Introduction to Philosophical Thought
Philosophy 150 with Prof. Gregory Owcarz
in SH 365 on MWF at
“Philosophy begins in wonder. And at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.”
“Granted that we cannot do anything with philosophy, - Alfred North Whitehead
might not philosophy, if we concern ourselves with it, do something with us?”
- Martin Heidegger
Required
Philosophical Questions The Examined Life
by William Lawhead by Robert Nozick
Mind: A Brief
Introduction The Elements of
Style
by John Searle by William Strunk
and E.B. White
Additional Assistance
Office Hours: MWF
Office Contact: Tel. 818-677-4796, Email
GregoryO@csun.edu, Office in ST 516
Course Description
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. This
course nurtures that love by directing reason, feeling, perception, intuition
and imagination toward the most profound and perennial of questions. The
ultimate aim is to find and
embrace the good life and ideals in its pursuit. The initial forays into
philosophical wonder and methods of inquiry on offer are admittedly less
heroic, but taken in light of such lofty goals.
This course satisfies the Philosophy
and Religion Section (C3) of the General Education Program.
All
courses in this section are designed to promote critical reflection on
questions concerning the nature, meaning and value of human existence, the
world in which we live, and our relations with one another. Students should
understand the sources and limits of knowledge, and they should appreciate and
be able to assess different world views and moral teachings that have played
central roles in human culture.
Requirements and Policies
Class Format Philosophy is more a
thing that one does than a set of facts that one learns.
Accordingly,
some lectures will be given where necessary to introduce new material or to
explain difficult concepts, but written practice and class discussion are
fundamental to doing philosophy, and grading will reflect the integral role of
that participation.
Homework Assignments Written work
constitutes 40% of the final course grade. Brief reading exercises will be
assigned for each class meeting and collected as attendance records, and
periodic quizzes will be given on reading
comprehension. Two brief response papers will also be assigned for which
distribution and presentation are required. These
endeavors facilitate class discussion and help ensure that a steady course of
study is maintained. Late work will not be accepted.
Two In-Class Exams Each exam
constitutes 30% of the final course grade, with the final exam presupposing
familiarity with material from the midterm. Make-up exams will not be offered.
Deadlines The deadline this semester to
withdraw without having to seek special permission is Friday, February 18th,
and withdrawal with instructor’s signature is Friday, February 25th. After that
date, according to CSUN’s regulations, withdrawal
will require additional approvals and can only be obtained for “serious and
compelling reasons” and provided that there is “no viable alternative”.
Tentative Schedule of Topics
-Week One:
What Is Wisdom?
Big
Questions, Good Arguments
-Week Two:
Why Do Philosophy?
Unfuzzy
Logic, Experimental
Thought
-Week
Three: What Does Life Mean?
Stoics,
Hedonists, Theists
-Week Four:
Is Life Meaningless?
Atheists
and Existentialists
-Week Five:
Does God Exist?
Cosmological,
Teleological, Ontological Arguments
-Week Six:
Can Evil Be Explained?
Suffering, the Leap of Faith, God of the Gaps
- Week Seven: What Is The Nature Of
Reality?
Knowledge of the External World, the Search for
Certainty
- Week Eight: How And What Do We
Know?
Subjectivity,
Other Minds, Pragmatism
Midterm Exam
-Week Nine:
What Are Minds?
Idealism,
Materialism, Dualism and Descartes
- Week Ten:
How Do Minds And Bodies Interact?
Cartesian
Dualism, Physicalist Strategies, Consciousness
-Week
Eleven: Who Are We?
Brain,
Body, Consciousness, Personal Identity
-Week Twelve:
Are We Free?
Determinism,
Free Will, Compatibilism,
-Week
Thirteen: Should We Be Good?
Ethical
Relativism, Utilitarianism, Vegetarianism
-Week
Fourteen: What Is Justice?
Liberals,
Libertarians, Distributive Justice
-Week
Fifteen: What About Art?
Aesthetics
and the End of Art