Philosophy 100 – Introduction to Philosophy

Karl Hillstrom

Spring Quarter 2004

Office: B100F

7:50 – 10:00 p.m. daily

Office Hours: 4:30 – 5:15, Tues./Thur.

Item # 1776, C254

Campus Voicemail: 425-564-4129

 

e-mail: khillstr@bcc.ctc.edu

 

Mailbox: R230

 

 

Philosophy 100  Introduction to Philosophy    Investigates the problems and history of philosophy through a careful study of some original writings of the great philosophers on issues of lasting importance.

 

THIS SYLLABUS IS A GUIDE.  IT REPRESENTS HOW THINGS SHOULD GO, BUT IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A GUARANTEE.  ALL ITEMS SET DOWN HERE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR WHEN SUCH CHANGES ARE DEEMED NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE.

 

The Americans with Disability Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of disability.

 

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of Disability Support Services to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  In addition, students are encouraged to review their accommodation requirements with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.

 

WHAT THE COURSE WILL BE LIKE

            The catalog course description allows the instructor the flexibility to do almost anything.  I want us to explore what it means to be a human being.  We will explore this with a specific focus: the self as individual vs. the self as part of a larger whole -- one's political society, one's economic class, one's species, spiritually and biologically.

            We will read primary literature -- the works of past famous philosophers themselves.  This is usually pretty difficult.  But the ideas we will explore are supposed to be basic.  I will give you clues to what to look for when you read.  This, combined with the practice you will get over the quarter, will make the reading easier.

            In class, I will usually lecture at first, and then when we get to the main idea of the day, I will encourage discussion of it.  First, we want to be sure we understand what the author is saying.  Then we will discuss whether we agree with the author’s ideas.

            Philosophy is about arguments -- giving reasons in logical support of one’s positions.  We will explore the positions and arguments of past philosophers and debate them to (hopefully) help us come up with well-grounded opinions of our own.

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

            There are four things that impact your grade: essays, exams, informal writing, and participation in discussion.

            You must submit two essays receiving passing grades to pass the course.  Essay questions will be provided later, as the course progresses.  Essays should be 1000-1500 words in length.  These will be described in more detail with the first essay handout.

            There will be two exams.  The second will occur during our scheduled final exam period.  The final is NOT cumulative.  You may NOT arrange to take the final early -- NO exceptions.  Exams consist of brief essays summarizing the main points of the texts covered in class.  You must pass one exam to pass the class.  Both exams are averaged to determine that portion of your grade.

            Informal writings are your reactions to the assigned readings.  You may “think out loud” about parts you don’t understand, or react to the questions on the reading list or write anything else that shows that you did (at least part of) the reading and thought about what you read - your reaction, NOT a summary.  You may do this as often as once a week, but quality means more than quantity.  200-600 words is a guideline, but not a requirement.  Your best four will count toward this portion of your grade.  You may do more to increase your chance at the participation bonus described next.

            Participating in class discussions, along with the informal writing, demonstrates your involvement in creating a good learning environment in the class.  After the essays and exams determine your “base” grade, you may receive up to a 2/3 letter grade bonus based on these other factors.  This is usually how students get A’s in my classes.

            If the average of your exams is higher than that of your essays, then I average the exam and essay grades to establish your base grade.

            If the average of your essays is higher than the average of your exams, then I use the essay average only, unless the exam average is more than a letter grade lower, in which case your base grade is one letter grade above the exam average.

 

ATTENDANCE

      You must attend at least 50% of class sessions to pass the course.  The following minimums also are necessary to qualify for higher grade levels:  60% for a C, 70% for a B, 80% for an A.  (Note that division policy supports my requiring 80% attendance just to pass!)

Leaving or arriving at the break counts as one-half of an absence.  Many actions are more disruptive than some students realize: arriving late, leaving early, packing up to leave early, obviously not paying attention, ringing cell phones or beepers, etc.  The following policy applies to all those actions (and others, as necessary): (first week, no penalty, then one more for free, then …) first offense, marked absent; second offense, counts as two absences; third offense, three absences; and so on.

 

ACADEMIC HONESTY

            If you submit an essay that is all or mostly plagiarized, you will fail the course.  Also, I won’t tell you that I’ve discovered your attempt, so you will be unable to drop the class prior to grades being assigned.  Also, I will pursue any other disciplinary measures available on campus.

            Submitting work that paraphrases others' work is still plagiarism.  The basic substance of each essay must be your own to avoid plagiarizing.  I've now failed students in each of the last several quarters for this.  I can catch you!  I will fail you!  DON'T DO IT!  If you can't complete the essay assignments, save your GPA and your mental health and just drop the class.

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

Dawkins, Richard.  The Selfish Gene (Oxford)

Locke, John.  Second Treatise of Government  (Hackett)

Mill, John Stuart.  On Liberty  (Hackett)

Quinn, Daniel.  Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit  (Bantam)

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques.  The Basic Political Writings (Hackett)

Singer, Peter.  Hegel: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford)

 

Reading list

You are to read the assigned pages before coming to class.  This schedule is "ambitious."  But I've left plenty of time for Dawkins at the end.  We may push things back one class from this list as the quarter goes along.  Don't assume this schedule is totally fixed.

 

4/1       In Mill’s On Liberty, chapter 1, pp. 1-14.  Which is the central paragraph of this chapter?  What’s the main message?  What do you think of his position?

In Mill’s On Liberty, chapter 2, pp. 15-52 (especially 15-18, 21, 27, btm 33-38, btm 41-42)  Most of us support the idea of freedom of speech.  But why is it worth supporting?  Do your own reasons agree with Mill?

 

4/6       In Mill’s On Liberty, chapter 3, pp. 53-71 (especially 53-56, 61, 63).  So you want to live the way you want?  Why should you be allowed to?  Do your own reasons agree with Mill?

In Mill’s On Liberty, chapter 4, pp. 73-91 (especially 73-75, btm 77-80).  What exactly defines “harm to others” in Mill’s opinion?  Do you agree?

 

4/8       In Mill’s On Liberty, chapter 5, pp. 93-113 (especially 93-99, 103-05).    Can you think of contemporary examples that mirror some of Mill’s in this chapter?

Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, chapters 1-4,  (especially sections 4, 6-8, 13).   What exactly is Locke’s depiction of rights?  And their origin, and his argument for all this?  And what is the purpose of government, according to Locke?

 

4/13     Plato:  Crito excerpts.  What reason(s) does Socrates give for his position regarding the authority the government has over him?

Locke: Second Treatise of Government, chapters 6 (mainly 54-65, 71), 7 (focus on 87-91), and 8 (especially 95-99, 119-22), also 143-44, 168, 221-???.   (ch. 6) Locke is making a point here about the source and legitimacy of government authority - or at least about where these things don’t come from.  What is this point?  How does he make it?  (ch. 7)  What is the specific thing that defines the creation of a society?  Do you agree with him on these issues?

 

4/15     In Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Book I, pp. 141-53 (especially chapters 6 and 7, but the whole book is important).  Why do we come together to form a society (and eventually a government), according to Rousseau?

In Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Book II, chs. 1-3 and Book IV, chapter 2.  What is the general will, as best you can tell?

 

4/20     In Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Book II, pp. 153-72 (mainly just chapters 4, 5, and 11).  In chaps. 4 and 5, compare Rousseau’s description of powers with those of Hobbes and Locke.

In Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Book III, chapters 1, 8-11, 15, and .  Scan other chapters if the titles interest you.  There’s a wide variety of topics here of direct or tangential interest to the topics of our class.

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4/22:    Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, chapter 5.  What is it that makes something someone’s property?  Are there limits to how much property one can rightly hold?  (Locke identifies two, at first, though he doesn't list them as two.)  Does your understanding of these limits change throughout the chapter?

 

4/27:    Locke: Second Treatise of Government, chapters 9-11, (especially all of chap. 9, and 138-40.  From 130-31, and 138-40, what kind of taxation do you think Locke would find legitimate?  For what purposes?  Which of our government's taxes and programs do you think fit Locke's ideas outlined here?

 

4/29:    In Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, the beginning through Part One, pp. 37-60 (skip the letter to Geneva, the preface may or may not be helpful, just skim 47-top 52 if you wish).  Here is Rousseau’s description of humans in the state of nature.  What do you think of his ideas compared to Locke?

Then begin Part Two, pp. 60-67.  How many different times does Rousseau identify something as the ‘first,’ ‘original,’ ‘beginning,’ or some other start of inequality, as promised in the title of the work?  What do you think he means to emphasize as really the beginning?

 

5/4       Finish Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Part Two, pp. 68-81.  So what is the origin of inequality, and why do we have government, according to Rousseau?  Do you agree?  Are these political views expressed by anyone in today's society?

Copy the excerpts from The Communist Manifesto that I've provided on the departmental website: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/materials/spring2004

Before you begin reading The Communist Manifesto, clearly state what you think communism is, what it advocates, what specific things it calls on society to do.  Then as you read, look to see whether Marx actaully states these things or not.

Read about the first half of Part 1 of The Communist Manifesto.  Is it reasonable to look at history as a series of class struggles -- the rich against the poor?  Do you see it in our society today?  Marx thinks modern government is the product of the modern economy, not political ideals.  What do you think?

 

5/6       Finish the excerpts from Marx, The Communist Manifesto.  Marx writes, "the work of the proletarians [that's probably most of you] ... has lost all charm for the workman."  Do you agree?  Do you think work had more "charm" when the economy wasn't dominated by large corporations?  Nearer the end of part 1, Marx says that what's important is for the working class to see itself as a class.  Do you (can you) see yourself primarily as part of an economic class?  Do you think differently about life, thinking this way?  What do you think Marx means when he writes, "The distinguishing feature of Communism is not the abolition of property generally, but the abolition of bourgeois property."?

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5/11     MIDTERM EXAM -- FIRST ESSAYS DUE

            Read the excerpts from Descartes' Meditations

 

5/13     Singer, Hegel, chapters 1 and 2.  Do you think of history as "advancing" or merely changing?  How 'bout the specific ideas of Hegel: can you imagine a society with "only one person -- the ruler -- [being] a free individual"?  On page 20 he describes the Greeks' "readiness ... to do what is best for the community."  Is that any easier to imagine?  (Was that what Rousseau wanted?)  Do you recognize Socrates as filling the role Hegel describes for him?  What questions come to mind, even just the history stuff that Singer mentions that you would like to know more about?

Singer, Hegel, chapter 3.  Do you understand (Singer's description of) Hegel's conception of freedom?  Do you agree with it?  Is that what Rousseau was talking about?  What questions come to mind as you read?  (Write down the first one, and ask it in class.)

 

5/18    Singer, Hegel, chapter 4.  This may be the "punch line" of Hegel, the main idea I want to introduce to you.  If the details seem too weird, don't give up.  I'm mainly interested in your reaction to this one main idea.  Think of yourself, your mind, as being just a part of the greater Geist of the whole of humanity, working toward the ultimate goal of freedom (as Hegel understands it).  Do you think this vision of ourselves is uplifting, giving each person's existence a greater sense of meaning?  Or is it degrading as an affront to your individuality, to imply that you're only real importance is as part of a whole, rather than as a unique person?  (Even if your value to the whole may be your uniqueness?)

Singer, Hegel, chapters 5 and 6.  Even if the last two chapters were too "out there" for you,  Hegel's idea of dialectical process is important all by itself.  Can you think of your own examples of two opposing ideas creating a third, more sophisticated idea?

 

5/20     Quinn, parts 1-5, pp. 3-91.  What story does Mother Culture tell us about our place in the world?  Describe your own attitude toward this story.

Quinn, parts, 6-8, pp. 95-148.  Do you recognize these ideas as reasonable descriptions of laws of nature?  Do you agree we’re breaking them?  What do you really thing the future will bring?  Be specific, if you dare.

 

5/25     Quinn, part 9, pp. 151-84.  Also read the first four chapters of Genesis if you have a bible handy.  What do you think of Ishmael’s interpretation of these stories?

            Quinn, parts 10-13, pp. 187-263.  Do you believe Ishmael’s general description of Leaver and Taker lives?  Is he suggesting we give up our civilization?  What would it mean to live like a Leaver today?

 

5/27     Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapters 1 and 2.  For every chapter, always be ready to bring to class the first question that came to mind while reading (that Dawkins didn't answer for you by the time you were done).  Asking some simple, straight-forward questions now may make all the difference in how well you understand things for the next two weeks!

            Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapter 3.  Do you see selfishness any differently now?  How 'bout our political debates about how much society should help the individual?  How 'bout what Quinn says about our relationship with other species?

 

6/1       Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapter 4.  What does it mean to you to think of yourself as a survival machine for your genes?  Do you feel used?  Or do you feel proud to be part of the chain?  Do you want to raise a family of your own?  Does looking at yourself the way Dawkins describes change how you think about this (even if it doesn't change your answer)?

Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapter 5.  Again, please feel free to bring your questions to the table.  I may be able to make things simpler in a way that will make the rest of the book more enjoyable.

Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapters 6 and 7.  This is technical stuff, but are you thinking about applications to human beings, and how to understand our relationships and interactions?

 

6/3       Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapters 8 and 9.

            Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapters 10 and 11.  Is there any connection between what Dawkins writes about memes and any of Hegel's big ideas -- about the dialectical process at work in the world of ideas?  And what about freedom?  Where does that fit in with all this talk about our genes battling for control?

 

6/8       SECOND ESSAYS DUE

            Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapter 12.  Is there any clear, practical message here for our debate regarding political attitudes?

            Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chapter 13.

 

6/10     FINAL EXAM