Lecture Focus

Sophie’s World

Special Focus

Twenty Questions

Exams & Papers

Group Host

Tues.

Apr. 1

 (46)

Overview of  the class & Western Philosophical Thought –

Two Threads

1-27

Garden of Eden

The Top Hat

The Myths

(27) 

Myths Video:

Perseus and the Gorgon

What is a philosopher’s project?

Introduction: vii-ix

Group 1

Thur. Apr. 3

(29)

Introduction to

Philosophy and Philosophy’s Introduction

28-55 

The Natural Philosophers

Democritus

Fate

(27)    

Video:

The Pre-Socratics

What is philosophy?

(From Sophie’s World):

Thought Experiments pp. 16-17

(2)

Group 2

Tues.

Apr. 8

(36)

The Sophists and Socrates

56-77 

Socrates

Athens    

(21)  

In class reading:

Plato:

The Death of Socrates

444-446

How do I know if God exists?  49-51

Augustine – 52 (Cosmological)

Anselm - 53-55 (Ontological)

Paley – 57-59 (Teleological)

Hume – 60-65 (Atheist)

(15)

Group 3

Thur.

Apr. 10

(31)

Plato

78-103 

Plato

The Major’s Cabin

(25)

In class reading: 

Plato:

The Myth of the Cave  219-221 

Video: The Cave

What do I know?  216-218

Russell – 239-341

(6)

Paper Subject Due

Group 4

Tues.

Apr. 15

(35)

Aristotle

104-139 

Aristotle

Hellenism

(24)    

In class reading:

Aristotle: Metaphysics

(hand out)

What is the right thing for me to do? 622-624

Aristotle – 630-637

(11)

Test 1

(Through Aristotle)

Paper Subjects returned

Group 2

(Rotate)

Thur.

Apr. 17

(47+)

Indo-Europeans

and Semites

Augustine

and Aquinas

140-187

The Postcards    

Two Cultures

The Middle Ages

(44) 

Video:

Faith and Belief:

Five Major Religions

Aquinas: 55-57  (3)

Augustine: The City of God (hand-out)

Group 3

Tues.

Apr. 22

(25+) 

Renaissance

Galileo and heliocentrism

188- 215 

The Renaissance

(27)

Group 4

Thur.

Apr. 24

(27)

The Baroque and Introduction to Descartes

The two threads meet

216-246 

The Baroque

Descartes

(30) 

In class reading:

 Descartes:

Mind as Distinct from Body

168-172

How is my mind connected to my body?

165-167

Spellman: 192-201

(14)

 Paper Outline Due

Group 1

(Rotate)

Tues.

Apr. 29

(44) 

Descartes

233-256 

Descartes

Spinoza

(23)

In class reading:

 Descartes:

Meditations

221-225

What do I know?

Code: 250-254

(5)

Paper Outlines Returned

Group 3

Thur.

May 1

 (28

British Empiricists

257-302 

Locke, Hume

Berkeley, Bjerkely

(45)

In class reading:

Locke:

Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals  638-641

What do I know?

Berkeley: 245-250

(6)

Test 2

(Through the British Empiricists)

Group 4

Tues.

May 6

(29)

The Enlightenment

and Kant

303-341 

The Enlightenment

Kant

(38) 

In class reading:

 Kant:

Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals  638-641

What is the right thing for me to do?

Bennett: 652-655

(3)

Group 1

Thur. May 8

(29) 

Continental

Romantics

342-371 

Romanticism

Hegel

(29)

Paper Due

(In class)

Group 2

Tues.

May 13

(40)

Kierkegaard

and Marx

372-403 

Kierkegaard

Marx

(31)

In class reading:

 Kierkegaard:

The Leap of Faith and the Limits of Reason

67-70

How should I make money?

789-792

Smith: 794-797

Marx / Engles: 798

(9)

Thur.

May 15

(66)

Darwin

Complexity and the End of the Threads

(So Far)

404-470 

Darwin

Freud

Our Own Time

(66)

470-503 

Garden Party

Counter Point

(33 - optional) 

Sophie’s World

Big Bang 504-513

Video:

Humanity Ascending

Test 3

Thur.

May 22

Final Exam

4:30 pm