Instructor: Scott Dixon
Office: 1-319
Phone/Email: 909-869-4592/4766(Department
Office)/sdixon@csupomona.edu
Office Hours: Mon. 12:45
p.m.—1:50 p.m., Wed. 12:45 p.m.–1:50 p.m., Fri. 7:30 a.m.--8:00 a.m., 9:30
a.m.--10:00 a.m.
& by
appt.
Course Website: https://scotrates.tripod.com/phil201and202
Required Texts
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, David Hume, Ed. by J. B. Schneewind, Hackett Pub.
Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes, Third Ed., Trans. by D. A. Cress, Hackett Pub.
The Handbook (Encheridion), Epictetus, Trans. by N. White, Hackett Pub.
Language, Truth and Logic, A.J. Ayer, Dover Pub.
Reader to be passed out that
includes: John Wilson, Conceptual Analysis; Thomas Nagel, Subjective and
Objective, Death;
Laura Ekstrom, Paradise Island;
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus; David Hume, Suicide; St. Anselm, Proslogion;
St. Thomas Aquinas, The Five
Ways; William Paley, The Design Argument; Ernest Nagel, Defending Atheism;
Michael Martin,
The Scope of Nonbelief; C.
Van Til, Why I Believe in God; Charles Peirce, The Fixation of Belief,
How to Make Our Ideas Clear;
and Gilbert Ryle, Descartes'
Myth.
Course Description
This course is an introduction
to some of the basic issues in philosophy. Specifically, we will cover
four main areas: logic, metaphysics,
epistemology, and ethics—all
through original source materials. Philosophical movements to be presented
and discussed include
idealism, rationalism, empiricism,
pragmatism, ideal language, and ordinary language. Topics include: death,
suicide, basic logical
notions, free will, determinism,
subjectivism, skepticism, virtue, the existence of God, personal identity,
the relationship between science
and philosophy, metaphilosophy,
and the practical value of philosophy. Students will also learn a method
of doing philosophy through
conceptual analysis.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students
will have a good grasp of some of the significant issues and schools of
thought in philosophy.
They will also improve their
writing and reasoning skills, along with increasing their verbal articulation
abilities.
Course Requirements
There will be three tests of competency.
1. Essay Exam on Epictetus,
Conceptual Analysis, Argumentation, and related issues. 60 points
2. Essay Exam on Descartes,
Ryle, Peirce, and related issues. 60 points
3. Final Essay Exam on
Hume, Ayer, and Metaphilosophy. 100 points
All exams are take-home. You
will have at least one week to complete them. No late exams for full credit
will be accepted without
prior approval. If you choose
to turn it in late, you will be penalized one letter grade for everyday
it is late (except for the Final
Exam which cannot be turned
in late). All exams will be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins,
and in a standard font—Arial,
Times New Roman, or New Courier.
You will have your choice of a few questions. You should end up with about
one typed page
for each question. If you want
to work together on the exams, that’s fine—as long as you understand the
following: just make sure
your work is not the same and
is independent enough so that I don’t have any questions about who did
it. IF you submit the same
exam as your partner(s), you
will both/all receive failing grades for that assignment and possibly for
the course. Please see the
essay exam guidelines attached
to the syllabus for further information.
For the remaining 135 points, the distribution is as follows:
5. In-Class Quizzes: I will
give 5 in-class quizzes of which the 4 best will be counted. 4 @ 20=80
points. These quizzes will come
directlyfrom the course notes
and my lectures. I will usually give an indication that there will be quiz
the next class session. However,
if attendance is particularly
poor on one day(s), those of you that come will be rewarded with an unscheduled,
open-note quiz. I also
reserve the right to quiz more
than once during any class period. There are no make-up in-class quizzes.
6. In-Class Group Participation:
Regularly you will be put into groups to analyze a problem that is dealt
with in that day’s lecture.
One member of the group will
report to the class the consensus of the group’s discussion. Each member
will report at least two times
during the quarter. Also, I
may also meet with groups individually for intensive discussion following
the normal group work. 30 points
7. In-Class Assignments: I will give a variety of in-class writing assignments to initiate philosophical thinking on your part. 20 points
8. The remaining points will be assessed on your contribution to the course outside of the group work and the quizzes. 5 points
Total Possible for 1-6: 355 points
Grading Scale (tentative)
A: 90-100%
D: 59-69%
B: 80-89%
F: below 59%
C: 70-79%
Course Outline
1) Introduction
2) Metaphilosophy (Part
1)—General Introduction to Philosophy and Wilson
3) Metaphilosophy (Part
2)—Stoicism, Rationalism, Pragmatism, Ordinary Language, Logical Positivism
and Nagel on Sub./Obj.
4) What is an Argument?
An Introduction to Reasoning and Logic (QUIZ#1 ON LECS. 1-3)
5) Epictetus on the Practical
Value of Philosophy
6) Epictetus and Ekstrom
(QUIZ#2 ON LECS. 4-6)
7) Epictetus and Camus/Nagel/Hume
on Death/Suicide (Epictetus Exam Passed Out)
8) Descartes, Med 1-3
9) Descartes, Med 4-6
(Epictetus Exam Due)
10) Peirce/Peirce
(QUIZ#3 ON LECS. 8-10)
11) Ryle and the Linguistic
Arguments (Descartes Exam Passed Out)
12) Ayer, Ch. 1
13) Ayer, Ch. 2 (Descartes
Exam Due)
14) Ayer, Ch. 3
15) Ayer, Ch. 6, 102-114/Hume
16) Ayer Ch.6, 102-114/Hume
(QUIZ#4 ON LECS. 12-16)
17) Anselm, Aquinas, Paley
and Van Til
18) Ayer Ch.6, 114-120/Nagel
and Martin
19) Ayer Ch.7 (QUIZ#5 ON LECS.
17-20)
20) Ayer Ch.8,
Review, and Final Exam Passed Out
You have three options for turning
in your final exam to me:
1) Your final exam is scheduled for 6/10/2002 from 1:40—3:40 p.m. I will
be in my office from 2:00—4:00 p.m. on that day if you
would like to turn it in or if you have questions.
2) You can also turn it in to me on 6/12/2002 between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00
p.m. in my office.
3) Or if you prefer to turn it in when I am not there, leave it with the
Philosophy Dept. Secretary, Sue Baird—make sure you
get her to date and time stamp it. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 2:00
p.m. on Wednesday the 12th.
Some Advice
This course looks easier than
it really is especially the Epictetus, Ekstrom and conceptual analysis
portions; however it requires
your constant effort. Many,
if not all of you, will find Ayer, Hume, Peirce, and Ryle very difficult.
I recommend reading each week’s
material at least once before
class and at least once after class. While there is not a lot of reading
required per class session, the
material is dense. Be prepared
to struggle with it. Philosophy is difficult. To paraphrase P.F. Strawson,
there is no shallow end of
the pool inphilosophy; it is
all deep.
If you have any questions do
not hesitate to come and talk with me. Make use of my office hours. Feel
free to e-mail me with any
questions. Please do not hesitate
to ask questions or stop me in-class when you do not quite understand something.
It is trite, but true,
to mention that if you have
a question, undoubtedly others do, so please ask it in class; the ensuing
discussion will benefit us all.
There are no stupid or
obvious questions. Indeed, the hardest questions are the most obvious.
Course and Classroom Conduct
Philosophy courses, in general,
often contain discussions of issues where strong opinions are held.
I expect all students to be
respectful of each other and
of the instructor. To this end, any disrespectful or inflammatory behavior
will be dealt with immediately.
Repeated behavior of this type
will result in the student being excused from the class and subsequently
dropped from the course.
All students should familiarize
themselves with the University policies on cheating and plagiarism found
in the University’s Schedule
of Classes and Course Catalog.
The instructor will not be held responsible for misunderstandings resulting
from the student’s lack
of knowledge. Thus, it is imperative
that each of you is aware of 1) what constitutes cheating; 2) what constitutes
plagiarism;
3) the avenues of university
response; and 4) your student rights.
Remember, if you are in doubt
about citing a source, then you should cite it. Points are not taken off
for citing a source, but not citing
a source can cause you to lose
not only the grade for that assignment, but for the course as well. You
are required to cite anything
used from the class notes.
When in doubt, cite!
No late work will be accepted
without prior approval of the instructor—and in general will not be granted.
I will not provide class
notes to those that do not
attend class in any form: paper or electronic. I will not e-mail in-class
assignments, paper topics, or tests
to those that choose not to
attend that session. If you are not here when I pass out the additional
readings, you need to come to my
office to get them. It is your
responsibility as a student to make sure you have what you need to effectively
complete the course.
As well, extra-credit work
will not be provided to make-up for missed assignments. I expect you to
come to class on time, ready to
discuss the material, and stay
for the full duration of time. lt will be difficult to pass this course
if you do not attend regularly. So, if
you cannot attend on a consistent
basis, you should take another course.
Finally, this is a writing intensive
course. The vast majority of your grade will come from the three essay
exams. If you are not a
good writer or have not had
at least English 104, preferably English 105, this course may be very difficult.
A good command and
facility with the English language
is necessary to express the ideas of the course. If you have any doubts
about your preparation,
please come talk to me early
in the quarter.
Essay Exam Guidelines for Philosophy 201
1. Title page: Exam Topic, Student Name, ID#, Date, and Instructor Name
Plato Essay Exam
By
Cal Poly Student
ID: 000-01-0000
Date: 4/2/2002
Instructor: Scott Dixon
2. Number your pages in the
following way: 1 of 2, 2 of 2. That way I know if something is missing.
You can do it by hand.
Don’t count
the title page.
3. State the essay question you are answering.
1. What does Plato mean by anamnesis?
4. Answer the question. Try to be as clear as possible.
5. Any sources you use please
cite in some form. If you use anything from the class handouts, you are
required to cite them as well.
It is good
practice. Footnotes or endnotes are both acceptable.
1. Metaphilosophy class handout,
pg. 2
2. Plato, Euthyphro, p. 29.
3. Hume, p. 15
6. Try to aim for about one full page per question unless otherwise stated.
7. Exams with too many grammar
and spelling errors will be marked down. Use the grammar and spell check
programs on your
computer, not to mention a
dictionary. Also, make use of the writing center. There is no excuse for
not improving your writing with
all of the resources available
to you on campus. If you get your paper/exam done early enough, I will
be glad to look it over and
make suggestions.
PHL201— Class Procedures, Additional Course Policies, and General Information
The general
format of the class period will proceed like the following:
Lecture: 20-55 minutes
Group Discussion: 15-40 minutes
I ntensive Discussion (if necessary): 20-30 minutes
During my lecture I will go
over and add to the handout that you should have downloaded from the web
page. It is imperative that
you have the notes before class
starts. Since I lecture for a relatively short period of time, you need
to be to class on time; otherwise,
you’ll miss things you need
to know for your exams and papers. You need to pay attention and be focused
during the lecture
because you’ll miss the subtleties
if you don’t.
During the group discussion,
I will give you a problem or question to work on with your group. One person
from your group will
report on your results when
asked to. Every group member will report at least two times during the
quarter.
During the intensive discussion,
I will ask two-three groups to stay and we will consider the day’s problem
or another problem
previously assigned in greater
detail. This discussion period should be used to ask me any questions you
have that you might not
feel comfortable asking in
class. In order to show me that you've considered the question(s) assigned
for your group, you are
required to turn in a typed
paragraph. In addition, since I believe oral discussion is integral to
any philosophical education, all students
will participate. It is not
simply enough to think about philosophy, you also need to be able to articulate
it to others.
I highly recommend you take
the discussion portions of this course very seriously. You will learn a
lot and it will carry over to the rest
of your Cal Poly education.
Philosophy is hard to talk about and if you can do it in even the most
minimal way that is intelligible, you
will gain a greater confidence
to speak openly in other courses. More so though, if you’ve thought about
something and talked
about it in detail, your testing
and writing for this course will go much easier.
In the past, some students have
chosen to leave daily after the lecture. Make sure you note that roughly
1/3 of your grade is
determined by participation
in one form or another. Consistently, those that don’t participate in the
group work have the lowest grades
in class. This is not only
because they lose participation points but it shows in the lack of competency
in their other work for the course.
Since I rarely keep a class
for the full period, there is really no excuse for leaving early and not
participating. To be clear:
YOUR LACK OF PARTICIPATION
WILL AFFECT YOUR GRADE NEGATIVELY.
I pass out supplementary readings
for each section of the course. You should do your best to get through
these readings, as you
will be tested on them. The
readings will further your understanding of the primary texts and of philosophical
issues in general.
I will go over these readings
in class; however, given that they are primary source materials, they can
be difficult.
ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES
One criterion for the satisfactory
completion of the mandatory assignments includes meeting all of the ethical
requirements of academic
scholarship. It is your responsibility
as a student that you complete all assignments with respect to the rules
regarding academic
misconduct. By failing to take
this responsibility seriously, you will not only be penalized and failed
for neglecting to complete the
assignment in an acceptable
manner, but you will also subject to any appropriate penalty for academic
misconduct. © J.A. Johnson
I don’t expect you to have original
thoughts on the subjects of this course. However, what I do expect is that
you are honest and
document your sources whether
they come from my course notes, the textbook, the class readings, the Internet,
or any other
secondary source. Cite the
material and give the author his/her correct due. Taking someone’s work
as your own is plagiarism
and as the paragraph above
states, not only will I fail you for that assignment (and possibly the
course), I will also turn it over to
Academic Affairs. The same
goes for cheating in class during quizzes/exams. If you choose to try it,
make sure it is worth possibly
ending your academic career
at Cal Poly.
It is imperative that you have
regular web access. I post class notes for every section of the course
that you need to download.
The notes will help you understand
the readings and with your exams. The notes are posted for a specific period
of time and then
taken off of the site; thus,
you need to download them while they are available. You should also check
the site regularly--I would
recommend before every class.
If for some reason I cannot make it, I will post it. Study guides for quizzes
are posted if there is enough
class participation.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Make use of my office hours
if you have questions. I’ll also make appointments if my hours don’t work
for you. If you are a new Freshman,
a returning student, or someone
who has avoided philosophy, I would especially like to speak with you about
any concerns you might
have about the course or the
subject. While the material in the course can be daunting, it is understandable
with effort and time.
Feel free to e-mail me 24/7
if you have questions about anything. sdixon@csupomona.edu