Epistemology: Knowledge from the Senses
For January 15:
- Read “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato
For January 20:
- Read “Meditations on First Philosophy (Meditation I)” by Rene Descartes (136-138)
For January 22:
- Read from “The Problems of Philosophy” by Bertrand Russell (chapter 1 only, through page 13 of the linked file)
Epistemology: Induction and Science
For January 27:
- Read from “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding” by David Hume, Section VII (206-213)
For January 29:
- Read from “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding” by David Hume, Section V (199-205)
- Read “Goodman’s New Riddle of Induction” (830-831)
For February 3:
- Read “Science as Falsification” by Karl Popper
For February 5:
- Read “The Revenge of Historicism” by Robert Klee
For February 10:
- Read from “The Importance of Philosophical Scepticism” by Barry Stroud
For February 12:
- Come prepared with questions for review (See Exam 1 Preview)
For February 17:
- Exam #1
For February 19:
- NO CLASS MEETING
For February 24:
- Read “The Existence of God” by Thomas Aquinas (44-46)
- Read “The Ontological Argument” by Anselm (42-43)
For February 26:
- Read from “Natural Theology” by William Paley (47-51)
For March 3:
- Read from “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” by David Hume, Read part II (60-67)
For March 5:
- Read from “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” by David Hume, Read part X (80-85)
- Paper assigned
For March 17:
- Paper Due
- Read “The Paradox of Identity” (828-829)
For March 19:
- Read “The Case of Old Bentley Number One”
For March 24:
- Read from “A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality” by John Perry (312-326)
For March 26:
- Read “Where am I?” by Daniel Dennett (368-376)
For March 31:
- Read “To Beam or Not to Beam?” by Richard Hanley
For April 2:
- Prepare questions for review
For April 7:
- Exam 2
For April 9:
- no reading, material presented in class
For April 14:
- Read “Dialog with Thrasymachus” from “The Republic” by Plato
For April 16:
- Read from “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes
For April 21:
- Read from “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke
For April 23:
- Read from “A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls (573-585)
For April 28:
- Read from “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick (585-592)
For April 30:
- Prepare questions for final exam review