilosophy, Up@dawn and Delight Springs, podcasts here and on Soundcloud (More day to dawn, at iTunes), and tweets @osopher. "You don't need to follow me..."
but if a blog or podcast link is included with the daily quiz you'll probably want to read or listen.
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from: Academic Affairs <Academic.Affairs@mtsu.edu>
to: Faculty
Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, FA, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.
If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.
For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form (http://www.mtsu.edu/financial-aid/forms/LOTFEV.pdf) or contact your MT One Stop Enrollment Coordinator (http://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/counselor.php).
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