Introduction to Philosophy Class hours: Tu/Th 5:30-6:45
PHI 100 Section 513 Instructor: TANG, Xiaoyang
Spring 2010 Office hours: Mon 11:00-12:00
Credits 3 (N630, with appointment)
website:www.tuethurphilosophy.blogspot.com email: tangxyang@gmail.com
Course Description
The study of philosophy helps students develop analytic skills and gain an
appreciation of the general philosophical problems with which human beings
have grappled throughout the civilization. This course will introduce you to some of the main themes, problems and ideas in philosophy from a historical perspective. Our main goals are to develop an understanding of the nature of philosophical thinking, to get familiar with the most well-known philosophical texts and to acquire some basic philosophical skills of constructing arguments and developing ideas. Given that most (if not all) students have no previous exposure to philosophy, this course will start from the very beginning. We will not only read and discuss philosophical writings from thinkers in the history, but will also try to develop a sense for the process and practice of philosophical thinking.
Student Learning Outcomes
This course will examine different approaches to philosophy. The students will learn: 1) There are various possibilities of doing philosophy in the ancient, modern and contemporary times. Philosophy, in broad sense, is not limited to any particular form or question, but has a valuable and influential existence in many areas in our life.
2) In reading these classical philosophy texts, students will acquire a view of the essence of philosophy.
3) Students will also become more sophisticated readers, better writers, skilled analysts and clear, concise communicators.
Required Text and Readings
(Any version of the following texts can be used. Many of them can be downloaded from the website given)
Plato: Apology, translated by Benjamin Jowett, http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html
Euthyphro, translated by Benjamin Jowett, http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html
Republic (excerpts), translated by Benjamin Jowett, http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Translated by W.D. Ross, (excerpts) http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html
Augustine: Confessions, Translated by Albert Outler, (excerpts) http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions.xiv.html
Descartes: Discourse on Method, (excerpts) http://www.gutenberg.org/files/59/59-h/59-h.htm
Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason, (excerpts) http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/cprrn10.txt
Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit, (excerpts) http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/ph/phprefac.htm
Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy, (excerpts) http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/Nietzsche/tragedy_all.htm
Freud: Civilization and its Discontent, (excerpts) http://www.archive.org/details/CivilizationAndItsDiscontents
Heidegger: Being and Time (excerpts) http://www.google.com.au/books?id=S57m5gW0L-MC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Evaluation & Requirements of Students
1. Class Contribution (including attendance) 20%
2. Journals/Website entries 15%
3. Midterm paper 20%
4. In Class Presentation 15%
5. Final Exam 30%
1. Class Contribution (including attendance)
In order to ensure a strong class contribution grade, you must be prepared for each and every class. This means that you must be able to respond to, or to raise questions about the text, or to complete basic written and verbal quizzes. The class participation grade will be considerably reduced in the case of students who reveal that they have not completed the assigned reading by their inability to ask and answer basic questions about the text. Students who consistently contribute to the exchange of arguments in class discussion will be rewarded for their hard work.
You should read the text at least twice, the first time, to get a general idea of the text; and the second time to look more closely at the specific arguments and issues. Besides, absence and lateness affect your grade.
2. Journals/Website entries
Your journal entries will be based on the reading material. You must write your entries before the class during which the text is discussed and post them on the class website: www.tuethurphilosophy.blogspot.com. No late journal entries will be accepted. The journal entries can be about anything, as long as they are inspired by, and in some way relate to, the reading material. Guidance questions will be provided, but your writings do not have to be limited to these questions. Journals must be a minimum of 100 words. You must write all assigned journals (with a grade of “pass”) in order to get a high grade on this assignment. Active comments and discussions on the website will be rewarded.
3. Midterm paper
A list of topics will be distributed in the middle of the semester. You should choose one topic and write a paper of 3-5 pages.
4. In Class Presentation
You should make a presentation about a philosopher, a philosophical school or a philosophical work which are not covered in the class readings. The topic is chosen by yourself, but should be approved by me in advance. You should present it in a clear and convincing manner to the class within 4 minutes, followed by 1-2 minutes Q&A session.
5. Final Exam
The final exam will be scheduled during the exam week. The exam will include some questions testing your knowledge of philosophy and short writings in response to topics that are not known in advance.
College Attendance Policy
At BMCC, the maximum number of absences is limited to one more hour than the number of hours a class meets in one week. For example, when you are enrolled in a three-hour class, you are only allowed four hours of absence (not 4 days). In the case of excessive absences, the instructor has the option to lower the grade or assign an F or WU grade.
Note: Two lateness is equivalent to an absence.
Academic Adjustments for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities. BMCC is committed to providing equal access to all programs and curricula to all students.
BMCC Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Statement
Plagiarism is the presentation of some one else’s ideas, words or artistic, scientific, or technical work as one’s own creation. Using the idea or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism.
Students who are unsure of how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The library has guides designed to help students to appropriately identify a cited work. The full policy can be found on BMCC’s website, www.bmcc.cuny.edu. For further information on integrity and behavior, please consult the college bulletin (also available online).
Outline of Topics (Asterisks mark due dates of journals)
Jan. 28 (Thursday) Introduction
Feb. 2 (Tuesday)* Plato: Apology, Topics: Wisdom
Feb. 4 (Thursday)* Plato: Euthyphro, Topics: Wisdom
Feb. 9 (Tuesday)* Plato: Republic (Book I) Topic: Justice
Feb. 10 (Thursday)* Plato: Republic (Book II) Topic: Politics
Feb. 16 (Tuesday) Plato: Republic (Book II and the allegory of cave in Book VII)
Feb. 18 (Thursday) Monday schedule, no class
Feb. 23 (Tuesday)* Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (Book I) Topic: Happiness
Feb. 25 (Thursday)* Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (Book X) Topic: The best life
Mar. 2 (Tuesday) Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (continued)
Mar. 4 (Thursday)* Augustine: Confessions (Book XI) Topic: Time
Mar. 9 (Tuesday) Augustine: Confessions (Continued), Distribution of midterm paper topics
Mar. 11 (Thursday)* Descartes: Discourse on Method (Part 1-IV) Topic: Knowledge
Mar. 16 (Tuesday) Descartes: Discourse on Method (continued)
Mar. 18 (Thursday)* Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason (a. Preface to the second edition 1787; b. the whole Introduction, namely from “I. Of the difference between Pure and Empirical Knowledge” to “VII. Idea and Division of a Particular Science, under the Name of a Critique of Pure Reason”), Topic: Self-consciousness
Mar. 23 (Tuesday) Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason (continued)
Mar. 25 (Thursday) Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason (continued), Due date of midterm papers
Mar. 29 – Apr. 5 Spring Break, no class
Apr. 6 (Tuesday)* Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit (Preface), Topic: Absolute Truth
Apr. 8 (Thursday) Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit (continued)
Apr. 13 (Tuesday) Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit (continued)
Apr. 15 (Thursday)* Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy (section 1-4, 7-15, please note these are the numbers of the sections in the text, not in the preface), Topic: Arts
Apr. 20 (Tuesday) Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy (continued)
Apr. 22 (Thursday) Midterm Presentation
Apr. 27 (Tuesday) Midterm Presentation
Apr. 29 (Thursday)* Freud: Civilization and its Discontent (section 1,II, IV,V,VII), Topic: Love
May 4 (Tuesday) Freud: Civilization and its Discontent (continued)
May 6 (Thursday)* Heidegger: Being and Time (Introduction) Topic: Being
May 11 (Tuesday) Heidegger: Being and Time (continued)
May 13 (Thursday) Review
Why Socrates thinks he is wiser than them?
ReplyDeleteSocrates was very humble and doubted he was the wisest man in the world. So he set out on a quest to prove he wasn’t the wisest man. In fact, Socrates thought that the politicians, poets, and artisans were wiser than he. He decided to set out on a mission to prove his theory. First, he approached one of the most prominent politicians in Athens to examine his wisdom. In doing so, he proved that this politician wasn’t wise and in return the politician hated him because he exposed the politician as being unwise. Socrates then sought to examine the most accomplished poets whom he thought to be wiser than him. Socrates asked the poets the meaning of some of their most elaborate writings in an effort to see if they were wiser than he. Unfortunately, he found that the poets were just as ignorant as the politicians. Finally, Socrates examined the artisans and observed that even the most eminent artisans made the same mistakes as the poets and the politicians. Hence, they were all pretenders.
In sum, Socrates believed he was wiser than the politicians, poets, and artisans because he acknowledged that only god had true wisdom and that the wisdom of men is little or nothing. In addition, Socrates believed men who were considered to be inferior were wiser than the ones who were pretending to be wise.
Kunti Hanif commented:
ReplyDeleteSocrates was undoubtly very wise and a true believer of the Gods. He did not think that he was the wisest of men. He thought that politicians, poets and craftsman too were very wise. Socrates proved this untrue when he questioned and cross examined them. He found out that they thought they knew all sort of great things but they knew nothing.
Socrates thought that he was wiser than those men afer he found out that they were ignorant. Socrates felt he was wiser also because he believed in God and told only the truth and has posessed wisdom. Those were the teachings and contributions that he delivered to the youth of Athens.
Those good teachings led to Socrates' trial and end; as the world is plagued with evil men whom are againt good.
Socrates was undoubtly a very wise man and a true believer of the Gods. He did not think that he was the wisest of all men though. He thought that politicians, poets and craftsmen too were very wise. Socrates proved this untrue when he questioned and cross examined them. What he found common in them, was that they thought they knew all sorts of things; but they knew nothing. Socrates also realized that he was wiser than them because he believed in God, told only the truth and posessed wisdom; and those were the teachings and contributions that he delivered to the youth of Athens. Those good teachings eventually led to Socrates' trial and end; as the evil are always against the good.
ReplyDeletePlato wanted to explain his old teacher's teachings in a way that put them in a positive light and would therefore repair the memory of Socrates. He further explains that it meant as a revenge against the corrupt officials who had caused the death of a man he held dear. The paper shows how by writing from Socrates' point of view, Plato was able to create sympathy for a man who had been executed for being dangerous to society and was able to cast the accusers in a very negative light.
ReplyDeleteAnitra smith
ReplyDeleteeuthyphro father was wrong to kill that slave from drunken anger beacuse now the slave is dead.hes now on trail for guilty negligent manslaughter but not murder cause of the greek law.i think he also should be on trail for hostage too but thats a different story,but thats not the case. euthyphro, being a priest, it going to be a bad image for him because he now has to prosecuting his father for murder. socrates is right for asking him if this is the right thing to do because that put euthyphro at risk in what he believes in,also the people who believes in euthyphro may look at him in a different way. (euthyphro says "that ordinary people dont really understand the divine attitude to piety and impiety, but doesnt know what the gods think of such matter")