Introduction to Philosophy, Honors (section 1) | Spring 1998 |
Plato, | Meno | 1/13 - 1/22 |
Descartes, | Meditations on First Philosophy | 1/27 - 2/12 |
Meditation One: Concerning Those Things that Can Be Called into Doubt | ||
Meditation Two: Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind: That the Mind is More Known Than the Body | ||
Meditation Three: Concerning God, That He Exists | ||
Meditation Six: Concerning the Existence of Material Things, and the Real Distinction of the Mind from the Body | ||
First examination | 2/17 | |
Hume, | Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion | 2/19 - 3/10 |
II. [Design Argument, initial round] | ||
IV. [Why Go So Far?] | ||
V. [Inconveniences of Anthropomorphism] | ||
VI. [Other Ordering Principles] | ||
VIII. [The Epicurian Hypothesis] | ||
IX. [The "A Priori" Argument] | ||
X. [The Logical Problem of Evil] | ||
XI [The Inferential Problem of Evil] | ||
Searle, | Minds, Brains and Science | 3/12 - 3/31 |
1. The Mind-Body Problem | ||
2. Can Computers Think? | ||
3. Cognitive Science | ||
6. The Freedom of the Will | ||
Second examination | 4/7 | |
Mackie, | Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong | 4/2 - 4/30 |
Chapter 1: The Subjectivity of Values | ||
1. Moral scepticism | ||
5. Standards of evaluation | ||
6. Hypothetical and categorical imperatives | ||
7. The claim to objectivity | ||
8. The argument from relativity | ||
9. The argument from queerness | ||
12. Conclusion | ||
Chapter 3: Obligations and Reasons | ||
1. `Is' and `ought' | ||
Chapter 5: The Object of Morality | ||
1. Consequences of moral scepticism | ||
4. Game theory analysis | ||
Chapter 6: Utilitarianism | ||
1. Act utilitarianism | ||
4. Rule utilitarianism | ||
Chapter 7: Consequentialism and Deontology | ||
4. Special relationships and the form of moral principles | ||
5. Ends and means | ||
6. Absolutism and the principle of double effect | ||
Chapter 8: Elements of a Practical Morality | ||
2. Egoism, rights, and property | ||
3. Liberty | ||
Chapter 9: Determinism, Responsibility, and Choice | ||
1. Voluntary or intentional actions | ||
2. The straight rule of responsibility | ||
4. Hard and soft determinism | ||
Third examination | 5/7 |
This schedule is subject to change.