PHIL 201 - Introduction to Philosophy

3 Credits: (3 lecture)

Course Description
This course involves a presentation of major terms in philosophy, a history of man’s thought from the ancients to the present, a presentation of ancient and modern philosophers, and an examination of pressing social problems of modern man. This course meets the General Education competency of Values, Ethics, and Diverse Perspectives (VE).

 

Text
Fieser, James and Norman Lillegard. A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2002. 

Objectives
The student will be able to: 

A. Identify central historical trends and their relevance to everyday living. 

B. Examine the relationships between the major divisions of philosophy including ethical, logical, metaphysical, and epistemological. (VE) 

C. Apply the rules of hypothesis development in phases of philosophical inquiry. 

D. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of his or her own personal philosophy. 

E. Explore philosophical questions regarding his or her chosen area of interest. 

F. Explain differences between personal philosophical thinking and that of recognized philosophers  

G. Examine the complexity of global human diversity and the various forces that shape it. (VE) 

Content
A. The pre-Socratic and post-Socratic philosophers with selected emphasis on certain philosophers in the arts and science tradition. 

B. Systems and terminology of Philosophy. 

C. The tools of the hypothesis, rational inquiry, and writing philosophy. 

D. Problems of self, mind, and morality.  

E. The appreciation of ethics, evaluating values, and virtues. 

F. Man’s continued philosophical adjustment to the technological environment and the problem of dealing with freedom in a world  facing conservation of resources, pollution, disease, war, and social problems such as drugs, life-death medical issues, and minority rights. 

Student Evaluation
A-G. Class discussions, written assignments, and examinations. 

Bibliography
Adler, H. Mortimer.  Six Great Ideas. Macmillan Publishing Inc., 1981. 

Appiah, Anthony. Necessary Questions. An Introduction to Philosophy. Prentice-Hall, 1989. 

Biffle, Christopher. Landscape of Wisdom. Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999. 

Brody, Baruch.  Ethics and its Applications. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Inc., 1983. 

Engel, S. Morris.  The Study of Philosophy.  3rd ed.  Collegiate Press, 1990. 

Haldane, Elizabeth S. and G. R. T. Ross. The Philosophical Works of Descartes. 2 Volumes. Cambridge University Press, 1984. 

Jowell, Benjamin.  The Dialogues of Plato. Liverright Publishing Company, 1927. 

McKeon, Richard.  The Basic Works of Aristotle. Random House, 1941. 

Moore, Brooke H. and Kenneth Bruder.  Philosophy - The Power of Ideas.  Mayfield Publishing Company, 1990. 

Palmer, Donald.  Looking at Philosophy.  The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter.   2nd ed.  Mayfield Publishing Company, 1994. 

Sober, Elliott. Core Questions in Philosophy. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991. 

Wagner, F. Michael.  An Historical Intro to Moral Philosophy. Prentice-Hall, 1991. 

Wolff, Paul Robert.  About Philosophy.  4th ed.  Prentice-Hall, 1989.