Introduction to Philosophy
A study of the basic
issues and traditions in Philosophy. Thinkers include: Socrates, Plato,
Descartes, Kant, Rawls. Issues include: soul, truth, god, reality,
knowledge, ethics, mind, freedom, religion, social and political thought.
This course will consist of a series of lectures followed by discussions of the topics at issue. Students are encouraged to participate in the discussions. Students will not be graded based upon their participation in the classroom discussion but their understanding of the material and their ability to present reasoned discourse will improve if they do so participate.
Course Objectives:
To enable a student to:
(d) develop skills of critical analysis.(a) identify and comprehend traditional and current issues in Philosophy;
(b) define the main areas of Philosophic discourse, especially metaphysics and epistemology;
(c) discuss theories of Knowledge, of Truth, of Mind, of Personal Identity, and Free Will and Determinism, of Soul, Deity;
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
NONE to buy! the REQUIRED TEXTBOOK is FREE and on a website and the url is:
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY An Online Textbook Open Access
Suggested Textbooks: For those who want more than the free online
e-textbook! For those who want printed paper
texts! I offer two suggested texts to obtain. You will be reading Dialogues by Plato: ION, APOLOGY, CRITO, PHAEDO, REPUBLIC,
SYMPOSIUM offered free and in the text below Great Dialogues of
Plato
by
Plato,
W.
H. D. Rouse
by Plato, W. H. D. Rouse (Translator)
You will be reading Dialogues by Plato: ION, APOLOGY, CRITO, PHAEDO, REPUBLIC,
SYMPOSIUM
Suggested Textbooks:
Philosophical
Traditions: A Text with Readings
by
Louis P. Pojman